Humour

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. ...

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. ...

Deep inside the dark cave, T. Rex and Tarbosaurus waited and thought. The Pteranodon was still outside, screeching and circling, waiting for them to come out. Then Tarbosaurus noticed something hanging from the ceiling. Dozens, no, hundreds, of little shapes with folded wings. “Bats!” he whispered. The bats were fast asleep, hanging upside down. “They’re nocturnal creatures,” said Tarbosaurus softly. “That means they sleep during the day and wake up at night.” “So that’s why it’s so quiet in here,” said T. Rex. ...

One day, T. Rex and Tarbosaurus wandered far from their home valley in search of new hunting grounds. They crossed rocky hills and steaming swamps until they reached a wide, open plain surrounded by cliffs. “This place smells full of prey!” said T. Rex, licking his teeth. Tarbosaurus nodded. “Yes, but it’s too quiet. Almost too quiet.” Just then, a dark shadow swept across the ground. The two cousins looked up, and froze. ...

Once upon a time, in a vast green valley filled with ferns and thunder lizards, there lived two mighty dinosaurs: T. Rex and Tarbosaurus. They were cousins, both fierce and proud. One sunny morning, while drinking from the same river, T. Rex boomed, “I’m the biggest and strongest dinosaur in this valley!” Tarbosaurus snorted, shaking his scaly head. “Ha! You might be big, cousin, but I’m quicker and cleverer. Strength isn’t everything!” ...

One fine morning, Raffee, the mischievous rabbit, twitched his little nose and sighed. “I’m so bored!” he muttered, thumping his foot against the ground. “I need a new friend to play with!” Off he went, hopping across the meadow, his big ears bouncing with each leap. First, he spotted Ox, chewing lazily on some grass. “Hey, Ox! Let’s play chase!” Raffee called. Ox snorted, his heavy body barely moving. “Chase? No thanks. I’m too big and slow for that.” He flicked his tail and went back to munching. ...

Once upon a time, in a kingdom filled with forests and mountains, there lived a brave knight. He was famous for fighting dragons. He had already defeated dragons with two heads, three heads, and even seven heads! One sunny morning, as he rode through a thick, dark forest, the knight suddenly heard a strange noise. Hiss! Roar! Grumble! Cough! He pulled on his horse’s reins and peered through the trees. To his amazement, out stomped the biggest dragon he had ever seen. And not just big: this dragon had one hundred long necks! At the end of each neck, a head snapped, hissed, or sneezed fire. ...