The Story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Once upon a time, on a cold winter day, a queen sat by the window at her castle. She sat and made clothes for her baby. She wanted to have a little girl.
Sometimesshe looked out of the window. Outside, the snow fell, and it was very cold. Suddenly, she pricked her finger with her needle, and three drops of red blood fell from it.

"Red is a beautiful color," she thought. Then, she looked at the dark black wood of the trees outside and at the white snow.
"My little girl will be very beautiful," thought the queen. "She will have skin as white as snow, hair as black as the trees in winter, and cheeks as red as blood."

Soon the queen had her baby, a little daughter. And the little girl had skin as white as snow, hair as black as trees in winter, and cheeks as red as blood.
"Oh, dear little child," said the queen, "you are very beautiful! I will call you Snow White."

She loved the little girl very much. But when Snow White was only two years old, a very sad thing happened. The queen was very ill and she died.
After a few years, Snow White's father, the king, married again. His new queen was beautiful, but she was also nasty and unkind. She thought that she was the most beautiful woman in the country.
"And I will be the most beautiful woman in the country!" she said. Then, she looked at Snow White. She saw that the little girl was very beautiful, and she was jealous. She saw the light in Snow White's eyes and she wanted to kill her.

The new queen had a magic mirror. Everyday she stood in front of it and asked: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?" The mirror always answered: "Of all the women who stand tall, You, Queen, are the most beautiful of all. But listen now, for this is true: Snow White is more beautiful than you."
The queen was very angry. "When I saw Snow White, I am ill!" she said. "She must die. I never want to see her face again."
She gave some money to a huntsman and said to him, "Take Snow White into the forest and kill her. Do this or you will die. Go! Be quick! Bring me back her heart. Then I will know that she is dead."

The huntsman did not want to do it, but he was afraid. So he took Snow White and together they walked far into the forest. He put his hand on his knife three times. But each time Snow White turned and looked at him, and he could not kill her.

At last, the huntsman said, "Listen, Snow White. The queen said that I must kill you. But I can't do it. Run, Snow White! Run far away into the forest. And do not come back to the castle." Then the huntsman killed a deer and took its heart. "I will take this deer's heart to the queen," he thought. "And I will tell her that Snow White is dead."

Snow White was alone and lost. She ran through the forest. She ran all day. Now it was late and she was afraid. The forest was full of strange noises. She knew that there were wild animals there, but they did not come near her.

At last, Snow White came out of the forest. She saw a mountain, and at the foot of the mountain she saw a little house. "I'll go and knock on the door," she thought. "Then perhaps a kind person will help me."

"Hello!" she called. But there was no answer. It was almost dark now, so she opened the door. Inside, the furniture was very small, and there were seven of everything: seven little chairs and little bed. There were seven little cups on the table, and seven plates of food. "Perhaps seven little children live here," thought Snow White. "But where are they?"

Snow White was very hungry, but she didn't want to take someone's dinner. So she ate a little from each plate, and she drank a little from each cup. Then she went upstairs and fell asleep on three of the little beds.

The house belonged to seven dwarfs. Everyday the dwarfs went to the mountain and looked for gold. That night they finished their work and came home. "Someone has eaten from out plates and drunk from our cups," said one.
"Perhaps it was a mouse," laughed the others. "Come on! Let's take off our boots and sit down and eat."
Then the youngest dwarf called from upstairs. "Come quickly, everybody. Come and see. There is a young girl asleep on our beds. She is very beautiful."

All the dwarfs ran upstairs. "Yes, she is very beautiful!" they said. "Shhh! Don't wake her."
So that night they all slept downstairs by the fire. In the morning, Snow White told them her story. "Stay here with us," said the dwarfs. "The queen is a very dangerous woman. You can never go back to your castle now."
"Yes," said the oldest dwarf. "Stay. Please Stay."
"Thank you," said Snow White. "You are all very kind."
So Snow White stayed and lived with the seven dwarfs. She cooked and cleaned and washed for them, and they were kind to her.

Every morning the dwarfs went to the mountain to look for gold. "Be careful, Snow White," they said when they left. "The queen is a very dangerous woman. She must not know that you are here. Don't leave the house and do not open the door to anyone."
"The queen will never find me," said Snow White. "She thinks that I am dead."

The queen didn't speak to her magic mirror for a long time. But one day, she stood in from of it and asked: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?" The mirror answered: "You, Queen, are beautiful it's true. But there is one more beautiful than you. Snow White's not dead. She's living still, In a house in the forest over the hill. And although you are beautiful it's true, Snow White is more beautiful than you."
"What?" said the queen. "She's not dead? I'll kill the huntsman! And I'll kill Snow White too, when I find her."

Then the queen dressed as an old woman. She put some ribbons in a basket and left the castle secretly. "Snow White will not know that it's me," she laughed. She walked quickly through the forest until she came to the little house at the foot of the mountain. "Hello," she called. "Is anyone in?"
Snow White looked out of the window. "What do you want?" she asked.
"Would you like to buy some ribbons, my dear?" said the old woman.
Snow White looked at the ribbons. They were beautiful ribbons, pink and blue and yellow. "She's just a poor old woman," thought Snow White. "She can't hurt me." So she opened the door.
The old woman showed Snow White the ribbons. "Look at this pink ones."
"They're beautiful," said Snow White.
"Here, I'll help you. I'll tie them for you." But the old woman tied the ribbons very tightly and Snow White could not breathe. She fell to the floor. That night, the dwarfs found her there. They saw the new ribbons and quickly untied them.
"What happened?" they asked.
Snow White told them about the old woman. "That was not an old woman," said the dwarfs. "That was the queen."

Back at the castle, the queen stood in front of her magic mirror and asked: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?" But again the mirror answered: "You, Queen, are beautiful it's true. But there is one more beautiful than you. Snow White's not dead. She's living still, In a house in the forest over the hill. And although you are beautiful it's true, Snow White is more beautiful than you."
"What?" said the queen. "Is she still not dead?" Then I'll go to her again.

So the queen dressed as another old woman. This time she put some poisoned combs in her basket. At the dwarfs' house she called "Good morning! I've got some combs for your hair. Is anyone there?"
Snow White looked out of the window. "I'm sorry old woman," she said, "but you can't come into my house."
"Well, you can come to the door and look, can't you?" said the old woman.
Snow White thought for a minute. She wanted to see the combs very much. "Alright," she said, and she went downstairs and opened the door.
The old woman opened her basket and showed Snow White the poisoned combs.
"I like that pink comb," said Snow White.
"Do you?" said the old woman. "Here, my dear, I'll put it in your hair." Then she stuck the poisoned comb into Snow White's head and poor Snow White fell to the floor.

That night, the dwarfs found her. They saw the comb and pulled it from her hair.
"What happened?" they asked.
Snow White told them about the old woman. "That was the queen again!" said the oldest dwarf. "Snow White, you must remember: do not open the door to anyone."

Back at the castle, the queen stood before the magic mirror and asked: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?" But again the mirror answered: "You, Queen, are beautiful it's true. But there is one more beautiful than you. Snow White's not dead. She's living still, In a house in the forest over the hill. And although you are beautiful it's true, Snow White is more beautiful than you."
"Is she still alive?" said the queen. "Then I'll go to her again. I'll give her a poisoned apple."

The queen dressed as a farmer's wife and went to the dwarfs' cottage. But Snow White didn't want to open the door. "I'm sorry, old woman," she called. "You can't come in. The dwarfs said that I must not open the door."
Then the old woman showed her the poisoned apple.
"I'm sorry, old woman," said Snow White. "I haven't got any money."
"You don't have to buy it, dear," said the old woman. "I'll give it to you for nothing."
"Hmm," thought Snow White, "the apple looks very nice."
"Don't be afraid," said the old woman. "It's not poisoned. Look, I'll cut it in two. I'll eat this green half and you can have the beautiful red half. See? There's no danger."
"All right," said Snow White. "Thank you, old woman." And she took the red half and began to eat.
But when the first piece of the poisoned apple was in her mouth, she fell to the floor.
"Ha!" laughed the old woman. "Goodbye for ever, Snow White."

Back at the castle, the queen asked her mirror: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the most beautiful of all?" And now at last the mirror answered: "You are, queen."

That night, the dwarfs returned and found Snow White on the floor. They tried to wake her, but she did not move or open her eyes. "This time she is dead," said the oldest dwarf. "She has gone from us for ever."
For three days and nights dwarfs sat by Snow White. They knew that she was dead, but they didn't want to bury her.
"She looks as if she is only asleep," they said. "We can't bury her in the ground."
So they made a glass box, put Snow White in it, and carried her up the mountain. "She can lie here," said the oldest dwarf. "Then we can come and see her every day."

On the side of the box the dwarfs wrote in gold: HERE LIES SNOW WHITE, THE DAUGHTER OF A KING - and one dwarf always sat with her, day and night.

Time went by, but Snow White's skin was still as white as snow. Her cheeks were still as red as blood and her hair was still as black as trees in winter.

Then one day, a prince came by with some friends. When he saw Snow White, he fell in love with her at once. "I want to take her with me," he said to the dwarf. "I will give you anything!"
"No," said the dwarf. "Snow White belongs to us." But the prince asked again and again. "Can I take her with me, please?"
At last, the dwarf said, "Wait here. I will go and get my brothers."
Then all the dwarfs came and stood in front of the prince.
"I am in love with her," said the prince. "I can't live with her."
"Yes," said the oldest dwarf. "You love Snow White. I can see it in your face. And we must give her to you. You are a prince and she is a princess, the daughter of a king. We are only poor dwarfs."
"Take all my gold," said the prince.
"No," said the old dwarf. "We don't want anything. We will give her to you because you love her."

The dwarfs began to carry the glass box down the mountain. But they tripped near a tree and the box fell. At that moment, the piece of apple fell out of Snow White's mouth. She opened her eyes and saw the prince. When she saw him, she fell in love with him at once.
"Here, you see your husband," said the prince. "Will you be my wife?"
"Yes," she said.
So Snow White said goodbye to her friends the dwarfs, and went away with the prince.

In December they were married and there was a big party. Lots of important people came, and one of these important people was the jealous queen.
When she saw Snow White, she couldn't believe her eyes.
"What is this?" she said. "Is Snow White still alive?" She was very angry. When she saw Snow White and the prince, she was jealous. She ran out of the castle and no one saw her again.
Snow White loved the prince, and he loved her. In time, they had seven children, and they all lived happily ever after.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). It's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Story of the Shoemaker and the Elves

A long time ago, in a village, there live a shoemaker. The shoemaker and his wife. He is an old shoemaker. And he has a shop on the first floor of their house. It's an old shoe shop. It isn't a very good shop. It doesn't make much money.

One day he was making a shoe. He said to his wife, "One last pair of shoes. That's all I can make."
"It's late," says his wife. "Make them in the morning."

In the morning, they come down.
There's something on the table!
It's the shoes!
"Look!" cries the shoemaker. "Magic!"

He displayed the shoes in the window.
A beautiful lady sees them.
"Ah, Shoemaker," says the lady. "What beautiful shoes! I must buy them. Here are three gold coins."
"Three gold coins!" says the Shoemaker. "I can make more shoes now. Two more pairs. Thank you lady!" he says.

So the old Shoemaker goes out and he buys some more leather.
"I have some money," he says to man who sells leather. "Look! Three gold coins!"
The salesman gave him some leather and he went home.

He arrived home.
"Two more pairs of shoes," says the shoemaker. "I can make two more pairs now."
"It's late," says his wife. "Make them in the morning."

In the morning, they come down.
There's something on the table!
Two pairs of shoes.
"Look!" cries the shoemaker to his wife. "More magic!"

Again, he puts the shoes in the window.
A gentleman sees them.
"Ah, Shoemaker," says the man. "What beautiful shoes. I must them. Here are six gold coins."
"Six gold coins!" says the shoemaker. "I can make more shoes now. Three more pairs." he says happily.

So, he goes out and he buys some more leather.
"Look!" he says. "I have some money. Six gold coins!"
Then he went home with some leather on his hands.

"I can make three pairs of shoes," says the shoemaker to his wife.
"It's late," says his wife. "Make them in the morning."
And they went upstairs to sleep.

In the morning, they come down.
There's something on the table!
Three pairs of shoes.
"Look!" cries the shoemaker. "Magic again!"

They put the shoes on the window.
A family sees them.
"What beautiful shoes!" they say. "We must buy them. Here are nine gold coins."
"Nine gold coins!" says the shoemaker. "But... who is making all these shoes?" he said to his wife.

He bought some more leather again and put it on the table.
That night the shoemaker hides. He and his wife hide. And they wait. At midnight they see two little elves!
The little elves run in. They jump onto the table.
"Here's the leather!" they say. "Let's work! Let's make some beautiful shoes!"
All night they work. They work and work and work.
The shoemaker and his wife watch them.

In the morning the elves run away.
But there's something on the table.
Four beautiful pairs of shoes!
"Now we know," says the shoemaker. "We know who helps us."
"Yes," says his wife. "Two little elves. But what can we do for them?"
"I know," says the shoemaker. "Let's make some clothes for them."
"Oh, yes!" says his wife. "Yes!"

Night comes. They put the clothes in the box and leave it on the table. Then they hide.
At midnight, the little elves run in.
The elves see the box. And they open it.
"What's this?" they say. "Something for us? For us? Oh yes! It's something for us!"
They put on the new clothes and they dance. Dance, dance, dance!
The shoemaker and the his wife are very happy to see them wearing the clothes.
"Now it's time for s to go. Because they know! Because they know!" say the elves. "Goodbye Shoemaker!" they say.

The elves never come back.
But now the shoemaker makes good shoes.
He works hard.
Now his shop is a good shop.
And he his happy.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). Some sentences have been changed because some of the situations need pictures. So, it's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Story of the Gingerbread Man

An old woman lives in a village.
She lives with her old husband.
They don't have any children.

One day, the old woman is in the kitchen.
She's making something.
She's making a gingerbread man.
The gingerbread man has a head.
He has arms and legs.
He has two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
The gingerbread man is ready to put in the oven.
The old woman is very happy.

"You're a little boy," she says to the gingerbread man.
"My little boy!" she says.
"In you go!" says the old woman.
And she put the gingerbread man in the oven.

But soon the old woman hears a little voice.
It's coming from the oven.
"Open the door!" says the voice. "I want to come out!"
The old woman opens the oven door.
And the gingerbread man jumps out.
"Oh!" says the old woman.
"Stop!" says the old woman.
"Come here!" she says.
But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs across the kitchen and out of the door.
The old man sees him.
"Stop!" shout the old man and the old woman.
"Come here!" they say running to the gingerbread man.

But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs faster and he shouts:
"Run, run! You can run. Yes, you can. But you can't catch me.I'm the gingerbread man!"

The little gingerbread man runs and runs.
Soon, he sees a cow.
"Stop!" says the cow."Come here! I want to eat you." it says.

But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs faster.
And now the cow runs after him.
"I can run away from an old woman," says the gingerbread man. "I can run away from an old man. So I can run away from a cow!"

They all run after him.
And the gingerbread man shouts:
"Run, run! You can run. Yes, you can. But you can't catch me.I'm the gingerbread man!"

The little gingerbread man runs and runs.
Soon, he sees a horse.
"Stop!" says the horse."Come here! I want to eat you." it says.

But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs faster.
And now the horse runs after him.
"I can run away from an old woman," says the gingerbread man. "I can run away from an old man and a cow. So I can run away from a horse. Yes, I can! You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"

The gingerbread man runs and runs.
"They can't catch me!" he says.
"Nobody can catch me."

Just then he sees a fox.
"Stop!" says the fox. "Come here!"

But the gingerbread man doesn't stop.
He runs faster.
And now the fox runs after him.
"I can run away from an old woman," says the gingerbread man. "I can run away from an old man. I can run away from a cow and a horse. So I can run away from a fox!"

They all run after him.
And the gingerbread man shouts:
"Run, run! You can run. Yes, you can. But you can't catch me.I'm the gingerbread man!"

"Stop!" says the fox.
"I don't want to eat you. I want to talk to you. I want to be friends with you!"
But the gingerbread man doesn't stop. He runs faster. And now the fox runs faster too.

The gingerbread man runs and runs. Soon he sees a river.
"Oh no!" he cries. "A river! I can't swim!"

"Listen," says the fox. "I can help you. I can swimacross and you can sit on my tail."
So the gingerbread man sits on the fox's tail.
And the fox begins to swim.

But soon the fox says, "Listen! You are too big for my tail. Sit on my back."
So the gingerbread man sits on the fox's back.

But soon the fox says, "Listen! You're too big for my back. Sit on my nose."
So the gingerbread man sits on the fox's nose.

The fox swims across the river and jumps out.
The fox throws the gingerbread man up.
Up! Up! Up!

Then he opens his mouth and...
cathes him!

"Help!" he says. "My legs! My legs!"
"Help!" he says. "My armss! My arms!"

Then the fox eats the gingerbread man's head.
Now the gingerbread man doesn't say anything.

And that is the end.
Yes, that is the end of the gingerbread man.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). Some sentences have been changed because some of the situations need pictures. So, it's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Story of the Big Baby Finn

Big Baby Finn is a very big baby. His name Big Baby Finn MacCool.He has friend. Her name is Oonah. Oonah is very clever.

Finn and Oonah grow. They are friends until they grow up. They both like to play. They run and jump. They sometimes jump into the river.

One day, while playing in the river, they saw a fish.
"Catch the fish, Oonah!" says Finn.
And she catches it. Clever Oonah catches the silver fish.

Today is Finn's birthday. As usual, they went to the river to play.
"Look!" cries Oonah. "A gold fish! It must be a magic fish!"
Oonah is right. It's a magic fish.
The magic fish sings: "Finn! Have this girl for your wife. She can help you in your life."

So Finn marries Oonah. They live on a green hill. And they can see the sea. The beautiful, big, blue sea.

Finn is a good giant. He is a good strong giant.
Oonah is a good wife. She is a good, clever wife.

One day, Finn decided to make a bridge so they can cross to the other side of the water.

"OK, men!" says Finn. "I want to make a bridge! A bridge across the water!"
So, he started to make the bridge with the men in the village.
Finn throws a big stone. Splash! Into the sea! And another! And another! Splash! Splash! Into the sea!

"I am big and strong," says Finn. "I do good things."
Then suddenly, he sees something.
Something a long way across the sea.
And he doesn't like it.
"Oh! What is that?" he asks.
"Oh!" say's one of the Finn's men. "That's Big Bad Benan! With his bad magic finger!"

Benan shouted to the them.
"Hey!" he shouts. "I'm looking for Finn. Do you know him?"
"No!" shouts Finn.
"No!" say his men. "No! We don't! We don't know Finn!"

Then Finn ran home to his wife.
"Help!" shouts Finn.
"What's the matter?" says Oonah.
"It's Big Bad Benan," says Finn. "He's coming for me!"
"Quick!" says Oonah. "Make a cradle. Make a big baby cradle. And bring it inside."

Finn made a big baby cradle quickly and brought it inside the house.
"Now get in!" says Oonah. "Get in the cradle! And don't say anything!"

A few minutes later, Benan came. He opened the door angrily.
"Where's Finn?" he shouts.
"He's not here," says Oonah. "It's just me here. Me and the baby."
Benan looked at the baby in the cradle.
"That's a big baby," he says.
"Yes," says Oonah. "Just like his daddy. Finn is a very big giant. Much bigger than you!"
"Can you help me?" says Oonah to Benan. "Can you turn the house, please? Finn usually does it. But he's not here."
"OK," says Benan. And he turns the house.
Then Oonah picks up some stones. She puts them in her pocket.

Oonah is making bread.
She is making bread rolls.
But she has something.
She has some stones.
She puts the stones in them.
But... she also made one with no stone.

Benan is still inside waiting for Finn to come.
"Mm!" says Benan. "Those rolls smell good."
"Here you are!" says Oonah.
She gave him the rolls with stone inside.
Benan starts to eat.
"Ow!" he shouts. "What's wrong with this bread? Ow! My teeth!"
"Your teeth aren't very strong," says Oonah.
"My Finn eats this bread everyday."

Then the baby starts to cry.
"What's wrong with the baby?" shouts Benan.
"He's hungry too," says Oonah. "Here, baby! Here's a bread roll for you."
She gave the one with no stone inside.
"That baby has strong teeth," says Benan.
"Yes," says Oonah. "Just like his daddy. Finn has very strong teeth. Much stronger than yours."

Then the baby starts to cry again.
"Oh no!" says Oonah. "Finn's coming home soon. He gets angry when the baby cries!"
"Be quiet, baby!" says Benan.
"Give him your finger!" says Oonah. "I'll make milk for him."
"Here, baby," says Benan.
He puts his finger into Finn's mouth.
His magic finger!
Then Big Baby Finn bites it! He bites off the magic finger!
"Ow!" shouts Benan. "Ow! Ow!"
And he gets smaller.
He gets smaller and smaller and smaller!

Now Benan is tiny. Tiny, tiny Benan.
And tiny, tiny Benan... runs away!

"My clever Oonah!" says Finn.
"Goodbye, Benan!" says Oonah.
"Goodbye, Benan!" says Finn.
"Bye Bye!" they say happily.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). Some sentences have been changed because some of the situations need pictures. So, it's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Enormous Turnip

The man's got a seed. He goes in the garden. He puts the seed in the ground. The seed grows. The man's happy.

The seed grows and grows. It's a turnip. The turnip's big. It's very big. The man's very happy. "It's big," he says.

The man's hungry. He wants to eat the turnip. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

The man sees the woman. "Come and help!" he says. "Pull!" says the man. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

They see a boy. "Come and help!" they say. "Pull!" says the woman. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

They see a girl. "Come and help!" they say. "Pull!" says the boy. The girl pulls the boy. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

They see a dog. "Come and help!" they say. "Pull!" says the girl. The dog pulls the girl. The girl pulls the boy. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. But the turnip doesn't move.

They pull and they pull. But the turnip doesn't move. They are very tired. Suddenly they see a cat.

"Come and help!" they say. "Pull!" says the man. The cat pulls the dog. The dog pulls the girl. The girl pulls the boy. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. They pull and they pull and they pull. But the turnip doesn't move.

Then the mouse came. "What are you doing? May I help you?" he asked. Everybody looked at the mouse and the boy said "You?! You're so little! You can't do anything." But the old man said, "Ok! Let's try! Let's pull!"

The mouse pulls the cat. The cat pulls the dog. The dog pulls the girl. The girl pulls the boy. The boy pulls the woman. The woman pulls the man. The man pulls the turnip. They pull and they pull and they pull and...

Hurray!!!

"We've got the turnip!" they say. "We've got the enormous turnip!"

The cooked the turnip. "Come and eat!" she says. Everybody enjoys the enormous and delicious turnip. "It's yummy!" they say. Then the old man says, "Let's plant more turnips tomorrow. Can you help me?"

Then everybody laughs.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). There are some sentences that I've been changed. It's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Story Of The Ugly Duckling

It is summer. A duck sits on her eggs. She sits and she waits. She waits and waits.

At last the eggs open.
"At last!" says the duck.
"My little ducklings!"

But one egg does not open.
"Mm,' says her friend. "That egg is strange. Leave it!" they say.

"Leave my egg?" says Mother Duck.
"No. I can't leave it."
She sits down again and she waits.

At last the egg opens.
"Oh!" says Mother Duck to her friend.
"You're right. He is strange. What an ugly duckling!"

But the ugly duckling can swim.
He can swim very well.
And Mother Duck is happy.

"Come on, ducklings!" she says.
"Let's go to the farm! I want all my friends to see you."
They swam and arrived in the farm.
"Hello, everyone," she calls.
"Look at my little ducklings!"
Her friends gathered around.
"Very nice. Very nice" say her friends.
"But that duckling is very big. He's ugly!"
"He's strange," they say. "He's an ugly duckling."
And one of the ducks pecks him.

Every day the farm girl comes.
Every day she kicks him.
"Go away, you ugly duckling!" she says.

So one day, the ugly duckling runs away.
He runs away from the farm.
"Go! Yes, go!" say his brothers and sisters.
"You're strange! You're ugly!" they say.

It's colder now. The ugly duckling is bigger.
One day, two geese see him.
"Mm, you're strange!" they say.
"You're very ugly," they say.
"But you're interesting. Do you want to fly with us?" they say.

But suddenly there is a bang. Bang! Bang!
And the geese are dead.
There are some men. Men with guns and dogs.
The ugly duckling is afraid.
A big dog comes.
He sees the ugly duckling.
And he looks at him.
Then the dog swims away.

"I am ugly," says the ugly duckling.
"So he doesn't want to eat me." she says to herself.

The ugly duckling runs away.
He comes to an old hut and he goes in.
In the hut, there is a woman, a cat, and a hen.
The woman is old and she can't see.
"What's this?" she says.
"A duck? Ah! You can give me some eggs." the woman says.
"Come on," says the cat. "Where are your eggs?" it says.
"I haven't got any," says the ugly duckling.
"Then go!" says the hen.

The ugly duckling goes away.
It is winter now.
And it is very cold.

One evening the ugly duckling sees something wonderful and strange.
Three swans! Three big, beautiful swans.
"Oh," he cries. "What beautiful birds! Big, beautiful and free."
He calls to them. "Who are you? Take me with you."
But they do not hear him because they are flying above.

It is winter now.
It is cold.
There is ice on the water.
So the ugly duckling can't swim.
He was stuck in the water.

A man sees him.
He breaks the ice with his shoe.
"Poor bird!" he says. "Come home with me."
And he went home with the ugly duckling.

The children saw the ugly duckling and they want to play with him.
"Come here!" they say.
But the ugly duckling runs away.
He falls into the milk.
The children laugh.
"Come here!" they say.
Then he falls into the butter.
"Oh dear! What a mess!"
Then he falls into the flour.
"Get out!" cries the man's wife. "Get out of my house!"

The ugly duckling runs.
Suddenly he starts to fly.
The door is open.
He flies up into the sky.
He can fly!
He can fly!
"I can fly!" says the ugly duckling.

And now the sun comes out.
It is spring.
Then he sees a garden.
A garden with a river.
"What a beautiful garden!" he says.
And he flies down.
He sees something swimming in the river.
He sees the swans.
He sees the three swans.
"Oh! They are beautiful!" he says. "I must speak to them," he says.
But he is afraid.

He looks down at the water and he sees his face.
He is not an ugly duckling anymore.
He is a beautiful swan too.

It's true! It's true!
He's not a duckling.
He's not a duck.
He's a swan.
He's a swan, too!

Some children run down to the river.
"Look, Mother!" they say. "A new swan!"
"Look! Oh, look! Look at the new swan!" they say.
"Yes," says the children's mother. "Isn't he beautiful!"

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). There are some sentences that I've been changed. It's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Story of Rumplestiltskin

The man and his daughter are outside near the palace. The man is a miller and his daughter is spinning straw. The miller is very proud of his daughter.

"Look at my daughter!" says the miller. "She can spin well! Look at her!"
"Look at my daughter!" says the miller. "She can spin well! Look at her!"
"Look at her!" says the miller. "She can spin straw into gold!"

The king on his horse heard the miller. "Oh!" he says. "Can she? Then she can come to my castle."

The king takes her to his castle. "Now!" says the king. "Here is a room! And here is some straw! Spin in into gold! Do it tonight - or die!"

"I can't do it," says the girl crying. She sat down and a little man suddenly appeared. "Sh!" he says. "Give me your necklace. And I can help you." She gives him her necklace. And he spins. He spins all the straw into gold.

It is morning. The king comes. "Good!" he says. "Good!" Then he grabbed her to the other room. "Now here is a bigger room!" says the king. "And here is some straw. Spin it into gold. Do it- or die!" Then he left.

Again the girl sat down in the room and cried. "I can't do it," says the girl. "Sh!" says the little man. "Give me your ring. And I can help you." She gives him her ring. And he spins. He spins all the straw into gold.

The next morning, the king comes. "Good!" he says. "Very good!" Then he grabbed him to the other room. "Here's the biggest room!" says the king. "And here is much more straw. Spin it all into gold. Do it - and you can be queen!" And he left.

"I can't do it," says the girl. "Sh!" says the little man. "I can help you. But you must give me something," he says.
"What can I give you?" the girl says.
"Your baby!" says the little man. "When you are queen." Then he spins. He spins all the straw into gold.

It is morning. The king comes. "Very good!" he says. "Excellent! Now you can be a queen!"

Now the miller's daughter is a queen. And the people love her because she has a very good heart.

One day the queen has a baby. It is a beautiful baby girl. And the queen is vey happy.

A few days later, the little man comes back. The queen was surprised.

"What do you want?" she says.
"You know what I want," he says. "The baby! Give her to me now!"
"Oh no!" says the queen. "Please don't take my baby!" And she cuddled her baby from the crib.
"Sh!" says the little man. "All right. But tell me my name. I give you three days."

The next night the little man comes back.
"Now do you know my name?" he asked.
The woman has a list of names on her hand.
"Is your name Tom?" she says.
"No!" says the little man.
"Is it Danny? Is it Jerry? Is it Jack? Is it John? Is it Sammy? Is it Louie? Is it Rey? Is it Justine? Is it Billy?" She said all the names on her list of papers.
But the little man said, "No!" he says. "No!" And he left with smile on his face.

The queen cannot sleep. Again she made a list of names. She wrote down everything that she can think of.
"What is his name?" she says. "What is it?"

It is morning. The little man comes back.
"Now, do you know my name?" he says. "Do you know it now?"
Again, the queen said everything on her list.
"Is your name Bigfoot?" she says.
"No!" says the little man.
"Is it Redface? Is it Greenshoe? Is it Bignose? Is it Eyesblue? Is it Shortboy? Is it Hatman?"
"No!" says the little man."No! No! No! Tell me my name tomorrow. Or give me the baby."

That night, the queen cannot sleep.
"What is his name?" she says. "What is it?"
She is hot. She can't sleep. She went out. The night is cold. The moon is bright.
"His name," she says. "What is it?"

She kept walking with her maid. Then they see something behind the trees.
"What is it?" says the queen.
"A light! A fire!" says the maid.
It is the little man. He dances and he sings.
"I am the best one at my game! Rumplestiltskin is name!" he says while he dances.

It is morning. The little man comes back.
"Do you know my name? Do you know it now?" he says.
"Is your name Gragglebaggle?" she says.
"No, it is not!" says the little man.
"Is it Hamleybamley?"
"No!" says the little man. "No! It is not!"
"Then is your name... Rumplestiltskin?" she says.
The little man is red. Red!
Then.. puff! He goes...PUFF! (He disappeared!)
And he never comes back.

And the miller's daughter lives well in the castle. She is a very kind queen.

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). There are some sentences that I've been changed. It's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

The Story of the Peach Boy

It is summer in a village in Japan. An old man and woman eat dumplings. Yum! Nice little dumplings. Then the old man goes to cut wood. And the old woman goes to the river.

Suddenly the old woman sees something. It's a peach. A very big peach!
"What a very big peach!" she says. "Why is it in the river?"

The very big peach smells nice. It smells of summer in Japan. The woman catches it.
"Mmm, this peach smells wonderful. I'm taking it home with me." she says. So, she went home and showed it to her husband.

"What a big peach!" says the old man. "Let's eat it right now!" he says.
But then they hear something inside. It's a baby!
"Stop! Don't cut me!" says the voice in the peach.

There's a baby in the peach! A baby boy- a peach boy!

He is a wonderful baby, and he is happy. The old man and woman call him Momotaro - Peach Boy. They give him nice little dumplings. So he grows big and strong.

The old man and woman are good to Momotaro. So Momotaro is good too. He helps his mother and father. He is a good boy. And he is strong. He is very strong!

Then one day ogres come. They come to the village. Stamp! Stamp! Stamp!
They break things. They take things. They take the people's treasure.
Then they stamp off into the sea.
Stamp! Stamp! Stamp!

Momotaro climbed up the tree. He can see the ogres. They are going home. They are going home to Ogre Island. Then Momotaro runs to his parents.

"Mother, Father," says Peach Boy. "I want to fight the ogres. Give me some dumplings please. And a big stick."

So his mother gives him some dumplings. His father gives him a big stick. "Goodbye," they say. "And goodluck."

Momotaro walks along. Then he sees a big dog. "Hi, dog!" says Momotaro. "I want to fight the ogres. Have a dumpling and come with me!"

So the dog eats the dumpling. Then it goes with him.

They walk along. Then they see a pheasant. "Hi, pheasant!" says Momotaro. "We want to fight the ogres. Have a dumpling and come with us!"

So the pheasant eats the dumpling. Then it goes with them.

They walk along. Then they see a monkey. "Hi, monkey!" says Momotaro. "We want to fight the ogres. Have a dumpling and come with us!

So the monkey eats the dumpling. Then it goes with them.

"My friends," says Momotaro, the Peach Boy. "Let's go to the Ogre Island. Let's fight the ogres."

Then he saw something. "There it is!" says Momotaro. "There's Ogre Island! Look at the big castle!"

Momotaro arrived at the Island and lookep up the castle. They look up at the big, big castle. The castle door is closed. But the pheasant flies up. It flies up into the castle.

The pheasant fights the ogres. The ogres are afraid. "Help!" they cry. "Help!"

Then the monkey goes up. It goes up into the castle. It opens the door. Then Momotaro and the dog run into the castle.

Momotaro fights the ogres with his stick. The dog, the pheasant, and the monkey all fight. They all fight the ogres.

The ogres are afraid. "We are sorry," they say. "Please go. Take your treasure and go."

Momotaro takes the treasure. "Hurray!" he says. "Good work, my friends!"

Momotaro and his friends go home. They go home with the treasure. All the people shout, "Hurray! Hurray!" Everybody's happy.

Since then, the ogres never come back!

Note: The story is taken from the book Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of Oxford University Press (www.oup.com/elt). There are some sentences that I've been changed. It's much better if you can get your own book because of the beautiful and colorful pictures. Cd is also included in the book. What I do for my students is to let them listen to the story everyday before taking the lesson. And after a month, it's amazing that most of them can memorize most of the content of the book. Some can even memorize everything.

How to train a goldfish

How do you know when goldfish are hungry? Once a man trained his goldfish to tell him when it was hugnry. He began by not feeding it for several days. Then he tied food to one of a rope and a bell to the other end. He dropped the food into the water. When the fish nibbled on the food, the bell outside the bowl rang loudly. He did this for several days. Then the string without food was put in the bowl. The fish bit at the end of the string just like it did with the food. When the bell rang, the man knew the fish was hungry and threw food into the bowl. After several days the fish learned to ring the bell whenever it was hungry.

Source: Star Reading 3