An old farmer once kept in his yard an ox, a ram, a goose, a chicken, and a pig. With guests coming for dinner over the holidays, he said to his wife, “Old woman, we shall need meat for the holidays. I’ll kill the chicken in the morning.” The chicken, who happened to be listening at the door, fled to the forest as fast as his legs could carry him. When the farmer came out before sunrise to wring his neck, there was no chicken anywhere to be found. ...
Once upon a time, in a village on the edge of a great forest, there lived a fox and a wolf. They were not exactly friends, but sometimes they travelled together. You see, the fox was clever, but not very strong. The wolf was strong, but not very clever. And so, they often used each other’s company to get what they wanted, especially food. The wolf was much bigger, and he often bullied the fox. “Go and find me something to eat,” the wolf growled. “Or else I shall make you my supper instead!” ...
Once upon a time, in a small, breezy town where flowers nodded politely in the wind and even the birds seemed to chirp in whispers, lived a girl named Ella. She was a very sweet girl: gentle, kind, and always yawning. From the day she was born, Ella was unusually sleepy. As a baby, she snoozed right through her own birthday party. As a toddler, she napped during bath time, even while being soaped! And when she started school, her teachers had to gently wake her up during art class, maths time, and even recess. ...
When the room grew quiet and the lights went out, the Lego box began to wiggle again. “Tonight’s the night!” whispered a shiny silver block. “We’re going to SPACE!” All across the room, Lego pieces clicked together faster than ever. Wings stretched out. Rocket boosters snapped on. Tall spaceships with blinking control panels rose from the floor like a launch pad. “Countdown in three… two… one… LIFTOFF!” shouted a little blue piece, pretending to be mission control. ...
Tonight, when the lights went out and the room grew quiet, the Lego box began to wiggle again. “Ready, everyone?” whispered the little red block. “It’s race night!” cheered a yellow one. With a flurry of clicks and snaps, the Lego pieces rushed to build themselves. This time, they weren’t dolphins or turtles. They were racing vehicles of every kind. First came a shiny race car with a big spoiler. Then a motorbike with tiny handlebars. An excavator with a wobbly arm joined in, along with a bright ambulance and a tall fire engine. ...
Every night, when the lights went out and the room grew quiet, something magical happened in Ben’s playroom. The box of Lego blocks — reds, yellows, blues, and greens — began to wiggle and jiggle softly. “Wake up, everyone!” whispered a tiny red block. “It’s ocean night!” squeaked a blue one. With a little click-clack and snap-snap, the blocks began to build themselves. First came two bright blue pieces that curved like fins. Then a white block became a smiling mouth. Before long, a dolphin leapt up from the floor, flicking its tail proudly. ...
Once upon a time, in a green and leafy meadow, there lived a very busy caterpillar named Crispin. Crispin had a strict routine. Every morning, as soon as the sun peeked over the trees, he left his little house to look for the tastiest leaves in the meadow. Crunch, munch, slurp, he loved his leafy meals. But before he could go anywhere, Crispin had to put on his shoes. One shoe, two shoes, three shoes, all the way to one hundred shoes! It took him so long that sometimes the sun was already high in the sky before he finally stepped outside. ...
A long time ago, in the valley of the Brahmaputra River in India, there lived six men who loved to boast about their wit and their learning. Though they were no longer young, and though all six had been blind since birth, they would compete with one another to see who could tell the tallest story. Every evening, when the sun was setting behind the palms and the air was full of wood smoke and spices, one of the old men would begin a new tale. ...
As the first light of morning painted the sky in pink and gold, Captain Rex admired his newly acquired ship. Flap perched on his shoulder and asked, “Now what, Captain?” Rex scratched his chin. “Now, we find a crew.” A fine ship was worthless without hands to sail her. They needed a crew: strong, cunning, and, most importantly, loyal. But hiring one was out of the question. Word would spread quickly in Tortuga that a ship had vanished in the night, and Rex had no desire to hang from the gallows. He needed men who wouldn’t ask too many questions. ...
Captain Rex squinted against the salty sea breeze as he stood on the rocky shore, his tattered coat flapping in the wind. Beside him, his pet parrot, Flap, ruffled his bright green feathers. “Squawk! We need a boat, Cap’n! A fine ship for the high seas!” “Aye, Flap,” Captain Rex agreed, stroking his scruffy beard. “But not just any boat. We need one fast enough to outrun trouble, and strong enough to handle a storm.” ...