Adaption

Once upon a time, on a blisteringly hot summer afternoon, a lively young boy named Toby decided to go for a swim. The sun was baking the earth, and the river nearby looked like a shimmering ribbon of cool blue. Toby kicked off his sandals, ran down the grassy bank, and splashed straight in. At first it was wonderful. The water came up to his knees, and then to his waist. He splashed his face, chased a few silver minnows, and laughed as the cool current tickled his toes. ...

Long ago, there was a young man who had no work and no money. He wandered from village to village, hoping to find something to do. One day, he met a rich-looking man who said, “Come and work for me. I’ll take you across the seas to a place where treasure waits.” The young man, eager for employment, agreed. He boarded the man’s ship, and together they sailed far, far away until they reached a lonely island. In the middle of the island rose a tall, steep mountain that glittered strangely in the sunlight. ...

Once upon a time, in a wide golden savanna with tall grass that whispered in the wind, a tiger, a cheetah, and a hyena decided they were tired of hunting alone. One blazing afternoon they met a lion, resting on a rock ledge, his mane glowing like fire in the sunlight. His eyes were calm, but there was power in every twitch of his tail. “Greetings, mighty Lion,” said the tiger, bowing his striped head. ...

Long ago, in a quiet valley, a new bridge stretched across a rushing river. It was a fine bridge, arched and strong, but everyone in the valley knew it had been built by a demon. The demon had hoped to trick the people, but thanks to a clever hermit and a stubborn donkey, he had been outsmarted and vanished into the river with a hiss of smoke. For a long time, the bridge stood empty. No one dared to cross it, worried the demon might return. ...

In a lonely valley, between two steep hills, there once lived a demon. He was not a very scary demon, but a troublesome one. His greatest joy was to bother people and try to tempt them into bad habits. “Give up your honesty!” he would whisper. “Forget your kindness!” he would hiss. But the people of the valley were good and strong. They worked hard, helped one another, and prayed each day for courage. No matter how hard the demon tried, nobody listened to him. ...

Once upon a time, a very clever but very careless fox named Felix was trotting through the forest, looking for adventure. He was busy watching a beautiful butterfly hovering in the air, and he was not watching where his paws were going at all. Whoops! Slip… WHOOSH! With a loud splash, Felix tumbled straight down into an old stone well. Luckily, the water at the bottom was not deep, and Felix was not hurt. But when he looked up, he realised he had a serious problem. The walls of the well were steep, and wet, and horribly slippery. However high he jumped, however hard he scrabbled at the stones, he simply slid straight back down into the puddle at the bottom. ...

Catherine was a farm girl who was cheerful, kind, and just a tiny bit silly. She always believed that things would sort themselves out if she just waited long enough. Unfortunately, things usually did not. One bright morning, Catherine was taking a big basket of cheeses to the market. She whistled a happy tune and thought proudly, “Oh, these cheeses will sell so fast today, I’ll be home in time for lunch!” ...

Once upon a time, on a warm late-summer afternoon, a sly old wolf named Wilbert was trotting along a dusty country road. His belly was letting out a long, low rumble — grumble, gurgle, roar! Wilbert was very hungry indeed, and he was on the hunt for a good meal. As he came round a bend in the road, he found a high wooden fence. And on the other side of that fence lay a grand, shimmering field of golden oats, the stalks swaying gently in the breeze, heavy with ripe crunchy grain. ...

Retold from Oscar Wilde’s “The Remarkable Rocket.” Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, the royal family was preparing for a big celebration. The Prince was getting married, and everyone was excited! There were decorations, dancing, feasts, and a spectacular firework show planned for the end of the night. Among all the fireworks was one very tall and shiny rocket. But this rocket wasn’t like the others. He was very proud and thought he was the most important firework of them all. ...

Once there was a king who had a beautiful garden, and in that garden grew a tree that bore golden apples. The apples were counted every day, and as soon as they began to ripen, the king noticed that every night one of them went missing. The king was very angry indeed, and he ordered the gardener to keep watch all night beneath the tree. The gardener sent his eldest son to do the watching. But at midnight the young man fell asleep, and in the morning another apple was gone. So the second son was sent. He too fell asleep at midnight, and another apple disappeared. ...