Children's Literature

  Thereafter, while sitting on the throne, he wandered what to do. Right then, his daughter came to hug him. The Princess said to the King, “Father! My dear father!” Then Midas replied, “No, never do you come to me, my love!” The little Princess, without paying any heed to her father’s words, suddenly hugged her father; he then touched to push her away, and she turned into a golden statue. This was too much for the King to bear. He wondered how to make everything alright again. Then King Midas went to Dionysus in a rush and begged, “O, forgive me for my sin, for my greed and everything. I don’t want gold at all. I have learnt my lessons. Please give me the remedy to bring everything back to life once again.” Thereafter, Dionysus smiled and said, “Go and collect some holy water from the river Pactolus. Then sprinkle it over everything that had turned into gold.” Midas followed Dionysus’ words thoroughly. Everything came to life very soon. Once again, there was life eve...

  After the stay in the royal family, after receiving such peace of mind, and after being under so much care, Dionysus, the Greek god, was really very pleased. He then asked the King to step outside with him and select one boon. King Midas stepped out with the old man and replied, “I would like to touch everything to gold. I desire such a boon that can give me a golden palace, golden river, etc.” Well, Dionysus granted his desire and blessed him with that boon. Still, he warned the King that King Midas would have to repent for it. King Midas hurriedly went back home to examine the power of the boon. Whatever he touched—his chariot, his books in the library and the flowers in the garden—turned into pure gold. Anyway, whenever he took his seat at the table and asking for food, those foods also became of gold. As a result, he could neither take food nor drink water. It was gold everywhere, but life was the requirement of the day. Then the King had a realisation of the warnin...

  The King noticed that the old man was still there looking at him. At the outset, King Midas felt afraid of him because of the man’s weird glance. The King spoke to himself, “Well, I will fear no more. I will go forward.” Thus, after speaking to himself for a short while, the King went under the shade of that large tree. The old man stood up after viewing the King. Indeed, the old man was none other than the Greek god Dionysus himself. The King was unaware of the fact. Then that man told the King, “Could you please give me shelter for a few days? I have lost my way, Your Highness!” “I beg your pardon. But how did you know that I am the King?” “Oh! I found you in royal robes and became certain that you are none other than the King. Did my hair become grey without any reason?” said the old man. After exchanging a few more words with each other, King Midas agreed to give him shelter. The old man replied, “Your Majesty, I thank you endlessly.” Thus, King Midas welcomed t...

  It was long ago, when there lived a king in Greece. The King of Greece was Midas. Although he was the richest king all over his region at that time, he was extremely greedy. He desired more and more wealth, more and more money, and more and more gold.           As usual, the King went out for a walk with his minister in the early morning. It was not that much far away from the palace. Still, the King became too weary to walk anymore. After all, it was a scorching day of summer. The sun was shining brightly above their heads. The King began to perspire. So did his minster. Now both of them were really thirsty. Thereafter, they drank some water from the nearby river. Thus, their thirst was quenched. After walking a bit more, the King noticed an old man. The old man was taking rest under the shade of a large tree. Then the King commanded the minister, “Go back to the palace. I will come back there at the earliest.” The minister ...

  While drinking some water from the well, his stones got dropped mistakenly into the well. It caused a great noise. The people of that place came running to him and said, “What happened? Where did that noise come from?” Hans replied after quenching his thirst, “I’m so sorry. My stones got dropped mistakenly into the well.” Then that man and that woman, whom Hans had seen standing a few yards away, also came running to the well. They looked at Hans as if with a surprise. Then the woman came to him and asked, “Are you a newcomer to this place?” Hans then replied after a short pause, “Yes, I have come here to look for my parents.” Then the man said, “Your parents!” Hans nodded his head and said, “I lost them seven years ago in a fairground.” Then the woman suddenly burst into tears. With tears in eyes, the man asked, “What’s your name, boy?” “I am Hans.” Then they drew Hans close to them and said, “Hans! Hans!” Everything, in the wink of an eye, became cryst...

  On the way, Hans met a horseman. Hans told him, “I need to find out my parents. Could you please give me your horse instead of this lump of gold?” The horseman nodded his head. However, Hans was thrown off while he was pushing the horse to run faster. Thereafter, Hans came across a cowboy with his cow. Now Hans asked him, “Could you please give me your cow instead of this horse?” The cowboy said, “Why not, boy? Why not?” After a few minutes, Hans stood near moorland to milk the cow. He was really very hungry. Right then, a butcher was passing by. He said to Hans, “How can you milk the cow? It is too old to be milked.” Hans traded his cow for the butcher’s pig. Thereafter, Hans started again. On the way, he met a mason. Hans asked the mason, “Could you please exchange my pig with your grindstones?” The mason agreed to his proposal. The stones were too heavy to be carried. After all such conversations and after walking a long way, Hans felt tired and thirsty. So...

  Yes, the span of seven years is not an easy matter.   The magician had started living with Hans’s everlasting cheer. The childless man felt blessed with such a happy boy like Hans. He had much hesitation in his mind. His heart began to feel the truth that one very day, Hans would want to know about his parents, for sure. In such a worry and fear, the magician used to spend sleepless nights. Finally, he resolved to help Hans get united with his parents. Now it was Hans’ time to depart from his ‘Uncle’. As a parting gift, the magician had given him a lump of gold. Since the magician loved Hans as his son, he hesitated to leave Hans. Still, he wanted Hans to get united with his parents. Finally, Hans set out on his mission to find his parents out. Now he became a grownup. So, there was no chance of his getting lost again. A couple of days went by. Still, Hans could not get any hint where he could find his parents. Then the next day came into existence with a new sun, a new ...

  The neighbour used to say, “I know that none of you two will take these sandwiches. I know that there’s a lump in your throat. Still, I’ll say that you will not have to shed tears much long.” Hans’ mother replied, “What did you say, Ms Darcy? He will come back surely. Yes, he will surely come back, won’t he?” She breaks down. Hans’ father spoke in a broken voice full of sobs, “Yes, he will come back. He has to.” Now the only weapon was time that is the best healer every time. Day after day, month after month and year after year, they kept on waiting. Although they had done the paraphernalia before, none could give them any positive answer yet. However, time never stood still for them. Seven years passed in this way. Hans grew up during this seven years all the more. Gradually, with the development of his brain and memory, he sometimes used to look down the past.   Sometimes, the entire memory of his childhood, just like a flashback, haunted him. The more the days rolle...

  The boy was as if always happy and cheerful. He used to call the magician ‘Uncle’. Yes, his everlasting cheerfulness made the magician feel happy also. The magician gave up all kinds of misdeeds and came back to the right track of virtue. Thus, the magician got changed in course of time. He also loved Hans very much. The magician also taught a number of magic tricks to Hans. Hans was also very glad to learn the magic tricks from the magician. Seven years rolled away in this manner. During these seven years, he learnt great magic tricks from the magician. Now Hans was ready to work on his own. Again, the helpless parents of Hans had been waiting for good news one day. They really believed that their son would definitely return to them one day. But all that they had thought seemed a consolation only. Their hearts as if felt vacant for little Hans. Thus, days went by and Hans’ parents kept feeling a kind of loneliness more and more. They looked for him everywhere; they informed ...

Again, the anxious mother shouted in pain and fear, “Where are you? Where are you, my dear? H-a-n-s! Can you hear us?” Alas! There was no reply yet. The fair was too crowded for them to find out their beloved son. They inquired everyone, but there was no trace of Hans. Yes, the cheerful boy was lost. His parents were mentally broken. What did then happen with Hans? Where did he go? On the other hand, Hans was restlessly looking for his parents. There was a magician a few yards away. Moreover, the little boy was very eager indeed to watch the magic tricks. Thus, the magician could get an advantage to take an Hans away with him. Hans asked the magician for several times, “Where is my mother? Where is my father?” However, the magician consoled Hans by saying, “I’ll help you get them back.” Yes, the magician took him away to a distant place. Still, Hans was in a happy mood. Yes, he was cheerful as usual. Moreover, the magician was childless. So, he started looking upon Hans a...

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Hans. He was ten years old. Hans was the only child of his parents who loved him a lot. Hans was a very cheerful boy. He was just like a pure flower. No matter what happened, the boy used to be in a joyous mood each moment. Sometimes, he used to whistle like the twittering birds. Sometimes, the boy used to sing with an open heart. Moreover, he was really very fond of the glimpses of fairs where he could have lots of amusement. On such a day, he went to visit the fairground with his parents. It was an excellent time for all of them. The roller-coaster was the main attraction there. Everything was going on smoothly and happily. But such things did not last long. Suddenly, Hans’ father could feel that his son’s fingers slipped away from his hands. Out of nervousness, Hans’ father looked for him all around himself. Alas! He could not even hear the voice of Hans. Hans’ father told his mother everything that had happened. Both the parents ...

  Conserving Nature “Nature is God’s creation just as we are. We collect everything from nature for the sake of living. Hence, we should always conserve her.” Read the following story to learn how to conserve nature.   Ricky’s Love for Nature Ricky was a student of class VI. He lived happily with his parents. Since his house was not distant from his school, he used to go there on foot every day with his mother. One day, while returning home from school with his mother, they saw a man cutting down a tree. It was a large banyan tree. All at once, Ricky stopped walking. His mother asked, “What’s wrong, Ricky? Why did you stop walking?” Ricky was full of tears. Yes, he was crying. His mother, at first, could not understand the reason. But gradually, she came to know why he was so full of tears. Ricky said in a sobbing voice, “You’ve taught me that trees are our friends. We should never hurt a friend, should we? Now look what is happening right there.” His...

  “Always be faithful to your benefactor. Remember, faithfulness always brings us true happiness, for sure.”   Read the following story to learn how to be faithful.   The Faithful Dog Once upon a time, there lived a rich man in a large palace. He was very wealthy but very unhappy. One day, he was feeling too upset to do any work. Hence, he decided to visit a sage in the neighbouring village. After reaching the sage, he asked him the reason of his unhappiness. The sage was in his meditation. He opened his eyes. The rich man asked him again, “Please, father, tell me how to find peace, a little peace.” The sage gave him a smile. Then he said, “Peace comes from within. Believe in God and love every living creature.” In course of their conversation, the rich man could find out his answer. Now it was time for him to return to his palace. After reaching his palace gate, he discovered a terrible sight. He saw something awful from outside the window. What...

  “Honesty is the best policy. It pays us always. Honesty rewards us in the long run.”   Read the following story to learn how to be honest.   The Honest Grocer Once upon a time, there lived a grocer in a village. He lived happily with his family in the midst of greenery. One day, as he was in his shop selling rice, pulses, wheat and so on and so forth, he found an old man coming to his shop. They greeted each other. The old man purchased a number of items from the grocer. The latter was very happy indeed. The old man gave a smile and paid the money in respect of his purchase. Thereafter, he went away from the grocery. He was about to start his homeward journey. Suddenly, the grocer called him loudly, “Sir, you’ve paid more than what is required. Please take back the extra money.” Hearing this, the old man turned back. He came to the grocer once again. “Here, please take back the extra money,” the grocer gave him what was extra. The old man was r...

“Patience is bitter but its fruits are sweet. If we hold on, if we be patient, we can achieve our goal, for sure. Patience is always rewarded.”   Read the following story to learn how to hold on or be patient.   The Siblings Daniel and Jane were siblings. Daniel was the younger one. They were spending their days smoothly and happily. One day, while returning home from the playground, Daniel was feeling very upset. Jane asked, “What’s wrong, brother? Why do you feel so sad?” Daniel answered with tears in his eyes, “I know that I can’t play soccer well. Tom said that too. Everybody says that.” The elder sister advised, “They’re absolutely wrong in saying that.” Daniel said, “How can you say so?” Jane replied, “It’s so because I know that if you practise with patience, you’ll be the best soccer player in future. Just hold on, my brother. Just hold on and practise.” Daniel listened to her with rapt attention. Days went by. Daniel kept on practising with p...