Children's Literature

  Long ago, there was a poor porter named Hindbad. He used to live in Baghdad. Hindbad used to carry heavy loads every day.           One day, he was carrying a heavy load as usual. As a result, he became tired and sat down to take some rest in front of a palace.           The palace was so grand that the porter became curious to know about the people living in it. He wondered, “How rich the people living inside the palace would be!”           Sometime later, Hindbad saw a passer-by. Right then, Hindbad asked the passer-by, “Who lives in this palace?           The passer-by replied, “The palace is of Sindbad, the famous sailor. He has travelled to a number of places or distant lands.”           After hearing everything with rapt attention, Hindbad looked up at the sky. Then he shouted loudly to heaven, “O, God, I am a poor porter. I, Hindbad, have to carry such heavy loads for getting every single meal. But Sindbad, right here, lives in such pomp and wealth.”           Then

              Eureka! It was a tiny key. The boy put the key in the slot of the box. Thus, the box got opened.           All of a sudden, the little boy came to see that there was neither gold nor silver. While he was trying to find out what there was inside the box, he closed his eyes because of the dazzle coming out from inside the box.           When the dazzling light came out, the boy became surprised. What did he see?           He saw that the light turned into a beautiful fairy. Then she said to the boy, “O, little boy, I had been suffering from a curse for a long time. However, you have released me from the curse as well as from the captivity. I bless you that happiness stays with you always.”           After blessing the boy with happiness, the fairy disappeared.           The boy was as if under a spell. He was gaping at the light and pondering over the blessings of the fairy.           He asked himself, “Was I dreaming or did I see everything in real?”         

  Once again, that dwarf appeared that night to help the girl spin gold out of straw. This time she promised him, “I will give you my ring instead.” Again, the King grew greedier and greedier. He decided to place the girl in another room. He told her to complete another round of spinning. The dwarf appeared once again. This time, he said, “This time you’ll have to give me your first child. You will become the Queen.” The innocent girl was certain that the King would never marry her. Hence, she promised the dwarf without any hesitation. With the passage of time, the King decided to marry her. Thus, the poor miller’s daughter became the Queen. Some months later, she gave birth to a baby boy. Then, one night, the dwarf appeared to her asking her first child. Anyway, the Queen begged him not to take her child away. The dwarf agreed on a condition, “If you can tell my name correctly, I will leave the child, for sure. But you are given three days only. You must tell me my name corr

After the King had gone away, the miller’s daughter felt so shocked and puzzled that she kept weeping in a corner of the room. Four hours passed. Then, all of a sudden, the door miraculously got opened. Right then, a dwarf stepped in. The dwarf asked her, “What’s wrong? Why do you weep, buddy?” Then the miller’s daughter answered with sobs, “My father has promised the King that I would spin all the straw into gold. Therefore, the King has given me all these to spin into gold.” The dwarf replied, “Well, I can do this task for you. But what will you give me instead?” The girl could hardly believe her ears. Then the dwarf said once again, “Yes, you heard me right. But what will you give me for my work?” “I will give you my necklace instead,” she answered. Thus, the dwarf sat down to spin gold out of the straw. After his work had been over, he sneaked away. The next morning, the King opened the door with a bit of anxiety. Immediately, he found the straw turned into gold.

  Long ago, there resided a miller in a village. He had a lovely daughter. However, the miller was poor. Hence, he dreamed of becoming rich day after day. Fortunately, the King was walking through the village one lucky day. The miller chanced to meet the King. He could not hold his tongue. Hence, out of extreme ambition to become rich, his tongue slipped out saying, “Your Highness, my daughter can spin gold out of straw.” The King became utterly surprised. He wondered how it could be possible. Then he asked the miller, “Are you sure of what you’re talking about? I wonder whether you are actually right.” The miller replied, “I can assure you that whatever you have heard from me is true.” Yes, the miller was really confident. Upon hearing all this, the King asked the miller, “As you say, I trust you. Anyway, can she be taken to the palace?” The miller gave his prompt consent. Thereafter, the miller’s daughter was taken to the palace. In the palace, the King showed her a r

  Consciousness of Hygiene “Maintaining hygiene is extremely important. A nation that cares for hygiene is a healthy nation, and what is more, is a successful nation.” Read the following story to learn how to maintain hygiene. Lucy Learns Hygiene Lucy was a teenager. She was such a good girl that everybody used to love her. Still, the only fault that she had was not maintaining hygienic habits. Her mother used to shout at her several times for the same reason. One day, Lucy had a severe stomach infection. It became blood dysentery. Lucy became really scared. Her mother called a doctor. The doctor asked Lucy, “Do you wash your hands properly with soap before and after taking meal?” Lucy answered, “No. Actually, never.” Her mother added, “I’ve told her several times to do so. She never listens to me.” Lucy hung her face down in shame. Then the doctor advised her, “I know that Lucy will become a champion in future, right?” “Oh, yes,” Lucy replied. The doctor