Children's Literature

  Have you ever looked at the sky in amazement? Have you ever given it a thought, “How can it be so high? How can we touch the sky? What is the limit of its height?” Well, I believe that each one of you must have done these, haven’t you? Don’t you find it beautiful? Don’t you find it pleasant? Don’t you find it full of surprises? Yes, the blue sky is sometimes adorned with snow-white clouds. Well, then, it looks even more wondrous. Such an exceptional creation! Such an exceptional thing of beauty, true beauty! Such an exceptional mine of astonishment! Well, at dusk, why don’t we step out to enjoy the golden glow? Still, we all should recommend one another to ask for the permission from our parents, from our family. However, a gloomy, a rainy, a stormy, or a day full of adversity does demand our curious attitude to be fulfilled by our elderly people, for they care for us, they love us and they do protect us in each and every step of our life. Yes, we all need to enjoy natural be

              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?”         

The First Part of the Story Once upon a time, there grew a huge tree. At the same time, there rose a tiny plant. Both of them stood side by side.           Time went by. Now the tree became so tall that it almost touched the sky. The tree, therefore, was full of joy and boast. Whoever used to pass by the tree applauded its stature. Such undue praises gave birth to pride in the mind of the tree.           Again, the plant looked too tiny and feeble. None used to notice it. Nobody praised it as well. The plant sometimes felt morose indeed. Yes, the plant used to feel demotivated from time to time.           One day, the tree said to the little plant boastfully, “O, little plant, look at me. I am so bold to stand in the air. I can even touch the sky. Can you not stand like me? See how mighty I am.”           The little plant replied, “I know that I cannot touch the sky. Still, I feel that I am safer in this way. Yes, I may be little, but I am very much happy with my height. I, too

  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 everywh

  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 warning of

  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 the o

  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 then replied, “Oh, surely, Your Majesty! Surely,

  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 crystal c

  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, he

  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 morn and

  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 rolled away, t

  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 the

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

  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

  “Always speak the truth. The truth has great power. If we speak the truth, we will become powerful from within.” Read the following story to learn how to be truthful. The Showpiece Susan and Meghan were two sisters. Susan was elder than Meghan by three years. The two sisters were true friends, for sure. They used to play, eat, sleep and do everything together. One day, they were playing together as usual. They were prancing, hiding, hopping, dancing, singing and running together. Suddenly, while playing, Meghan broke a showpiece. It was very dear to their mother. Their mother came running to the room. Right then, she discovered the mess. She found that it was her favourite showpiece. She asked, “What happened?” Susan replied in a trembling voice, “It fell down.” Their mother asked, “How?” The sisters answered, “We don’t know, Mom.” The mother, then, told them in a soft and endearing voice, “I know that you two were playing. I know that it was an accident. But

“One should love one’s own country. We should fight for our country. We should love her always. However, we should keep in mind our country is our motherland. We should be ready to serve her, work for her and dedicate ourselves to her.”   Read the following story to learn how to be patriotic. True Patriotism Once upon a time, there lived a teacher in a city. He was Mr Dey. Next to his house, there lived a little boy who was a student in the same school. On the Independence Day in that year, the little boy went to school much early. All the teachers and the students were going to observe the Independence Day together. The Principal hoisted the flag with great honour. Mr Dey was a celebrated teacher in that school. He was requested by the Principal to deliver a short speech on the significance of the day. Mr Dey delivered a moving and praiseworthy speech indeed. Everybody clapped loudly after his speech. The little boy, too, was there while the day was being observed wi

“We all must be responsible citizens. Such responsibility gives inner peace. We should learn the various aspects of such responsibility. We should try to keep our city clean and tidy as much as possible.”   Read the following story to learn how to be a responsible citizen. James’ Sense of Responsibility From his early childhood, James has been taught to keep his city and country clean and tidy. He is an obedient boy indeed. One day, he was walking with his mother to school. Yes, his school was not far from his house. Therefore, he used to go to school on foot every day. On that day, suddenly, a young man threw a banana skin onto the road. James noticed it. After seeking permission from his mother, he went to the young man. The young man said, “What’s the matter up, boy?” Then James replied, “Please throw the banana skin into the dustbin.” The young man, at first, tried to deny that it was he who threw the banana skin onto the road. James told him, “I have been taugh