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talking-in-twos.txt

Talking in Twos When Siphar says ‘Enter’ to Gia, she understands. That is because the meaning of the word is stored in her brain. When Siphar presses ‘Enter’ on the computer, the computer understands. That is because the meaning of the word is stored in its brain. The instruction ‘Enter’ is stored in the brain of the computer in Binary. Binary is the language we use to communicate with computers. If you saw words or instructions in Binary, you would be confused. That is because Binary uses only a series of 1s and 0s. Each 1 and each 0 is important. Each 1 and each 0 gives the computer an important message. The computer is made up of millions of circuits which allow electricity to pass. Or not. When electricity passes, it is ON and is written as 1. When it doesn’t pass, it is OFF and is written as 0. That is why the language is called Binary. It comes from bini, which is Latin for "two together". In this language, there are only two letters. The letters are called bits. Eight bits make a byte. Using just 1 and 0, you can communicate many things to the computer. The letter A is stored as the byte 01000001. The letter B is stored as the byte 01000010. The word ‘Hello’ is stored as 01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111. ‘Enter’, too, is stored as a string of 1s and 0s. ‘Enter’ is an instruction. If this instruction is given to you, you may choose to enter or not to enter. If this instruction is given to the computer, it will follow the instruction. Even a picture in a computer is stored as 1s and 0s. A picture is made of tiny points of colour called pixels. Each pixel corresponds to a string of 1s and 0s. They tell the computer how bright the green is or how dark the blue is for an individual pixel. Music too is stored in Binary. Each note of each instrument stands for a number called a frequency. This is translated into 1s and 0s. In Binary, if it is NOT 1, it IS 0. If it is NOT 0, it IS 1. Binary is for machines. You are NOT a machine. So if you are NOT a one at something, it doesn’t mean you are a zero. If you are NOT good at something, it doesn’t mean you are bad at that thing. As human beings, we are lucky. We can choose to be any value in between. The 3,000-year-old Chinese book I Ching or Book of Changes uses diagrams based entirely on two symbols. Some 2,500 years later, this book inspired the German mathematician and philosopher Leibniz to invent the new binary arithmetic. The Indian mathematician Pingala also used two symbols, sometime in the 2nd century BCE, in Chandahsastra. He used laghu (light) and guru (heavy) for long and short syllables in poetry.

my-red-ball.txt

My Red Ball Ball. My ball. My red ball. My big red ball. I kick. I kick my ball. I kick my red ball. I kick my red ball hard! Where? Where is my ball? Where is my ball now? Where is my red ball now? It is up. It is high up. It is high up in the sky. It is high up in the sky. It is over the moon. It is gone!

001-HIDE-AND-SEEK-Free-Childrens-Book-By-Monkey-Pen.txt

James, his sister Sally, and Mark, their BFF (Best Friend Forever) were bored. They had played all day but now that it was dark and difficult to see, they had nothing to do. They couldn’t play soccer because they couldn’t see the ball. They didn’t want to go inside and play a game because it was a beautiful springtime night and they liked being outside, especially after having to play inside all winter long. They just didn’t know what to do and it was a little too early for them to go home. "I guess I’ll just go home," Mark said in a sad voice. "Aww come on," replied James. "We still have time for another game of – of something." Then Sally said, "I have an idea! Let’s play Hide-and Seek." "I was just going to say that," James said. "Yah, I’ll bet," replied his sister. "You always say you were thinking of whatever I think of," she snapped. "Do not!" James said in a loud voice. "Do too," yelled Sally. Mark just looked down at the ground and shook his head from side to side. "They are at it again," he mumbled to himself. Then he yelled, "Okay, let’s play Hide-and-Seek I’ll be the seeker!" He turned, faced a big tree, closed his eyes, and started counting out loud. "100 – 99 – 98 – 97 ….." Sally and Mark stopped arguing, looked at each other, and ran off in different directions to find a hiding place. In the distance they could still hear Mark counting "4 – 3 – 2 – 1. Ready or not, here I come!" Then he turned and began looking for places where they could be hiding. Finding Sally was easy. She always ran off and then circled back so she would be close to "base," the safe place to get to before being tagged. Mark looked for the biggest tree and ran towards it. But she wasn’t there. "I’ll bet she’s behind that big bush," he said to himself. So he ran to it and was ready to tag her, but she wasn’t there either. As he turned around, he saw James running towards "base" and darted after him. Just before he touched James’ shoulder, James tagged the "base" and yelled out "SAFE!" "Did you get Sally yet?" James asked. "No," said Mark. "I haven’t been able to find her and it’s getting late and we need to be heading home." So both boys yelled out "Come on out Sally, it’s late." But there was no reply. Not even a little snicker from somewhere in the darkness. They yelled again. "Come on out Sally, it’s late." Still there was no reply from Sally. They began to worry and started searching for her. As they walked around the area they called out "Sally, come on, we give up; you’re safe." But no matter where they looked, or how much they called out, Sally didn’t answer. It was as if she disappeared. Sally was wondering what had happened. All she could remember was crawling under the big trunk of a fallen tree to hide. Now, as she looked up, she saw several stars through a small hole above her head. She had fallen into a hole when she crawled under the tree trunk. "Help!" she yelled and heard her voice echo throughout what must have been a cave. "HELP! Help, help, help!" "Did you hear that, James?" Mark said excitedly. "Sally just yelled for help." "Keep yelling Sally," James screamed. "That way we can find you." Sally heard her brother and kept screaming. After a short while the boys were standing next to the big tree trunk. "Hey! Are you stuck under this tree?" asked James. "Kind of," Sally yelled. "When I crawled under it to hide, I fell into a cave. Please help me, I’m scared. It’s dark and I can’t get out." Mark said, "James you stay with Sally and I will go get my dad." Then he dashed off into the darkness. "Don’t be scared," James said. "I am right here with you." "No, you’re not," Sally sobbed. "You’re up there and I’m down here." As Sally turned in the darkness of the cave, she bumped into something, screamed, and began to cry. "What’s wrong?" James yelled. "There’s something down here with me," Sally replied in a shaky voice. Just then, Mark and his dad came running through the woods. Mark’s father knelt down and asked Sally if she was okay. He could hear her crying and sobbing. "Sally, are you hurt?" he asked. "No," she said. "But I’m scared and there is something down here with me." "Stand back Sally. I am lowering a rope and will be down with you in a second." Mark’s dad tied the rope to the tree, found the hole under the tree trunk, wiggled a bit, and lowered himself into the cave. Sally could see him coming down the rope and stopped crying. Not only was he there but the cave became brighter from the beam of his flashlight as it danced across the cave’s floor and walls. As he reached the floor of the cave, he shone the light on Sally and gave her a big hug. "Don’t be frightened," he said. "I’ll have you out of here in no time." Then he shone the light around and saw that she had fallen into a small cave. And very close to her, in the middle of the cave, was something wrapped in layers of old blankets. "Mark, James, there’s something down here. I am going to tie it to the rope and I want you to pull it out." "Okay," they replied. The boys pulled out the object, untied it, and let the loose end of the rope fall back into the cave. The cave wasn’t deep and Marks’ dad boosted Sally over his head so she could crawl out. He then grabbed the rope and with a little jump, was able to grab the opening and pull himself out. "Let’s go back to my house for a cup of hot tea. I’ll call your parents so they aren’t worried, and we’ll see what treasure Sally found." He said. When they got to Mark’s house, they sipped their tea and began unwrapping the treasure. They carefully peeled off layers of old blankets and cloth to reveal a wooden box. They slowly opened it and stared in amazement. "Oh my," Sally said in disbelief. "I don’t believe what I am seeing." The boys and Mark’s father just stared. Inside the box were jewels of every color you could imagine. There were diamonds,rubies, sapphires, and emeralds of all shapes and sizes.Intermixed they could see several gold coins and strands of pearls."We’re rich," the boys screamed. "Not quite," interrupted Mark’s father. "Someone could have lost this and I don’t think you should plan on spending any of it until we find out a little more. Besides, Sally found it." "I’ll share it," Sally said happily. "That’s nice Sally," replied Marks dad. But the right thing to do is contact the authorities." The next day, the four of them and Sally’s mother drove to the police station, explained what had happened, and gave the treasure to the police to hold while they conducted their investigation. They left the police station sadly and even the double dipped ice cream cones Mark’s father bought for them didn’t make them smile.They drove back in silence. Several weeks passed with no word from the police. Then, one evening, Mark’s father called James, Sally, and their parents. "The police just called and I think you should come over right now," he said. "I’m afraid there is some bad news about the treasure. The police are on their way and will explain everything when you get here." Sally and James didn’t say much during the ride to Mark’s house. Sally thought that since it was "bad news" the treasure belonged to someone else, even though they probably lost it. "Whatever happened to ‘finders-keepers’?" she mumbled. "What did you say Sally?" her mother asked. "Oh, nothing." Sally replied. Then she let out a long, sad sigh that echoed through the car. When they arrived at Mark’s house, the police were there with the treasure box. As Sally entered, the captain introduced himself and said, "Sally, this is yours. Your parents need to sign some papers but the box and its contents are yours." Sally, Mark, and James shrieked with joy and danced around the room. Then Sally said, "What is the bad news?" The captain smiled and said. "The treasure is worth more money than you can imagine and with your new found wealth comes great responsibility." Sally didn’t quite understand what the captain was talking about and right now it really didn’t matter. Mark asked, "Are you going to share?" "Of course," Sally said. "If you and James didn’t help me I might still be there." Several days later Sally asked everyone over to her house. "I have decided what to do with the money from the treasure after it is sold," she said. "I am giving 1/6 to our Mom and Dad, 1/6 to Mark’s Mom and Dad, 1/6 to Mark, 1/6 to James, and 1/6 for me." "There is an extra 1/6," Mark proudly stated. He loved math and was right on top of Sally’s calculations. "No there’s not," Sally said. "Is too," James said. "Is not," Sally said in an angered voice. Just as Mark was going to say, "They are at it again," Sally said, "This is why there isn’t an extra 1/6! I am giving it to the local charity, so it can be given to those less fortunate and in need." Her mother and father said it was a caring and responsible thing to do. They were very proud of her and knew that she understood what the captain meant when he had turned the treasure over to her just days before.

the-tino-the-rhear-and-the-biger-pratham-FKB.txt

The Tino, the Rhear and the Biger Tingu Tiger is not happy with his skin. "It’s furry and orange with black stripes. I wish my skin was rough and grey," says Tingu. Tingu Tiger likes Ranga Rhino’s skin very much. "Will you change skins with me, Ranga?" asks Tingu. "What fun!" says Ranga. "Let’s do that!" Tingu gives Ranga his furry skin. Ranga gives Tingu her rough skin. "Thank you, Ranga Rhino! I really love my new skin." "No, no, I am Ranga Rhiger now. And you are not a tiger anymore." "Right, I am a tino now!" says Tingu. Tingu Tino jumps, dances, swims, runs, and marches happily in his new grey skin. After a while, the skin becomes itchy, scratchy and boring. "I think I will get my old skin back. It was softer, smoother and more fun," thinks Tingu. "Ranga Rhiger! Where are you?" "Ah, there you are Ranga Rhiger!" Tingu calls out. "No, no! I am not a rhiger now," says Ranga. "I changed skins with Bubbloo Bear. I am now Ranga Rhear!" "I want my nice old skin back," sighs Tingu. "Where is Bubbloo Bear?" "There by the pond," Ranga Rhear points. "But Bubbloo is now a biger!" Bubbloo Biger says "No!" to Tingu. "I don’t want that rough, grey skin and be a bino!" Bubbloo says angrily. "But I don’t want to remain a tino!" cries poor Tingu. Bubbloo Biger has a great idea. "Let’s ask Rani Simmy what to do." Rani Simmy roars and growls at them. "What nonsense, you silly animals! Change back to your skins right now." "Ranga, give that skin back to Bubbloo! Bubbloo, give that skin back to Tingu!Tingu, give that skin back to Ranga!" The rhear, the biger and the tino do as they are told. They are back to being a rhino, a bear and a tiger. When Tingu, Ranga and Bubbloo go away, Rani Simmy grins to herself. "That was fun! Hey, Crocodile, let’s become a locodile and a crion!"

041-THE-FLOWER-GARDEN-Free-Childrens-Book-By-Monkey-Pen.txt

"I’m Rose." "I’m Violet." "And we are identical twins." They said at the same time. "We look the same," said Rose. "We sound the same," said Violet. "We even dress the same," they said together as they giggled. "It’s my birthday," said Rose. "No, it’s my birthday," said Violet. And both the girls laughed as they yelled, "It’s our birthday." Yes, Violet and Rose were identical. They looked the same, dressed the same, talked the same, acted the same, made the same face when they were happy, did the same frown when they were sad, and they even got the same grades in school. Oh! What’s that? They don’t get the same grades in school? I wonder why. "I can tell you why," their mom said. "Rose is a little more responsible and pays attention to fine details. Violet is a little less responsible and sometimes doesn’t pay attention to things she doesn’t like doing." "Come on in, girls," their mom yelled out the door. "It’s time to open your presents and your dad and I want to see how you like them." Oh! They were excited. They ran up to the house, up the stairs, through the door, and into the hall where they saw two big boxes. Their excitement grew as they wondered what was inside. Then they smiled at one another as they each dashed for a box. "I want this one," yelled Rose. "No! I want that one," yelled Violet. "Girls!" Their mom said. "You know it doesn’t make any difference, they are both the same." Rose and Violet laughed when they realized how silly they had acted. Of course, the presents would be identical, just like them. They each got a box unwrapped, opened, and then looked inside. Rose happily yelled, "Stuff to make a flower garden. This is great, something I always wanted to do. I can grow my own flower garden." Violet said, "I like flowers, and a garden would be nice. But there’s a lot of stuff in this box and it seems like it would be a lot of work." Violet was right. There was a lot of stuff in the box. It contained everything they needed to make a flower garden, everything except water, sunshine, and love. Both girls thanked their mom and dad for the great present and they dragged their heavy boxes outside to start their gardens. They each selected a patch of ground to call her own, took the "How To Garden" book from the box, and began to read. Rose said, "Violet, you were right. This is going to be a lot of work." They carefully removed the grass, loosened up the ground, added and mixed in the special flower soil, and planted their flower seeds. Violet found some nice sticks and pretty ribbon to make a fence around her garden. She gave the seeds their first watering and said, "Rose, I am going inside to watch television." Rose asked her Dad to help her make a stone fence around her garden. "A very special garden needs a very special fence," she said to him as they gathered and placed the stones. After some time the fence was completed and Rose gave the seeds their first watering. "Well, maybe later. Right now I want to eat breakfast, and then I think I’ll play a game." Violet said. Every morning Rose tended her garden and every morning Violet had something else to do. Every morning Rose would remind Violet to water her garden and Violet would reply, "Let Mother Nature take care of it." One morning Rose checked on her garden and she couldn’t believe what she saw. Her garden was covered with little flower plants. She was so excited she danced with joy. Then she looked at Violets garden. It didn’t have many plants, but there were some. Rose opened her "How To Garden" book to see what she should do next. "Hmm," she said to herself. "I must thin the plants. I need to take some out to make room for the others to grow." Rose felt bad. She loved her flowers and now had to pull some out of the ground. Then she had an idea. I’ll plant the ones I pull from my garden into Violets. And that is exactly what she did. Rose then gave both gardens a big drink of water. She loved her garden and there was no reason she shouldn’t love her sister’s equally. Their mom watched from the kitchen window. She was very proud of the way Rose was helping her sister. Rose was looking at her garden when she heard Violet coming out the door. "Wow!" Violet said when she saw her garden. "Look at all those plants Rose. I have just as many as you. Our gardens are really growing." "Violet," Rose said. "Do you know that I …" And she stopped talking for a second, as she was angry. She continued. "Do you know that I think our gardens are growing equally?" "I think so too," Violet replied. "And from now on I’m going to tend my garden every day, just like you." Over the next several weeks they watered their gardens, pulled the unwanted weeds and grass, fed the plants, and even got some worms to put in their gardens to keep the soil loose. Just like the "How To Garden" book recommended. They were pleased. The plants were growing and many had buds that we re ready to open. Oh! It wouldn’t be long now. It wouldn’t be long before there were two beautiful flower gardens. The girls were so excited. They just couldn’t wait to see all the colorful flowers. The next morning they got dressed and hurried outside to tend their gardens. To their surprise, they were in full bloom. They shrieked with excitement, held hands, and danced in circles. The flowers were so beautiful. Every color in the rainbow was in their gardens. They couldn’t wait to tell their mom and dad. They ran to the house and through the door. "Mom, dad," they shouted. "Come outside and see our gardens. They are beautiful, come-on, come-on, and hurry!" Rose grabbed her mom’s hand and Violet grabbed her dad’s hand, as they both pulled them out the door, and into their gardens. "You girls have done a great job," said their dad. "Oh! The colors are beautiful and the plants are so healthy," their mom added. As they looked at the flowers, their mom said. "We have a surprise for you! You are going to have a baby brother soon. And your dad and I know you will take care of him as well as you take care of your gardens. Aren’t you girls excited?" Rose and Violet just stood there. They didn’t know what to say. All these years they were a family of four, and now there was going to be a strange fifth member. Another member that would need his parent’s love. Love that should be theirs, and they did not know if they wanted to share. "What’s wrong, girls?" their dad asked. "Your mom and I thought you would be happy and excited. Let’s have a glass of milk and maybe a cookie or two. Then you can tell us why the frowns." As all four were licking the center from their cream filled cookie, Violet spoke up. "You are going to love me less because you are going to have to give him love." "I feel the same way," said Rose. "I don’t want you to love me less." "My goodness," their mom said. "We could never love either of you less. Where did you get that idea?" "It’s not an idea," Rose said. "There are two of us and two pieces of love, one from you, and one from dad. When there are three of us, you’re both going to take some of that love away from us, and give it to him." "Oh, girls." Their dad said. "Love isn’t shared. Love is magical and it grows. Why each day your mom and I love you more than the day before, and tomorrow we will love you more than we do today." "Rose, do you remember the morning you went out to your garden to thin the plants?" she asked. "And how you saw that Violets garden had just a few?" "And do you remember what you did?" Rose thought for a minute then said. "Yes, I remember taking my flower plants and putting them in Violet’s garden so she would think her garden was doing as well as mine." Violet just looked at her sister. Her mom then asked. "Why did you do that?" "Well," said Rose. "I love the plants and I love my sister so I thought I would share the plants with her." "Ah," said her mom. "Share the plants. That must mean that you loved your plants less because you gave some to Violet." Rose thought about what her mom had said, then replied. "No, I didn’t love my plants any less." "I loved them the same and I loved the ones in Violet’s garden, and I loved doing something nice for her, and I loved watching both gardens grow, and I love the flowers in both gardens, and I love you. Now I understand how magical love is, and how it grows." "Me too," said Violet. "Let’s go out and smell the flowers." "I’d love to," said Rose.

Sindi-and-the-Moon-reading-comprehension.txt

Sindi and the Moon Sindi was a very lively little girl who loved to sing and dance. She lived on a farm with her parents and her Gogo. Sindi enjoyed following Gogo around and feeding the animals. One evening while Sindi and her family were having dinner, Sindi’s mother had something to tell her. "Sindi," she said, "after the long Christmas holidays, you are going to go to school. "Sindi was so excited. She was happy that she would finally get to learn how to read and write. When Sindi was happy, she danced. Her joy spread to the farm animals. The dogs barked more loudly. The cows mooed more beautifully. The butterflies flapped their wings and landed in her hair. When Sindi danced, she swayed from left to right, as if she were pushed and pulled by the wind. She sang along with its soft, slow music. As the holidays were ending after Christmas, Sindi started to wonder what school would really be like. She did not want her mother to know that she was nervous, so she asked Gogo what school would be like. "School is very serious," Gogo said. "There is no more time for song and dance, only learning." This did not make Sindi happy at all. The night before school started was very hot. Sindi just could not sleep! She tiptoed outside and sat on the stoep, looking up at the dark sky. The moon was big and bright and beautiful and the stars were twinkling. Sindi spoke to the beautiful moon. "Dear moon so bright," she said, "are you afraid of the dark? Is that why you ask the stars to keep you company?" "I am going to school tomorrow, what will it be like?" "Will they let me sing? Will they let me dance?" Sindi started to sing. What she saw next made her rub her eyes in disbelief. Was she dreaming? The moon was smiling! And the stars were dancing to her song! A gentle voice spoke to her. "Dear little Sindi," the voice said. "School is a wonderful place. You will learn many things: to read and write, to sing and dance and to make many friends." "But for now, Sindi, you must rest. Tomorrow will be beautiful." Sindi had never seen anything this amazing. She wanted to wake everyone up and show them the talking moon and dancing stars. But the moon stopped her. "Shhhh, Sindi,"it said. "This is our little secret." The moon winked. Sindi returned to bed, comforted by the moon’s wise words, and slept peacefully. The time came for school. Mama held Sindi’s hand as they approached the school. She was confident that the day would be beautiful, because the moon had told her so. Children were arriving with their mothers and fathers. They all looked excited. Sindi could not wait to make friends. everything about school. "I wish the moon could see me now," she said to herself. "Now I will learn to read. I will learn to write. By lunch time, Sindi loved everything about school. But also I will sing and dance!" And all of Sindi’s new friends danced with her, just like the animals had done. They clapped their hands and sang to her tune. Reading Comprehension and Writing Sindi and the Moon Answer true or false to the following questions: 1. Sindi loved to sing and dance. 2. At first Sindi was happy about going to school. 3. Sindi was not nervous about school. 4. Sindi's Gogo gave her correct advice about school. 5. Sindi enjoyed her first day at school. Fill in the gap: 6. Sindi wanted to _ _ _ _ everyone up to show them the _ _ _ _ _ and _ _ _ _. 7. Mama held Sindi's _ _ _ _ as they approached the _ _ _ _ _ _. 8. Sindi loved to _ _ _ _ and _ _ _ _ _, and she wanted to learn to _ _ _ _ and to _ _ _ _ _. Write an answer: 9. Describe your feelings before your first day of school or kindergarten. 10. Describe your feelings after your first day of school or kindergarten.

Can-You-Imagine-.txt

I want to tell you a story... a story about perky possums and flip-flop frogs. It’s a story about slippery slidey snails, tall tall trees and willy wagtails. It’s a story about absolutely everything. It’s a story about stripey skins on zig-zag zebras, about big-eyed hooty owls at night and dazzling daisies by day. Oh, and it’s about people too, you and me. It might be a true story or it might be just pretend. Maybe I heard it somewhere or maybe I just dreamed it up one night. Anyway, this is how the story goes, trip trap, chit chat... Once upon a time, a very, very, very long time ago, there were no kangaroos, no ducks, no rivers, no mountains, no trees. Can you just imagine that? There was just NOTHING, absolutely nothing... well, that’s how the story goes. There were no lions and elephants, no beaches with sand to play in, no people, no you and me, no buses and trains to ride, no birds to sing us awake in the morning. There was just NOTHING, not one single thing nothing, that is... except... a big fat Dream Now that old Dream just floated around in a big shiny bubble, sleeping and snoring away, pushing up lots of ZZZZZZZZZZs. On and on it slept and dreamed. So really, the story begins like this... Once upon a time, there was only the Dream. That’s all there was! Zit, zilch, nothing else, just the Dream. Just the Dream being it’s big shiny bubble self, floating around and snoring. It might be a true story or it might be just pretend. Anyway, this is how the story goes... One day, or was it one night, or one morning?... Well anyway, the Dream woke up...and it was tired of being a bubble. So it started to think of THINGS. It dreamed up things like spots and stripes and creatures to wear them. Yes! It dreamed of sunshiney mornings and bees buzzing in daisies. Bzzzzzzzzzzzz. And it dreamed of cup cakes with cherries and people to eat them. Yum! It dreamed of hooty owls in a starry night sky. Hooo-hooo. And it dreamed of aeroplanes zooming up into a sunny blue day. Rmmmmmm. Oh the big fat Dream was dreaming up so many THINGS. In fact, it dreamed up so many things that it started to be curious. What would it be like to BE a sparkle of sunlight on the water? Zing! And what would it be like to BE a rock in a stream and feel the water splish-splashing over it? What would it be like to BE a big pink fish snip-snapping at a dragonfly? Oh the big fat Dream was wondering what it would be like to be all these REAL things and not just a big fat Dream. OOOhhhhhh! And so the big fat Dream began to have wishes, so many wishes! The Dream imagined that it could BE a caterpillar gobbling up a leaf. Crunch, crunch, munch, munch, lunch, lunch. And it wished for that caterpillar to turn itself into a gorgeous creature flying on coloured wings. How cool would that be! The big fat Dream started to wish for BIG FAT THINGS with the biggest fattest wishing it could do. To tell you the truth it went a bit wild. It dreamed up a big fat donut with a wonderful song coming out of it. Uh-oh... Guess what happened then? KABOOM! Suddenly there was a mighty explosion. It was so loud that the Dream really woke up this time. Little balls of every colour whirled and swirled into a donut. Well, as you can just imagine, the big fat Dream became very excited. "I’m a donut. I’m a donut, a REAL live donut!" Out of the donut came a big fat satisfied sigh on one big long aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh. "I’m singing. I’m a big fat dream and I’m a big fat donut, and I am singing!" Now this is a strange story and so strange things happen. Well just at that very second the sound began to hummmmmmmmmm. The little coloured balls jiggled and wriggled with joy. What happened then? Oh well, it just kept on humming. hummmmmmmmm NO! SOMEthing must have happened. Oh well these things take a long time... Anyway, as the story goes, the Dream was having a chat to itself. "What about all those THINGS I used to Dream of being? What about some roaring lions and growly tigers and long necks on giraffes? "What about stripes and spots, and creatures to wear them? And maybe some fish to swim in the sea? I’d like to be a fish." "And what about those sunshiney suns and twinkly stars, and moonshiney moons?" Suddenly the hum became a song. Before you could say "By gosh, gee whillikers!", the big fat Dream was singing about giraffes and zebras, butterflies and kangaroos, crabs and stars, whales and moons, suns and rainbows. That Dream was bopping along, singing a song about absolutely everything. And then what happened? Well, then there was magic. That donut just went crazy and made itself gi-normous. The little coloured balls burst out into space everywhere. A little red ball exploded into a bright firey sun...kavooosh! Just like that. A little green ball grew into a glowing moon. A little yellow ball sparkled into a twinkling star. Yes! Just like that. Every ball of every colour filled the sky with stars and planets and suns and moons, just as the Dream had wished them. And so it was for a very very very long time...until... "Hmmm," thought the Dream. "I’m STILL not a willy-wagtail, or a walrus, or a kangaroo. I’m STILL not a zebra or a buzzy bee." "I’m STILL not a doggie running on the beach. I’m STILL not a whale whacking my tail. I’m still not a plane or a train. I’m not a river or the rain." And then... At that very moment, a lovely blue ball came floating by. "Oh my, oh my, what is this I spy? At the very sight of the blue ball, music filled up inside the Dream and came pouring out in a beautiful sweet song about everything that the Dream wished to BE. The whirling blue ball twirled and danced with the song of the Dream. All that happiness made things happen. Some fluffy clouds appeared from nowhere and then big fat drops of rain began to plip-plop-splatter. Before you could say "Sploshes, galoshes!", there was water, water everywhere. KPOW! Up out of the water popped the land, with grass and rocks and trees, and sandy beaches all along. Of course, it really took a lot, lot longer to do all that, but we like to make the story exciting. Anyway, suddenly there were THINGS, and the things were REAL. There were zippy zebras wearing stripey coats, whopping great walruses lolling on rocks, and kangaroos bounding through the bush. And that’s not all. There were scowling owls hooting to the stars. Toowhit, toowhooo. There were slidey snails making silent trails. And yes, there were cup cakes with cherries. Scrummy yum yum. There were aeroplanes zooming across the sky. And there were people like you and me, dancing and singing and working and laughing. There were caterpillars and flutterby butterflies... and the bioggest fattest rainbow ever. There was simply everything that the big fat Dream had ever wished it could BE. "I’m anything that I dream I can be... I’m a frog and a skink and a tweedle-de-de." The Dream was so happy that it decided to dream up wonderful things forever. So that’s the story of the big fat Dream. Maybe, just maybe, you might have some dreams too... and wish for a good thing and have it come true. Can you just imagine that? The (Never) End. With thanks for our wonderful world.

Baby-Harp-Seal-Learns-to-Swim.txt

Baby Harp Seal lies on the ice. WOOAAAH!!! A big wave came. Baby Harp Seal can you swim?? - What is Baby Harp Seal to Do!! - Shuffe Baby Harp Seal, Shuffe as fast as you can! Papa Harp Seal Yells to Warn- "ARF ARF – EEK EEK – ARF ARF!" Mama Harp Seal swims to help. Baby Harp Seal is safe now. This calls for a group hug: How cool! Now, Baby Harp Seal, PLEASE; Stay away from the sea, - until you can swim. And that brings us to the end of this tale.... Oh no, wait this is NOT the end! A She learnt to swim. Now that is THE END. THE END

FKB_Learn-Sight-Words-Print_friendly-Always_Be_Nice.txt

Gerty Goat says: Always be nice! Colin Cow says: Be kind to others. Patty Penguin says: Don't let others feel left out. Zenna Zebra says: Think about others feelings. Wally Walrus says: Don't be mean. Harry Hippo says: Use kind words. Carly Cat says: Help out when you can. Baba Bear says: Sharing is caring. Even your last fsh. Peter Panda says: Always say "Please". And Leo Lion says: Don't forget "Thank-you". Words in this book says say be is you always nice please thank-you kind don't forget help others feelings feel left out let use when can words sharing caring mean think about SHARING AND CARING ACTIVITIES Ask children to come up with ideas for each page on how they can follow through with the actions: Always be nice. Be kind to others. Don't let others feel left out. Think about others feelings. Don't be mean, Use kind words. Help out when you can. Sharing is Caring Always say "Please". Don't forget "Thank-you". Have a star chart and give children stars whenever another child or sibling notices their caring and sharing behaviour. Ask children to think about how their behaviour makes others feel when they don't follow these rules. Ask children if they can think of a time when they didn't follow these rules. How could they change their behaviour to make the situation better. Alwaye be nice!

The-cat-in-the-ghat_adventure_FKB.txt

The Cat in the Ghat! This story is about an uncle named Sandy, Who likes his camera so much, he always keeps it handy. Let's rewind to when Uncle Sandy was a little boy, Unlike his friends, he never dreamt of a fancy toy. Lost in books that spoke of magical creatures, Even in class, he never listened to his teachers. As time passed by, Uncle Sandy became a wildlife photographer, While his friends became doctors, engineers and dance choreographers. Uncle Sandy didn't want to work in big offices, He wanted to take pictures of snakes, crocodiles and tortoises. So he decided to leave his family and friends behind, And took off to the jungles with freedom in mind. On his first expedition to the Western Ghats, He had his first encounter with a mysterious cat. Uncle Sandy has been on its trail ever since, Hoping to click a picture of it, for evidence. So he decided to revisit the Western Ghats, Through its spiraling path in search of the cat. The cat in the ghat! The plan was to speak to animals along the way, To get clues about this cat whose colour he knew was grey. He began his journey at the foothills of the Ghats, With the summer sun so hot, Uncle Sandy needed a hat. "Let’s look for waterholes," he said to himself, He knew that’s where the animals would tread. And guess who he got to meet, The top cat himself, Mr. Tiger to greet. "Oh mighty tiger," he said, "would you have seen a cat? It is tall, swift and the colour of my hat." The tiger didn’t have much to say, He roared and looked the other way. Phew! That was close, he thought, Just as he was drenched by giant rain drops. Along with the shower came a swarm of termites, Who were sadly eaten by ants, at first sight. Rains in the Western Ghats come down as waterfalls, Waterfalls become rivers and that's how there's water for all. So, if we need water to drink, Protecting the Western Ghats is the link. What Uncle Sandy saw next filled him with glee, A family of elephants bathing in a pond, yippee! They were making the most of the pre-monsoon showers, Some were kicking grass, others showing off their powers. "Excuse me you all," said Uncle Sandy, waving his hat,"Would you have seen a big grey cat?" "No, no, no," they all went in chorus, "We haven’t seen him around here, we promise." Uncle Sandy found himself in the rainforest soon, "The second level of the Western Ghats," he crooned. "Bark!" came a reply through the forest dense. "Oh that’s a Barking Deer I hear, it means no offence." Up in the trees chomping through a jackfruit, He saw a lion-faced monkey, brute. A Lion-tailed Macaque is what it is, he knew, He’d looked through an encyclopedia of animals, woohoo! "Help me find a grey cat, will you?" said Uncle Sandy."Okay," said the feasting monkey. "Walk straight through the tall green trees Till you find one with a giant hive of bees." "Under that tree lives a frog so rare It lives underground, hiding from the sun’s glare." "He’s a clever frog I’m told, Knows the whole jungle inside out and two-fold." Uncle Sandy was so eager to look for the froggy He left without saying thank you to the monkey. Left, right, left, right, Uncle Sandy marched, Walking through a row of trees that were arched. Then he saw a tree very tall With a big beehive that was just about to fall. "Ribbit ribbit," said a frog, But Uncle Sandy could not see it through the fog. "Oh you’re the man who comes in search of a cat, I heard about you from a clever little bat." Said Uncle Sandy,"Please will you tell me where he is? I’ll give you an exotic flower, an Iris." The frog was purple in colour, He’s the only one of his kind in India, Nasika batracus. The frog told him that he’d meet a tribesman, Who’d know where the cat lived, and would guide him. Uncle Sandy nodded, still in shock, He had just seen the most extraordinary frog. As he went further into the forests so thick, He saw that the trees were getting fewer very quick. "People cut trees," he said, "to make products very cheap, And the poor animals, they have no place to sleep." "These jungles are their homes you see, just like our houses back in the city." Sad and disheartened by the state of affairs, Uncle Sandy decided to say a silent prayer. "Protect these forests, oh dear God, please, Save them so the animals can live in peace." Saying so he carried on, the high altitude grasslands waiting, And that’s where he’d find the cat from its hiding. The remotest of places in the whole of the Western Ghats, The grasslands so green, Uncle Sandy just sat. Staring at the miracle of creation and the beauty of this place, This, he felt, was really his land of fairy tales. Pat came a tap on his back, He turned to see a face painted black. "Who are you, Sir?" Uncle Sandy questioned "I am a tribesman who lives here unquestioned." "Oh but sir, will you be as kind To answer one question I have on my mind? "Where can I find the special cat I’m looking for? I’ve seen it only once before." "Are you talking about Pogeyan?" he said. Uncle Sandy wasn’t sure what he meant. "The cat that comes and goes as the mist, Are you referring to that elusive cat that exists?" "Yes Sir, that’s the one," Uncle Sandy affirmed. He was so happy he could’ve drummed and hummed. "Aha!" said the tribesman, pointing to the mountains higher up,"I’ve seen the cat over there, all of three times in close-up." Uncle Sandy was feeling extremely blessed. He did a somersault that left the tribesman perplexed. Uncle Sandy was whistling to himself, and climbing When he saw two male Nilgiri Tahrs head-butting. Looking at how well they'd adapted to the terrain, Uncle Sandy wished he too was born on the mountains. Sure he’d find his cat somewhere around here, Uncle Sandy decided to put camera traps all over. Then he slept a good night’s sleep Under an open twinkling sky, on a hillock steep. When he woke up, he ran to his camera traps and checked. Yes, yes, yes, there were images of his cat!! The cat in the ghat! The cat looked the same as it did ten years ago, Uncle Sandy was happy, ho, ho, ho! That’s when he felt a tiny snake crawling over his feet. He was startled, and realised he’d been dreaming in his sleep. Uncle Sandy prayed his dream would come trueHope he finds his grey cat soon, don’t you? The Cat in the Ghat is a whimsical tale of Uncle Sandy going in search of a mysterious cat in the Western Ghats. It has been inspired by the real-life expedition by Sandesh Kadur, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, wildlife filmmaker and conservation photographer. His goal is to inspire people to protect and appreciate what remains of our wilderness. He is still looking for the Pogeyan!

Same-same-or-different-Pratham-FKB.txt

Same-same or Different? Mamma put Sparrow's lunchbox into her schoolbag and folded her wings around her. "Have a good day, darling," she said. "Pay attention, be polite..." "Uff Mamma!" laughed Sparrow. "You say the same thing every day!" "And remember," said Mamma. "Stay away from Snake - he's different." Sparrow wished Mamma hadn't said that. Snake was her best friend. But Mamma didn't approve of Snake. "His people eat our people!" she always said. "Sparrows and snakes can never be friends." On the other side of town, Snake's Pappa was packing his lunchbox with birds' eggs. "Today's special, son!" he said proudly. "But I hate eggs, Pappa," groaned Snake. "We've always eaten them in this family!" said Pappa sternly. "Now off you go. And remember, stay away from Sparrow!" Snake slithered away, feeling angry. "Sparrows are different," Pappa called after him. "You can't be friends with your food!" When Snake met Sparrow at school, they knew. "Your Mamma said...?" asked Snake. Sparrow nodded. "Your Pappa too?" Snake nodded. "Our parents are wrong, Sparrow," said Snake. "Let's show them that we are more same-same than different." "Great idea!" said Sparrow. "Let's!" She pulled out a sheet of paper and drew two circles on it - like this. "In the yellow part of the left circle," said Sparrow, "we put down 'Just Sparrow' things. In the blue part of the right circle, 'Just Snake' things. These are all ways in which Snake and Sparrow are DIFFERENT." Snake was puzzled. "I thought we wanted to think of ways in which we are SAME!" "That's what the green part in the middle is for," smiled Sparrow. "First, let's think about how we look," said Sparrow. "Same-same or different?" "VERY different," sighed Snake. "I'm long, hairless and thin. You're small, plump and soft." "You're right," said Sparrow. "I look like a powder puff," she drew a powder puff in the yellow crescent, "and you look like a rope-so-rough." She drew a rope in the blue crescent. "Now," she said. "How do we move?" "VERY differently," Snake said, looking even sadder. "You fly through the air, flap-flapping. I slither along the ground, zig-zagging." "In other words," said Sparrow. "I move like a plane, and you move like a train." Snake sighed. "Cheer up, Snake," said Sparrow briskly. "Let's see now, what do we eat?" "VERY different things," Snake's eyes filled with tears. "But I don't eat birds' eggs." "I know," said Sparrow soothingly. But now she looked glum too. "Seeds and grass," she muttered, as she drew them in the yellow crescent. "Frogs and rats," she sputtered, and drew them in the blue crescent. "Harrrrrumph!" Snake and Sparrow jumped. It was Headmaster Elephant. "Why the long faces, kids?" he asked kindly. "Oh sir," sobbed Snake. "My Pappa and Sparrow's Mamma say we can't be friends because we are different." "We wanted to show them we were more same-same than different, sir," said Sparrow. "But it isn't working." Headmaster Elephant looked at the circles a long time. Then he began to laugh. Snake and Sparrow stared at him. What was so funny? "Don't you see, kids?" he said finally, wiping his tears. "You are doing this all wrong! Let me help you." Headmaster Elephant settled down on a bench. "Now then, Snake," he said, "what do you like doing best?" "Playing and chatting, Sir," said Snake. "ESPECIALLY with Sparrow." "And you, Sparrow?" "Chatting and playing, Sir," said Sparrow. "ESPECIALLY with Snake." "Right," said Headmaster Elephant, "you like doing the SAME things." And he drew something - in the green part. "Next," said Headmaster Elephant, "what makes you happy, kids?" "When Miss lets me sit next to a friend, Sir," Snake began to smile. "Same-same, Sir," clapped Sparrow. "A-ha!" said Headmaster Elephant. "You both have the SAME happy place. Green!" "All right, what makes you sad, Snake and Sparrow?" "That Pappa says I should stay away from Sparrow, sir," sighed Snake. "That Mamma says I should stay away from Snake, sir," sighed Sparrow. Headmaster Elephant frowned. "You are both sad," he said, "for the SAME reason - your parents don't let you choose your friends. Green again!" "Now then," said Headmaster Elephant, "who do you think is the best kind of friend?" "Someone who loves you..." began Snake. "... even though you are different!" finished Sparrow. "So you both agree," said Headmaster Elephant, "that a true friend loves you no matter what. That makes FOUR 'same-sames' and only THREE 'differents'. Same-sames win!" "Hurray!" said Snake and Sparrow. "Thank you, Headmaster Elephant!" "Harrrumph!" said Headmaster Elephant. "One last thing..." "Yes, sir?" "Tell your parents I want to see them in my office. First thing tomorrow morning!" And Headmaster Elephant marched away, looking very fierce indeed. SORT IT OUT! Sorting and grouping are important skills in mathematics. To sort things, you have to ask yourself 'logic' questions like: 1. What things are same? What things are different? 2. How are the same things same? How are different things different? 3. Can the same things be sorted and grouped in more than one way? Think about the many ways in which you can sort and group these toy animals. You can sort them: - According to their colour - blue animals in one circle, yellow in another. - According to their size - small animals in one circle, big ones in another. - According to how they move - animals that walk and animals that fly. Would the groups be different each time? Try it and see!

Beatrix-Potter-Jemima-Puddle-Duck_FKB.txt

A farmyard tale for Ralph and Betsy What a funny sight it is to see a brood of ducklings with a hen! The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck This tale, is the story of Jemima Puddle-Duck, who was annoyed because the farmer's wife would not let her hatch her own eggs. Her sister-in-law, Mrs. Rebeccah Puddle-Duck, was perfectly willing to leave the hatching to someone else "I have not the patience to sit on a nest for twenty-eight days; and no more have you, Jemima. You would let them go cold; you know you would!" "I wish to hatch my own eggs; I will hatch them all by myself," quacked Jemima Puddle-Duck. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck She tried to hide her eggs; but they were always found and carried off. Jemima Puddle-Duck became quite desperate. She determined to make a nest, right away from the farm. She set off on a fine spring afternoon along the cart-road that leads over the hill. She was wearing a shawl and a poke bonnet. When she reached the top of the hill, she saw a wood in the distance. She thought it looked a safe quiet spot. Jemima Puddle-Duck was not much in the habit of flying. She ran downhill a few yards flapping her shawl, and then she jumped off into the air. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck She flew beautifully, once she had got a good start. She skimmed along over the tree-tops until she saw an open space in the middle of the wood, where the trees and brushwood had been cleared. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck Jemima alighted rather heavily, and began to waddle about in search of a convenient dry nesting place. She rather fancied a tree-stump amongst some tall fox-gloves. But, seated upon the stump, she was startled to find, an elegantly dressed gentleman reading a newspaper He had black prick ears and sandy coloured whiskers. "Quack?" said Jemima Puddle-Duck, with her head and her bonnet on one side, "Quack?" The gentleman raised his eyes above his newspaper and looked curiously at Jemima. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck "Madam, have you lost your way?" said he. He had a long bushy tail which he was sitting upon, as the stump was somewhat damp. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck Jemima thought him mighty civil and handsome. She explained that she had not lost her way, but that she was trying to find a convenient dry nesting-place. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck "Ah! is that so? indeed!" said the gentleman with sandy whiskers, looking curiously at Jemima. He folded up the newspaper, and put it in his coat-tail pocket. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck Jemima complained of the superfluous hen. "Indeed! how interesting! I wish I could meet with that fowl. I would teach it to mind its own business!" The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck "But as to a nest, there is no difficulty: I have a sack full of feathers in my woodshed. No, my dear madam, you will be in nobody's way. You may sit there as long as you like," said the bushy, long-tailed gentleman. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck He led the way to a very retired, dismal-looking house amongst the fox-gloves. It was built of faggots and turf, and there were two broken pails, one on top of another, by way of a chimney. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck "This is my summer residence; you would not find my earth, my winter house, so convenient," said the hospitable gentleman. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck There was a tumble-down shed at the back of the house, made of old soap-boxes. The gentleman opened the door, and showed Jemima in. The shed was almost quite full of feathers, it was almost suffocating; but it was comfortable and very soft. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck Jemima Puddle-Duck was rather surprised to find such a vast quantity of feathers. But it was very comfortable; and she made a nest without any trouble at all. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck When she came out, the sandy whiskered gentleman was sitting on a log reading the newspaper, at least, he had it spread out, but he was looking over the top of it. He was so polite, that he seemed almost sorry to let Jemima go home for the night. He promised to take great care of her nest until she came back again next day. He said he loved eggs and ducklings; he should be proud to see a fine nest-full in his wood-shed. Jemima Puddle-Duck came every afternoon; she laid nine eggs in the nest. They were greeny white and very large. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck The foxy gentleman admired them immensely. He used to turn them over and count them when Jemima was not there. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck At last Jemima told him that she intended to begin to sit next day, "and I will bring a bag of corn with me, so that I need never leave my nest until the eggs are hatched. They might catch cold," said the conscientious Jemima. "Madam, I beg you not to trouble yourself with a bag; I will provide oats. But before you commence your tedious sitting, I intend to give you a treat. Let us have a dinner-party, all to ourselves! The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck May I ask you to bring up some herbs from the farm-garden to make a savoury omelette? Sage and thyme, and mint, two onions, and some parsley. I will provide lard for the stuff— lard for the omelette," said the hospitable gentleman with sandy whiskers. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck Jemima Puddle-Duck was a simpleton: not even the mention of sage and onions made her suspicious. She went round the farm-garden, nibbling off snippets of all the different sorts of herbs used for stuffing roast duck. And she waddled into the kitchen, and got two onions out of a basket. The collie-dog Kep met her coming out. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck "What are you doing with those onions? Where do you go every afternoon by yourself, Jemima Puddle-Duck?" Jemima was rather in awe of the collie; she told him the whole story. The collie listened, with his wise head on one side; he grinned when she described the polite gentleman with sandy whiskers. He asked several questions about the wood, and about the exact position of the house and shed. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck Then he went out, and trotted down the village. He went to look for two fox-hound puppies who were out at walk with the butcher. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck Jemima Puddle-Duck went up the cart-road for the last time, on a sunny afternoon. She was rather burdened with bunches of herbs and two onions in a bag. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck She flew over the wood, and alighted opposite the house of the bushy long-tailed gentleman. He was sitting on a log; he sniffed the air, and kept glancing uneasily round the wood. When Jemima alighted he quite jumped. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck "Come into the house as soon as you have looked at your eggs. Give me the herbs for the omelette. Be sharp!" The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck He was rather abrupt. Jemima Puddle-Duck had never heard him speak like that. She felt surprised, and uncomfortable. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck While she was inside she heard a pattering of feet, come round the back of the shed. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck Someone, with a black nose, sniffed at the bottom of the door, and then locked it. Jemima became much alarmed. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck A moment afterwards there were the most awful noises … barking, baying, growls and howls, squealing and groans. And nothing more was ever seen of that foxy-whiskered gentleman. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck Presently Kep opened the door of the shed, and let out Jemima Puddle-Duck. He had a bite on his ear and both of the puppies were limping. Unfortunately the puppies rushed in and gobbled up all the eggs before he could stop them. Jemima Puddle-Duck was escorted home in tears on account of those eggs. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck She laid some more eggs in June, and she was permitted to keep them herself: but only four of them hatched. Jemima Puddle-Duck said it was because of her nerves; but she had always been a bad sitter.

What-is-Christmas-.txt

What is Christmas all about? Is Christmas all about presents? Or is Christmas all about giving? Is Christmas all about cookies? Or is Christmas all about love? Is Christmas all about chocolate? Or is Christmas all about sharing? Is Christmas all about toys? Or is Christmas all about having fun? Is Christmas all about trees? Or is Christmas all about growth? Is Christmas all about snow? Does it snow where you live at Christmas? Or is Christmas all about family? What does Christmas mean to you? Words in this book all about or is what does you it at giving sharing having love fun mean growth toys presents chocolate cookies trees snow Christmas MAKE A SNOWMAN You will need: old white socks, old fabric or pillow stuffing, buttons and or beads, thread and needle. Cut the tip off the sock, to keep for a hat. Turn the sock inside our and tie the bottom of the sock, then turn right side around again, (so the base sits flat). Fill with stuffing. Use a different colour sock or scrap of fabric to tie around the neck to make the scarf and head. Tie the top of the the sock, Decorate with buttons. Put the hat on top. You now have a snowman of your very own! ( -: Give him a name :-) Christmas Cookie Recipe 3/4 cup soft butter or margarine, 2/3rds of a cup sugar, 1 cup plain flour, 1 egg yolk Optional, add a small quantity of some of your favourite flavours: a pinch of salt, 2tsp vanilla extract, the juice and zest of 1 lemon or orange, chopped dry fruit, chocolate chips, Sprinkles, eg. hundreds and thousands, chopped nuts, mini marshmallows, work on different combinations! Cream the butter and sugar together Add the egg yolk and mix well. Then add all dry ingredients. (if too moist add flour, if too dry add water) Roll and shape the dough as needed, Preheat the oven to 180C (375F). spread a baking sheet, spaced quite far apart. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, then leave to cool. Icing Mix together butter and icing sugar until you have the right consistency and taste, add water if the icing needs to be more flowing, add food coloring for different colours. Christmas Crafts Try making some cards or gifts of your own, for example: 1) paper art card or create your own craft cards 2) knitted christmas socks or scarfs 3)hand made christmas decorations 4) decorate your christmas treats

Houses.txt

Houses Mzi lives in a thatched house. Thulani lives in a square house. This house is a rectangle. The roof of this house is a triangle. This man is building his own house. This house is new. This house is old. I wish I lived in this house.

EVA-THE_ENERGETIC_EGG_TIMER-Boodlebobs-EP-03-By-JO-KEMP.txt

EVA THE ENERGETIC EGG TIMER This is a story all about Eva and yes, she’s an egg timer. Because timing eggs only takes minutes, Eva had a lot of time on her hands. It gave her time to think so she thought a lot about chocolate. Bars of chocolate, boxes of chocolates, chocolate biscuits, chocolate cake – anything so long as it was chocolate. But there had to be more to life than chocolate? Just then, Freddie scratched his nose and this gave Eva an idea. "I wonder how many times he does that in a minute?" "In fact, I wonder who does what, how often and when…?" So she started timing everyone and everyone got very fed up. Boodlebobs [EP-03] - EVA THE ENERGETIC EGG TIMER 5 "STOP!!!" "STOP!!!" said Ivy putting her hands over her ears. "Everyone is tired of being timed and told about it..." "PLEASE go back to timing eggs!" "In fact, why don’t you go and find out how long it takes to LAY an egg?" Eva thought this was a BRILLIANT idea. In no time at all, she arrived at the henhouse where two lovely soft hens were chattering about what hens always chatter about… …eggs. They laughed when they saw Eva. "Oh my word and glory be! Now’s there’s a funny thing to see in a henhouse!" "Can I time how long it takes you to lay an egg?" asked Eva. "Yes, but we can’t be hurried," they clucked. "You can’t hurry an egg, Oh dearie me no!" Boodlebobs [EP-03] - EVA THE ENERGETIC EGG TIMER 6 So Eva set her timer and settled down but then suddenly something TERRIBLE happened! A black shiny nose poked into the Henhouse. And under that nose were BIG sharp teeth! It was Ferdinand THE FOX!!! "Good afternoon ladies," he said slyly, "I’ve come FOR MY TEA!." And he slavered and licked his lips. "OH CLUCK!!!" It’s f.. f…f…f….fox!" flapped Henrietta. And in a flash of foxy red fur, Ferdinand pounced into the henhouse but much to his surprise, there was Eva. "Oh no you don’t!" she said angrily just as her alarm went off. "BRINGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!" "What the f..f…f…flipping heck was that?!" exclaimed Ferdinand. And he tripped over his tail and landed at the feet of Cornelius, a large and magnificent cockerel who gave him a well placed PECK! "YE-OWW!" squealed Ferdinand as he high-tailed it out of the Henhouse. Boodlebobs [EP-03] - EVA THE ENERGETIC EGG TIMER 7 "AND WHOM, MAY I ASK, ARE YOU?" Cornelius enquired, looking down at Eva. Eva was TERRIFIED. Never before had she seen such a huge magnificent cockerel. "You leave her be!" said Henrietta, "Eva just saved us from being eaten by that wicked old fox!" "I’m an egg timer," Eva whispered. "A FOX SCARER more like!" Boomed Cornelius, lowering his magnificent head. "How would you like to come here more often?" "I’d like that very much," whispered Eva. Boodlebobs [EP-03] - EVA THE ENERGETIC EGG TIMER 8 Back in the kitchen, Eva told Ivy all about her adventure. "Well I never!" she said just as Cor- nelius strutted in and it was Ivy’s turn to tremble. Ivy had seen many cockerels in her time but never one as big and magnificent as Cornelius. "This is to say thank you," he said gently and presented Eva with a large brown egg. It was a most beautiful large brown egg. It was the most beautiful egg she’d ever seen because as Eva was soon to find out… …it was an egg made entirely of CHOCOLATE!

17482-moo-moo-brown-cow-have-you-any-milk.txt

Moo Moo Brown Cow, Have You Any Milk? Raju lived in the city. But in the summer, when school was out, Raju headed straight for his Ajja’s house in the village. Every summer, he learnt something new at Ajja’s house. This time, he was to learn that in the village, milk does not come out of plastic sachets! The evening he arrived, Ajji took him to the cowshed behind the house. Four gentle brown cows were munching on the hay Ajji had collected for them. A couple of frisky young calves jumped around playfully. Raju enjoyed watching them. He thought they were very sweet. "Raju, remember the glass of milk you just had? This is the cow that the milk came from!" said Ajji. "The milk I drank came from a cow?" asked Raju, very surprised. "You mean you just milked her and there was my glass of milk, ready to drink?" "Yes, Raju," smiled Ajji. "Come and meet my cows. This is Kaveri, whose milk you just drank, this is Kapila, this one is Ganga, and there at the far corner is Gowri." Raju stood where he was, looking at the cows doubtfully. "Come, Raju," coaxed Ajji. "Come and touch them. They won’t hurt you." As Raju moved among them, the calves moved closer to their mothers and mooed, wondering if they could trust this stranger. Their mothers licked them, letting them know Raju was a friend. Raju picked up courage and reached up to touch Gowri’s neck. It felt all soft and wrinkly, somewhat like Ajji’s neck. Gowri mooed at Raju’s touch, wanting to be friends. "Do you know how milk comes out of the cow, Raju?" asked Ajji. "No, Ajji," said Raju, feeling a little silly. "All I know is that in the city, our milk comes to our door in plastic sachets." "Come, let me show you," said Ajji. Taking him by the hand, she led him to Kapila. Kapila’s calf was close by. Ajji first allowed the calf to suckle, and drink as much milk as she needed. Then she washed Kapila’s udders with water and cleaned them. Sitting on her haunches, she began to milk the cow, pressing the udders gently between finger and thumb. As Raju watched, milk spurted from the udders into the vessel below. The vessel began to fill up slowly and the milk began to turn frothy at the top. Raju was surprised and pleased to see the frothy milk. "Ajji," he said excitedly, "see how the bubbles are forming at the top!" "Yes, Raju," said Ajji, smiling at his excitement. "When I pull on the udders, powerful jets of milk come out. They hit the surface of the milk in the vessel with great force, mixing with the air and forming bubbles. That is what makes fresh milk taste so different from milk that comes out of a packet!" "Wow! I had no idea!" said Raju. Ajji boiled the fresh frothy milk in the kitchen, and poured out a glass for Raju. It tasted so good that Raju finished it in a few quick gulps. "Ajji, when I go back to the city, I shall tell all my friends where milk comes from," said Raju. "I shall tell them how good fresh milk tastes at my Ajji's house." Ajji laughed happily. "Do that, my little Raju," she said. "Then everyone will know who is the cleverest boy in the class !" Use your imagination and colour this picture any way YOU like.

I-can-Climb.txt

I Can Climb! I am a big boy now. I can climb up the steps. But I cannot climb down again. I can climb on a chair. But I cannot climb down again. I climb on to the chair, and then on the table! But I cannot climb down again. "Papa! Papa!" I shout. Papa laughs. "Sonu, learn to climb down!" he says. I am afraid. But I do not cry. Slowly, I get down from the table, and down from the chair. At last, I have learnt to climb down too!

the-other-way-opposites-Pratham-FKB.txt

Tall like a tree Short like grass Up in the sky is a cloud Down in the soil is an earthworm Light like a petal Heavy like a rock Over the leaf is a caterpillar Under the leaf is a dragonfly Quick as a squirrel Slow as a snail Birds before sunrise Bats after sunset Above the tree is the moon Below the tree is you!

Maths-at-the-mela-FKB-Pratham.txt

Maths at the Mela Leelu is at the mela with the students of Standard 4. All 36 of them! Sir says, "Those who want to go on the toy train raise your hands." Everyone shouts, "Me, sir... me!" Sir starts counting the hands. Before he can get to 36, the toy train gets full. It gives a loud toot of the whistle and takes off. Standard 4 has to wait for the next round. Next, it is time to go on the giant wheel. Each swinging box of the wheel has two seats. Leelu sees that a single ticket is for two people. Before Sir starts counting one by one, Leelu quickly counts her class in twos: "2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14... 36." The ticket collector asks, "How many tickets?" Leelu answers, "18." At the merry-go-round, each horse has three seats. Bittu wants to show the class how clever he is. So he begins counting in threes. "3, 6, 9... 36!" Sir asks, "How many horses do we need?" Bittu proudly says, "12." It is the end of the day. They are all tired. Sir wants to make sure all 36 children are safely back in the bus. This time, Didu wants to count. She notices that each row in the bus has four seats. So she counts loudly in fours. "4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32... " She stops just before saying '36'. "Sir, two kids seem to be missing and are not in the bus!" she gasps. The bus driver, Didu and Sir count the sleeping class again. Who could be missing? "Aaaah! Come, see... here is one missing fellow," the driver says from the back of the bus. On the last row is Montu, fast asleep and snoring! But that only adds up to 35 children. Just as Sir steps out to search for the missing child, Didu shouts, "Sir, come back please... we found her!" "Who is this naughty girl?" Sir asks. Didu points at herself. "Me, Sir. I had forgotten to count myself!" Number fun You don't have to go to a mela to count in twos, threes or fours. All around us are chances to count in sets. Count the number of feet in your classroom, by counting in twos!

jadav-and-the-tree-place.txt

Jadav and the Tree-Place This is Jadav, a tree-planter. He loves tree-places because they are full of life. No-tree-places make him terribly sad, because they are full of dead things. Years ago, Jadav was walking along the banks of the great Brahmaputra River when he arrived at a big, empty no- tree-place. It was dry and hot. The sand was powdery and striped. Striped sand? How odd. Jadav went closer to take a better look. Oh, but they weren't stripes at all! The ground was covered in snakes! Last night’s floods must have washed them ashore, Jadav thought. These snakes weren't slinking and slithering and swaying about like regular, healthy snakes. When Jadav walked among them, they didn't hiss or run away or try to bite him. They just lay about like old ropes, tired and still. "Poor snakes! They're dying from the heat! If only they had some shade to lie in! If only this no-tree-place had some trees in it!" Jadav couldn't bear to watch the snakes die. It made him so terribly sad that he sat down and began to cry. But he quickly came to his senses. "No more crying. From now on: only trying!" He jumped up, ran back to his village and began collecting all the bamboo shoots he could carry in his bag. "Regular plants won't grow in the hot sand, but bamboo will. Bamboo is strong!" Jadav brought the shoots to the no-tree-place and started planting them everywhere. It was hard, hot work, and it took years. The river grew thin one summer and flooded the next, sometimes bringing more sand and sometimes taking it away. Heavy rains came and went. But Jadav kept on planting. In time, the bamboo took root and began to grow. As it grew, it brought shade, and the shade brought insects. The insects burrowed into the ground, and the earth below the bamboo trees began to change. The dry and white became rich and brown, and the dead sand became living soil. Jadav was no longer sad. But he wasn't happy either. He looked around his bamboo grove and thought, "A few-trees-place is nice, I know. But how wonderful it would be if this were a many-trees-place!" The idea thrilled him. So Jadav went back to his village and began collecting many more seeds and saplings. He filled three big bags with Arjun and ejar and gulmohar and koroi and moj and himolu. "Now that our few-trees-place has lovely brown soil, we can plant all these and more!" Jadav brought his new saplings and seeds to the few-trees-place and planted them all around. It was hard work, his back hurt, and it took many years. The orange and blue skies turned purple and pink, and villages became towns. The wind grew laden with dust, and the river became grey. But Jadav's insect friends helped to till the soil, and his tall bamboos gave him shade and cooled the air. And Jadav kept on planting. Soon, his Arjun, ejar and gulmohar, his koroi, moj and himolu, and all his many other plants dug in, took root and started growing. As they grew, they spread new seeds, and the new seeds, in turn, took root. Shoots became trunks, trunks grew branches, and the branches reached for the sky. The few-trees-place that was once a no-tree-place now became a wonderful, green many-trees-place. But what's a many-trees-place without many tree-creatures? When one came, the others followed. First, came the birds. They flocked and flew in from near and far, to make their nests in Jadav's tree-place. There were vultures and pelicans and storks and ducks. And warblers and thrushes and wagtails and chats. Next, came the animals. They skipped and swung and sauntered in, to make their homes in the many-trees-place. There were buffaloes and deer and rabbits and gibbons. And elephants and tigers and rhinos. Finally, there came the snakes. They slithered and swayed and sashayed in, to cool themselves in the shade of Jadav's trees. When Jadav saw the snakes, he sat down and cried happy tears. He was so happy that he wasn't even afraid of getting bitten. Jadav's tree-place had filled with feathers and beaks and wings, with claws and tails and fangs. There were spots and splashes, stripes and flashes, and green, green, everywhere. The tree-place was a forest, at last. And Jadav was a happy man. Then Jadav had another thought. "Many trees in one place is good, I know. But how wonderful it'd be if there were many trees in every place!" So he grabbed his bags of seeds and started walking across the world. And as he walked, Jadav started planting the seeds in all the no-tree-places he saw. And he planted. And planted. And planted. But there are so many no-tree-places in the world. There are more no-tree-places than tree-places now. This is terribly sad, but Jadav does not sit down and cry this time. Jadav plants. And plants. And plants some more. It’s going to be hard work, bringing all the old forests back. The seas have begun rising, and the winds grow cold. Towns have become cities, and Jadav is growing old. But he keeps on planting. And planting. And planting. Jadav will keep on planting until the whole world is a happy, lovely lots-of-trees- place. Jadav in Real Life Jadav ‘Mulai’ Payeng is a conservationist and recipient of the Padmashree, one of the highest civilian honours awarded by the Indian government. Jadav lives in Majuli, Assam. At the age of 16, distressed by the sight of dying snakes that had washed up on a sandbar banking the Brahmaputra, Jadav decided to plant some trees in the spot. He started small, with bamboos, and grew an entire forest, plant by painstaking plant. This was back in 1979. Over the next three decades, Jadav and his tree- planting have managed to change the soil in the barren area. The 550-hectare sandbar is now a lush, dense forest and home to a variety of flora and fauna, including elephants, tigers, apes, deer and many species of local and migratory birds. Jadav continues to visit and nurture his forest every day, planting wherever he finds empty patches. Growing Up With a Mango Tree: a Tree-Planting Activity Just ate a mango? Loved it? Want another? You can go to a shop and buy one, of course. But it's a lot more fun (and free!) to use the seed of the mango you just ate and make a few fruits of your own. All you need is time and patience. First, find a nice patch of empty land near your house. Get a friend, sibling or grown-up to help you plant the seed you saved in that patch. Make sure the soil is loose and there's plenty of sun. It may take several weeks of waiting, watering and watching before your seed turns into a plant, so don't worry and definitely don't hurry. Once your seed germinates and grows into a healthy mango plant, get ready for a lot more waiting, watering and watching. Take care that your plant doesn't get eaten up by insects or animals, or get stepped on by someone. If all this waiting is making you feel bored, read a few books, sing some songs, and plant some more plants! After a few years, as you grow taller, your mango plant will grow tall with you, until it becomes a big tree that you can climb and picnic under. This is when the real fun begins. By now, your tree will have started making its own mangoes, which you and your friends can eat. Even better, those mangoes will soon start attracting other mango- loving creatures to your tree: birds, ants, squirrels, bats, monkeys, spiders and lots more. Some of these creatures will come to eat the fruit, some will come to feed on the tree's sap, some to drink nectar from its flowers, and some creatures will even come to eat some of the other creatures hanging around the tree. But it's not all about eating. Some creatures may come just to rest in your tree's shade, or to take a nap in its branches. Your tree has many different uses for every different creature! Spend some time every day watching who visits your mango tree, at which time of the day they come, and what they do. Write down what you see in your notebook. Also draw pictures of what you see. See how much you've done and learned with just one mango seed? Isn't tree-planting fun? Now imagine how much fun Jadav must have had planting his entire forest full of trees!

Where-am-i-Pratham-FKB_stories.txt

Where Am I? I am happiest among the big trees of a forest. Flying snakes scare me – they might gobble me up! I am a flying lizard. Where am I? I am shy and quick-footed. Guess what? I eat my own potty! I am a black-naped hare. Where am I? I have a very small body and really long legs. My tail looks like it’s split down the middle. I am a two-tailed spider. Where am I? I am hidden among leaf litter. My wings have a special pattern! I am a moth. Where am I? I spend all my life on trees in gardens. When tiny insects come near me, I leap forward and eat them up! I am a bark gecko. Where am I? I love eating juicy, green leaves. Watch out for an odd-shaped leaf – that might just be me! I am a grasshopper. Where am I? I have eight legs but I don't spin webs. The flower I live in is the same colour as me! I am a crab spider. Where am I? I can sit still for hours on end. Listen for my chirps, mostly during dawn or dusk! I am a nightjar. Where am I? I hold up my front legs in a fold, like I am praying. Look for a swaying movement and you will know it's me. I am a praying mantis. Where am I? I spend a lot of time near water. When you hear us call "drong drowng", you know the monsoon has arrived! I am a bullfrog. Where am I?

Inspirational_Quotes_For_Kids_2020-FKB.txt

"There will always be storms, it is how you weather them that counts." - variation of Epictetus "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." -Aesop "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life" - Confucius Does it matter more whether the glass is half empty or half full, or what is inside? learn to think outside the box "All the good things in life are free. It's important to never loose sight of that. So look around you, wherever you see friendship, loyalty, laughter, and love....there's your treasure." - Neale Donald Walsh " If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours!" - Dolly Parton (Imagination Library) "Failure is NOT the opposite of success, it is a PART of it." - Arianna Huffington "Never, never, never give up." – Winston Churchhill "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt "Beneath the rule of men entirely great, The pen is mightier than the sword" Edward George Bulwer-Ltton In the written word we have the power to change the world, literally, while with the sword we have only the power to break down and kill, and even then only the mortal body, not the spirit. "UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not." - The Lorax, Dr. Seuss "Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do." - H. Jackson Brown, Jr. "My philosophy is: It’s none of my business what people say of me and think of me. I AM what I AM and I do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. And it makes life so much easier." - Sir Antony Hopkins "The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything." - Theodore Roosevelt "Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up." - Jessie Jackson "Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" -Dr. Suess The Starfish Parable you can One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that make a had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, difference, one by one. Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his if you task, the boy simply replied, "I'm saving these starfish, Sir." try! The old man chuckled aloud, "Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?" The boy picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said, "It made a difference to that one Sir." - Loren Eiseley "Be kind whenever possible. - It is always possible." - The Dalai Lama "Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain Why settle with ordinary when you can write your own fairytale? - Danielle Bruckert - the end -

goat-dog-and-cow-FKB.txt

Goat, Dog and Cow Goat, Dog and Cow were great friends. One day they went on a journey in a taxi. They reached the end of their journey. The driver asked them to pay their fares. Cow paid her fare. Dog paid extra, because he did not have the correct money. The driver was about to give Dog his change. Suddenly Goat ran away without paying. The driver was very annoyed. He drove away without giving Dog his change. That is why, even today, Dog runs towards a car to peep inside. He is looking for the driver who owes him change. Goat runs away from the sound of a car. She is afraid she will be arrested for not paying her fare. Cow is not bothered by cars. Cow takes her time crossing the road. She knows she paid her fare in full.

the-tale-of-the-toilet.txt

The Tale of the Toilet It’s a big job, it’s number one priority and number two is pretty important too, because you can never ignore nature’s call. So when you gotta go, you gotta go! Some people can do this business inside their houses, some have to go outside. Some pour water after it’s done, others need not. It’s different in different parts of the world, just as it was different at different times in history. Toilets of the past A very long time ago, more than 3,000 years ago, the people of Indus Valley had beautiful houses with toilets built inside them. People could finish their business in privacy and pour a bucket of water which would flush the waste down a drain. This way, they managed to keep their houses and streets clean. The Indus Valley, situated in present day Pakistan and India, is one of the three oldest civilizations that we know of, the other two being Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. From what we can see of the ruins today, the people of Indus Valley had great building skills, were good at making metal and ceramic products, and planned their city-wide drainage systems very elaborately. Around the same time, similar toilet arrangements were present in other parts of the world. Homes in Egypt and Babylonia had toilets built in, and the ruins in Skara Brae in Scotland and the Minoan Crete in the Mediterranean show plenty of pipes leading out of what definitely seems like a toilet inside a house. A little later, about 2,000 years ago in Rome, people used public toilets. A long slab of stone had keyhole-shaped cuts at intervals. People would sit on these openings and do their toilet business while having a friendly chat with the person next to them. I told you it was a "public" toilet! How did they clean themselves, do you wonder? After I tell you, you might wish you had never wondered. They took a long stick that had a sponge attached to one end and dipped the sponge into water, and then used it to wipe their backsides. After they felt clean, they simply handed the stick over to their neighbour, who dipped it in water and used it again. Let me give you a friendly tip here – if you ever find yourself in this place, make sure you pick the very first seat! Not everyone had to poop in public in Rome. If you were super-rich, you would have a chamber pot at home into which you would do your business. Once done, you would simply empty the contents onto the street outside. And if someone happened to walk by at the time, well, too bad for them! About 500 years ago, Queen Elizabeth of England had a toilet constructed inside her house. It had a pipe leading out into a sewage pit outside. But she never used it much because the stench from the sewer filled the toilet and she could not even breathe. So back to the chamber pot she went. Toilets of the present Toilets these days don’t stink. How did they achieve that? In 1775, the English inventor Alexander Cumming figured out a way. Instead of using a straight pipe to connect the toilet to the sewage line, he made it S-shaped. This made sure that while poop and pee and water can go down the drain, no smell can come back up. Have you noticed that a little water always stays in the toilet even after flushing? This is what creates the "seal" and prevents the foul smell from entering the room through the drain. Just like olden times, different parts of the world today have different kinds of toilets. Some places don’t have toilets at all. Some toilets are made for sitting, some are made for squatting. Some have a bucket with water for flushing, others have a tank filled with water and a handle that releases the water. Some toilets have paper to wipe the backside, some have a tap or a bucket of water to wash up. There are some toilets that don’t use water at all. Like the ones on a plane. With all the turbulence, you certainly don’t want any water in the toilet bowl! The waste is removed by a powerful vacuum and stored in a tank below. After the plane lands, the waste is disposed of. There are also waterless toilets on the ground. They were designed and built for places without easy access to water, such as remote villages in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. They have been working well, so wouldn’t it be a good idea to have such toilets everywhere? Because the less water we use, and the less sewage we create, the better for the planet, right? Toilets of the future How do you make a waterless toilet? The first step is to make sure that you don’t let the urine and the faeces mix. No it’s not as gross as it sounds – it just needs the pot to be designed in a clever way. Like having a sloping bamboo mat act as a sieve that will allow the waste water to pass through, but can hold the poop and send it to a different pit. Since urine by itself is not harmful (it’s only the bacteria that collect on open urine that cause the smell and the hazard), it can be safely let into the ground or put to use. Here’s how: Hydrogen can be separated from the urine and used to fuel a generator. Urine also has nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that are great ingredients for fertilizers. Now that urine is taken care of, what do we do with the solid waste? Well, if it is properly mixed with ash and grass, and allowed to rest in a pit, millions of bacteria will break it down into perfectly useful compost for agriculture. These toilets will help us build a world where there is no "waste." Instead it is turned into something of use. If all houses in a city have such toilets, no sewage comes out of them, no expensive sewage treatment plants are necessary and no sewage will flow through the drains into lakes and rivers! What a great future for everyone! On pg 18 is a board game. You’ll need a few friends to play with and a die. Below are instructions on what to do if you land here: At 3 Queen’s chamber pot: Illegal use of Queen’s chamber pot. Punishment: Banished into her toilet for 2 turns. At 6 Roman toilet first seat: Good for you! First use of sponge! Move ahead 7 spaces. At 9 Stuck in the toilet queue! Move only if you roll a 2 or a 4. At 12 Roman toilet last seat: Yuck. Don’t want to use that sponge? Okay, we'll let you kill the time. Lose a turn. At 15 Mohenjo-daro: Congratulations! You have entered one of the best toilets of all time! So you get to roll the die again. If you roll 2,4,6 move that many spaces forward. If you roll 1,3,5 you can pick any pawn on the board (other than yours) and move it that many spaces back. At 19 Oops. Left the toilet dirty. Move back 3 spaces. At 21 Waterless toilet: Congratulations! You just used a waterless toilet! Take the short-cut! At 23 Flying waste! Oh dear! You got hit by flying waste! Move only if you roll a 1 or 6.

11166-a-cloud-of-trash.txt

A Cloud of Trash Cheekoo was the unhappiest girl among her friends. She was certainly the unhappiest girl in her entire class. She was perhaps the unhappiest girl in the world. Friends? Cheekoo had no friends anymore. No one wanted to play with Cheekoo. Because she had a cloud hanging over her head. A cloud of TRASH. Orange peels and biscuit packets, Broken toys and pencil shavings, Twisted plastic bottles and colourful plastic bags, All surrounded by a swarm of buzzing flies. No one wanted to play with a girl who had a cloud of trash hanging over her. What if a rotten banana peel fell on your head? YUCK! Cheekoo couldn’t even play hide- and-seek anymore. The cloud would always give her away. "Let’s walk to school together," she said to Sona. Sona ran off in the opposite direction. "May I borrow your pencil sharpener?" she asked Sweety. Sweety made a face and changed her seat to go sit with Asha. Cheekoo even had to eat her lunch alone. Cheekoo knew that she should have listened to her Amma. Amma always told her not to litter. "Don’t throw the banana peel on the road!" "Throw the empty biscuit packet in the dustbin." But Cheekoo never listened. She only laughed and kept littering. Then one day, Amma became very angry. "Soon, all this trash will start following you!" she said. Cheekoo just laughed. The next morning, Cheekoo woke up to a foul smell and the sound of buzzing flies. The cloud of trash was hanging over her head. Amma’s words had come true! And then, Cheekoo was unable to laugh. Cheekoo tried to run away. But the trash cloud followed her everywhere. Cheekoo took a broom to sweep the cloud down. But the trash could not be swept away. Cheekoo tried EVERYTHING. She screamed and asked the cloud to leave her alone. She even tried throwing the cloud into the dustbin. But the cloud of trash just wouldn’t go. So Cheekoo became very unhappy. Then something happened! Cheekoo saw Bala throwing a banana peel on the road. Cheekoo was annoyed. Could he not see the cloud over her head? "Oye silly boy!" she yelled. "Don’t throw the peel on the road. Someone will slip!" Bala, scared of the trash cloud, threw the peel in the dustbin. The next day, the trash cloud had become smaller! "How did that happen?" Cheekoo wondered. Then, Cheekoo saw Reema Aunty throwing away plastic bags. "Aunty!" Cheekoo said. "Please pick up these bags and reuse them." Reema Aunty picked up the bags and left. The next day when Cheekoo woke up, the cloud was much smaller. Cheekoo smiled. She knew what she had to do. When someone threw away a biscuit packet or pencil shavings, Cheekoo stopped them. She picked up every twisted plastic bottle and put it in the dustbin. The village became cleaner and cleaner. And Cheekoo’s cloud became smaller and smaller. Until one day, it was gone. COMPLETELY gone. Cheekoo was now perhaps the happiest girl in the world. Cheekoo never littered again. Secretly, she liked living in a clean village. But she was also scared that the trash cloud would come back, some day. Who knew! Let’s Talk About Trash Ever wondered what happens to trash once you throw it away? No, it doesn’t become a cloud on your head. The trash ends up in a big garbage bin near your home. When you litter, the trash collects by the side of the road. Some of it goes into the drains that carry waste water from your house. This clogs the drains and attracts flies which spread nasty diseases! UGH! Nobody likes living in a dirty environment. Ask Cheekoo. Here’s how NOT to make a cloud of trash - We can start by not littering our surroundings. - Always, always throw waste into a dustbin – look around for the nearest one. - After you eat a banana, don’t throw it on the road. Put the peel in a small bag until you find a dustbin. - There are many things that you may think are useless, like the paper bag into which you put the peel. But not everything is waste. So don’t throw the bag with the peel! Take it home and reuse it. - Cover dustbins so that flies can’t get inside.

Learn-Sight-Words-Easter-Eggs.txt

One chocolate easter egg. Two easter egg people. Three easter egg bunnies. Four painted easter eggs. Five easter eggs in egg cups. Six colourful easter eggs. Seven smarties easter eggs. Eight purple easter eggs. Nine small, medium and large, easter eggs. Ten mini easter eggs. Lots of yummy easter eggs. THE END

the-great-tidy-up_3-17.txt

‘We are going to have so much fun while Gogo is having a nap,’ says big sister Khwezi. ‘Ooh yes!’ says little brother Mzamo. ‘What will we do?’ ‘We will clean the house for Papa and Mama while they are out.’ ‘That’s no fun,’ says Mzamo. ‘Uh uh, no. Not me. I don’t want to clean up!’ ‘But Papa and Mama will be so proud. Let me show you how much fun we will have!’ says Khwezi. ‘First we will put the toys away!’ ‘Now we will sweep the stoep!’ ‘Now we will wash the dishes!’ ‘Now we will wash the windows!’ z z ‘Now we will z polish the floor!’ ‘Now we will wash the clothes!’ ‘Now we will hang the clothes up!’ "SURPRISE!" ‘I have been watching them the whole time and they have been little angels!’ says Gogo.

The-Witches-Daughter.txt

The Witch’s Daughter Once upon a time, there lived a witch who was very mean and ugly. She was as ugly as a burnt plum pudding. She had only one daughter, who was named Broccolina, and she was no nicer than her mother. The witch wanted to train her daughter in witch-craft, to follow in her footsteps. But, no matter how much the mother tried, Broccolina was not the least bit interested. She never wanted to be bothered with witchcraft or housework, either. She was only interested in becoming beautiful. Broccolina was very worried about her ugly looks and she spent most of her time in front of the mirror, putting on make-up. She painted her face in colors and polished her claw-like nails until they shone. She did her hair up, every morning, evening and night, in every style she could think of. She wanted to look as pretty as possible, but she never realized that all she did only made her look worse. One day, her mother had to go on a journey to a far-off land. She ordered Broccolina to keep stirring a magic potion, which was on the fire, until she returned. "Why should I have to do it?" Broccolina complained. "You know how much I hate to stir potions. The big spoon spoils my nail polish, and the steam makes my make-up run." "It has to be done!" said her mother, heading out the door. "I’ll be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, keep stirring that pot!" "It’s not fair!" Broccolina muttered. She picked up the big spoon and started to stir. After a while, she heard an unfamiliar sound. It was like a swarm of bees droning, overhead. She looked up to see what it was. "Oh!" she cried. It was a lovely angel, flying above her. Broccolina’s eyes widened at the sight. "What a beautiful creature! If I could just be as beautiful as that!" she said to herself enviously, gazing at the angel. "How did she become so beautiful? There may be some secret to it," she thought. "If I could catch her, maybe I could get the secret out of her. Yes, I must hurry up and catch her." She left the pot boiling on the fire, and ran into the house to get the magic carpet. But her mother had already gone away on it. "Oh, no!" she muttered. She was very disappointed that she would not be able to catch the angel. She sat in front of the cauldron, sulking. "Oh, how can I ever become as pretty as that?" She thought and thought and thought, but nothing came to her mind. Suddenly, she got an idea. "Maybe my mother has a formula in her magic books, to make me pretty, like an angel. Surely, she must have one." Then she ran back into the house, and straight to her mother’s closet. She rummaged about in the closet, looking for a recipe, turning over all of her mother’s magic recipe books, one by one. But she couldn’t find any recipe to become pretty, like an angel. She was very disappointed. She couldn’t stop thinking about the pretty angel. She paced up and down angrily, not wanting to give up. "Well," she thought, "I’ll just have to come up with a recipe of my own, to make me beautiful." She went back to the simmering cauldron and went on stirring it, still trying to think up a recipe. She became nervous and angry, because she couldn’t think of anything. "What ingredients should I use to make that magic portion?" she asked herself. She thought and thought, but she just couldn’t think of anything that would make her beautiful. After a while, Broccolina felt something rubbing against her ankle. It was her mother’s grey cat. "Get away," she said. The cat wrapped herself around Broccolina’s leg, mewing. It seemed to be lonely. Broccolina, who was already angry, became even angrier at that. "I said get away!" she yelled. When the cat didn’t leave, Broccolina grabbed it by the tail and flung it out of the door. ‘Yeow!’ The poor cat howled and ran away with her tail in the air. Just then, a long tail popped out from Broccolina’s back. But, she was so absorbed in thoughts of becoming as beautiful as an angel, that she didn’t feel it. She stirred the potion faster, thinking of the ingredients she should put in. Then her mother’s black crow saw something strange hanging from Broccolina’s back and flew to her. Thinking it was a snake, he pecked at it and pulled on it. Broccolina was angry about being disturbed again. She hit the crow with the stirring spoon. The crow’s scrawny leg was scratched by the spoon and some of the potion spilled on the ground, as well. The poor crow shrieked in pain and quickly limped away. Broccolina was so mean, she didn’t care that she had wounded the poor crow. She didn’t even feel sorry for him. She continued to stir the potion in the cauldron. Soon, small sores popped out all over her body. But, she was so absorbed in thoughts of becoming beautiful, that she didn’t notice them. The goat, her mother had brought home to slaughter for dinner, smelled the potion that had been spilt on the ground. He got up from his bed of hay and came to lick it up, because he was so thirsty. This angered Broccolina even more and she kicked the goat. The poor, thirsty goat staggered away, in fear and pain. And, in no time, she got a grey beard just like that of the goat, sprouted from her chin and her hair became coarse and stiff, like hay. But Broccolina didn’t notice it, because she was too busy, thinking about the ingredients she should put in her beauty potion. The cow in the barn, saw Broccolina’s new beard and bristly hair. She was very hungry and thought that it was a stack of hay, so came to eat it. Broccolina, without realizing why the cow came to her, angrily threw a stick of firewood at her. It hit her on the horns and the poor hungry cow ran away, mooing in fear. Within seconds, two bumps emerged from the sides of Broccolina’s head and grew into two big horns. But, still she didn’t notice! When her mother’s watchdog saw this strange creature, he didn’t know it was Broccolina. He sprang at her, barking and growling. Broccolina was very annoyed at him for barking at her and hit the dog with the cauldron’s lid. It hit the dog on the mouth and the poor, stricken dog ran away, howling. Suddenly, half of Broccolina’s teeth fell into the cauldron, as she stirred the potion. But Broccolina didn’t notice it, because she was too deep in thoughts of how to become pretty, like an angel. Then her mother’s little parrot woke up, hearing the clamour. When he saw Broccolina, he became frightened and flew about in his cage. "Oh! Broccolina," the parrot cried, "what happened to you? You’ve become uglier than ever. You are the ugliest being I’ve ever seen," the little parrot screeched, in terror. Broccolina was furious. She shook his cage and shouted ugly words at him. As she shouted, her voice cracked and became hoarse, more like a croak, than a voice. "Oh! What’s wrong?" Broccolina was very confused and felt that something was not right. She ran to the mirror. When she saw herself in the mirror she was horrified. "Oh, no! No, nooooooooo..." she screamed. "Oh no, I wanted to be pretty like an angel." She ran out of the house, screaming wildly. She was angrier than ever. She howled madly and crawled on the ground, cursing the angel. Hearing Broccolina’s howling, the angel, who was on her way back to heaven, came to see what was wrong. When Broccolina saw the angel, she boiled with anger and jealousy. "You horrible angel! You horrible angel!" Broccolina shouted indignantly, throwing up her hands. "All this happened to me, because of you," she shouted. "Why did you fly above me? Ever since then, I wanted to become an angel like you." The angel listened quietly. Broccolina went on complaining. "See, what has happened to me? I’ve ended up looking horrible. You’re responsible for all of this. Now, you must tell me, the secret of how to be pretty, like an angel. Otherwise I’ll teach you a lesson when I get my hands on you," Broccolina shouted angrily. The angel listened to her calmly and spoke to her with kindness. "Broccolina, no magic potion can make anyone pretty like an angel. It’s not a secret. If you love and care for others, be kind and patient and do only good deeds, then you will look pretty, like an angel. The love in your heart for others is what really makes you beautiful." Mouth agape, Broccolina listened intently to the angel. "A little while ago, you treated those poor creatures with meanness. That’s how you became ugly. The more your heart is filled with cruelty and anger, the uglier you become," said the angel. "Broccolina, now you must go to those you harmed, and care for them, until they get well. You should love them and talk to them with affection. You should never use harsh words on anyone. Then your voice will be sweeter." The angel went away, fluttering her golden wings. Broccolina ran around in a panic, looking for the cat, the crow, the goat, cow, dog and parrot. They were all hiding from her, behind the barn, bruised and stricken with fear and pain. When they saw her, they became even more scared. But when she talked to them sweetly, they were so surprised, they forgot how frightened and hurt they had felt. Broccolina treated them lovingly and cared for their injuries with kindness. They were all very happy and amazed to hear kind words from her. Little by little, as she spoke to them nicely, her voice became sweeter and sweeter. As she treated the animals’ wounds with tenderness, her skin cleared and began to glow. When she nursed them with affection, her hair became soft and lustrous. When she looked at them with love in her eyes, her eyes became brighter and clearer. Little by little, she became pretty, just like the angel. Eventually, two little bumps appeared on her back and turned into lovely wings. "Oh!" She cried, as happy as she could be. She rose up into the air, fluttering her wings. Broccolina finally became an angel and flew to heaven. After that she was never unkind to anyone and was loved by all.

22064-did-you-hear_FKB.txt

Did You Hear? Birds talk. And they talk a lot! WAAAAHHHH! The Brahminy kite wails like a hungry baby. WAAAAHHHH! FHWEE! FHWEE! The Malabar whistling thrush whistles like a happy child. FHWEE! FHWEE! HU HU HU HU! HU HU HU HU! The laughing dove laughs as if it's being tickled. HU HU HU HU! HU HU HU HU! PUK! PUK! PUK! The coppersmith barbet sounds like a hammer striking metal. PUK! PUK! PUK! WAAAAHHHH! FHWEE! HU HU! PUK! Who is that? That is the racket-tailed drongo who can copy other birds! WAAAAHHHH! FHWEE! HU HU! PUK! We may not know what birds are saying, But we know who is talking.

044-SAMATHA-THE-GIRL-SCIENTIST-Free-Childrens-Book-By-Monkey-Pen.txt

"Hi! My name is Samantha and I want to be a scientist. You may be wondering why and my answer is simple. I am amazed at all the wonderful things like television, cellular phones, men on the Moon, space exploration, and the list goes on. But those are big things and I just don’t understand everything about them yet. I also wonder about smaller things like-why do my doll’s eyes close when I lay her down and open when I pick her up. Or how are cartoons made? Hmm – I know it has something to do with Science. My brother Samuel wants to be a scientist too, but he likes things that I don’t, like-why Stalactites grow. But even though we don’t like the same things it’s still Science so we get along just fine. In fact, our teachers help us better understand Math, technology, current events and trends - all of which are important. We even help each other and have lots of fun. I like to experiment or take things apart to see how they work. No matter what I do, I tell my mom or dad what I am going to be doing and sometimes even ask for their help. I would never just do something. I could get hurt. Sometimes it’s best to start small, and that’s just what I did. I remember my first experiment in detail and it was a lot of fun to do. I had to do an optical illusion. You may be wondering why that is important and all I can say is that it’s the basis for making cartoons - and here is why. Our brains fill in the gaps for whatever our eyes aren’t processing. So two different pictures can actually become one or still images can appear to be moving. Try this experiment, it’s lots of fun and there is nothing dangerous about it. Here is what you need: • 2 small pieces of white cardboard or index cards. • Tape • A pencil to be used as a shaft • Crayons, colored pencils or whatever you want to draw with The Experiment Preparation: • Draw a large birdcage on one piece of cardboard. You are the scientist so make it look like you want. Just make it pretty big. • On the other piece of cardboard draw a bird. Maybe a Budgie or a Toucan. Just make sure it is smaller than the birdcage. • Tape the pictures, back-to-back, onto the pencil shaft. The Expected Result: • What do you think is going to happen if you spin the pencil? I can’t tell you because I did it and this is your discovery. The Experiment: • Hold the pencil between the palms of your hands. • Rub your hands to make the picture spin around. • Of course, you have to look at the picture while it’s spinning. The Experiment Result: • You should have seen the two pictures appear as one. If you didn’t see the bird in the cage, keep trying until you do. That is Science! Have some fun and try different pictures. (I even put Samuel in jail once). Hey, do you want to do a little magic and make a spot on a piece of paper disappear? It’s different for each person but it does disappear. Yes, it’s Science too but let’s get to the experiment and I’ll explain the Science later. It’s simple to set-up. Just draw a square about ¼ inch to one side of a white piece of paper and color it in. Draw a circle about 3 to 4 inches to the right that’s about the same size as the square and color it in. This is the dot you are going to make disappear. Actually you can draw two small pictures, or letters, or numbers, or whatever you want. One of them will disappear. • After you draw them hold the paper at arm’s length. • Close your left eye and focus on the square with your right eye. • Slowly move the paper towards you. • At some point the dot will disappear. • Try it again and make the square disappear. Close your right eye and focus on the dot with your left eye. Move the paper towards you until the square disappears. It’s magic! Well, actually it is Science. You see, the spot where your optic nerve connects to your eye doesn’t have any photoreceptors. That means it is a blind spot and we all have them. You never notice this blind spot because your two eyes work together to cover it up. Just like in the first experiment your brain fills in for the blind spot with the background. I have a question for you. What do you think will happen if you use a colored piece of paper like red? If you don’t know, do another experiment and see for yourself. Science is fun and I am glad I am going to be a scientist. Maybe you’ll decide to be one too."

All-Sorts-Of-Cars-FKB-Kids-Story.txt

This book has all sorts of cars in it. blue cars purple cars green cars yellow cars Green toy car Red toy car yellow toy car Silver and blue toy car classic cars (that means they're really old!) racing cars FUNKY AND COLOURFUL CAR That's not a car.... It's a bus! More racing cars. This car goes really fast! These cars are long! These cars are short! more classic cars.... (remember, classic means they're really old!) These are vintage cars. (Vintage cars are really, really old!) Interesting cars. (These vintage and classic cars are all a bit different!) Ride on cars MY Ride CAR ! on cars We hope you enjoyed all the cars.

Beatrix-Potter-Mrs-Tittlemouse-FKB.txt

Once upon a time there was a wood-mouse, and her name was Mrs. Tittlemouse. She lived in a bank under a hedge. The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse Such a funny house! There were yards and yards of sandy passages, leading to storerooms and nut-cellars and seed-cellars, all amongst the roots of the hedge. There was a kitchen, a parlour, a pantry, and a larder. Also, there was Mrs. Tittlemouse's bedroom, where she slept in a little box bed! The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse Mrs. Tittlemouse was a most terribly tidy particular little mouse, always sweeping and dusting the soft sandy floors. Sometimes a beetle lost its way in the passages. "Shuh! shuh! little dirty feet!" said Mrs. Tittlemouse, clattering her dust-pan. The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse And one day a little old woman ran up and down in a red spotty cloak. "Your house is on fire, Mother Ladybird! Fly away home to your children!" Another day, a big fat spider came in to shelter from the rain. "Beg pardon, is this not Miss Muffet's?" "Go away, you bold bad spider! Leaving ends of cobweb all over my nice clean house!" She bundled the spider out at a window. He let himself down the hedge with a long thin bit of string. Mrs. Tittlemouse went on her way to a distant storeroom, to fetch cherry-stones and thistle-down seed for dinner. The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse All along the passage she sniffed, and looked at the floor. "I smell a smell of honey; is it the cowslips outside, in the hedge? I am sure I can see the marks of little dirty feet." Suddenly round a corner, she met Babbitty Bumble Zizz, Bizz, Bizzz!" said the bumble bee. Mrs. Tittlemouse looked at her severely. She wished that she had a broom. The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse "Good-day, Babbitty Bumble; I should be glad to buy some beeswax. But what are you doing down here? Why do you always come in at a window, and say, ‘Zizz, Bizz, Bizzz’?" Mrs. Tittlemouse began to get cross. The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse "Zizz, Wizz, Wizzz!" replied Babbitty Bumble in a peevish squeak. She sidled down a passage, and disappeared into a storeroom which had been used for acorns. Mrs. Tittlemouse had eaten the acorns before Christmas; the storeroom ought to have been empty. But it was full of untidy dry moss. Mrs. Tittlemouse began to pull out the moss. Three or four other bees put their heads out, and buzzed fiercely. "I am not in the habit of letting lodgings; This is an intrusion!" said Mrs. Tittlemouse. "I will have them turned out." "Buzz! Buzz! Buzzz!" "I wonder who would help me?" "Bizz, Wizz, Wizzz!" "I will not have Mr. Jackson; he never wipes his feet." Mrs. Tittlemouse decided to leave the bees till after dinner. The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse When she got back to the parlour, she heard some one coughing in a fat voice; And there sat Mr. Jackson himself! He was sitting all over a small rocking-chair, twiddling his thumbs and smiling, with his feet on the fender. He lived in a drain below the hedge, in a very dirty wet ditch. "How do you do, Mr. Jackson? Deary me, you have got very wet!" "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mrs. Tittlemouse! I'll sit awhile and dry myself," said Mr. Jackson. He sat and smiled, and the water dripped off his coat tails. Mrs. Tittlemouse went round with a mop. He sat such a while that he had to be asked if he would take some dinner? He opened his mouth most unnecessarily wide; He certainly had not a tooth in his head. The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse Then she offered him thistle-down seed. "Tiddly, widdly, widdly! Pouff, pouff, puff!" said Mr. Jackson. He blew the thistle-down all over the room. The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mrs. Tittlemouse! Now what I really, really, should like, would be a little dish of honey!" "I am afraid I have not got any, Mr. Jackson," said Mrs. Tittlemouse. "Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Mrs. Tittlemouse!" said the smiling Mr. Jackson, "I can … smell … it; that is why I came to call." Mr. Jackson rose ponderously from the table, and began to look into the cupboards. Mrs. Tittlemouse followed him with a dish-cloth, to wipe his large wet footmarks off the parlour floor. When he had convinced himself that there was no honey in the cupboards, he began to walk down the passage. "Indeed, indeed, you will stick fast, Mr. Jackson!" "Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Mrs. Tittlemouse!" First he squeezed into the pantry. "Tiddly, widdly, widdly? no honey? no honey, Mrs. Tittlemouse?" There were three creepy-crawly people hiding in the plate-rack. Two of them got away; but the littlest one he caught. Then he squeezed into the larder. Miss Butterfly was tasting the sugar; but she flew away out of the window. "Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Mrs. Tittlemouse; you seem to have plenty of visitors!" "And without any invitation!" said Mrs. Thomasina Tittlemouse. They went along the sandy passage. "Tiddly widdly …" "Buzz! Wizz! Wizz!" He met Babbitty round a corner, and snapped her up. The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse Then put her down again. "I do not like bumble bees. They are all over bristles," said Mr. Jackson, wiping his mouth with his coat-sleeve. "Get out, you nasty old toad!" shrieked Babbitty Bumble. "I shall go distracted!" scolded Mrs. Tittlemouse. She shut herself up in the nut-cellar while Mr. Jackson pulled out the bees-nest. He seemed to have no objection to stings. When Mrs. Tittlemouse ventured to come out, everybody had gone away. But the untidiness was something dreadful "Never did I see such a mess: smears of honey; and moss, and thistledown, and marks of big and little dirty feet, all over my nice clean house!" She gathered up the moss and the remains of the beeswax. Then she went out and fetched some twigs, to partly close up the front door. "I will make it too small for Mr. Jackson!" The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse She fetched soft soap, and flannel, and a new scrubbing brush from the storeroom. But she was too tired to do any more. First she fell asleep in her chair, Then she went to bed. "Will my house ever be tidy again?" said poor Mrs. Tittlemouse. Next morning she got up very early. She began a spring cleaning which lasted a fortnight. She swept, and scrubbed, and dusted; and she rubbed up the furniture with beeswax, and polished her little tin spoons. When it was all beautifully neat and clean, she gave a party to five other little mice, without Mr. Jackson … But he smelt the party and came up the bank, but he could not squeeze in at the door. The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse So they handed him out acorn-cupfuls of honey-dew through the window, and he was not at all offended. He sat outside in the sun, and said, "Tiddly, widdly, widdly! Your very good health, Mrs. Tittlemouse!"

reba-wants-ice-cream-FKB.txt

Reba Wants Ice Cream "Ice cream! Ice cream!" The shopkeeper called. Reba ran to her mother. "Ma! Ma! I want ice cream!" "Finish your homework first," said Ma. Reba looked unhappy. Ma asked, "Are you done with your homework yet?" "Mmm…No. But my notebook is full! I need to buy another one." Ma gave Reba 50 taka*. "Go buy a notebook. We also need a bar of soap." *Taka is the name of currency used in Bangladesh. Reba went to the shop. The shopkeeper gave Reba a notebook and a bar of soap. "How much?" asked Reba. "The notebook is 20 taka, and the soap is 20 taka," said the shopkeeper. "That means the total cost is 40 taka. Here’s your change." When Reba came back home, she calculated her change.Reba gave the shopkeeper 50 taka. The notebook was 20 taka, and the soap was 20 taka. "I should only get 10 taka back," thought Reba. "Why did the shopkeeper give me 20 taka back?" "That's great!" thought Reba. "I can buy ice cream with this extra money!" But Reba was ashamed of herself. "I should go back and give the shopkeeper the correct change." Reba rushed back to the shop. There were so many kinds of ice creams that she wanted! "Oh, if only I could have an ice-cream!" she thought. When Reba got to the shop, she saw another girl who had just bought ice cream. She was about to go home. The shopkeeper stopped her. "Wait!" he said. "You've given me too much money. Come back, take the change." The shopkeeper gave the girl her change. Reba stepped forward. "You gave me 10 extra taka. Please take your money back." "You’re such an honest girl!" The shopkeeper was so happy with Reba’s honesty that he gave her an ice cream for free! Reba happily licked her ice cream all the way home.

4407-let-s-go-seed-collecting.txt

Let's Go Seed Collecting! Tooka and Poi love collecting things. Smooth pebbles from the riverside, twirly and tickly fern leaves, bright red buttons that have fallen from a school uniform — Tooka and Poi pick them all up. Every day, they meet after school, near the bendy coconut tree by the river, and wait for their best friend. At five o’ clock on the dot, Inji arrives, huffing and puffing like an old school bus. Inji is a friendly dog with eyes the colour of chocolate and a tail that never stops wagging. Together, Tooka, Poi, and Inji walk, heads bent, scanning the gleaming road, the tufts of grass, and moss-covered rocks for interesting things to collect. Their favourite thing to collect are seeds! Tooka and Poi collect shiny red seeds that look like ladybirds, spiky burrs that stick to their clothes, and the giant bean- shaped pods of the copper pod tree. The pods make a delightful tshh-tsh-tshh sound when Tooka and Poi shake it about. Poi loves to make up funny songs to go with the seed music. "Inji is the best of dogs, She likes big flowers and little frogs, And birds and seeds and ants and snails, But best of all, she loves her tail!" Over and over she sings these songs, making Tooka laugh and Inji bark happily. Tooka, Poi, and Inji are sitting by the tamarind tree. Tooka’s favourite seeds are the pudgy pods from around this tree. He loves to suck on its sour flesh until he gets to the shiny brown seeds inside. It makes Tooka’s face scrunch up in funny ways and the hair on the back of his neck stands up. Suddenly they hear a small squeaky voice say "Hellllooooo." Tooka and Poi look at each other, puzzled. They can’t see anybody. "Up here! Up here!" they hear the voice say again. Tooka and Poi look up and down, and all around, but there isn’t a person in sight. "It’s me, Pacha. I’m the tamarind tree." Inji barks loudly and wags her tail faster than normal. Phat- phat-phat it goes, back and forth. "Why hello Inji," Pacha the Tree says. "I haven’t seen you in days!" Tooka and Poi become still as statues. Their eyes widen and their mouths freeze in big 'O' shapes. Finally, Poi smiles shyly and says, "Hello Pacha the Tamarind Tree. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Poi!" Then she gives the tree a big hug. Pacha giggles, "I’ve never been hugged by a little girl before! It feels tickly!" "And we’ve never met a talking tree before!" Tooka says, cheerfully, "So this is an adventure for all of us." Hearing this, Pacha laughs loudly, making the leaves on his branches glow a brighter green. "What are you two up to today?" Pacha asks. "We’re collecting things!" Tooka and Poi say! Tooka and Poi show Pacha the Tree their bag of flowers, pebbles, and sticky tamarind. "How lovely that you’re collecting seeds!" Pacha says. "Do you know I came from one of those little tamarind seeds? And look at me now, all grown up with so many branches and a big family of sparrows and squirrels and crows living with me." "What do you mean?" Tooka asks. Inji barks enthusiastically. Bow! Bow! Bow! Inji said but Tooka is sure it sounds like "How? How? How?" "Those seeds you’re collecting," Pacha explains, "They’re all tree babies." "They are?" Poi asks, her eyebrows scrunched into squiggly black lines. "Do all seeds grow into tamarind trees?" Poi asks, trying to remember how many seeds she has at home. "Oh no!" Pacha replies. "Seeds grow into all sorts of things." "Do you have any fruit in your bag?" Pacha asks. Tooka nods and pulls out a small, red apple and a soggy banana. "There you go!" Pacha says, excitedly. "Now bite into the apple until you reach the centre. You’ll see little brown seeds sitting there." "They’re like shiny little bugs!" says Poi. "Aren’t they pretty?" Pacha asks. "Those little seeds grow into apple trees" "Now break the banana in half and see what you find," Pacha instructs. "I see the seeds!" Tooka says excitedly. "They look like a sleeping millipede!" "Seeds come in all shapes and sizes", Pacha says while Inji gobbles the last of the apple. "Are they all tree babies?" Poi asks. "Yes!" says Pacha. "And they all have a little plant inside, waiting to come out and see the world." As Tooka, Poi, and Inji walk home that evening, they look closely at all the trees along the road. How pretty the leaves of the coconut tree look as they dance in the wind. How beautiful the red gulmohar flowers are against the bright blue sky. How nice and rough the bark of the mango tree feels under their palms. And how wonderful that something as big and important as a tree starts out as a teeny, weeny little seed. Tooka, Poi, and Inji still meet every evening after school. But now, Tooka and Poi collect things in which they can plant the seeds they collect. Old shoes, empty coconut shells, even used plastic bottles — everything can be turned into pots. And every once in a while, they stop by for a chat with Pacha the Tree. Pacha’s Super Seed Guide Hello! I’m Pacha, the tamarind tree, but I go by all sorts of names. I’m called imli in Hindi, puli in Tamil, and tentul in Bengali. Scientists call me Tamarindus indica. Let me introduce you to some of my seed friends. You may have seen them on your dinner plate. Molagu Common name: Red chilli Scientists call me: Capsicum annum Chillies come in all shapes, sizes, and colours, and are grown all over the world. Its seeds are small, circular, and flat, and add spice to dal and bhaji. Careful when you touch them, they'll make your fingers burn! Kaapi Common name: Coffee Scientists call me: Coffeea Arabica You know the coffee your parents drink every morning? That comes from coffee berries. The seeds from the berries are dried, roasted, and then powdered. Coffee bushes grow best in hilly regions of South India. Chakka Common name: Jackfruit Scientists call me: Artocarpus heterophyllus Berries, apples, bananas, watermelon, and jackfruit — all fruits have seeds in them. Some seeds we cannot eat, like that of the mango. Others, like the jackfruit, are used to make curries after they are soaked in water. Thenga Common name: Coconut Scientists call me: Cocos Nucifera Nearly every part of the hard, brown coconut is useful to us. The hairy, hard outside part is used to make rope, the fleshy inside is used in food, and the coconut water is a delicious drink, especially when it’s hot outside. And the oil that you put in your hair? That comes from the coconut too. Kappalandi Common name: Peanut Scientists call me: Arachis hypogaea All plants love soil, but peanuts love the earth so much that they grow underground. And that’s why some people call them groundnuts. These little seeds are packed with goodness and are delicious when eaten raw, steamed, or roasted. Choru Common name: Rice Scientists call me: Oryza sativa Rice is one of the most popular grains! It’s eaten in more homes in India than any other seed I know. On the plant, rice actually has a rough, brown cover, like a jacket, which keeps the seed inside safe and sound. Chocolate Common name: Chocolate Scientists call me: Theobroma cacao (which means food of the gods) Rice might be the most popular seed, but cacao is definitely the most loved seed of all — especially by Tooka and Poi. The cacao seed is where chocolate comes from. Each cacao fruit has about 30-50 seeds that are roasted and then mixed with sugar and milk to make bars of delightful chocolate.

The-Night-Before.txt

It was one night ago (just the night before) I heard someone outside knocking on my door. I looked through the window and what did I see... ? A green scaly dragon looking back at me ! He had found me again, but how I can’t say. He always does even though I run away. But I couldn’t let him touch me, not one hair from my head, so like any boy would ... I h id under my bed ! ... Trembling I crouched resembling live bait, tortured with fear regretting the wait. Then suddenly I heard it-- the sound rang out true... ...Of the door crashing down and the dragon coming through ! He checked several rooms. He could have checked more, but instead he stopped outside my bedroom door. I could hear his scales rubbing as the dragon passed through and smelled his breath stinking like a burnt rubber shoe. He was close and I knew it, but where could I go? ...With the bed up above and the floor down below ? I kept really still and I held my breath tight, wondering what my fate held that night. He knew that he had me, I just know that he did, as he checked all the places he thought I had hid. He looked in the closet behind my old coats. He checked all my shelves and underneath my toy boats. He wouldn’t stop looking and I quivered with dread, as the dragon came close and stopped at my bed. h a t could I do W with the dragon so near? Anticipating the moment his head would appear. Then something peeked under, but it was only his toe and the dragon sat down knowing I was below. It was quiet for a moment, but that didn’t last, my bed started squeaking and shaking really fast. I wondered what was happening, so I stuck out my head and was surprised to see the dragon jumping on my bed. He jumped up and down ‘till it started to break. Then sure enough, he jumped with one final hard take. The mattress snapped in half when he landed on my bed. And he giggled with delight as it landed on my head. I felt sure I was trapped when I first looked around, crushed beneath my mattress and dust bunnies on the ground. But no crying just yet, though I had no place to go. Instead of lying still, I wiggled to and fro. I was finding more room and soon able to crawl, the dragon never noticed ‘till he felt the mattress fall. He was mad and I knew it, as he saw me run away, breathing purple smoke puffs in a vicious sort of way. So I dashed through the kitchen heading for the door... the dragon’s hot breath getting hard to ignore. Just then I made it. I opened the door wide, heading out doors leaving the dragon inside. But since he thought he could make it, he let out a roar. Then the dragon charged forward crushing his nose in the door. I know I should have ran and found a new place to hide, though the dragon started wailing loudly as he cried. But how could I run while holding my ears... or leave the poor dragon drowning in tears ? That’s why I stopped, just to help the dragon out. I thought I could help and wrap his wounded snout. But did I get a "Thank-you!" or did he say "How sweet!" Or did he just stare at me like something good to eat ? Oh, he smiled at me as best as he could: Like no respectable dragon ever should. With one hand, he reached out and touched me on my side. With the other, he wiped the fake tears that he cried. The moment it happened, I threw the biggest fit! I screamed myself hoarse when the dragon yelled...

Can-You-Smile-When-You-Snore_.txt

Can you smile when you snore? Beena's friends were all sleeping. They were making a lot of noise. Hoiinnnnkkkkhoinnnkkk, snored the pigs. Keekkkeek, snored the mice. Ssssssss snored the hens. Do your friends snore, dear reader? "We could not sleep all night," said Minti Uncle. "We could not sleep a wink," said Kajal Aunty. "I could not sleep at all," said Big Bird. "What can I do if my friends snore?" wailed Beena. What would you do, dear reader? "Hmmm. Haa. Uh-hmmm," said the village head. "People should climb this tree to bring down the fruits. People should sit and talk to each other under this tree. People should play under this tree after they have finished their work." "But why?" asked Beena. Why do you think, dear reader? The Moon knew why. So she smiled. She smiled at the tree. She smiled at the village head. She smiled at the sleeping animals. Do you think the moon REALLY smiles, dear reader? Kuttu, the pup, wanted to help Beena. "Beena is not happy. It seems we all snore very loudly. The villagers are angry with her. Can you help in any way?" he asked Jenna, the bee. "Why do sounds make people unhappy? The sound of my buzzing makes my friends sleep well!" Kuttu spoke to Beena. Beena walked up to Big Bird and siad, "Big bird, may I ask our friend Jenna to sing a lullaby for you?" "Grrrr!" growled Big Bird, still in a very bad mood. Are you ever in a bad mood, dear reader? Kuttu went to Madam Ola next. "Why do people get angry when they cannot sleep well? You look so nice and happy even though you have not slept all night," said Kuttu. "Hmmm. That is because I am up on this tree. I fly. I hunt. I work. I stretch. And when I catch a rat, I'm happy and content." The Moon's smile became wide...a bit more...more...wider! And her eyes grew.... Dear reader, what happens to your eyes when you smile wider and wider and wider? And can you smile when you snore? Or snore when you smile? Beena and Kuttu met under the tree. Why did the village head want people to come to the tree? Because, because, because.......do you know why, gentle reader? Beena's friends came to the tree, one by one. Soon, they were laughing and dancing under the tree. Beena looked at them and......aha! She knew the WHY! When people work with each other, they smile a lot. When they play with each other, they smile a lot. And then, when they sleep, they sleep happily and really do not mind if any one snores. Sometimes they smile in their sleep. And snore in their sleep too. The pig can go hoinkkkkkhoinkkkk with a smile. The mice can go Keeeekkk eekkkk. And you can go...zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Goodnight, dear reader... goodnight...goodnight....nighttt.

The-bubble-mystery-room-to-read-FKB.txt

The Bubble Mystery Toot-Toot was very happy. She was going to the pond for the first time. Bath time! At first, Toot-Toot was scared of the water. But when she saw all the other goats splashing around, she jumped in! Everyone laughed. Everyone splashed. Everyone played and played! Toot-Toot soon found bubbles all around her. They were going blop blop blop! She was a little afraid. But she soon got over it. Toot-Toot began to jump, dance and twirl through the bubbles. After that fun day, Toot-Toot began to wonder, "How are bubbles made?" She asked her Baba. Baba said he didn't know. Toot-Toot asked her Ma. Ma said she didn't know, either. So Toot-Toot decided to solve the bubble mystery all by herself. She flapped her tail in the water... She blew into the water with all her might... But she didn't make a bubble! One day, Toot-Toot's tummy was hurting. She wondered what to do. She decided to bathe in the pond's cool water. There was a deep rumbling in her tummy. Suddenly, gas escaped from Toot-Toot! Pssshhhhhtttt! As the gas shot through the water, bubbles popped up to the water’s surface. Blop blop blop! Finally, Toot-Toot had solved the bubble mystery! Now, whenever it's bath day, Toot-Toot makes the most magnificent bubbles of all. After her first bath day, Toot-Toot's sister asked her how bubbles were made. And what did Toot-Toot say? Why, she told her sister she didn't know!

where-is-lulu_en.txt

Clyde Beech Mohale Mashigo Nkosingiphile Mazibuko "Oh, no!" "Lulu! It’s time to go," calls Ma. Where is Lulu? Is she under the sofa? Is she behind the curtain? Where is Lulu? Is she next to the stove? Is she in the cupboard? "Lulu! It’s time to go. Where are you?" calls Ma. "There you are!" "I don’t want to gooo!" "We have to go," says Ma. "But I really like this one!" "I really like this one!" "And this one." "And this one." "And this one." "See? You return books and borrow more." "YAY!" Where is Lulu now?

011-DYLAN-THE-DRAGON-Free-Childrens-Book-By-Monkey-Pen.txt

Dylan the young, blue dragon lived deep in the Rockstone Mountains of Scotland. Everyday the playful, young dragon woke up early in the morning and flew all around the mountains and valleys looking for something to do. When he was hungry he would go home to his cave where Mummy dragon would have hot soup ready for his dinner. "Wash your wings and get ready for tea. I’ve made your favourite today, darling… pea and toad soup" said mummy dragon. Dylan sighed, "Ehhh…Thank you mum." he said sadly. "Whatever is the matter, son? Everyday you come back home happily for your tea but today you look so sad." inquired mummy dragon. "I’m lonely, mum. I can’t find anyone to play with. In all the lakes, mountains and valleys in Rockstone, there isn’t a single dragon for me to play with." he grumbled "Well, how about this for an idea? Why don’t you fly down to the village playground and see if the children there want to play with you?" Dylan woke up bright and early the next day. He was very excited that he would soon have friends to play with everyday. He put on his baseball cap and school tie and flew past the valleys and mountains until he reached the little village of Falkrik. He glided down to a passer-by to ask for directions to the children’s playground. "That.. that.. that way." pointed the quivering man. "Oh! He must be cold." thought Dylan. After all human’s don’t breath fire like dragons… so they must find it very difficult to keep warm. Not long after, Dylan the dragon came in for a swift landing in the centre of the playground. The playground was filled with smart young children in bright red and grey uniforms with their school ties. Dylan tugged at his tie and cleared his throat, He felt very well dressed for the occasion. He was about to open his mouth to introduce himself when he suddenly heard… "AAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!! ruuuunnnnnnnnn It’s a dragon, he’s going to burn us ALIVE!!!!!!!" yelled one of the young boys. All the children ran frantically towards the exits and disappeared in no time. Dylan sighed sadly. All he wanted was some friends to play with but clearly humans were very scared of dragons. He flew home with his head hung low to see what mummy dragon had made for tea. The next day Dylan decided to try and make friends with the children in the playground again. He tucked his white handkerchief in his left gill and scooped up a large branch lying on the floor. He made it into a white surrender flag… He crossed his claws and hoped the children would give him a another chance. Down he flew again into the centre of the playground with his white surrender flag clenched in his jaw. "I just want to play and be friends." he said softly. "But how will you play with us?" shouted one of the girls. "Your’re too big for our swings and slides. You won’t fit in our roundabout." "Well, why don’t I take you all for a ride to the valleys and the mountains of Rockstone?" "Yay!!" squealed all the children at once. They climbed onto Dylan’s back and off the children went on a very exciting flight. From that day Dylan and the playground children were friends and every day Dylan, the dragon would take the children on the best playground ride ever.

167_LTTC-Grammar-Sample-G3.txt

LTTC - English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 A. Short Comprehension The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand the passage (around 70 words) and answer the questions. B. Usage The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand and use the following grammar areas: 1. Simple present or present continuous tense – She always eats a banana in the morning; She is having a banana at the moment. 2. Simple past tense of ‘be’ – I / he / she was ; you / we / they were 3. Simple past tense (regular verbs) – arrive, borrow, collect, etc. 4. Countable and Uncountable nouns – furniture, cheese, juice, paper, etc. 5. Irregular plural nouns – man, men; foot, feet; child, children; etc. 6. Usage of ‘any’ – Is there any juice in the cup? There isn’t any water in the jar. 7. Determiners ‘many & much’ – We have too much food for dinner. 8. Gerunds – She loves dancing and singing; He likes reading and writing. 9. Subject & Object Pronouns – I want to play with them. 10. Adverbs of frequency – always, sometimes, often, usually, never, etc. 11. Prepositions of place – between, behind, below, before, beside, etc. 12. Coordinating conjunctions – and, so, but, or C. Lexis The candidate is expected to demonstrate the ability to understand and use the vocabulary related to: 1. Injuries – cut her finger, twisted his ankle, got a bruise, bleeding, etc. 2. Shops – bakery, café, convenience store, supermarket, pharmacy, etc. 3. Sports – badminton, golf, volleyball, cricket, etc. 4. School facilities – computer room, canteen, art room, etc. 5. Shapes – a circle, round; a rectangle, rectangular; a point, pointed; etc. 6. Domestic appliances – microwave, refrigerator, air conditioning, etc. 7. Food items – sausage, soup, salad, sandwich, pizza, pancake, etc. 8. Colours - beige, grey, turquoise, etc. 9. Compound nouns – ice cream, post office, tin opener, etc. 10. Phrasal verbs – afraid of, throw away, take off, pick up Total Marks: 100 Time allowed: 1 hour Attainment Bands: Excellent (100 - 90), Distinction (89 - 80), Merit (79 - 70), Pass (69 - 50), Unsuccessful (≤49) LTTC Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade Three Student’s name: ________ Date: Time allowed: 1 hour Total 100 marks Marks: Attainment Bands: Excellent (100 - 90), Distinction (89 - 80), Merit (79 - 70), Pass (69 - 50), Unsuccessful (≤49) LTTC English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 – Sample Paper -1- 1. Short Comprehension Dave has some bad habits Dave has some bad habits. He is often late for classes. He seldom helps his mother to clean their house. He loves watching TV and playing computer games before he finishes his homework. He loves soccer very much. He always plays soccer in the playground with his friends. Sometimes he even plays soccer in the living-room and breaks the household ornaments. His mother is angry with him for his bad habits. She tries to change his bad habits, but he doesn’t listen to her. Therefore, they sometimes quarrel with each other. Choose the correct answers and fill in the brackets (3%) 1. Dave is often late for ( ). A. classes B. meetings C. movies D. soccer 2. He loves ( ). A. watching TV B. playing computer games C. helping his mother to clean their house D. watching TV, playing computer games and playing soccer 3. He always plays soccer with his ( ). A. mother B. friends C. father D. brother LTTC English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 – Sample Paper -2- Answer the following questions in complete sentences (10%) 1. What does Dave like best? _ _ 2. What makes Dave’s mother angry with him? _ 3. Why do Dave and his mother sometimes quarrel with each other? 4. Use three adjectives to describe Dave. <Adjectives: small, big, hot, etc.> LTTC English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 – Sample Paper -3- 2. Fill in the blanks using the following words (5%) many any much some 1. How ______________ apples do we have in the basket? We have nine apples. 2. How _________________ are the flowers? $35 They are thirty-five dollars. 3. Do you have any money in your wallet? Yes, I have _________________ money in my wallet. 4. How much cheese do we have in the refrigerator? We don’t have _________________ cheese. 5. Is there _________________ soup left? Yes, there is. LTTC English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 – Sample Paper -4- 3. Write the correct answers on the lines (10%) Example: Is an elephant small? No, an elephant is big. A. long B. big C. hungry 1. Is the bucket full? No, the bucket is ______________. A. hungry B. empty C. small 2. Is his shirt dirty? No, his shirt is ______________. A. new B. ugly C. clean 3. Is the ruler long? No, the ruler is ______________. A. short B. thin C. tall 4. Is your brother hardworking? No, my brother is ______________. A. beautiful B. soft C. lazy 5. Is Mrs. Hui thin? No, she is ______________. A. fast B. fat C. funny LTTC English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 – Sample Paper -5- 4. Circle the correct answers (10%) 1. Jessica likes ( playing / play ) the piano. 2. I don’t want ( walking / to walk ) into town. 3. Miss Lam loves ( listen / listening ) to soft music. 4. Tiffany enjoys ( collecting / collects ) stamps. 5. Peter always talks about ( going / went ) to Australia. 6. ( Travelled / Travelling ) by taxi is more expensive than travelling by bus. 7. My father likes ( take / taking ) photos of different people. 8. The children hate ( are doing / doing ) housework. 9. I want to ( flying / fly ) kites in the park next Sunday. 10. ( Smoking / To smoke ) costs a lot of money. LTTC English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 – Sample Paper -6- 5. Complete Jo’s diary with the verbs in the simple past tense (12%) Monday – I __________ (arrive) late at school and __________ (miss) the first lesson. Tuesday – My cousin in Canada __________ (call) and we __________ (talk) for an hour on the phone. Wednesday – Mum __________ (borrow) three interesting story books for me from the library. Thursday – I __________ (be) ill in bed and __________ (stay) at home all day. Friday – My best friend __________ (visit) me in the afternoon. Saturday – It __________ (be) a sunny day and we __________ (play) in the garden. Sunday – My sister and I __________ (help) our father to wash his car. We __________ (be) very tired when we finished. LTTC English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 – Sample Paper -7- 6. Fill in the blanks with the following words (13%) but at for and 1. Janice gets up seven o’clock every day. She has ham eggs breakfast. She likes apple juice she doesn’t like orange juice. at behind in with 2. Janice and Andy are school. Janice is playing badminton Andy the playground. They are class 3A. Janice sits _ Andy. on to after from 3. After school, Janice goes home foot. She watches television dinner. She always watches 8 o’clock 9 o’clock. LTTC English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 – Sample Paper -8- 7. Write the correct answers on the lines (10%) 1. I want to _______________ around the world. A. travel to B. travel C. travelling 2. Are you _______________ spiders? A. afraid with B. afraid to C. afraid of 3. Don't _______________ your tickets _______________! A. throw … away B. throw … down C. throw … back 4. He _______________ his jacket and put it in the laundry. A. took off B. took over C. took away 5. My mother often _______________ after school. A. picks me up B. picks me in C. picks me out 6. Who will _______________ your children when you go to work? A. look for B. look after C. look out 7. The Chans _______________ a new house last week. A. moved down B. moved at C. moved to 8. The children are _______________ the films they saw last weekend. A. talking to B. talking with C. talking about 9. Firemen help to _______________ fires and rescue people from danger. A. put out B. put up C. put in 10. When I _______________, I want to be a fireman. A. grow in B. grow on C. grow up LTTC English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 – Sample Paper -9- 8. Look at the table. Fill in the blanks with the given adverbs. (12%) MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT SUN √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Sally √ Amy David √ √ Alan √ √ √ √ Lucas √ √ √ √ √ Jenny always usually often sometimes never 1. Alan plays football. 2. Sally watches TV in the afternoon. 3. David goes swimming after school 4. Jenny cooks at home. 5. Amy goes cycling in the afternoon. 6. Lucas reads story books. LTTC English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 – Sample Paper - 10 - 9. Fill in the blanks with the following words (5%) my our your her its their his 1. I iron own clothes. 2. The little boy is flying model plane in the park. 3. Betty and Tony are staying with grandparents. 4. Mrs. Lee and husband live on Hong Kong Island. 5. Shirley and I are doing class work at the moment. 10. Write one word on each line to complete the sentences (10%) 1. is the month between January and March. 2. Ice-cream must be put in the . 3. My school has a big where we can do exercises and play basketball. 4. Cindy cut her finger. It is ___________________. 5. Would you mind turning the up a little bit? I feel really hot in this room. - End - LTTC English Grammar Proficiency Test Grade 3 – Sample Paper - 11 -

Insects-.txt

Insects Insects even live on water. Insects live in trees. Insects live in dirt. Insects can live in your house! The body of an insect has three main parts: a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. Can you see the parts on this wasp? There are more than 2 million types of insects. They all have some things in common. On the head are the eyes and mouth. Insects also have antennae. Antennae help them feel. The thorax is in the middle. It is where the wings and legs are. All insects have six legs. Most insects have four wings. The abdomen is at the back. It holds the stomach and the heart. Sometimes the three main parts are hard to see. Can you guess where they are on this insect? Some insects are small. This is a bed bug. Some insects are big. This insect is as big as a hand! Some insects are helpful. Bees spread pollen. Pollen helps make new plants. Some insects are cute. Some insects are scary. This is a water bug. It has a strong bite! Some insects are pretty. This is a shiny insect. Some insects are smelly. This is a stinkbug. Many insects are hard to see. This stick insect looks like a stick. A leaf insect looks like a leaf. This insect looks like part of a flower. This insect looks like sand. Hiding helps them survive. Many animals like to eat insects. Insects can eat each other. Even some plants eat insects. People eat insects too! Insects have a lot to hide from. Insects are all over. There are many kinds of insects. They feed animals and help make new plants. Some can hurt us, but many help us. Insects Attributions Review Questions! 1. How many legs do insects have? ? Contributing Authors, Organizations, and Photographers Words & Layout ichael A. Jones 2. What are the three main parts of an Editing and Layout: Michael A. Jones Co-editor: Stéphane De Greef insect? Photography 3. What part are the legs attached to?

Counting-Cars-is-Fun-.txt

What can you see, driving on the road carefully; Can you count with me? One, two, three, four! One blue car driving on the road carefully. ONE CAR! Two cars, driving on the road carefully. One is pink, and one is blue. One plus one is two! + = 1 + 1 = 2 Three cars, driving on the road carefully. One is pink, one is blue, and one is yellow. Two plus one is three! Can you count with me? ~ + = 2 + 1 = 3 Four cars, driving on the road carefully. One is pink, one is blue, one is yellow , and one is red. Three plus one is four! + = 3 + 1 = 4 One car stps at the petol staton – how many cars are there now, can you count with me? Three cars, driving on the road carefully. Four minus one is three! - = 4 - 1 = 3 Another car stps at the petol staton – how many cars are there now, can you count with me? Two cars, driving on the road carefully. Three minus one is two! - = 3 - 1 = 2 Another car stps at the petol staton – how many cars are there now, can you count with me? One car, driving on the road carefully. Two minus one is one! - = 2 - 1 = 1 Another car stps at the petol staton – how many cars are there now, can you count with me? Now there are no cars driving on the road! One minus one is zero! - = 1 - 1 = 0 All the cars are gone, and now we must also finish our stry, And say Goodbye! THE END

stage-fright-pratham-FKB.txt

Stage Fright Champa loves singing more than anything else in the whole wide world. She sings in the bathroom. And on the roof. She sings to the hills. And to the moon. She sings like a lion. And like a bee. She sings through rain. And through heat. When Champa sings, she is filled with the most marvellous feeling in the world. One day, when Champa sings, Basant’s eyes light up. "I have an amazing idea!" he says. Basant is Champa’s best friend and he is always bursting with ideas. Some are terrific. And some are terrible. "You should sing on Annual Day!" "Why not! You love to sing." says Basant. Champa hasn’t told Basant "What a terrible idea!" says Champa. about the only time she got on stage and nearly fainted with fear. "I...I can’t sing in front of so many people. I don’t even sing in front of Ma and Pa!" "You do sing around me! All you need is a little practice, Champa." "Should I?" "YES! YES! YES!" "What if Mahi and Paras laugh at me?" "If they do, it just makes them silly and mean. You’re an amazing singer." The very thought of singing in front of a crowd fills her stomach with butterflies. Champa is excited and terrified at the same time. But she loves singing so much! She decides to give it a try. . Champa practises long and hard. She rolls out of bed with a soft hum. She sings while multiplying and dividing. She makes her voice go up and down and down and up while taking the goats out to graze. She sings through her mouth. She sings through her nose. She even sings upside down! Everyone at home is excited about Champa’s big day. They give her advice. "Take looooong "Give the audience "Throw a broken plate and deep breaths your widest smile. at the door and eat 12 before you sing." Just be yourself." grapes. For luck!" The day before her performance, Champa holds a special rehearsal. It is a roaring success! Finally, it’s Annual Day. Champa is wearing the sweater that her grandfather knit specially for the show. When it’s her turn to sing, her tongue feels rubbery. The stage is too big! The lights are too bright! There are too many people in the audience! Champa’s throat tightens and her hands are clammy. She remembers to smile at the audience. When she begins to sing, out comes a whisper. It is as if someone has swallowed her voice! Champa takes a long and deep breath and tries again... ...and out comes a SQUEAK! There is a loud gasp from the audience. Champa’s heart pounds loudly. Thud! Thud! Thud! Her head starts to spin. That’s when she sees Basant, waving wildly at her. She is so glad to see him. So she tries again. At first, the song comes softly. Although her voice is shaky, it sounds somewhat right. Then slowly, the music flows out of her, smooth and strong and melodic. It does not matter that the stage is too big. Or that the lights are too bright. Or even that the audience has a LOT of people. Champa lets her voice go wild and free. And as she does, she is filled with the most marvellous feeling in the world.

Earthshaker-.txt

EARTHSHAKER Chapter One BOOM…BOOM…BOOM… The earth shuddered. Trees shook, dropping leaves on the tidy nest below. The nest belonged to an iguanodon. As the eggs rolled around, their mother Brenda steadied them with a claw. "What on earth?" she wondered. BOOM…BOOM… Then, through the trees, appeared the biggest dinosaur she had ever seen. It was like a grey mountain on legs. It had a long, long, neck and a long, long tail. "Who are you?" asked Brenda. The long neck snaked towards her. Weak eyes in a little head gazed at her. "I’m Seismosaurus," said the enormous dinosaur, in a voice so tiny she could hardly hear it. "I’ve come to live here." "Sei – Seis – " tried Brenda. "It means Earthshaker," said the dinosaur. "Call me Sizo if it’s easier." "Well, Sizo, could you please tiptoe?" "All right," whispered the dinosaur. He took two more steps. BOOM…BOOM… Pteranodons fell out of the trees. A group of hadrosaurs began trumpeting in alarm. George, the old triceratops, came to see what was going on. "I can’t sleep for the noise," he grumbled. "It’s Sizo here," said Brenda. "He’s a little bit, um, heavy- footed." "Can’t you tiptoe?" demanded George. "I am tiptoeing," said Sizo in his tiny voice. "Hmph!" snorted George. "What a racket! I hope he’s not staying." "Oh, please let me stay," begged Sizo. "I’ve been alone for ages. I want to live with other dinosaurs." "Give him a chance, George," said Brenda kindly. "You can see he’s a plant-eater. He’s not going to eat us, are you, Sizo?" Sizo shook his head. "I’ll only eat the highest leaves," he whispered, "the ones you can’t reach." "Hmph! All right," grunted George. "But only if you remember to tiptoe!" Chapter Two So Sizo settled into his new home. He liked the other dinosaurs. But he wasn’t really happy. He worried about making too much noise. Although he walked as quietly as he could, his footsteps made the earth tremble. The other dinosaurs blocked their ears and grumbled. "Tiptoe!" George would bellow. Sizo tiptoed, but that wasn’t any quieter. In the end, it was easier not to walk at all. He just stood in one place for most of the day, eating whatever he could reach. And life was peaceful, for a while. Until – BOOM…BOOM...BOOM… The ground shuddered. Brenda’s baby iguanodons tumbled over and began to cry. The hadrosaurs wailed in protest. George came storming out of the forest. "Oy, Sizo!" he roared. "I told you to tiptoe!" "But it’s not me," protested Sizo. "It’s true," said Brenda. "Sizo isn’t moving." The dinosaurs stared at Sizo. He stood quite still; yet they could hear thuds and crashes. "It must be another big dinosaur," said George uneasily. "Another Sizo." "Oh, no!" said Brenda. "Come with me, children. You don’t want to get trampled on!" All the dinosaurs hurried away into the forest – all except Sizo. "Another Seismosaurus!" he thought excitedly. "Another Earthshaker! I wonder if it will be my friend?" So he set off joyfully towards the noises to find out. As he walked, the earth shook harder. The crashes grew louder. He could smell a strange, fierce, burning smell. "Funny dinosaur, this," thought Sizo. He came round a bend, and stopped. Ahead of him a hump rose out of the forest. "That’s a huge dinosaur!" he thought. The ground beneath him trembled. "It’s an Earthshaker all right," said Sizo. Then he saw that smoke was billowing from the hump. Down its side ran a glowing river of red. "It’s bleeding!" he whispered. The thick red river flowed past a tree. It ripped it up, and threw it down with a crash. Sizo blinked at the river with his small, weak eyes. It wasn’t blood. It smelt of rock, and it was smoking. "I don’t think that’s a dinosaur at all!" he said. The smoking river hissed and sizzled. Two more trees thudded to the ground, and burst into flames. The river did not stop. It kept on flowing through the forest. "Oh, no! It’s heading for our home!" gasped Sizo. "I’d better warn the others!" He plodded back as fast as he could. There was no-one around. Sizo cleared his throat, and shouted. "Danger!" It was a tiny shout. He tried again. "DANGER!" Still nobody heard him. "Help!" thought Sizo. "Whatever can I do?" Chapter Three Nobody could hear Sizo’s voice. But he knew that everyone could hear his feet. So he began to dance. He started with big, slow steps. Then he danced higher and higher, faster and faster. Trees dropped their branches. The ground began to crack. And Sizo kept dancing. All the other dinosaurs rushed up to stop him. "I said TIPTOE!" yelled George. "Sizo, what do you think you’re doing?" cried the dinosaurs. "I’m dancing," whispered Sizo. "Dancing?" said George. "That’s it! You’re banned!" "But there’s danger coming!" "Danger?" said Brenda. "Where?" "There’s a river of fire coming towards us," whispered Sizo. "It’s flowing out of a hill and burning everything up!" "What?" cried Brenda. "That’s a volcano! We must get out of the way." The dinosaurs didn’t wait to hear any more. Together, they thundered through the trees. A cloud of smoke followed them. Behind them, burning branches crackled and crashed to the ground. "Where are we going?" wailed George. "We need to get to higher ground," said Brenda. But her babies began to squeal. Hot ash was falling like rain. "It’s burning us, Mum!" they cried. "Quick!" said Sizo. "Come and shelter under me." The baby iguanodons crept beneath Sizo. His huge bulk kept the hot ash off them while they walked. "You’ll stand on them!" protested George. "No, I won’t," said Sizo. He had had so much practice at tiptoeing that he never once trod on a baby’s tail. The dinosaurs climbed to the top of a hill and left the smoke and ash behind. At last they stopped. Brenda’s babies peered out from under Sizo. "Is it safe yet?" panted George. "I can’t see." "Let me look." Sizo craned his long neck over the treetops. "Yes, we’re safe here," he said. "Thanks to you!" said Brenda, gathering her children round her. "Sizo, you’re a real friend." "Am I?" "The best. From now on, you can thump all you like. We won’t complain." "Yes, we will!" said George. The other dinosaurs glared at George. He coughed. "Er, sorry. Thump away, Sizo. You can even dance if you want." "All right!" whispered Sizo happily. "But I promise that I’ll only dance on tiptoe!" The End

Sea-Stars.txt

Sea Stars There are many kinds of sea stars. Sea stars live in oceans all over the world. Some live in very deep water. Some live near the beach. Sea stars live in the sea. Sea stars don’t live in lakes or rivers. Sea stars can grow bigger than your head. Some are as heavy as a large jug of water. Sea stars can live for as long as 35 years. Sea stars come in many colors. Some sea stars are orange. Other sea stars are blue. Look at this blue sea star in the water! If you cut a sea star in half, both sides will be the same. This is called symmetry. A sea star’s color can help scare away danger. Most sea stars have five arms. Some sea stars have a lot more. There are sea stars with as many as 40 arms! Sometimes other animals eat sea stars. Sometimes sea stars eat each other. Sea stars have an eye on every arm. They can tell if it is light or dark. This helps them hide and find food. Sea stars can lose their arms. Sometimes other animals eat the arms. They can even drop an arm on purpose to escape! Sea stars can grow new arms. Their feet let them walk on land. Their feet let them climb on rocks. Sea stars have a lot of feet. These feet look like small tubes under their arms. Their feet help also them eat. Feet move food to the mouth. Can you see the mouth on the bottom of this sea star? Their feet let them walk under water too. They crawl along the sea floor looking for food. Sea stars eat with their stomachs inside out! Once the shell is open they drop their stomach inside to eat. Sea stars love to eat mussels. They wrap their arms around the shell and pull. The shell opens. Then they eat the animal inside the hard shell. Most sea stars have tough skin on the outside of their bodies. The skin protects them. Some sea stars have sharp spines to protect them. Other sea stars can make animals sick. Sea Stars Review Questions! 1. Where do sea stars live? ? 2. How many arms do most sea stars have? 3. What happens if a sea star loses an arm? 4. What do sea stars love to eat? 5. How do sea stars stay safe from danger? Sea Stars Art Project! Draw a sea star! Think about where your sea star lives. How many arms can it have? Sea stars can be beautiful. Some What is symmetry? people keep sea stars as pets. Would you like a sea star?

Tigers_Delicious_Treats-Roomtoread-Picturebook-FKB.txt

Tiger's Delicious Treats Tiger lives in a forest. He loves to bake. One day, he bakes a delicious batch of green bean pies. He loads them on a cart and goes to the stream to sell them. The wind carries the aroma of pies through the air. The scent reaches Deer, but he doesn’t dare to follow the scent. He’s scared of Tiger! It’s noon, but Tiger still hasn’t sold a thing. He returns home with his cart, disappointed. Tiger eats all the green bean pies that night. His tummy is so full! The next day, Tiger bakes a delicious batch of banana pies. He goes to sell them under an ancient tree. The steam from Tiger's cart carries the aroma of the pies up, up, up… ...straight into Monkey’s nose! Monkey wants to taste the pies, but doesn't dare climb down. He's scared of Tiger. It’s noon, and Tiger hasn't sold anything. He returns home with his cart, discouraged. He eats all the banana pies that night. His tummy is so, so full! On the third day, Tiger bakes delicious sweet potato pies and goes to the meadow at the edge of the forest to sell them. Sweet potato aroma spreads across the meadow. It reaches Pig. Pig starts feeling hungry. But Pig is afraid of Tiger! It’s noon, but Tiger still hasn’t sold anything. He returns home with his cart, sadder than ever. He eats all the sweet potato pies that night. His tummy is now as big as a balloon! On the fourth day, Tiger doesn't bake anything. He is determined to find out why nobody is buying his delicious pies. He sees Deer, Monkey, and Pig sitting on a grassy knoll*. *small hill He hears them talking. Monkey says, "Tiger’s pies smelled so delicious!" Pig says, "I’m dying to eat one!" Deer says, "But we are all afraid of Tiger." Tiger has an idea! On the fifth day, Tiger makes three sets of pies: green bean, banana, and sweet potato. He stuffs them into his biggest cart. He rolls around in white flour. He cuts off his claws. He puts on a pair of long ears. Now Tiger looks like a Bunny! He eagerly rolls his cart to the grassy knoll. After some time, someone calls out, "We want to buy some pies!" Tiger looks around and is very surprised. He sees three tigers coming to buy his pies! One has a big nose and big ears. One has a pair of antlers. One has long arms. Tiger recognises Pig, Deer and Monkey immediately. The other three also recognise Tiger. The four of them burst out laughing. Nobody is afraid of Tiger anymore. They all become friends. His bakery becomes the most popular place in the entire forest. Every day Tiger sells out of pies before noon!

just-like-me_online.txt

Mary-Anne Hampton o Hani du Toit o Christian Jaggers It’s Rahah’s birthday next week. She’s excited about inviting her new friends to her party. "Who will you invite?" asks Mum. "You’ve only been at school a few months. The kids all seem so very different, don’t they?" "No, Mum. I have lots of new friends," says Rahah. "I want to invite Zerina. She wants to be a ballerina, just like me!" "Oh lovely," says Mum. "Let’s play some dance music then." "I hope that Sikelele can come too. He sings in the school choir, just like me." "Oh that’s good - we’ll all have fun singing too." "Can we invite Susheela? She’s got fluffy kittens, just like me." "Yes, let’s. She’ll have fun playing with our kittens too." "And we must invite Yongnam. She loves pink cupcakes even more than I do." "It’s lucky I’m making cupcakes then," says Mum. "She can have the pink ones." "Ah thanks, Mum! I can’t wait." "Oh Rahah! I’m so excited to meet all your friends. They sound so special - just like you!" "But what about you? You love books, don’t you… just like me! Would you like to come to my party too?"

the-dream-pillow_Bedtime_Story_FKB-4-18.txt

When the stars are out and the moon swings in the sky, and the light in my room is low, things are different. The pirate puppet waves his sword. The mango tree bends its branches. Even my teddy becomes a different sort of bear. I keep very still in my cave of blankets or I call, "Maaamaaa! Daaaddyyy!" or I jump into their bed. I tell Mama about Pirate and Tree and Bear. "You had a really bad dream." "What’s a dream?" "When we sleep we think about our day, but everything gets mixed up. It feels real, but it’s not real." "It is real!" "You know when we read a story together, it’s made up, but we laugh, or get scared or excited? A dream is the same." "You mean a dream is a story?" "Yes! But it happens at night. You put your head on the pillow, you fall asleep and then the story happens." "So a dream is a story you find in your pillow?" "Yes!" "Can I put the stories in my pillow?" "You can." "How?" "Let’s write down all your best stories, fold up the paper and tuck it inside the pillow." When the stars are out and the moon swings in the sky, and the light in my room is low, things are different.

Alif-blows-Bubbles-FKB-kids_book.txt

Alfi was in the garden blowing bubbles. The bubbles were big round and had all the colours of the rainbow in them. Some of the bubbles flew high in the air over the tree tops. Some stayed close to the ground and bumped around the flowers. Alfi blew a stream of bubbles over the daises. Some of these bumped together and popped showering little shower drops of water onto the flowers. Now sitting in one of the flowers, minding there own business, gathering nectar and pollen, were two large black and yellow bees. The bees were being showered every now and then with sudden bursts of soapy rain. Just when they had gathered an armful of pollen, splosh they were hit in the face with a sudsy drop of water, this made them drop all their pollen over the flower. The two bees were getting cross. Alfi was still running round the garden enjoying himself, blowing the bubbles, as the two bees looked over the edge of the flower to see what was going on. " Now that." said the first bee. " Is the problem." The answer to the problem they both thought was to remove the bubbles. Together the bees decided to burst all the bubbles with there their little pointy sting. Zooming out from the flower the bees rushed around the garden, bursting as many bubbles as they could find. It was hard work. Alfi, far from being sad at seeing his bubbled being burst, thought that it was fun and started blowing more bubbles. The bees were buzzing around like wild things, while Alfi was blowing more and more bubbles. The buzzy bees got so out of breath they had to go back to a large daisy for a rest and a cup of nectar. Alfi was getting excited and was blowing bigger and bigger bubbles. One bubble was so big it would not let go of the bubble stick. As Alfi would not let go of the bubble stick either, the bubble slowly lifted Alfi into the air. The bees looked over the edge of the sunflower where they were sitting. They saw Alfi rising into the air. " Now he thinks he's a bee." said the first bee. " We can't have that, he's after our honey." said the second bee. The bees flew over to where Alfi was hovering just above the Pansies. " Look here." said the first bee flying just in front of Alfi. " We are not having you flying round pinching our honey. Up here is for bees, little boys belong down on the ground." " I know." said Alfi. " But I'm being kidnapped by this big bubble." " That is serious." said the second bee. " Shall we pop the bubble." said the first bee to Alfi. " No no." shouted Alfi " I will fall. " " We could sit on top of the bubble." said the second bee. " The extra weight of us may push Alfi down back to the ground." " Good idea. " said the first bee so they both flew to the top of the bubble and sat down. The two bees looked around, it was nice on top of the bubble, the sun was shinning and there was quite a good view. They could see their hive in the next field where they lived. Far from making the bubble go down however, the warmth of the sun was making the bubble rise higher up into the air. The bees flew down again to where Alfi was hanging on to the bubble stick and told him about the sun warming the bubble. " What we need. " said Alfi. " Is a friendly little black cloud to cover up the sun. " " Not much chance of that. " said the first bee. " There is not a cloud in the sky. " " Not in the sky maybe. " said the second bee. " But I know where I can find one. " Saying that, the second bee flew off at top speed. " What is he talking about. " said Alfi to the first bee. " I have not got the faintest idea. " said the first bee. In the distance there was a large buzzing sound, the sound got louder and louder. Suddenly over the hedge there came a large black cloud, the cloud was buzzing and buzzing. " One black cloud. " said the second bee, who was leading the black buzzing cloud. The cloud, of course, was made up of hundreds and hundreds of bees. The second bee had flown back to the hive and brought everyone back with him to help Alfi. The bees circled round above Alfi and the bubble, stopping the sunlight. As expected when the sun stopped shinning on the bubble the air inside of the big bubble cooled down and the bubble got heavier. Slowly Alfi and the bubble sank down until they were just touching the tops of some big yellow flowers. Suddenly the bubble burst and Alfi was dropped into the middle of the flowers. The flowers were full of pollen and a large cloud of this pollen rose into the air. Alfi gave a big sneeze. All the bees zoomed down to collect up the pollen and take it back to the hive. When all the bees had gone Alfi found himself left on his own sitting in the middle of the flowers clutching his bubble stick. " Now that. " said Alfi. "Was an adventure. END

ghum-ghum-gharial-s-glorious-adventure-pratham-fkb.txt

Ghum-Ghum Gharial's Glorious Adventure Ghum-Ghum was excited. She was going for her first swim. "BBRRRAAAP! GHRRUMB!" said her family, who were excited too. Ghum-Ghum’s snout touched the water and… WHOOOSH! The river rushed all around her. Ghum-Ghum paddled her feet and swished her tail. "Look, Papa! I’m swimming! Look…!" "… Papa?" Ghum-Ghum looked in front and looked behind. She looked to the right, and then to the left. "Papa?" She was alone. Her family had swum off without her. An otter floated past. "Have you seen my family, Mr. Otter?" asked Ghum-Ghum. "No, but I’ve seen a lot of stars," said the otter. "Would you like to see some?" "Maybe next time. Thanks!" said Ghum-Ghum. Just then – "BRROFFTT! RRRAAPP!" It was her family! Ghum-Ghum giggled happily, and swam towards the sound. Suddenly, a dolphin leapt up in front of her. "Do you know where my family is, Miss Dolphin?" asked Ghum-Ghum. "No, but I do know where the yummiest fish are," said the dolphin. "Would you like to eat one?" "Maybe next time. Thanks!" said Ghum-Ghum. Just then – "DRRUPHH! GHRAAAP!" It was her family! Ghum-Ghum giggled happily, and swam towards the sound. A snail lay on a rock by the river bank. "Can you help me find my family, Sister Snail?" asked Ghum-Ghum. "I can help you find a nice flat rock to sit on, if you want," said the snail. "Maybe next time. Thanks!" said Ghum-Ghum. Just then – "PHBTHRR! FFRAFFFT!" It was her family! Ghum-Ghum giggled happily, and swam towards the sound. Ghum-Ghum saw a big old gharial. Many little gharials swam around him. "Have you seen my family, Grandpa Gharial?" Ghum-Ghum asked. "Is your name Ghum-Ghum?" asked the old gharial. "Yes, I’m Ghum-Ghum," she said. "Then I HAVE seen your family! They’ve been looking everywhere for you, little one. Listen! There, down the river! Can you hear them?" Ghum-Ghum listened. All the other little gharials listened too. Just then, from up the river – "GHRAPP! GHUM! BRRAFFTT! GHUM! GHUUUM! GHOOOOOOM!" It was her family, and they weren’t very far off! Ghum-Ghum giggled, and swam towards the sound. Soon, Ghum-Ghum reached a sand bank. She crawled onto it, tired from all her swimming. "Ghum-Ghum?" said a voice. "Papa?" A large, dark shape came towards her. "Papa!" Papa bent down and lovingly nudged Ghum- Ghum. "Welcome home, Ghum-Ghum!" said Papa. "Where did you go off to?" "I went on a glorious adventure!" said Ghum- Ghum, giggling. "And tomorrow, I want to go again!" Ghum-Ghum lives by the great river Ganga with her big, noisy family of gharials. She goes swimming every day, to catch insects and fish for her lunch. Ghum-Ghum meets all kinds of creatures on her daily swims: dolphins, otters, snails, water birds, fishermen in boats, buffaloes, snakes, and many others. How many of Ghum- Ghum's river friends can you spot in this page and the next?

walking-together_FKB-stories.txt

Louwrisa Blaauw Bianca de Jong Jade Mathieson When we go walking and the road is long, we’ll walk together singing a song. I am with you and you are with me. A journey is fun with our family. I’ll keep you cosy like a mother hen. She keeps her chicks warm under her wing. If the rain starts to fall down from the sky, like that good hat I’ll keep your face dry. If storm clouds get angry and grumble and moan, be brave, why cry? You’re not alone. We’re walking together so we never get bored. Look up! Look around! See where we’ve explored! If you see something that’s funny to see, I don’t want to miss it. Please share it with me! If your feet start to hurt from the distance we’ve passed, don’t worry, we’ve made it! Here’s the clinic at last. We all need to check our throat, lungs and ears. Get strong as you grow, it’s no reason for tears. Do you think it’s scary? Here, hold my hand. She’ll check your blood pressure with this clever armband. They give us our medicine, tell us what we should know, to keep us all healthy. Now back home we go. It’s okay to be tired, there’s so much we’ve seen. Now it’s your bedtime. Sleep well and sweet dreams.

Pumpkins-mustardseed-FKB.txt

Pumpkins What is a big, round, orange fruit? A pumpkin! A pumpkin is a fruit that grows at the end of the summer. Baby pumpkins start to grow on a long stem called a vine. Some pumpkins are tiny, but some can grow to be huge! One of the best things about pumpkins is getting to eat them. Pumpkin pie! People like to eat pumpkins and so do animals. You can visit a pumpkin patch and pick your own pumpkin to eat or decorate. Halloween is the best time to make scary pumpkin jack-o-lanterns.

Samiras-Awful-Lunch.txt

Samira's Awful Lunch Samira made a face when she opened her tiffin box and thought, ‘Who wants to eat parathas and brinjal curry? Not I.’ Last week Amma had given her noodles with capsicum and carrots. "The noodles are squiggly and they look like worms," she said when she went back home. "I don’t like noodles." The next day, Amma made upma with peanuts and peas, but Samira ate only the peanuts in it and took the rest back home. "It was like wet sand," she said when Amma asked her why she hadn’t eaten it. "Shall I give you idlis?" asked Amma. "Oh, yes ! They would be lovely to play with. I can toss and catch them. But I will not eat them—idlis taste like mud." So now there were parathas and brinjal curry. Ugh, ugh, ugh! Shutting her tiffin box with a bang, Samira went to the school courtyard. A row of ants crawling along the wall said, "Samira, why aren’t you eating your lunch like all the other children?" Samira said, "I don’t like parathas. I don’t like vegetables. I don’t want any lunch." "Of course, one cannot eat vegetables," the ants agreed. They offered her the wing of a cockroach that they were carefully carrying and said, "Now try this, it is really delicious." "Oh no! I don’t want any horrible cockroaches," said Samira and ran away to the garden. Colourful flowers were blooming in the garden and butterflies were flitting from one to the other. An orange butterfly with black checks and stripes said, "Hello Samira! Why aren’t you eating your lunch like all the other children?" Samira said, "I don’t like parathas. I don’t like vegetables. I don’t want any lunch." "Of course, one cannot eat vegetables," the butterfly agreed. "Why don’t you drink some nectar from the flowers like us? It is really delicious." Samira put her tongue into the centre of a flower but could find nothing! "I don’t want any nectar. And I think you are fooling me," she cried. She ran to the big pipal tree in the lawn. A crow cawing above called, "Hello Samira! Why aren’t you eating your lunch like all the other children?" Samira said, "I don’t like parathas. I don’t like vegetables. I don’t want any lunch." "Of course, one cannot eat vegetables," the crow agreed, "Here, I’ll give you something nice," and it dropped a half- eaten mouse for Samira. "Oh no! What a terrible thing! Keep your mouse for yourself," screamed Samira and ran away to stand near the wall. Some sparrows were chirruping on the ledge of the wall and called out, "Hello Samira! Why aren’t you eating your lunch like all the other children?" Samira said, "I don’t like parathas. I don’t like vegetables. I don’t want any lunch." "Of course, one cannot eat vegetables," the sparrows agreed. "Here are some crunchy grains of barley — they are really nutritious." Samira chewed one and made a face. "This is like eating pebbles. Even upma is better." A kind sparrow at once asked her, "Would you like some soft, juicy worms instead? Just a minute…" Just before it flew off to get her a worm, Samira said, "Worms indeed. No, thank you! I would much rather eat noodles," and ran to the gate of the school. A cow was lazily chewing cud just outside and mooed when it saw Samira. "Hello!" it called, "Why aren’t you eating your lunch like all the other children?" Samira said, "I don’t like parathas. I don’t like vegetables, especially brinjals. I don’t want any lunch." "Of course, cooked brinjals aren’t nice at all," the cow agreed. "Let me bite off some of this grass for you — it is particularly sweet after the rains. You should eat it with the hibiscus bush next to you. You are so lucky. I wish I could get inside this gate." Samira was disgusted. She said, "I don’t want to eat any grass. Nor any bushes. Even idlis would taste better than grass. And I am glad the gate is closed because the hibiscus has pretty flowers and I don’t want you to eat them." Samira ran back to her classroom and opened her lunch box. ‘How nice my parathas and brinjal curry are,’ she thought and quickly ate them up.

a-book-for-puchku-childrens-story.txt

A Book for Puchku "Puchku! Have a bath!" "Puchku! Eat your food!" "Puchku! Go to class!" "Puchku! Get on the bus!" "Puchku! Do your homework!" "Where is Puchku?" Puchku is busy. She has a book to read. Puchku reads all the time — at home, in school, in the park, in bed. Page after page, book after book, one by one, she has read them all. "Why are you always reading Puchku?" asks Boltu. "Come, watch a cartoon instead!" says Dodla. "Books are so much more fun!" says Puchku. "Look! You see a circle? And this straight line? Push it in, pull that out, and it becomes a letter. Line up the letters, and you have a word! Words can be wise, words can be funny, words can be sad and words can be sunny. When you put words together, they make sentences. And sentences become stories. Read it and WHOOSH! You are in another world! " But today, Puchku is in a fix. She has run out of books to read! All the books that she could reach in the library, she’s read from Chapter One to The End. "What will I do? No more books to read!" wails Puchku. Wait! What’s that over there? Puchku looks up and sees not one, not two, but three more shelves, FULL of books. "More books!" Puchku whispers in delight. There is still one problem though. She is too short. And the bookshelf is too tall. How can Puchku get up there? Maybe she can use a washing line? Or Ma’s sari to climb? How about the chairs and tables in the room? It would really be helpful, thinks Puchku, to have a giraffe at hand. Even a monkey. Or both! Puchku has a plan. She calls Boltu and Dodla for help. As quiet as they can, they climb on top of each other. "Boltu, you’re heavy!" Dodla complains. "Told you not to eat that last rasgulla." "It’s not me," Boltu hisses. "It’s Puchku!" "Shh! Almost there," says Puchku. Just then, it all goes wrong. AHHHHHHHH! "What is happening here?" It is the Very Tall Librarian! She puts Puchku down. Boltu and Dodla run away! Puchku looks up sadly at the book she almost had in her hand. "Can I help?" asks the Very Tall Librarian. "I was trying to climb the bookshelf. I have run out of books to read," says Puchku, sadly. "Why didn’t you say so?" says the Very Tall Librarian. "As long as I am around, you do not have to climb a bookshelf. May I pick you up?" Puchku nods. "I will take this, and this, and this one too!" says Puchku happily. "Thank you!" "Take this one too," says the Very Tall Librarian. "When I was small, I loved this book." "You were small once?" Puchku asks. "Oh yes, even smaller than you," says the Very Tall Librarian. "But then I grew, and so will you. Until then, all you need to do is ask for a book and I will be here to give it to you." But is Puchku listening? No she is not! She is inside her book, through a circle and a line And a letter and another. Then a word! And another, A sentence. And another. And now a story. Because Puchku has a new book.

Hero-of-the-Mountain.txt

The little fox Bubu was very excited. The big contest "Hero of the Mountain" was going to take place the next day. The bravest and most powerful animals and people were going to take part in it. Bubu wanted to see the contest and meet the most famous heroes in the world. He carefully studied the map. The contest would take place high on the mountain, on the grounds of the owl- magician, Boran. Bubu was going to have a long trip the next day . . . That evening, Bubu could not fall asleep till late at night. He was looking at the distant peak, dreaming about the contest. He was eager for the morning to come. In the morning he woke up early, brushed his teeth and ate his breakfast quickly. He had a long way to go, so he had a good meal. The breakfast, prepared by his mom, was very delicious. Bubu promised his mom he would be careful and come back before dark, and then he hurried to the mountain. He passed the meadows, walked around the rocky hills, and suddenly, while crossing the river, he heard someone screaming for help . . . Bubu looked around and saw a beetle, who had fallen into the river. The slope of the bank was too steep for the little beetle—he couldn’t get out of the river!—and he was waving its legs and antennae in panic. Bubu looked around for a float or a stick, but he could not find anything useful. As time was pressing, Bubu sank his tail into the icy water and cried out to the beetle to grab it. In a little while the beetle was lying on the grass, drying off in the sun—exhausted but very happy for being rescued. Bubu was tired as well, but he had no time for rest. He squeezed his tail, which had become heavy with water, and hurried on to the contest. Soon he saw ahead a little bunny, crying sadly. It had lost one of its gloves and did not know how to find it. Bubu was in a hurry to get to the contest, but he decided to help the bunny. He lowered his big sensitive nose to the ground and began sniffing, searching for the bunny’s glove. The bunny followed him with hope. In a little while Bubu found the glove, fallen aside the path. Nothing can hide from a fox’s nose. The bunny was very happy and, grinning widely, hopped home with its gloves on. Bubu hurried to the mountain. While climbing the steep mountain path, Bubu met three firemen-ants carrying a new door for the ants’ observation post located high on the mountain—the ants looked for forest fires from there. The door was too heavy and the three ants gasped for breath. Bubu decided to help them, though he was already late for the contest. He took the heavy door and, together with the ants, carried it up the mountain. Finally they reached the observation post of the firemen-ants and managed, together, to fix the door in its right place. The ants sat on the ground, tired and satisfied. Bubu was also tired, but there was no time for rest; he continued up the path, climbing the peak. When he climbed the peak at last, the contest was over. Broken arrows, targets, and swords were spread all over the peak meadow . . . but all the heroes had gone. Bubu sat sadly on the ground. He so much wanted to see the contest and meet the greatest heroes in the world, but he had missed everything. Suddenly he heard a flap of wings. He looked up and saw the owl-magician, Boran, alight before him. "Don’t be sad, Bubu. You did not miss anything so interesting actually. Look, I have something special for you" and the owl gave Bubu a crystal. On it was inscribed: HERO OF THE MOUNTAIN"—it was the highest-honor award one could receive for the contest! "But . . . why?" asked a very surprised Bubu. "I have not done any great heroic deed." "Is there a greater heroic deed than all the small deeds you have done today?" smiled Boran. "You missed the contest you so much wanted to see, to help the beetle, the bunny, and the ants. You are the real hero of the mountain." Bubu managed to make it back home before dinner and told his parents what had happened. Everybody at home was pleased and very proud of him. After dinner, Bubu went to bed tired and satisfied. He needed a good night’s sleep—may be tomorrow new great deeds and adventures were waiting for him. THE END

Emmas-Crazy-Day.txt

Emma gets a big, square present. Emma tears the wrapping off. It is a box. It is a very big box. It is Emma’s birthday. Emma picks off tape. Emma gets a present. It is a scooter! A new scooter! A big kid scooter! Best of all, it is a pink scooter. Emma looks at its wheels. Emma looks at its handles. It is an excellent scooter. Emma gets a present. It is a little present. Emma tugs the wrapping off. It is stickers! Stickers for a scooter! Emma puts stickers all over her new scooter. Emma gets a present. It is not big. It is not little. It is in-between. Emma rips off the wrapping. It is a helmet. It is a pink helmet. A helmet keeps you safe. Emma takes her scooter up a hill. Emma puts on her pink helmet. No cars are driving by. Emma steps on. Emma grabs the handles. Emma kicks off. Now it is time for a ride. A crazy, pink, scooter girl turns around a corner. A crazy pink scooter girl hits a bump. This crazy, pink, scooter girl did A crazy, pink, scooter girl a jump! zooms down a hill. Back up a hill. Check helmet. Check for cars. Zoom, turn, bump, jump! Emma screams for joy. This pink scooter is her best present ever. The sun is nearly down. Time for home. No crazy scooting if it is dark. Emma eats dinner. Emma sleeps until morning. Then, a crazy, pink, scooter girl will ride again!

What-are-you-Doing-.txt

"What are you doing?" Nina Or Orange ange English I am singing. She is waving. I am clapping. She is stretching. He is calling. I am answering. She is listening. What are you doing? I am swimming. I am skipping. "What are you doing?"

the-punctuation-marks-journey-roomtoread-FKB.txt

This is Exclamation Mark, Full Stop, Question Mark and Comma. They are punctuation marks who need a job in this book, but they aren't sure where to go. Letters and words are zooming about, trying to form sentences. Where do the punctuation marks fit in? What should they do? "Well, I know where I belong," says Full Stop. "I always stand at the end of a sentence." "No, I go at the end of a sentence!" says Question Mark. "No way!" yells Exclamation Mark. "I'm the one who belongs at the end of a sentence!" Nobody can agree, and the letters and words just keep zooming around in confusion. "What will we do?" asks Comma. Comma stands in the middle of bickering punctuation marks and tries to separate them. "There is room for all of us among these words and letters," says Comma. "Let me show you." "You're right, Comma," everyone says, "we're tired of arguing. Show us what to do!" Comma shows the other punctuation marks how he does his job. Comma organises all the words into a list, and stands between each word, separating them to make the list easier to read. What do you see in Comma's list? Now that Comma has found where he belongs, can Question Mark, Exclamation Mark and Full Stop figure out what kind of sentences they should make? The full stop is placed at the end of declarative sentences, like this one. The exclamation mark is used to express emotions, like happiness, anger or excitement! And do you know what kind of sentence ends with a question mark? Don't forget: the word that comes after Question Mark, Exclamation Mark and Full Stop should start with a capital letter, because it will be the beginning of a new sentence. While the punctuation marks were talking, they remembered the letters and words zooming around in confusion. "We have an important job," the punctuation marks say. "Look how confused the letters and words are without us!" Now the punctuation marks know what they need to do.

yes-you_en.txt

Hi! I’m a warrior and I’m fighting a monster, and I need you to help me. Yes, you! Come with me! You see those ninja monkeys up there? I need you to shake this book so they fall out of the trees! Shake shake shake shake shake Oh, no! Bats! I need you to blow them away! One, two, three – blooo ooow! knock! kn o c k ! knock! That got rid of them! This is the door to the monster’s cave. Knock to open it! A spik y pit! again! down back Turn the book get upside down so right way around so I can that I can walk Thank you. Now turn it the across the roof! Hyenas are chasing me! We need to go faster! Quick! Skip ahead two pages! Don’t look at the next page – just jump ahead! Oh, no! I got eaten! Now you have to start the book again from the beginning! Phew! That was close! The hyenas almost got me! The monster is just past this yeti. Tickle the yeti to distract him, so I can sneak past! Tickle tickle tickle tickle! It’s the monster! We’ve got to fight it! Show it we’re not scared! Say you’re a smelly monster! Say it out loud! Say it now! It didn’t work! I need you to make your scariest face to chase it away! Are you ready? One, two, three... Yaaa aaaargh! We did it! We scared it away! High f i ve ! That was fun! Let’s go back to the start and do it all over again! Almost at the back cover! What are these pages for, anyway?

12758-my-brother-and-me.txt

My Brother and Me This is Samir. He is in class four. This is me. I am in class one. Every morning we get ready for school . I can button my -----. Samir helps me put on my -----. Samir takes me on his -----. I ring the bell . Samir reads big -----. He writes with a pen. I have a small ---. Inside it are two pencils . After school Samir plays -------. His three friends join him. Samir hits a six. I help him find the ----. He buys me an --- -----. It is five o'clock . It is time to go ----. 1. Shirt 2. Shoes 3. Cycle 4. Books 5. Bag 6. Cricket 7. Ball 8. Ice-cream 9. Home

Snail-Carpenter-childrens-story-red.txt

The Snail-Carpenter With a big enough heart, and a strong will, even the smallest of snails can become a great carpenter. In this story, The Snail-Carpenter will teach you how you can succeed at everything you do. The Beginning Whenever somebody says "that’s impossible", I remember a story that my Grandpa loved to tell me. Grandpa was a carpenter, and the story was about a snail, the smallest and most fascinating carpenter in the world My Grandpa’s story went like this… In the green meadow under the old branches lived a tiny snail. Curled up in his grubby little home he thought about all kinds of things. Most of them were very unusual things for a snail to think about. He thought about how much he wanted to carve the old worn-out looking tree stump and make its surface gentle and nice. He thought of it during the days and dreamed of it at night, how he could carve the wood. Oh, the snail had such a great wish to be a carpenter. First Attempt O ne sunny morning as he cleaned his little home with the morning dew, the snail decided to try to work as a carpenter. He didn’t know how to start. He was afraid of ruining a beautiful piece of wood with his clumsiness, so he decided to decorate his own home first of all. If he could decorate the house he carried on his back beautifully, it would prove to his friends and to himself that he could be a successful carpenter. Slowly but surely the tiny snail crawled to the old tree stump. He decided to start work. He began to rub his shell against the tree stump to shape it just as he wanted. The other animals of the forest gathered to watch the snail who was rubbing up and down against the old wooden stump. What a very unusual sight for them! In the beginning, the other animals watched with interest to see what he was doing, but they turned to sneering - a snail couldn’t ever be a carpenter. The tiny snail paid no attention to the reactions of the other animals. Instead, with a great deal of dedication, he carried on working and rubbing and scrubbing, decorating his little home. A Great Effort The snail made slow progress with his work. He realised that the wood wasn’t sharp enough to engrave his little home. The tree helped him to get soft and gentle lines but he needed something harder. He made his way over to a rock and started to rub his shell against it. The hard and sharp rock was just the right tool for a carpenter to make precise cuts. Now the snail had to be twice as careful not to damage his home. Time passed and the snail gained experience. He learned how and when he needed to rub the shell against the rock, on the ground or the wood. He used differing levels of pressure depending on what he wanted to achieve. Time continued to pass and the snail’s little home gradually became more beautiful. Little by little the animals of the forest came to admire the slow but self- confident handy-man at work. The snail carried on, working tirelessly. Success Winter came and went. One morning the tiny snail was bathing in the drops of dew. Sitting in the sun, he was admiring the nature all around. He was happy. He had decorated his house in the best way that he could and he was pleased with his work. Suddenly, out of the clear blue sky, a woodpecker swooped down beside him. Woodpeckers are known as the best carpenters in the forest. The bird had heard the story about the snail-carpenter and he wanted to be see the snail’s craftsmanship with his own eyes. The woodpecker inspected the snail’s little home from all sides and then flew into the air. He circled the house a few times, examining each side thoroughly. When he had finished, he again landed down beside the tiny snail. The woodpecker looked the snail in the eyes, paused for a moment and bowed his head. This was a great honour for the tiny snail because woodpeckers only bowed to master carpenters. Glory Full of happiness and joy that the recognition of his work had brought him, the little snail went over to the old wooden stump and asked its permission to decorate it. He worked on it with unbroken dedication. After a long time of non-stop work, he had made the stump the most beautiful piece of wood in the whole forest. From that time onwards, there was always plenty of work for the little snail-carpenter. He was asked to decorate the shells of the other snails and the homes of many different animals. He was even asked to build bridges and dams. Teacher The tiny snail-carpenter decided to share his knowledge with his you want. Try hard, be dedicated and seek knowledge. Through your friends. With a thirst for knowledge, the other snails gathered efforts everything is possible." The snail-carpenter continued to speak around him. The snail-carpenter addressed them "Dear Friends, and the group of snails swallowed his words with interest. Those you want to become carpenters. If you want to fulfil your dreams, snails became master carpenters too. you should bear the following in mind: you can achieve whatever T hese days it is rare to see any snail decorating wood, because today, as a rule, every snail decorates its shell in the best way it can. Indeed, whenever you walk through the woods or meadow, try to find a snail. Look at it carefully. You’ll see what a pretty and unusual little home it has on its back. Even little creatures like snails can do so much if they try hard with enough effort. Just think what humans could achieve! Did you know... The Snail - Carpenter by Ognjen Livada There are many different kinds of snails. Some of them live in the soil, some in rivers and lakes and some in the sea. All land snails carry their own little homes. It is well-known that even the slug has one. It is too small for the slug to go inside, but it is still a home! Some sea snails breathe through their lungs, just like people, and have to come up from the water for air, while others breathe through gills like fish. Did you know that Peter’s Ear and clams on the rocks are not shells but are in fact snails? Interesting, isn’t it? Nature really is miraculous.

Alphabet-Book-Editable-Version.txt

THE Aa Bb Cc BOOK Aa Aeroplane Bb Ball Cc Cow Dd Dog Ee Elephant Ff Fish Gg Giraffe Hh Horse i I Icecream Jj Jug Kk Koala Ll Lion Mm Monkey Nn Nuts Oo Owl Pp Pig Qq Queen Rr Ring Ss Shark Ss Sheep Tt Train Uu Umbrella Vv Vase Ww Worm Xx X-ray Yy Yacht Zz Zebra

tiger-tiger-where-are-you-pratham-fkb.txt

Tiger, Tiger, Where Are You? I was just here. Didn’t you see my watery trail by the lake? I took a nap in the cool water. I was just here. Didn’t you see my footprints on the soft soil? Look hard, I could be coming or going! I was just here. Didn’t you see my scratch marks on the tree? I was sharpening my claws. I was just here. Didn’t you smell my scent on the rock? The spray helps a tigress find me! I was just here. Didn’t you see what I ate yesterday? The hair and nails should give you a clue. I was just here. Didn’t you hear that loudmouth langur’s warning? He told the entire forest that I was on the move! I was just here. Didn’t you hear my growl? I want other tigers to know that this part of the forest is mine. I was just here. Didn’t you see my false eyes? I tricked you. Here I am. You found me.

The_Kaptain_Uke_Glockenspiel_Book_FKB.txt

20 easy songs to play Welcome to the Kaptain Uke Glockenspiel Book. In this book I have chosen songs ideal for the 25 note chromatic glockenspiel. These are the kind you find in schools and at home. Some of the songs I have transposed to make sure the range of notes matches the instrument. If you go my website you will able to find MP3s of each of the songs. To keep things simple I have only used sharps (#) as opposed to flats (b) and have labelled each note clearly. I don’t care if the rain comes down, I’m gonna dance all day. I don’t care if the rain comes down, I’m gonna dance all day. Hey, hey, carry me away. I’m gonna dance all day. Hey, hey, carry me away. I’m gonna dance all day. I don’t care if the sun comes out, I’m gonna dance all day. I don’t care if it’s cloudy now, I’m gonna dance all day. I don’t care if the wind blows hard, I’m gonna dance all day. I don’t care if it snows or hails, I’m gonna dance all day. I don’t care if a rainbow comes, I’m gonna dance all day. Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb. Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went. And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go. It followed her to school one day, school one day, school one day. It followed her to school one day, which was against the rules. It made the children laugh and play, laugh and play, laugh and play. It made the children laugh and play, to see a lamb at school. And so the teacher turned it out, turned it out, turned it out. And so the teacher turned it out, but still it lingered near. And waited patiently about, lee about, lee about. And waited patiently about, till Mary did appear. "Why does the lamb love Mary so? Mary so? Mary so?" "Why does the lamb love Mary so?" the eager children cry. "Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know, lamb, you know, lamb, you know." Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know," the teacher did reply. She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes Coming round the mountain, she'll be coming round the mountain Coming round the mountain when she comes Chorus Singing ay, ay, yippee, yippee ay Singing ay, ay, yippee, yippee ay Singing ay, ay, yippee, ay, ay, yippee Singing ay, ay, yippee, yippee ay She'll be driving six white horses when she comes She'll be driving six white horses when she comes She'll be driving six white horses, she'll be driving six white horses Driving six white horses when she comes Chorus And we'll all go out to meet her when she comes Yes we'll all go out to meet her when she comes We'll all go out to greet her, yes we will all go out to meet her We'll all go out to meet her when she comes Chorus She'll be wearing red pajamas when she comes She'll be wearing red pajamas when she comes Wearing red pajamas, why is she wearing red pajamas Don't know why but she'll be wearing red pajamas when she comes Chorus She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes Coming round the mountain, she'll be coming round the mountain Coming round the mountain when she comes

friends-asb-FKB.txt

Friends My name is Simo. I have four friends. Their names are Zizo, Lele, Sisa and Ayanda. My friend Zizo likes to play soccer. My friend Lele likes to swim. My friend Sisa likes to play hide-and- seek. My friend Ayanda likes to read. Me? I like to do the things they like to do. I play soccer with Zizo. I swim with Lele. I play hide-and-seek with Sisa. Come, friend, what do you like? Come, play soccer with us. Come, swim with us. Come, play hide- and-seek with us. Come, read with us!

foxy-joxy-plays-a-trick_english.txt

Watermelons for sale! Foxy Joxy was a sly fox. He sold big, fresh 500 watermelons. "You are asking too much," said Gia Giraffe. "Your price is too high," said Rabbit Jabbit. Foxy Joxy had a clever idea. He slit open a big watermelon, scooped out the fruit, and gobbled it up. Then he filled it with water! He took a needle and thread and sewed the watermelon back together. He sold his watermelons for a cheap price. Many animals bought from Foxy Joxy. "This watermelon has only water in it," complained Funky Monkey. "Well, you got what you paid for," said Foxy Joxy. "We need to teach Foxy Joxy a lesson," said Ellie Elephant. The animals gathered around and came up with a plan. "I have an idea," said Oliver Owl. They took an empty watermelon, stuffed Foxy Joxy into it and played a game of football with it. Foxy Joxy was dizzy! He learnt his lesson and never cheated again.

Singing-the-Truth-3-19-FKB-Kids-stories.txt

A long time ago, in the vast city of Johannesburg, a baby girl was born. That baby was me. My mom called me Miriam. Miriam Makeba. Mom was a sangoma, but she also worked to make other people’s homes neat and clean. It was hard for my mom to earn enough for both of us. She started selling homemade beer to bring in more money. The laws of the land said that selling homemade beer was wrong. The police sent my mom to jail for six long months. I was only 18 days old, and needed my mom. So even though I was just a baby, I went to jail too. As a little girl I loved to sing. When I was older, I helped my mom clean houses. Singing songs as I worked made the chores go faster and the days seem brighter. Singing made me happier than I can explain. I sang in my church, and this made others happy too. Music has the power to bring people together. When we were singing we felt brave and strong. People said my voice was a gift and my songs were special. I sang with other musicians and our music was heard all over the world. My home was Sophiatown, a place of culture and music. Sophiatown, a place where South Africans could make music in harmony and dance together. But the people who ruled the land at the time did not like this togetherness. Those rulers didn’t want black and white people to be friends. I knew it was wrong to treat people differently because of their skin colour. I did not hide my beliefs, and so those people in charge wanted me out of the country. When I was singing in America, I was told I could never return home. People all over the world heard my story. My songs and my story helped many to see how there was no fairness in South Africa for those with black skin. I decided to go on singing and telling the truth about my country, no matter what. The world loved my music and I was welcomed in many countries. I won awards and sang for important people all over the globe. My life was good, but something was missing. I could not sing in my home country, and people there were not free. Then a wonderful day dawned when Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa. New people were in charge and the unfair laws belonged to the past. I finally went home with new hope in my heart. After that I could sing in a free, fair country. People of different skin colours could enjoy music together. I helped make this happen because I was brave and strong. I sang the truth in all of my songs. Learn about the amazing life of a little girl who grew up to use her gift of singing to help bring freedom to South Africa. Louwrisa Blaauw Bianca de Jong Jade Mathieson

FKB_Learn-Sight-Words-Print_friendly-Save_the_Planet.txt

SAVE THE PLANET! From the Learn Sight Words Series Go Green! Danielle Bruckert Zehnya Bruckert Learn Sight Words Save the Planet! Learn Sight Words Series Published by Red Sky Ventures Compiled by Danielle Bruckert © Dec 2016 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike43.0 License. This text is free for distribution and use, please share! Any use of this material must be shared in the same or similar manner. Any use of this material must be attributed to: Free Kids Books – Contact the CREATOR/COMPILOR: [email protected] More books like this one are available at This book is part of the FKB Make a Difference project Colin Cow says: Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! Gerty Goat says: Always put your trash in a bin! Patty Penguin says: Save water and electricity. Wally Walrus says: Reduce your carbon footprint! Use a bicycle, public transport, or walk. Peter Panda says: Use renewable energy. Harry Hippo says: Buy products that can be recycled. Leo Lion says: Plant an indigenous tree! *"indigenous" means native, these types will grow better in their natural environment. Baba Bear says: Support sustainable practices! Make sure we all still have fsh. Carly Cat says: Don't waste natural Resources. And Zenna Zebra says: Save the Planet! We only have ONE. Words in this book put in and the your an only have one don't can be use buy that reduce reuse recycle always trash bin save water electricity reduce carbon footprint renewable energy products recycled. plant indigenous tree support sustainable practices waste natural resources. save planet ABOUT SAVNG THE PLANET Ask children to come up with ideas for each page on how they can follow through with the concepts suggested, and why it makes a difference: Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! Always put your trash in a bin. Save water and electricity. Reduce your carbon footprint. Use renewable energy. Buy products that can be recycled. Plant an indigenous tree Support sustainable practices. Don't waste natural resources. Save the planet! We only have one. Talk about some of the ways which these "green" practices can be achieved in your own lives (eg: using public transport, buying recyclable products, installing solar). Project: Go with your parents/carers to the grocery shop and make a list of all the items that are sustainable or recyclable or that support "green" practices. Create green awareness posters to put up at your school and local notice boards. Create a fundrasier for supporting GoGreen, for example solar or wind at your school or community. Go Green! ABOUT ANTI-BULLYING and ANTI-DISCRIMINATION Book 3 – DON'T BE A BULLY Ask children to come up with ideas for each page on how they can follow through with the concepts suggested, and why it makes a difference: Don't be a bully. Be fair to everyone no matter what. Treat everyone the way you want to be treated. Don't judge people for their beliefs or abilities. Support and help others. Never put someone down. Hate hurts; Love heals. Sharing is caring. Be honest, but be kind. Don't discriminate. Talk about what discrimation means, and what types of discrimination can be present, for example: Discrimination because of gender, disability, race, or religion. Talk about being all-inclusive, and what it means. Look at ways people can be insensitive about race, disability, religion, or gender without thinking. Comment on the following and what is wrong with them: "Cars are for boys." "Pink is for girls." "God only loves Christians." Bullies are horrible! SHARING AND CARING ACTIVITIES – from Book 2 HOW TO BE HAPPY Ask children to come up with ideas for each page on how they can follow through with the concepts suggested, and why it makes a difference: Worry less; Dance more! Take less; Give more! Consume less; Create more! Frown less, Smile more! Talk less; Listen more! Fear less; Try more! Judge less; Accept more! Watch less; Do more! Complain less; Appreciate more! Always be nice. Appreciate more: Talk about what it means to appreciate, and have children write a list of all the things they appreciate in life. Consume Less: Discuss sustainability and reduce, reuse, recycle concepts, ask the children to write down ideas to reduce waste, have a green day where children don't produce any waste. Give more: Research some child welfare charities and discuss ideas of how to contribute, for example a fund rasising day or project at school. Give More! SHARING AND CARING ACTIVITIES from Book 1 – ALAYS BE NICE Ask children to come up with ideas for each page on how they can follow through with the actions: Always be nice. Be kind to others. Don't let others feel left out. Think about others feelings. Don't be mean, Use kind words. Help out when you can. Sharing is Caring Always say "Please". Don't forget "Thank-you". Have a star chart and give children stars whenever another child or sibling notices their caring and sharing behaviour. Ask children to think about how their behaviour makes others feel when they don't follow these rules. Ask children if they can think of a time when they didn't follow these rules. How could they change their behaviour to make the situation better. Alwaye be nice!

FKB_-Kids_Jokes_2-Zehnya_Bruckert.txt

What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear! What animal is always at a baseball game? A bat. What do you call a dog magician? A labracadabrador. What do you call a fish without an eye? A fsh. Why do you never see elephants hiding in trees? Because they are really good at it. Two fish are in a tank. One says to the other, "Do you know how to drive this thing?" Thieves broke into the police station last night and stole all the toilets. A police spokesman said the police have nothing to go on. Why do you go to bed every night? Because the bed won't come to you! What did the traffic light say to the car? Don’t look. I’m about to change. What do you call a deer with no eyes? No idea (No eye deer). What did the seal with the broken arm say to the shark Do not consume if seal is broken What did the one snowman say to the other snowman? Do you smell carrots? Why did the dolphin blush? Because it saw the ocean's bottom. How does Darth Vader like his toast? On the dark side. How does a train eat? It goes chew chew. What do you call a fly with no wings? a walk.

ELA_Grade2_Unit4_Brooklyn-Reading-Comp.txt

Name 3.2 Brooklyn Kim took Kurt by the hand and the two of them set off so that Kim could look for a job. It was a summer morning in Brooklyn. There were lots of cars on the streets. There were people walking here and there. A man was sweeping the street outside his shop. Kim and Kurt walked until they got to Prospect Park. Kurt looked into the park as they went past. He saw people playing frisbee. He saw people on bikes. He saw a man playing fetch with his dog. He saw soccer players on their way to a game. He saw runners on their way to the gym. "Can we stop and play?" asked Kurt. "No," Kim said. "I have to get a job." Kurt slumped a bit to let Kim see that he was sad, but he kept walking. "Kim," he said after a bit, "will having a job make you a grownup?" "Well, sort of," said Kim. "I’m in college. I think that makes me part kid and part grownup." "Will you still have time to play with me?" "Yes!" Kim said, rubbing Kurt’s arm. "We will have lots of time to play. I’ll get a part-time job, one that is not too hard. That way, I will not be too tired when I get home. Then we can play." Unit 4 11 © 2013 Core Knowledge Foundation "You should get a job at the Bronx Zoo!" Kurt said. "Then you can play with the snakes and tigers." Kim said. "I don’t think so. I don’t like snakes. But we can visit the zoo later this summer. After I get a job, I will have cash to do fun things like that." Just then Kim saw two old pals waving at her. "Lynn!" she yelled. "Sheryl! What’s up?" Lynn and Sheryl crossed the street. "Hi, Kim!" said Lynn. "Are you home from college for the summer?" "Yes," said Kim. "It’s good to be back here in Brooklyn!" Kim slapped hands with her pals. Then she said, "You two have met Kurt, haven’t you?" Lynn and Sheryl nodded. Lynn stooped down to look at Kurt and said, "Hi, big man! Would you like to come with us? We are going over to Drummer’s Grove to see the drummers." "Drummer’s Grove?" Kurt said. "Can we go, Kim? Can we? Can we? Can we?" Kim was not sure what to say. She needed to get started on her job hunt. But she wanted Kurt to have fun, too. If she dragged him off without seeing the drummers, there was a chance he would get mad and fuss all day. That would not be much fun. "Okay," she said at last. "But just for a bit. I need to get started with my job hunt." 12 Unit 4 © 2013 Core Knowledge Foundation Name 3.3 Brooklyn 1. Where are Kim and Kurt? Kim and Kurt are in _______. A. Manhattan B. Brooklyn Family Member Directions: Ask your child to reread the story and circle the answers to the questions. C. Bronx D. Queens 2. When Kim and Kurt get to Prospect Park, what does Kurt want to do? Kurt wants to _________. A. eat ice cream B. go to the gym C. look for a job D. stop and play 3. Why is Kurt sad? Kurt is sad because _________. A. Kim says he cannot get ice cream B. Kim says Kurt must look for a job C. Kim says that they cannot stop and play D. Kim says Kurt must go home Unit 4 13 © 2013 Core Knowledge Foundation 4. Why is Kim looking for a part-time job? Kim wants to have time to _________. A. read books for college B. play and do fun things with Kurt C. sleep late each morning D. exercise at the gym 5. Where do Lynn and Sheryl invite Kim and Kurt to go? They invite Kim and Kurt to go with them to _________. A. the Bronx Zoo B. Brooklyn C. Queens D. Drummer’s Grove Circle the name of the character who made the statement. Sentence Character "I think that makes me part kid Kurt Lynn Kim Sheryl and part grownup." "You should get a job at the Kurt Lynn Kim Sheryl Bronx Zoo!" "Hi, big man! Would you like to Kurt Lynn Kim Sheryl come with us?" 14 Unit 4 © 2013 Core Knowledge Foundation

lets-have-an-inside-day_en.txt

Let’s have an inside day… A pancake, syrup and berries day. A jump on the bed and twirling day. A dress up like dad and pictures day. Let’s have an inside games day. We’ll hide and seek… And run and scream. But whisper when we pass Mama’s room. Let’s have a dancing and singing day… A tickle tummies and eat gummies day. Let’s get snuggly and tell stories. Fall asleep and get snoring... Because an inside day is a busy day.

Buttered-Toast-.txt

This is Baby. Baby thinks her name is Toast. Baby joins her family for breakfast. Baby likes to eat bits of food from mama's plate. Mama says: Papa, please pass me the butter. I love butter on toast. Baby is puzzled. Did she say Toast? That is my name, isn't it? What is she talking about? Baby looks curiously at the food. Mama sees that baby is curious. She says: "This is an egg." "This is butter" "And this is toast" Whoa! Wait! Did you say this is toast? This is what you named me after? How rude! The woman has no imagination, whatsoever. But she does mean well. And she loves me. Okay I can live with Toast for a name. I love you mama. Oh no! I know that look. What are you going to do now? Do? Do? What should I do? Oh I know.... Mama said she loves butter on toast. So I'll cover myself with butter. Mama will be so happy. I am such an angel.

Teacher-Owls-Class-Apr-2018-F-Meintjies.txt

Teacher Owl's Class Frank Meintjies They were all gathered in the classroom. The learners sat on two logs under a blue sky with flecks of white cloud. It was not far from a stream. Teacher Owl looked at the class. Snail looked left and right on her log. She was just trying to see what Miss Owl saw. There was Hare, Leguaan, the Honeyguide and Daliso the cat. "Learners", said Teacher Owl, to the class, "Settle down. I know it's nearly the end of the school day. I want to give you your homework for tomorrow. It's about knowing where you and your family come from." Teacher Owl explained what they needed to do. She usually tried to make sure the learners understood everything. She wanted to tell them one more time, so they would remember. But some of the learners were already sliding off the logs to go home. "Goodbye," Teacher Owl said. "Have a safe journey home". Snail was still on the log. She wondered if anyone even heard Teacher Owl say goodbye. *** The next day, in the morning, the learners gathered in the class. Daliso the cat arrived just as everyone was saying: "Good morning teacher". Then they sang one of their favourite songs: "We are the learners from the valley We like to learn We are the learners It's our turn" "We the learners of the valley do 'words' and 'sums' for us learning and passing is so much fun." Snail was the last to arrive. The learners had finished singing the song when snail arrived. She was sweating. "This morning is hotter than usual. I left early; but because of the heat I could not walk as fast as I usually do," Snail said. Hare laughed. "Did you say you normally walk fast. Surely you mean ... 'less slow' ". Teacher Owl said: "Be nice to snail. Walking all the way to school is harder work for her. She is smaller than you and she does it all on one foot." Everyone took their seats on the logs. Some went to their favourite spots. The two logs were side by side so the learners rubbed shoulders with each other. The far end of the logs were pulled inward, so those sitting on the end could also hear what Teacher Owl said. "Did you do your homework?", Teacher Owl asked. Hare said: "I raced towards home, but along the way I got tired and fell asleep". Leguaan said that on its way home it smelt some crocodile's eggs. The big strong lizard spoke in a soft voice. "It was at the sandy part near the large pond. I could not see the crocodile anywhere. So I thought I would dig in the ground for some crocodile eggs." Teacher Owl went to stand near Leguaan, to hear better. "I then got home too late to do my homework," Leguaan said. Honeyguide said she also had a problem. She was flying home when she saw a bee hive. She then flew off to find Raccoon who lived in another part of the valley. She needed Raccoon to open the hive for her. She told the class: "Yesterday was hot and we worked hard in class. I needed some honey." Honeyguide explained how the she and Raccoon set off to the bees' home. When they got there, they spent a while with the honey and the wax. Raccoon enjoyed the honey. Honeyguide enjoyed the beeswax. "I got home too late to do the homework," said Honeyguide. "I was also covered in wax. I had to try to tidy my feathers before I went to bed. It was far too late to start thinking of homework", she said. Daliso the cat blinked his eyes. "I am sorry teacher. On my way home, I found a ball of wool. I stopped to play with it. It was such fun. Very soon I was covered in threads. At last I decided to go home. But it took me some time to untangle myself. When I got home, I asked my mother to help me with the homework. But she said: "It's late. Have some milk and go to bed". "And, Snail, did you do your homework?" teacher Owl asked. Snail cleared her throat. Snail was always a bit nervous. She looked this way and that way. Then she nodded. "Teacher, It took me a long while to get home. Along the way, I passed Hare sleeping. At one point I saw Raccoon and Honeyguide crossing the pathway in front me. They seemed to be in a hurry." But, yes, I did get home in time to do my homework," Snail said. Teacher Owl stepped closer to the group. "I am glad to hear that one of you made sure they did their homework . Good. Snail, come forward and present your homework." Snail went to the front. She was not used to standing in the front of the class and speaking to everyone. She looked just above everyone's heads. Maybe if she pretended to talk to the trees and grass behind the learners, she would not be so nervous. She coughed and then started: "My ... my homework: where I come from." "I asked my mother and she told me this story. My grandmother and grandfather used to live in a rainforest somewhere in the middle of Africa. They felt there were too many snails there so they decided to journey south. They crossed the Zambezi river by getting on to a piece of wood, just before the river water rose. On this side of the big river, they found a nice place to live. It was under a small tree. It was a place with lots of rain. That is where my mother met my father. I was born in this valley." The teacher asked questions. Snail replied: "I heard the story for the first time yesterday. I think my grandparents were brave. I am happy to know where I come from -- it makes me proud." "That is a very good story. Well done." said teacher Owl. She turned to speak to the other students: "We can learn from Snail." "It is important to have a story. It is good to know where you come from." ----

What-is-Love.txt

What is love, do you know? My dad says that it’s reading a bedtime story … ... and reading it twenty-three times over and over again. What is love, do you know? My mom says that it’s cooking three meals a day … … even if she’s tired or not feeling so well. What is love, do you know? My older brother says that it’s playing ball with me … … even when he’d rather play with cars. What is love, do you know? My little sister says that it’s when someone … ... plays dollies and tea set with her. What is love, do I know? Think, think, think! Oh, yes, I sure do! Love happens when we do things to make others happy. That is a part of love and I love my whole family.

I-Can-Make-Things.txt

I Can Make Things! I am a big boy now. I can draw and I can make things. I draw my mother, she sits still. I draw my sister, she does not sit still. I draw many things. But I am told not to draw on the wall. I can make things. I make a drawing of a cat, she is fat. I make a fish. It is small. I make paper boats, birds and planes. I make houses and trains. My sister makes a mess! I can make many things. But my sister cannot!

21618-wild-cat-wild-cat-picturebook.txt

Wild Cat! Wild Cat! Some wild cats have stripes. Like the tiger! Some wild cats have manes. Like the lion! Some wild cats have spots. Like the leopard and the leopard cat! Some wild cats are the best climbers. Like the clouded leopard and the marbled cat! Some wild cats live high up in the mountains. Like the snow leopard and the Pallas's cat! Some wild cats live in the desert. Like the desert cat! Some wild cats have hairy ears. Like the caracal and the lynx! Some wild cats love to fish. Like the fishing cat! Some wild cats are the smallest wild cats in the world. Like the rusty-spotted cat! Some wild cats look like house cats. Like the jungle cat and the golden cat! But they are all wild cats!

Dolphin_Facts-FKB-Zehnya_Bruckert.txt

The most common dolphin is the oceanic dolphin. The oceanic dolphin's scientifc name is Delphinidae. This is where the name Dolphin comes from. Most people think pink dolphins don't exist but they do. They live in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers and they eat pirañas. If you ever go swimming there and see one they are very friendly (but watch out for the pirañas!) Dolphin are very smart and marine parks often teach dolphins to do tricks and perform in shows. Killer whales are also part of the dolphin family, but dolphins don't eat seals, killer whales do. Killer whales are very cute but don't go to close to them! Dolphin breathe through a hole close to the dorsal fn. It is said that if you rub a dolphins tail and make a wish it will come true. Bottle nosed dolphins are called bottle nosed because their nose is shaped like a bottle. They can swim up to 260m below the surface of the ocean. There's nearly 40 species of dolphin swimming the waters of the world. Wow! Dolphins are part of the family of toothed whales that includes orcas and pilot whale. A 260 pound dolphin eats about 33 pounds of fsh a day. Dolphins eat through their mouths and breathe through their blowholes. This prevents the dolphin from sucking up water into the lungs when hunting, reducing the risk of drowning. Dolphins are very social, living in groups that hunt and even play together. Large pods of dolphins can have 1,000 members or more.

Big-Mac-and-Little-Dipper-The-Stair-Case-.txt

BIG MAC AND LITTLE DIPPER The Stair Case Volume 1 Mac was a very big dog. Mac lived in a house with a very small kitchen, where Mac loved to sleep on the cool floor. This caused lots of problems. Mrs Smith would come into the kitchen and ask, "Why have I got such a large dog in the middle of my very small kitchen?" Mac would see he wasn't wanted, and slink away to the hall where the floor was almost as cool, but the smells weren't as nice. Just when Mac had begun to settle down Baby Katia came crawling along the floor of the hall. She bumped into Mac, and let out a small squeal, "EEEIKK.-". Mrs Smith looked over and threw her hands up in the air again, saying, "Why have I got such a big dog in my small passage way?" Picking up the baby she chased Mac out of the hall. Mac looked up with droopy Mac eyes, and saw he was not wanted there either, and decided to slink away to the bathroom. In the shower the floor was always cool, sometimes a little damp, but always perfectly shaded for snoozing. Mac didn't like the soap smell, but he thought maybe at least I'll be safe here out of the way for a while. Right at that moment, Katia's big brother Tyron, who hated getting up too early in the morning, choose to get up and wandered down stairs to have a shower. When Tyron saw Mac in the shower he said to him, "Mac, I am happy for you to have a shower with me, but I don't think you are going to like it." Mac looked up at Tyron with his big droopy Mac eyes, and rumbled a Mac rumble, "GRMMRMRL." Mac tried to decide if Tyron wanted him to go or stay. He paused in thought, half standing up and half lying down in the shower. Tyron said: "Mac if you don't believe me I can show you." He turned the tap on very softly to let Mac know what might be coming. Mac suddenly felt something cold and wet, he looked at Tyron a bit startled. Then he realized Tyron was just warning him there was more coming and he wouldn't much like it, and perhaps he better go. So he ambled back to the hall – looked around to see if the 'coast was clear', and sunk down into his favorite snooze position. The coast was not clear for long, Mr Smith came back from reading his paper and saw Mac. "Mac, old boy, why do you, such a big dog, choose to sit in such a small passage?" he asked. "You know you shouldn't be here, Mrs Smith will find you and you don't want that do you?" Mac looked up with his big droopy Mac eyes, and rumbled softer this time.... "Grmmgrl." Mac didn't know what to do now, it was hot outside, and the new puppy would be out there and want to play. Mac didn't want to play now, he wanted to sleep. The only place Mac could go for really good shade was on the balcony, but he was afraid of climbing up the stairs. The stairs were so BIG and STEEP and SCARY looking. He tried to slink back to the kitchen, but Mrs Smith spied him creeping in, "Mac, why do I have such a big dog trying to creep into my small kitchen again?" She threw her hands up again, for the third time that morning. "Mac what will I do with you? - Outside now!" It was getting closer to midday, and it was getting hotter by the second. Mac wished he didn't have a fur coat. There were lots of trees to lie under, but the ground was all prickly and Mac didn't like it. He looked at the stairs, he wanted to go up and lie under the table on the cool balcony floor, but they were terrifying. They were so big and steep, he didn't know how he would come down. Maybe he would get stuck up there, and if no one found him he might miss his dinner. Or maybe his legs would fall through the gaps and he would be trapped, Then the Cat would taunt and tease him until someone came to the rescue. While thinking of all the terrible things that might happen if he tried, he slowly ambled over to his least hated tree where he lay down in the prickly grass. Soon after he lay down to snooze, the new puppy came bounding up to him. "Whatchya doing Mac? Watchya doing?" "GrrrrrrMm". Said Mac. "Whatchya doing Mac? Watchya doing?!" "GRRMMMLL" Said Mac, this time in a more menacing Growly voice. The puppy should know what that meant, he thought. But noooo... The puppy was young and very eager but not yet very bright, "Mac – watcha doing, don't ya wanna come and play with me?" She said, still waiting expectantly for a reply. Mac tried to ignore the puppy and rolled over to face the tree. "Mac,I'm gonna go chase the Cat – I saw him just now. Mac don't you wanna chase the Cat with me?" Mac put his paws over his head and pretended not to see or hear. She just ran up the stairs on to the balcony, if you wanna come with me, I think she's trapped up there." Mac was going to roll over again when his ears pricked up as he caught the word 'Balcony'. "Little Dipper", he said slowly in a bit of a mumble- grumble, not wanting to sound too interested, "Do you know how to get on to the balcony?" Little Dipper didn't quite understand what he said because he was mumbling, but was so surprised and glad that Big Mac was talking to her she was eager to give a good answer. "Sure I do", she replied. "So how do you?" asked Mac. "How do you what?" replied Little Dipper "How do you get onto the balcony?" asked Mac. "Well by the stairs of course", replied Little Dipper. Mac shuddered a bit at the thought of the stairs, but tried not to let Dipper see. "Well I know by the stairs, but how?" Mac asked. "Those stairs are awfully big, and you are so very small. And what if you can't get down again?" Mac inquired further. "But I normally always get down – why shouldn't I?" replied Dipper. "You always get down OK?" said Mac. "Yep always", said Dipper. "But how?" asked Mac. Dipper looked at Mac, she was only one and a half, turning two years old soon, but she had been climbing stairs ever since she could remember. She tried to think how she did it, but couldn't remember – she just did, and she found it difficult to understand why Mac was asking so many questions. Then she thought, maybe it's because he's never climbed the stairs. Dipper thought very hard, and very long, until she decided for sure she had never seen Mac climb the stairs. "Mac", she said, "do you want me to show you how I climb the stairs?" Mac, coughed a little, and mumbled, " "Grmmbl, er, well I would. But just to make sure you don't hurt yourself or get stuck." Then he added, "You better show me a few times, to make really sure." Dipper agreed, and they walked off together for the first time since she could remember. Mac, pleased that Dipper would show him the stairs, and Dipper, pleased that Mac wanted to play with her at last. At the top of the stairs they settled down under the table on the cool balcony floor. The Cat was gone, but Mac and Dipper had both forgotten. They lounged down in their favourite snooze positions and dreamed of pleasant doggy things. The End

arya-in-the-cockpit.txt

Arya in the Cockpit Arya always wanted to fly. When she was four years old, she wanted to be Rosamma. Arya saw her at the circus. Rosamma was a trapeze artist. Arya wanted to fly in the air from swing to swing. Her clothes would glitter like Rosamma’s. Hundreds of people would clap for her. She would eat cotton candy every day. Her best friend would be a clown. Trapeze artists climb a tall ladder, stand on a narrow board, hold the fly bar, and swing! Another trapeze artist is usually waiting to catch them on the other side. When Arya was eight years old she wanted to be Kalpana Chawla. She made herself an orange space suit. She wore it day and night. "Arya, aren’t you feeling hot in that suit?" "Astronauts have to get used to the suit, Amma. Space is not as safe as Earth is. My suit will protect me." Kalpana Chawla grew up in Haryana, India. As an astronaut, Kalpana flew around the earth 252 times! Kalpana died doing her job when the spacecraft she was inside broke apart while returning to Earth. When Arya was twelve years old, she wanted to be Amelia Earhart. She built a model plane for her school project. It couldn’t fly, but she still got the second prize. Arya even got a haircut like Amelia! Amelia was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone. Amelia’s dream was to fly around the world along the equator. She took off on her dream flight but went missing somewhere above the Pacific. Soon, Arya heard of Angulia Bai, Kumudammal and Sarla Thakral, the first Indian women to fly a plane. Angulia Bai was just sixteen years old! "I can’t wait till I’m a teenager!" "So you can drive?" "No." "So you can vote?" "No." "Then what?" "So I can fly." On 30 May, 1935, nineteen-year-old Kummudammal and sixteen-year-old Angulia Bai became the first women to obtain the ‘A’ pilot licence in India. They trained at the Madras Flying Club. When Arya was eighteen years old, she wanted to become a fighter pilot. "Who are they, Chechi?" asked her little brother Raju, seeing a poster on her wall. "They are Bhawana, Avani and Mohana, the first women to fly fighter planes in India." "Are they your friends?" Arya laughed. "Maybe some day, Raju…" Mohana, Bhawana and Avani are fighter pilots. Before them, only men were allowed to become fighter pilots in India. They protect the country’s borders from high up in the air. During disasters like floods and earthquakes, they take part in rescue missions. Arya saved up money to attend flying school. She spent years studying. She sat along with pilots to learn from them. She worked hard and ate a lot of carrots! Amma always said carrots are great for the eyes. Finally, she is ready to sit at the cockpit herself. Today is a special day for Arya. That’s her in the cockpit. She’s very excited because there are two special passengers on her plane this morning. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain, Arya. Welcome aboard!" "Chechi!" "That’s my daughter!"

mama-antelopes-house_en_3-17.txt

Long ago, all the animals lived in a village. Mama Antelope had a big house. One day, Hare wanted to play a trick. He thought and thought and thought… He crept into Mama Antelope’s house. He closed the door and made a lot of noise. PIN G! Mama Antelope came home. "Who is in my house?" she cried. "Hyena, please help! K ! Someone is in my house." CL IN Knock, knock, knock! "Open the door!" howled Hyena. But the door did not open. CRASH! SNAP ! G ! S M A S H ! Hyena called Giraffe. BA N "Open the door!" shouted Giraffe. But the door did not open. Giraffe called Zebra. "Open the door!" yelled Zebra. But the door did not open. H ! B AS BOO M! Zebra called Elephant. BOO M! He was big and strong. "Open the door!" commanded Elephant. BOO But the door M! BOO M did not open. ! Mama Antelope was sad. All the animals were sad. Who was in Mama Antelope’s house? The birds sang. The butterflies flapped. The bees buzzed. "Open the door!" they all cried. Baby Antelope came home. "Who is in our house?" "Please open the door," she asked sweetly. The door opened. It was Hare! Hare was smiling. He loved tricks. Hurrah! Hurrah! Mama Antelope and Baby Antelope are happy. The animals are happy. Mama Antelope’s house is open at last.

Dr-Freckles-Frog-.txt

Dr Freckles Frog. Dr Freckles sat quietly and nervously one sweet summer morning in amongst the long grass, he checked his old tiny pocket watch once, then once again shortly after. "1 o'clock, I must be there at 1 o'clock". Seeing it was only 11:30, he relaxed slightly when he realised he had time to gobble down his tasty dinner of wriggle worm pie, then he would have to hop off to be part of the biggest day of his life … his wedding day. He had spent no less than one whole week drying out his wet slippery skin so his suit would fit perfectly and would not become drenched, at last he was dressed and ready. "Oh, it doesn't matter if I'm early." He said cheerfully before getting up and making his way around the outskirts of the lake towards the waterfall church, suddenly … He let out a cry as a little reed warbler flew quickly out from behind the tall reeds causing him to jump back with shock, then … SPLASH ! He tumbled down the steep little bank and landed back first into the merky water, First he felt silly, … then he felt angry, and he soon began to yell and cry out … "Oh RERP IT ! … Rerp it, Rerp it all !" He said slapping the shallow water with his small clenched fists. "Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for your wedding and not splashing about in the lake using that language ?" Dr Freckles looked up onto the bank and saw Hector Hedgehog staring down at him. He then lifted him out of the water. "I was ready and now my suit is ruined, I'll never make it now !" "Come on we'll go to mine, I have a warm fire, we'll get those cloths dry in no time." Once in Hector's home he made himself comfortable in a arm chair after he had wrapped himself in a spider's silk towel, and Hector Hedgehog put his clothes carefully on the fire grate to dry. "MY HAT !" Dr Freckles suddenly shouted, frightening poor Hector. "I've left my hat behind, I can't get married without it, it's been in my families weddings for generations, it is our tradition to play a pipe and dance around it after the wedding, … how do I get it back ?" Just then a knock came at the door and hector left the room to answer it, it was Ruby Red Squirrel, Hector told her about Dr Freckles and as always she was more than happy to help. She headed straight away down to the lake and soon enough she spotted it on the head of a great crested grebe, he was clearly quite fond of his new hat and Ruby knew right away that it would be difficult to get him to part with it. Knowing that grebes are not the smartest of creatures she decided to make up a story to scare him off the hat, she approached him on the bank. "Good day sir !" "Oh hello miss." He said slapping his long beak as he spoke. "Oh I see you have the dreaded cursed hat sir" "The what did you say ?" He asked becoming quite concerned. "The cursed hat." "Good Lord, cursed you say ? … how ?" "It is said that whoever wears that hat for more than a day becomes terribly allergic to water." The grebe quickly tilted his head forward and the hat fell to the ground in front of them. "Allergic to water ! Oh good Lord, well I never." "Shall I get rid of it for you sir ?" "Yes please do dear, what a most dreadful thing." "Good day then sir !" Ruby picked up the hat and headed quickly back, Dr Freckles then had his hat, and was so very grateful, his cloths had dried nicely so the wedding went on as planned behind the small waterfall. Dr Freckles loved Lily Lou in her beautiful water lily dress and spider silk veil. After the celebrations he performed his ancestor's dance around the family hat. The following summer they had new additions to their family Terry, Thomas and Toby, three baby tadpoles. They grew into small frogs soon enough of course, and now every Saturday morning Susie Spider delivers a silk bundle of blue bottle flies for them. And Dr Freckles goes out to collect a few fresh worms. They then head out onto the middle of the lake for their weekly lily pad picnic, I have not as yet encountered a frog family so wonderfully happy or jolly, I often wave to them as they sit together munching the blue bottles as I pass the lake on warm Sunday evenings, they are never bad tempered or rude, they are only ever pleasant and kind, just a perfect example of a comforting love filled family. The End.

Mikolay-and-Julia-Meet-the-Fairies.txt

Mikolay and Julia live in the same neighbourhood and go to the same school every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Every other weekend they attend Magical Weekend School for children of magical creatures. Julia really likes school and she is one of the top students. But Mikolay wouldn’t mind if there weren’t as many Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays as they are. He doesn’t mind the weekend school because he is allowed to do lots of magic, which he really likes and is very good at. When Mikolay and Julia are not at school, they usually go exploring and adventuring. Mikolay’s and Julia’s mummies are both witches and are in charge of fixing things. Mikolay and Julia don’t quite know what the job involves but it must be hard because both mummies don’t spend much time at home, which gives Mikolay and Julia plenty of opportunities to explore. "I want to show you something" said Mikolay when Julia walked through the door. "Does it mean trouble again?" asked Julia watchfully, while following him around the corner. "I’m still not allowed to eat sweets after the last trouble we got into." Mikolay pointed to the mouse size hole in the wall and said, "This is where we are going to go." "But we are way too big," replied Julia. "I know that. That is why we are going to use a bit of magic," said Mikolay smiling while pulling a wand out of his left sock. "If you use magic outside the school, we are going to get into more trouble than ever. They will lock us up and there will be no sweets and no adventuring ever again," protested Julia. "We have to practise, don’t we? Besides, we’re at home so nobody will ever see us doing magic," said Mikolay. But Julia wasn’t convinced. "Come on Julia, it’s going to be fun and there’ll be loads of new books for you to read," carried on Mikolay. He touched the wall with his wand while saying "Eis Roto Onac" three times and grabbed Julia’s hand. Within seconds they were both transported through a very narrow tunnel to an amazing room. The room was full of magical objects, animals, photographs, paintings, strange looking plants and many flying books. "This place is fantastic," gasped Julia in delight. "I only found this room a few days ago and it seems that it keeps changing every time I come," said Mikolay. But Julia didn’t hear Mikolay. She was already exploring a huge bookshelf. When Mikolay noticed that Julia was gone he wandered off too. However he didn’t get very far when he heard singing voices coming from somewhere in the room. Because he couldn’t see anything, he kept on walking following the voices. "Quickly, come over here," Mikolay called, looking at the huge wardrobe. "I’m way too busy at the moment," replied Julia reading a huge book on oriental plants. "Come on, this is a real adventure I have here," screamed Mikolay again, this time more impatiently. Julia put her book down reluctantly and went to find Mikolay. "But this is just a wardrobe," said Julia quite surprised that Mikolay even bothered her. "Look how big and old it is. I think someone is singing inside the wardrobe. Can you hear that? Let’s open it," suggested Mikolay and without much thinking he pulled his wand out, touch the wardrobe’s door and said "Eis Izras" three times. Slowly the wardrobe’s door opened. "I love fairies so much. I would so love to touch one," whispered Julia in excitement when she saw that inside the wardrobe that lots of fairies were hiding. "You can touch me. But please do not touch my wings, they are very fragile," replied one fairy. "I’m Farina, the fairy queen," she introduced herself. Julia heard from her mummy that fairies were gentle creatures with singing voices just like the mermaids. Farina’s voice sounded just like a song. "What are you all doing in the wardrobe?" asked Mikolay. "Me and my fellow fairies are running away from a huge monster that keeps destroying our home land," sobbed Farina. "What kind of monster?" Mikolay wanted to know. "I don’t know what that monster is but it’s terribly scary, has huge jaws, creates clouds of smoke and makes loads of noise everywhere it goes. The worst part is that he is destroying everything on his way: animals, fairies, flowers, dwarves," continued Farina. "Where do you live Farina?" asked Mikolay. "We live in the fairy forest of huge trees which is on the other side of the lake," said Farina. "Mikolay, we must do something to help them!" screamed Julia. "We need to get to the other side of the lake if you want to help the fairies," said Mikolay. "Ok. We can do it. I don’t have to eat sweets like everyday, do I?" whispered Julia to herself. "But how can we get to the other side of the lake without telling mummy?" wondered Mikolay. "We could use my crystal ball for transportation," suggested Julia pulling out a small crystal ball out of her pocket. "Hold on to my hand Farina!" shouted Mikolay while being sucked into the crystal ball together with Julia. The three of them landed with their faces right in the mud in the fairy forest in a trice. They stood up and looked around. Many trees were pulled out of the ground with their roots crying for water. The lake was all polluted with thick layers of grease, the grass and flowers were squashed, many animals were walking around aimlessly looking for food and crying loudly. "Total elocological destruction," said Mikolay trying to use one of the funny long words Julia was always using. "Ecological" Julia corrected him whilst trying to help one of the unicorns to stand up. Mikolay didn’t say anything more, only looked and looked, trying to find some traces of the huge monster. Finally he said, "These are not monsters Farina. These are people and building machines. It seems that the humans are building something in your forest." "But our forest is sacred and magical with many unusual creatures and plants living here. We don’t want people to destroy everything!" said Farina. "We need to stop the humans Mikolay, like right now!" shouted Julia while pulling Mikolay’s hand. "I think we need to ask mummy for help. We can’t do it on our own Julia," suggested Mikolay. "If we tell your mummy or my mummy, I won’t be able to eat sweets like forever and there will be no more adventuring for you. They will lock us up and never let us out again," said Julia. "Oh, you might be right," said Mikolay thoughtfully." If we are not going to ask for help from grown ups, we will have to use a very powerful spell." "Are you allowed to use magic?" asked Farina. "Technically speaking, I’m not allowed to use advanced magic such as charms and hexes", admitted Mikolay. "But in this situation we have no other choice Farina" said Julia. "If we don’t want to get grown-ups involved and if we want to save your forest. The quicker we use magic, the quicker you all will be able to come back home. And you have to promise not ever tell anyone that Mikolay used advanced magic." "I promise I won’t," said Farina and crossed her heart three times. "Julia, do you think we should try a deactivating hex?" asked Mikolay "I’ve heard mummy use it once in a very similar situation." "It is powerful enough to turn the machines into dust and create a magnetic field for future protection. The question is if you can do it?" asked Julia. "Julia, Mikolay, look." screamed Farina pointing her finger towards the lake from where a group of people with huge dogs emerged. "I have no choice, I have to try. Fingers crossed." replied Mikolay. He took his wand out of his front pocket and hastily said "Eis Nasem Mocurcium" three times touching the surfers of the lake, the fallen tree and the muddy earth. The humans were just about to catch Mikolay when Julia activated the crystal ball grabbed Mikolay’s hand and transported the three of them safely back home. Several days went by before Mikolay and Julia found out that the fairies returned to their forest and none of the building works were ever going to be carried out in the forest of tall trees again. However the damage the humans had caused to the forest will need a long time to repair.

sailing-ships-and-sinking-spoons_kids_ebook_storyweaver_fkb.txt

Sailing Ships and Sinking Spoons Tenzin and Tashi were two young Tibetan monks. They lived in a small monastery on a beautiful green hill. Here, it was lovely when it rained. When Tashi looked out of the window late one morning, the rain was coming down hard. Rivulets were forming where the water had made paths on the muddy road. Tashi couldn’t think of a better way to spend the afternoon than sailing paper boats. Tashi and Tenzin set about making many paper boats. As soon as it stopped raining, the boys ran outside. They sailed the paper boats they had made – some big, some small. The boats floated nicely along the path. The two young monks were happy. As they trotted back home, they saw Gen Lobsang. Genla lived in the monastery and told the children the most wonderful stories. "Genla," shouted Tenzin. "Can you tell us a story about why boats float?" Gen Lobsang thought for a minute and said, "I don’t know why boats – or ships, for that matter – float. But I am curious to find out." Genla: A polite way of addressing the teacher in Tibetan Genla and the children decided to go and ask Miss Sonam, the science teacher, if she knew why boats float. Tenzin and Tashi gently pulled Gen Lobsang from his chair. They held his hands to help him walk. When they reached her room, Miss Sonam was reading a book. "Tashi delek," said Genla, Tashi and Tenzin. "Tashi delek," she replied. "We have a question for you," said Genla. Tashi delek: A common Tibetan greeting; tashi means ‘good fortune’ and delek means ‘well being’. "Yes, can you tell us what makes boats float on water, Miss?" Tenzin asked. "I can," said Miss Sonam. "Or maybe we can find out together?" Before they knew it, Miss Sonam was giving instructions. "Tenzin, please bring a plastic basin from the kitchen." "Tashi, please fetch a small bucket of water." "Genla, hold this apple. Please don’t eat it." Miss Sonam asked Tashi to fill the tub to the brim. "Now, Genla," she said, "dip the apple in the tub, please. Enough to cover it completely in water." Genla gently dropped the fruit into the tub and pushed it down with his little finger. Some water spilled. Tashi and Tenzin shrieked, "The water is overflowing!" Genla let go of the apple, and it rose up. Miss Sonam was smiling. "What happened here?" she asked. "Genla pushed the apple into the water," said Tenzin. "Water spilled," said Tashi. "The apple’s floating," said Genla. "Correct answers, all of you!" said Miss Sonam. "Now, can you tell me how much water spilled, Tenzin? Was it about half a cup? One cup?" Tenzin looked at the water on the table and on the floor. He said, "Maybe one cup." "That sounds right," said Miss Sonam. Genla and Tashi nodded in agreement. "Now, take the apple out. Tashi, fill up the tub again. Here, Tenzin. Will you drop this spoon into the water?" Tenzin did. The spoon sank to the bottom. "Too heavy," said Genla. "Not as heavy as a ship in the sea," said Tenzin. "Very little water spilled this time, not even a quarter of a cup!" said Tashi, a little sad. "Again, you’re all correct," said Miss Sonam. Then she asked: "Do you see? After Genla dropped the apple into the water, the apple pushed some water away before it could float." "Is that the water that spilled?" asked Tenzin. "Yes. So the apple could float because it pushed away more water than its own weight. That means, the apple is lighter than the water it pushed away." "What about the spoon then?" Genla said. "Well, the spoon also pushed some water away. But much less. Certainly less than its own weight. So it sank." "What about large ships in the sea, on which there are many people?" asked Tenzin. "...and many spoons that sink?" added Tashi. "The spoons won’t make a ship sink, Tashi. The ship is big enough to push away a lot of water. Again, like the apple, more water than its own weight. You don’t notice it because in the ocean, there is so much water. The ship is still lighter than the amount of water that it pushes away." They were all quiet for a bit. "I think I understand," said Tenzin, slowly. "Can we sail some boats now?" asked Tashi. "It’s time for my tea," said Genla. Miss Sonam smiled. "Yes, enjoy yourselves!" she said, and gave the boys colour paper to make boats. Tenzin and Tashi made more colourful boats and set them down in the water. "I don’t see any water spilling now," said Tashi. "No, silly. The water doesn’t always spill. It just gets pushed away," replied Tenzin. "I think the boats just make some space for themselves in the stream," said Genla. They watched the blue and yellow boats, red and green boats, and white boats sailing. Like prayer flags floating in the stream. What is Gravity? What would happen if Tenzin dropped a football from the top of a tree? Would it fall to the ground or rise towards the sky? That’s right, it would fall because of a force called gravity. Did you know that everything gets pulled towards the earth by that force? What is Buoyancy? What would happen if Tashi dropped a football into a bucket of water? Would gravity pull the football to the bottom of the bucket? Yes, but in water, there is an upward force that opposes gravity. It is called buoyancy. As gravity tries to pull the football down, buoyancy tries to push it up. In the case of the football, buoyancy is stronger than gravity. So it floats. What would happen if he drops a brick into the bucket? Why? What is Displacement? When you drop an object into water, it tries to make space for itself by pushing some water aside. In other words, the object displaces water to make space for itself. Bigger objects, like a basketball, displace more water than smaller ones, like a cricket ball. A long time ago, a Greek scientist named Archimedes discovered that when the weight of the water displaced by an object is more than the weight of the object, it floats. That is why apples float in water. Can you guess why other objects sink? What is Density? Every object around us is made of tiny particles that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Density is how closely these particles are packed in an object. The weight of Tashi’s small glass marble may be the same as Miss Sonam’s apple. But why is the apple bigger? Because there is more space between the particles in the apple. In the marble, the particles are much closer to each other. An apple is less dense than a marble. Generally, dense objects sink in water. Here’s a game you can play with your friends: Pick four or five objects. Guess which ones will float and which will sink. Then drop them into a bucket or tub of water to check. Have fun!

the-drawing-game_CC-BY-SA-FKB.txt

The Drawing Game Jeenu is spending her summer holidays at her grandma’s house. She has no friends here. She is bored. "Play with me, Ajji!" she says. Ajji says, "Go get a piece of chalk. Let’s play a game." Jeenu is excited. What game will Ajji play? Ajji draws a shape. "Can you guess what this is?" she asks. "It is a circle." Jeenu makes a face. She does not like this silly game. "Yes, but it is also something more," says Ajji. Jeenu thinks, then she smiles. "It is a smiley face!" she says. Ajji claps. "You understood the game!" "Look at what I have drawn!" says Jeenu. Activity: What can you draw with three circles? Ajji draws another shape. "A triangle!" Jeenu shouts. Then she laughs. "Look what I have made!" "Well done, Jeenu!" says Ajji. "Look who has come to play with us!" Activity: What can you draw with three circles and four triangles? Ajji draws a shape with four sides. "Is it a rectangle?" Jeenu asks. "Look carefully. All the sides are the same length." "It is a square! Hmmm...see Ajji, I have drawn a window." "Do you want a tree near your window?" asks Ajji. "Yes Ajji, thank you!" says Jeenu. She looks at all the chalk drawings. Can she paint them now? Activity: What can you draw with a triangle and a rectangle? Soon, Jeenu holds up her painting. "Ah, so many circles and triangles and squares!" says Ajji. "Yes, but it is also something more, Ajji! It is a bird flying to its home in a tree. And guess who is coming to lunch? Her best friend, Mr. Giraffe!" "That’s so clever, Jeenu!" Ajji exclaims. Jeenu wants to draw some more. What do she and Ajji draw next? Activity: What would you draw using circles, triangles and squares?

circles_en_FKB_childrens_story_about_death.txt

On a cliff there lived a young vulture with his mother. When he was old enough to fly, his mother They saw an old took him high into the air and they circled gemsbok staggering together, watching the ground below. through the heat. "Look there. That gemsbok "I want to show you something beautiful," won’t last long." she told her son. The two vultures flew down. "This isn’t beautiful," said the young vulture to his mother. "This is horrible!" Sure enough, the buck collapsed right there and died. "I know," said his mother. "Death is very "Just wait," she said. "We will come back difficult, and very sad. But it is also here soon and you will see." beautiful." "No ways," said the young vulture. "Yuck." The next week, they visited the dead buck. Its skeleton was clean and white, and tiny plants had started to grow between the bones. The week after that, the shoots had grown tall and blossomed. A butterfly sipped at the flowers and a songololo rested in their shade. A week later, a pair of weavers was picking the leaves to build a nest. Bees were collecting pollen from the blossoms. And a spider had made her home between the buck’s horns. And the week after that, they saw a young gemsbok nibbling the tasty shoots. "Well?" said the vulture’s mother. "Look at the life one buck has given. He has given a spider a home and weavers a nest, fed bees and butterflies, sheltered a songololo, and helped the next generation of buck grow strong." The young vulture smiled. The two of them flew back to their nest high up on the cliff. "It is not just our bodies we leave behind when we die," said the mother vulture. "We also leave our lessons and our love and our memories." "Where do we leave "We leave them in our children and in our all those things?" family and friends. You are already my asked the little green patch on earth, Little Vulture. And vulture. you will be, forever."

9009-why-is-nita-upside-down.txt

Why is Nita Upside Down? Nita's hanging upside down, her long hair tickling at the ground. The trees, the grass, the everything is all the wrong way round. Her feet, they poke into the sky. Little Navi's walking by. He says 'I've seen you here before. You're upside down again! What for?' His feet swim lightly in the air. She tries to hide behind her hair. 'It's h-h-h-hard to t-t-talk', she says to him. 'I'm not the same. I don't fit in.' Navi takes her by the hand. He wants to help her understand. They climb to Navi's look-out spot. From up here they can see a lot. They perch and have a quiet stare at children playing here and there. Those kids are not the same at all. Abe's round. Chi's freckled. Lala's extra tall. BamBam's wild and must run free, while Lulu's reading quietly. Look at Freya's crazy hair. And Tim wears glasses everywhere. And me, I am just skin and bone. And you are you. You're not alone. Each human’s sort of strange, you see. That makes you just the same, like me. This world is really one big game. To play, we can’t all be the same. Nita feels the right way round, thanks to the new friend she’s found. Upside down was never fun. Now she plays with everyone.

Little-Ants-Big-Plan.txt

Candice Dingwall Steven McKimmie Telri Stoop Little Ant loved to read. Little Ant was often teased. "Ants don’t read. Ants must feed. Ants collect the food they need." Little Ant would read all day, he’d read and read the day away. The other ants took what they found to store for winter underground. His mum and dad got really mad, and Little Ant felt really bad. In autumn when the leaves fall down, the ants must keep food underground. The Queen wants food to fill the store, so all the ants must work some more. Little Ant begins to shout about a place he read about. "A restaurant is what we need, a place where people go to feed. It says so in the books I read." The ants go marching one by one. They march into the setting sun. And Little Ant said "Hey, there’s one!" The ants go marching one by one, carrying a burger, carrying a bun. When they return the Queen is glad. The stores are full. They cheer like mad. Ant gets hugs from mum and dad. His baby sister takes his hand "Now I think I understand." "The way you love to read a book … Makes me want to take a look."

laundry-day_FKB.txt

Laundry Day My name is Mary. This is where I live. Today is a new day. That means it’s time to do the washing. Everyone’s arms are covered in bubbles. Soapy puddles make rainbows in the streets. Grace Aunty washes her uniform. Tomorrow she will wear it to her clinic. Jauna Aunty hangs up the blanket her grandmother wove in her village. The yarn is dyed the colours of Jauna Aunty’s home. Fatima Aunty’s line is draped with scarves. They will smell sweet when she wraps them around her head. Zakir Chacha’s autowalla uniform hangs outside his house. He sews a missing button onto the clean shirt. At Geetha Aunty’s house, cotton saris sway in the breeze. They sound like birds flapping their wings. Joseph Uncle’s line is covered with socks. They keep his feet warm during his shift as a security guard. My brother, David, and I start washing our school uniforms. We scrub away the ink stains on the pockets and the chalk dust on the sleeves. Tomorrow, our clothes will get dirty again. But right now, everything is clean.

rhino-charge-pratham-FKB.txt

Rhino Charge In the grasslands of a National Park called Kaziranga, there lived a baby rhinoceros called Ringo. He was as strong as a baby rhino could be and lived with his mother and father. His brownish-grey hairless skin was knobby. He was very proud of his single horn made up of matted hair. Ringo was very shy and loved to wallow in the wet mud on the banks of the Brahmaputra which flows through the sanctuary. One hot afternoon, Ringo came to the river to drink water. This was the place where most animals came to drink water. There he saw gathered on the banks, a group of animals. There was Gajaraj, the elephant, Natkhat, the langur, Hemu, the swamp deer, Kalia, the crow, Nelu, the Indian Bison, Harini, the black necked stork along with Bhanu and Hari, the two frogs. Gajaraj, the elephant was the first to spot Ringo. "HELLO!" He trumpeted. "I am Gajaraj the elephant and these are my friends." Ringo very shyly looked at them all. "What is your name?" Natkhat, the langur asked. Ringo looked around and took a step back. "I am R-H-I-N…Rhin…" Just then a fly sat on his nose and Ringo sneezed. Natkhat giggled and jumped on to the branch of the tree which had spread itself above the water. "He, he, he…Rhin…Rhin." They all thought that he was just "Rhin." Hemu, the deer looked at Ringo, turned up her nose and bent down to drink water. Bhanu and Hari swam deep down into the water and bobbed up and down every few minutes. And Harini did not look at Ringo. Kalia cawed loudly. "So, you are Rhin. What a strange name." Ringo looked at them. He snorted. "Rhin, Rhin…Hehehe…" Natkhat chattered. Ringo, the rhino stepped back and charged. His head bent, he snorted and charged. His short, strong legs ran so fast that he did not stop. He was very angry. How could he be so silly and shy that he could not tell them his name? He ran and ran through the tall grass along the bank. He passed herds of deer grazing on tender grass. The field mice, the wild rabbit and the eagle… he ran past all of them. Suddenly he found himself on the main highway which ran close to the National Park. He stood in the middle of the highway. "How could I be so shy and not be able to say my name? I must practice hard." He snorted and grunted and started... "RHIN, RHIN, RHIN..." He got stuck again. "This will not do...," he said to himself. Suddenly, there was honking. The buses, cars and trucks stopped. What was this rhino doing in the middle of the highway? "Honk... honk..." Ringo felt scared. He turned and charged back again down the slope, across the open land. He charged... as fast as his legs took him. He ran and ran till he reached the tall grass and he said to himself, "Rhino… Rhino… Rhino…Rhino…" The eagle had flown high up in the sky and with his sharp, beady eyes, he spotted Ringo practicing very hard to say his name, loud and clear. The field mice also watched and so did the rabbit. They did not make fun. "Rhino… Ring… Rhinos… RHINOCEROS… I am Ringo, the RHINOCEROS… RINGO, the RHINOCEROS." At last, Ringo did not feel shy… he looked at the field mice and said, "I am Ringo, the Rhinoceros." He went back to the same place where all the animals came to drink the cool water from the Brahmaputra. Soon, Gajaraj came followed by Neelu, Hemu, Natkhat, Kalia, and Harini. Bhanu and Hari were already there. The field mice, wild rabbit and the eagle joined them. Ringo looked at them. Slowly and surely he said loud and clear, "I am RINGO, the RHINOCEROS." He could not imagine that he could say his name so clearly. Gajaraj said, "Hello RINGO… Rhinoceros." The eagle said, "He has worked hard to say his name. We must not make fun of others." Gajaraj looked at Natkhat. "No making fun." Natkhat said, "Let’s be friends, Ringo Rhinoceros." "This National Park is for all animals." Gajaraj trumpeted loudly. "We must live in harmony and not make fun of others." All the other animals said "Hello, Ringo… Rhinoceros." Ringo was very happy. He had learnt to say his name and was no longer shy and had made so many new friends.

Thats-Funny.txt

That's funny! There's a big bunny drinking tea with honey. That's neat! Rudy can balance one carrot and one beet On top of each of her feet. Whew! Did you see that, too? A toad just jumped into my shoe! Ouch! This kangaroo on the couch Has a thorn stuck in her pouch. That's crazy! That caterpillar is so lazy. For two days he just lay on a daisy. That’s cool! When Luis left for school, He was followed by his mule. That's scary! Something big, dark, and hairy Is eating my last blueberry. That’s wild! Grandma’s phone number was dialed By a two-and-a-half-year-old child. That's loud! There's a whole crowd Playing horns where they're not allowed. That's smelly! This skunk has on his belly Steamed asparagus with garlic jelly. Did you hear rustling in the tall grass? I think a deer just ran past. That was fast! Billy put pizza in his chili. OK, now really, That's just silly! Alright. It’s time to turn out the light. Have a good night!

049-CLARICE-THE-CAT-Free-Childrens-Book-By-Monkey-Pen.txt

Meow!! I mean: Hello, I am Clarice the Cat. I know I don’t look like a regular cat. It’s not because I’m skinny, and not because I’m fat. It is because my owner makes me a pretty cat. From dressing me in costumes and flowery hats to painting my nails. Can you imagine that! She always treats me tenderly, and feeds me twice a day. Miss Molly is never too busy to sit by me and play. She makes my pretty costumes from old dolls’ clothes and such. I never know what I’ll be wearing, but I know it will cause a fuss. Miss Molly is my favorite person, and as she grows and grows, I hope she will always be my friend, and make me all my clothes. Purr! I mean. "Good Night!"

the-pig-with-the-runaway-tail-Pratham-FKB.txt

The Pig With The Runaway Tail Pongal the pig loves sleeping. Sometimes she sleeps all day! No wonder her tail gets bored easily. One day, when Pongal wakes up from her afternoon nap, her tail is nowhere to be found. It has gone on an adventure without her! The pig feels silly without a tail. So, she decides to go look for it. SCRRRUNCH! "This forest is much too untidy!" Pongal says. EEEK! She trips over a log. DHADAAAM! She falls into a bush. "Why don’t you try a mushroom tail instead?" Langur replies. "HUMPH!" Pongal says. "But I want my own tail back!" She goes to look for it somewhere else. OOOOF! "This city is much too noisy!" Pongal says. BEEP-BEEP! She dodges a zigzagging auto ricksha. DRRING-DRRING! She tries to crawl under a bicycle. "Why don’t you try a balloon tail instead?" Crow replies. "GAAAH!" Pongal says. "But I want my own tail back!" She goes to look for it somewhere else. GRRRUMPH! "This cave is much too dark!" Pongal says. CLICK-CLACK! She carefully steps forward on the stone floor. KHADAAAK! She tumbles into a pile of rocks . "Why don’t you try a stalactite tail instead?" Bat replies. "UFFFF!" Pongal says. "But I want my own tail back!" She goes to look for it somewhere else. SPLISH-SPLOSH! "It’s much too wet under the ocean!" Pongal says. DHUM-DHUM! Some colourful fish want to dance with Pongal. WHOOSH! She hides behind some coral. "Why don’t you try a seaweed tail instead?" Turtle replies. "UGGGGH!" Pongal says. "But I want my own tail back!" She goes to look for it somewhere else. PLONK! "This desert is much too hot!" Pongal says. FOOOSSH! She doesn’t realise she is sitting at the edge of a dune. WHUMP! She rolls all the way down to the bottom. "Why don’t you try a cactus tail instead?" Camel replies. "AAAOOON!" Pongal squeals. "But I want my own tail back!" She goes to look for it somewhere else. BRRRRRR! "The top of a mountain is much too cold!" Pongal says. AYIEEEE! The rest of the world is a long way below. THUMMMP-THUMMMP! She steps back before she feels too dizzy. "Has anybody seen my tail?" Pongal asks. "Why don’t you try a sock tail instead?" Yak replies. Pongal stares at her newest tail. "This is very pretty," Pongal says. She remembers all the other tails she tried on. HARRRUMPH! "I’m certainly not going to wear a cactus ever again!" But having so many different tails is actually quite fun. Everybody else has the same one forever, she realises. Pongal comes to a decision. The tail can travel the world and have its adventures. The pig will stay back home and have her own.

Fairy-Circles-Truly-a-Fairy-Tale.txt

FAIRY CIRCLES - truly a fairy tale On the South West coast of Africa there is a magical place called Namibia. My family and I are travelling there for our vacation. Namibia is like a land that time has forgotten. The land has been untouched for so long, many people believe it has turned magical. PAGE 1 Or the wonderful colours of the desert, which change with the changing light of the day. Some of the highest dunes in the world are there. The desert itself is one of the oldest, which is why it is such a deep red in places. PAGE 3 There are the Tsaris mountains, that seem to show the many layers of the earth's crust. There is a place where the Swakop River carved spectacular moonscapes in the granite rock around 450 million years ago. PAGE 4 Scientists think these circles may be created by termites, ...or perhaps by fungi. (a fungi is a little bit like a mushroom, or, that is to say a mushroom is a type of fungi) But they don't know for sure. PAGE 6 I think they are created by fairies. After all, why else would they be called "Fairy Circles?" PAGE 7 Do you think they dance in the day or night? I bet they choose to dance on the plains of the desert in the small hours of the morning. Or perhaps they dance during the day time when no one is looking. Wherever and whenever they dance, they leave the perfectly formed fairy circles. Where nothing grows inside, only around the edge. PAGE 9 Perhaps the big ones are made by big fairies, and the small ones are made by small fairies. Perhaps the big giant ones, like this one, are made by a Giant Queen Mother fairy, who is the biggest fairy of them all. Perhaps she has many minion fairies with her to help with the dances. PAGE 11 The first ever symposium about Fairy Circles was held in 2015. (A symposium is a big meeting where lots of experts get together). They held it in the Namib Desert – of course! I bet they had lots of fun and learnt a lot. ….But.... they all agreed, they are still not sure what causes Fairy Circles. PAGE 12 What do you think causes Fairy Circles? I still think it is fairies, and I really hope I will see some, so then I can tell you for sure. PAGE 14 If you liked this book, please leave a review here: Many more books like this are THE END available here: Support NaDEET here: More about fairy circles here: Acknowledgements Thanks to all those who have made their photos available in Creative Commons. Thanks to NaDEET for their partnership on this project. Thanks to friends and family for all the assistance with early drafts and especially those who helped with editing advice. Creative Commons contributors: Thorsten Becker, Feenkreise, Hans Stieglitz. Editing Contributions: Brenda Whittaker, Anita Redding, Kanika G. Thanks to The Namibian, for permission to feature a quote from their article on Fairy Circles: full article can be found here: Danielle Bruckert FUN FACTS Fairy Circles Fairy Circles are mysterious in nature and appearance. No one knows what causes Fairy Circles, although there has been a lot of research completed on the topic by scientists. The most common theories are: ● sand termites; ● algae or fungi beneath the surface; ● residual plant toxins (residual poisons remaining after the death of certain plants); ●competing vegetation ecosystems; ● fairies (or perhaps dragons, or gods, but mostly fairies;-). Fairy Circles occur only in the Namib Desert. They are mainly found on the eastern border where the rain fall is highest. Fairy Circles range from around 1 metre up to 30 metres. Really big Fairy Circles are sometimes used by local tribes as a kraal for livestock. Albi Bruckner, organiser of the 2015 Fairy Circle Symposium, and NamibRand founder, comments"I'm glad they didn't fnd the cause, as it makes such a great story."We fully agree! There are not many magical things left in this world, this is one of them. The only permanent rivers in the country form the Northern and Southern borders. Its neighbouring countries are Angola, Botswana, and South Africa. The tip of the Caprivi Strip extends towards Victoria falls, where four countries, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia meet. Namibia is one of the least populated countries in the world. At the time of writing it is second only to Mongolia. There are approximately 2.2 million people in 825,000 square km. The offcial language is English, but there are twelve different languages spoken in Namibia, including nine tribal languages. The Damara and Nama languages utilise 'clicks' similar to that of the Kalahari bushmen. There are many amazing natural wonders within the country: - The Fish River Canyon is the largest canyon in Africa, and takes fve days to walk through. - The Ovahimba tribe in the North, despite being one of the wealthiest tribes in the country, still live the same way they have for hundreds of years. - The Welwitschia plant is called a 'living fossil', as some plants have been alive for over 1000 years. - The Skeleton Coast is famous for its large number of ship wrecks, victims of the coastal fog and unforgiving waters of the Atlantic Ocean. - The quaint and picturesque coastal town of Swakopmund provides details of Namibia's German colonial heritage, and lots of fun for tourists. The Namib Desert The Namib Desert is where Namibia derives its name from. It stretches the length of Namibia's West coast, and includes the infamous stretch of coastline known as the Skeleton Coast. It spreads inland from the coast up to the sharp rise of the escarpment, with the Tsaris and Naukluft mountains prominent border features. The Namib is one of the most diverse deserts in the world, and may be one of the oldest. It has one of the largest number of endemic species of any desert in the world. With the annual rainfall between 2mm and 200mm, depending on the area, it is Southern Africa's only true desert. An increase in eco-tourism has seen many livestock farms in the Namib converted into wildlife sanctuaries, allowing the endemic species to thrive. Animals found in the Namib include the majestic oryx (or gamsbok), Namibia's national animal, large numbers of fur seal, the endangered desert rhino and desert elephant, and many more. The Namib hosts some of the highest permanent dunes in the world. Dune 7 is approximately 1250ft high. The stunning Sossusvlei Valley provides opportunity to climb some of these dunes, with Big Daddy being the most popular for ascent, and a very close second in height to Dune 7 at approximately 1150ft. QUESTIONS What causes Fairy Circles? A. fungi B. termites C. fairies D. no one really knows Where do they occur? A. Namib Desert, B. Sahara Desert, C. Kalahari Desert D. on my dessert; Where is Namibia? A. Africa, B. Asia, C. America, D. Atlantis What is a Welwitschia? A. plant, B. animal, C. fossil, D. insurance ACTIVITIES Here are some ideas for a project about Namibia: 1. Research one of the topics in this book and create a story board or article with pictures and information about what you have found. 2. Draw a painting of one of the plants or areas in this book. 3. Apply to join one of the young researcher's camps in the Namib Desert. When travelling to Namibia: 4. Create a travel journal when you are visiting the Namib Desert, including pictures and interesting information about where you have been. 5. Collect some samples of rock, sand, plants, feathers, and other items that can be found in the desert (ensure not to disturb the natural habitat). About this Project All proceeds from sale of the book will go directly to NaDEET for the beneft of nature conservation and desert research and education in Namibia. This book is available for free for distribution, attribution must be provided to and . Any proceeds from this book must be donated to NaDEET. No derivatives. About NaDEET The Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust (NaDEET) is a non-proft, Namibian trust established in 2003. The NaDEET Centre is located 100 km south of Sesriem/Sossusvlei on the NamibRand Nature Reserve, and the head offce is located in the coastal city of Swakopmund. NaDEET believes environmental education must not only increase awareness and knowledge but also eco-friendly attitudes and skills in Namibia's youth and educators to promote participation. To contact NaDEET write to [email protected] More information about NaDEET is available at: About the Author Danielle Bruckert Danielle's heart was taken by Namibia when she frst arrived. People always ask her how she could leave the country some call God Zone, hopefully this book will help explain. She spent many years fying over the beautiful Namib Desert, as a charter pilot, and when asked about the strange dotted landscape she loved explaining to passengers "They're made by fairies, of course, why else would they have such a name?". With a passion for children's books, and a desire to promote literacy, Danielle created the website 'Free Kids Books' to share free children's books and literacy material, where many of her own books can be found. To contact the author write to [email protected] More books like this one are available at: Fairy Circles -truly a fairy tale On a visit to the Namib Desert, the mysterious phenomenon of Fairy Circles is discovered. Are they really caused by fairies? A fun look at fairy circles and the Namib Desert with a creative mix of fact and imagination.

Searching-for-the-Spirit-of-Spring.txt

The Winter cold had passed. Spring was coming to Nkanyezi’s village. Soon the villagers would gather to celebrate the new season. Nkanyezi looked forward to the Spring festival more than any other day in the year. One warm morning, Nkanyezi overheard two village elders talking about the festival. "The people of Ndlovu have lost their spirit of celebration," one sighed. "How can we have a Spring festival in a village that has forgotten how to celebrate?" asked another. Nkanyezi was worried. "How will the sun shine again unless we sing to wake it from its winter slumber?" she asked herself. Nkanyezi thought for a long time. "I must find what we have lost," she decided. "I must go in search of things that will bring back the spirit of celebration to my village." The elders gave Nkanyezi their blessing for the journey. They gave her a bag to carry the things she would find. Nkanyezi was afraid, but she believed she would succeed. Nkanyezi walked all day. She hiked up a hill, and down into a valley. She sailed across the great river, and climbed between sharp rocks. She marched across the plains until she reached the shadow of the red mountains. As night was closing in, Nkanyezi arrived at a village of patterns and colours as she had never seen before. She told the village elders about her journey to bring back the spirit of celebration to her people. The mother of this tribe gave Nkanyezi a gift. She told the girl, "With love we give to you this paint to restore colour to a village that has gone dull." Nkanyezi thanked the elders and put the paint in her bag. Early the next morning she went on her way again, excited with this gift of colour. Nkanyezi walked all day, through a vast forest of giant trees. As the sky became too dark for her to see, she heard the sound of beating drums. She hurried towards the drumming, feeling the spirit of dance coming to her tired feet. Nkanyezi found herself in the village of the Bhubezi. People were sitting around a fire, drumming and singing. She had never before heard such wonderful music. She told the village elders about her journey to bring back the spirit of celebration to her people. The Bhubezi invited her to rest and stay the night. In the morning the chief called on Nkanyezi. "My child," he said, "here is a special drum. It plays a new song every time you beat it." Nkanyezi thanked the elders and put the drum in her bag. She went on her way again, delighted with this gift of music and dance. On the third day of her journey, as she passed a field of fat cows, her nose started to tingle. An aroma tickled her taste buds and her mouth started to water. She followed the scent, and arrived in a village to find people standing over steaming pots of stew. This tribe was famous for its feasts and Nkanyezi had never before tasted such flavours. After she had eaten her fill, she told the village elders about her journey to bring back the spirit of celebration to her people. The next day, the council of cooks gave her a secret spice blend. "Our daughter," they said, "with these spices, happy tummies are guaranteed! We give you the gift of good food." Nkanyezi thanked the elders and put the spices in her bag. She knew she had everything she needed.With new energy she started the long journey back to the village of Ndlovu. When she arrived home the villagers gathered around her to hear of her adventures. She told them the tales of what she had seen, heard, and eaten. Then she opened her bag to share the gifts given. The people rejoiced to receive these treasures. Through the generosity of others and the courage of Nkanyezi, the villagers again found the colour, song and dance in their lives. And so the spirit of celebration was restored to the village of Ndlovu.

Little-Red-Riding-Hood.txt

Little Red Riding Hood Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen. Her mother was excessively fond of her; and her grandmother doted on her still more. This good woman had a little red riding hood made for her. It suited the girl so extremely well that everybody called her Little Red Riding Hood. One day her mother, having made some cakes, said to her, "Go, my dear, and see how your grandmother is doing, for I hear she has been very ill. Take her a cake, and this little pot of butter." Little Red Riding Hood set out immediately to go to her grandmother, who lived in another village. As she was going through the wood, she met with a wolf, who had a very great mind to eat her up, but he dared not, because of some woodcutters working nearby in the forest. He asked her where she was going. The poor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf, said to him, "I am going to see my grandmother and carry her a cake and a little pot of butter from my mother." "Does she live far off?" said the wolf "Oh I say," answered Little Red Riding Hood; "it is beyond that mill you see there, at the frst house in the village." "Well," said the wolf, "and I'll go and see her too. I'll go this way and go you that, and we shall see who will be there frst." The wolf ran as fast as he could, taking the shortest path, and the little girl took a roundabout way, entertaining herself by gathering nuts, running after butterfies, and gathering bouquets of little fowers. It was not long before the wolf arrived at the old woman's house. He knocked at the door: tap, tap. "Who's there?" "Your grandchild, Little Red Riding Hood," replied the wolf, counterfeiting her voice; "who has brought you a cake and a little pot of butter sent you by mother." The good grandmother, who was in bed, because she was somewhat ill, cried out, "Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up." The wolf pulled the bobbin, and the door opened, and then he immediately fell upon the good woman and ate her up in a moment, for it been more than three days since he had eaten. He then shut the door and got into the grandmother's bed, expecting Little Red Riding Hood, who came some time afterwards and knocked at the door: tap, tap. "Who's there?" Little Red Riding Hood, hearing the big voice of the wolf, was at frst afraid; but believing her grandmother had a cold and was hoarse, answered, "It is your grandchild Little Red Riding Hood, who has brought you a cake and a little pot of butter mother sends you." The wolf cried out to her, softening his voice as much as he could, "Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up." Little Red Riding Hood pulled the bobbin, and the door opened. The wolf, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under the bedclothes, "Put the cake and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and come get into bed with me." Little Red Riding Hood took off her clothes and got into bed. She was greatly amazed to see how her grandmother looked in her nightclothes, and said to her, "Grandmother, what big arms you have!" "All the better to hug you with, my dear." "Grandmother, what big legs you have!" "All the better to run with, my child." "Grandmother, what big ears you have!" "All the better to hear with, my child." "Grandmother, what big eyes you have!" "All the better to see with, my child." "Grandmother, what big teeth you have got!" "All the better to eat you up with." And, saying these words, this wicked wolf fell upon Little Red Riding Hood, and ate her all up. Moral: Children should never talk to strangers, for if they should do so, they may well provide dinner for a wolf. I say "wolf," but there are various kinds of wolves. There are also those who are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet, who pursue young children at home and in the streets. And unfortunately, it is these gentle strangers and sometimes friends who are the most dangerous ones of all. If you should ever see someone you are scared of tell an adult you trust straight away.

a-stitch-in-time_FKB.txt

A Stitch in Time Khrrrrrrr... "Oh no," wails Shyam. The seams of his favourite shirt have come apart. "I can’t wear this shirt anymore, Thatha!" "Of course you can, silly," his grandfather says. "We can repair it!" Thatha takes a needle and a spool of blue thread. He shows Shyam how to stitch the seams together. Shyam’s friend Shrisha has come home. "Let’s go cycling," she says. "In a minute," says Shyam. "Let me iron my shirt first." He switches on the iron box. But the light doesn’t glow, and the iron remains cold. "Ufff! I’ll just wear the crumpled shirt," grumbles Shyam. "I was at the Repair Mela last week," says Shrisha. "George Uncle, who teaches chemistry in my brother’s college, was repairing an iron box. I watched what he was doing very closely. Let’s try to set it right! Do you have a screwdriver?" Shyam hunts in the cupboard and gets a screwdriver. Shrisha unscrews the back of the iron. "See this wire? When you switch on the power, electric current passes through it and heats up the iron plate. This process is called conduction," says Shrisha. "And this small thing is the thermostat. It makes sure that the iron doesn’t get too hot. If the heat goes way up, it just cuts off the power. The red light goes out. When the iron cools down, the current flows again and the light comes on." "Other heating devices must work the same way, right? Geysers, kettles, ovens?" But Shrisha is not listening. She’s peering into the iron. "What’s wrong?" asks Shyam. "I don’t think I can repair it." "Oh no! Appa and Amma will scold us when they see what we have done to the iron box!" "We’ll take it to the Repair Mela! They’ll help us." Before Shyam's parents can ask them about the iron box, he and Shrisha take it and sneak out on their cycles to the Repair Mela. "Aunty, can you help us repair this iron box?" Shrisha asks Anupama Aunty. "What’s wrong with it?" "It won’t switch on!" says Shrisha. Anupama Aunty takes out a little box with wires and knobs. "This is a multimeter," she says. "It checks if all parts of the iron are allowing electric current to flow. Let’s start with the plug." Next, she tests all the other parts, until she comes to a small wire. "See this wire next to the plug? It’s broken, even though it doesn’t look damaged—there’s your problem!" She cuts out the old wire and plug, and fixes a new wire and plug to the iron box. "Let’s test it." She switches it on, and the light glows. After helping out at the Mela and observing repairs for a while, they decide to head home. "Oh no, the rear tyre has a puncture. Let’s take it to Manigandan Anna!" says Shrisha. "Puncture? No problem," says Manigandan Anna, who has a small cycle repair shop in the neighbourhood. He has been invited to the Repair Mela. He turns the cycle upside down. He takes a pair of tyre levers andpries the tyre away from the metal rim. Soon the inner tube is out. "Can you see a hole anywhere?" Anna asks the children. They can’t. "Then how do you tell where the puncture is?" he asks. The children look at him cluelessly. He immerses the tube, part by part, in a tub half-filled with water. At one point, they see small bubbles rising. "See? That’s where the hole is!" He cuts a small piece of rubber from an old tube. After rubbing the surface of the tube around the hole with sandpaper, he applies a rubber adhesive to the tube and the piece of rubber. "Come, seal this," he says. Shyam puts the piece of rubber on the hole and presses it down. "If not for professionals who fix cycles, umbrellas, footwear and other things, we would have mountains of waste all over!" says Shyam. The tyre is fixed, the iron is fixed and Shrisha and Shyam ride back home. It is a day well spent! Don’t throw it. Fix it There is an urgent need to decrease the amount of non- biodegradable waste that humans generate. Repair encourages a more efficient use of resources than the take, make and waste culture that is replacing our traditional way of make, preserve and reuse. Raw materials used in products often need a lot of energy to be mined and processed to make them usable by manufacturers. The process of repair helps conserve these resources and extends the life of the product. Only when something cannot be repaired should you think of recycling it. The tradition of recycling In India, we have a strong tradition of recycling, whether it is organic waste like food or inorganic waste like clothes. While their numbers have reduced greatly, we still find kabadiwalas who collect old newspaper and recyclable household metal and plastic waste, and street peddlers who take in your old clothes in return for new steel utensils. Repair Café This story is inspired by Repair Café Bengaluru that conducts free workshops where people from different generations come together and keep alive the culture of repairing things. At a Repair Café, you’ll find tools and materials to help you make any repairs you need. Repair enthusiasts and professionals like cobblers, umbrella repairers, alteration tailors and watch repairers work with visitors at these workshops. After any natural calamity, repair professionals are in high demand. In less than three years, Repair Café Bengaluru has prevented over 2,000 kg of items from going to the waste heap. Repair Cafés around the world jointly saved 3,00,000 objects from the waste mountain in 2017. Have you used any of these tools? If not, get someone to teach you to use them. This is a very useful skill to have.

What-makes-you-special-FKB.txt

WHAT MAKES YOU SPECIAL Who are you? I am a turtle. What’s makes you special? I have the shiniest shell, of all the turtles in the world! North, South, East, West, Of all the turtles, I’m the best! Who are you? I am a cheetah. What makes you special? I run the fastest, of all the cheetahs in the world! North, South, East, West, Of all the cheetahs, I’m the best! Who are you? I am a whale. What makes you special? I have the biggest tummy, of all the whales in the world! North, South, East, West, Of all the whales, I’m the best! Who are you? I am a canary. What makes you special? I have the sweetest voice, of all the canaries in the world! North, South, East, West, Of all the canaries, I’m the best! Who are you? I am an elephant. What makes you special? I have the brightest memory, of all the elephants in the world! North, South, East, West, Of all the elephants, I’m the best! Who are you? I am a frog. What makes you special? I hop the highest, of all the frogs in the world! North, South, East, West, Of all the frogs, I’m the best! Who are you? I am a bee. What makes you special? I make the yummiest honey, of all the bees in the world! North, South, East, West, Of all the bees, I’m the best! Who are you? I am a dinosaur. What makes you special? I have the sharpest spikes, of all the dinosaurs in the world! North, South, East, West, Of all the dinosaurs I’m the best! Who are you? I am a boy. What makes you special? I am ME. There is only one ME in the world! North, South, East, West, I DON'T have to be better than the rest!

Harolds-Headboard-Mice-.txt

Harold's Headboard Mice. In the spring of 1943, in the time of the second world war, when everyone wanted cheerful news instead of the bad, there, in a small Welsh village, in a cosy cottage among many others, lived an old man called Harold. He was a cheerful man who always wore a flat cap, glasses, had thick grey hair and always, no matter what, had a friendly smile for everyone. Everyone who knew him loved him very much, Harold may have seemed happy to everyone but inside his home he had no one and was rather lonely, he had never been lucky enough to have a wife but was very much in love with Miss Susie Stevens from down the road who had also never had a husband, she was also secretly in love with Harold. They had felt that way since primary school but because of their terrible shyness they never had the courage to be honest and tell each other. Harold thought he lived alone but he had four very small and very secretive admirers, they lived in the hollow base of Harold's bed, and got in and out through a small hole behind the headboard, they where mice. Poppin and Poppy who were husband and wife, and Polker and Penny who were also husband and wife. Their natural home was the woodland just outside the village of course, but they had moved to Harold's home a year ago when he kept visiting the wood one summer for blackberries, they loved the stranger who looked so friendly, so much that they leapt into his bag one morning and were carried off to his cottage to make a new home. They were quiet and clean, Harold never minded, he did know they were there, but he never saw them. He left biscuits out in the night and when they were gone in the morning he knew that his headboard mice had taken them. Sometimes late at night he could swear he smelt the smell of sweet, hot, freshly cooked apple pies rising up through the bed, but of course each time he simply shrugged his large shoulders and fell back to sleep assuming it was just his mind playing tricks on his old nose. Life was great and cheerful for the mice until one evening, before heading off to bed Polker sneaked quietly past the living room to join the others in the bed, but as he did he heard Harold sniffling to himself. "I wish I had someone … everyone needs company … and I have no one!" He watched him wiping his eyes with a hanky as he sat alone by the fire. "Poor Harold." He squeeked quietly then rushed of quickly up the stairs and into the base of the bed. "We must find Harold a wife!" "Find Harold a wife?" Penny repeated, "Yes as soon as possible." "Don't you think he would have found one himself if he wanted one?" "No Penny that's just it, he's to shy, I just watched him crying because he's so lonely." "Really?" "Yes he's to kind for us to watch him suffer we have to help him in anyway we can." "All right but who?" Polker scratched his head, "Susie … that woman Susie, we have all talked about how red his face gets when he talks to her." "Ok so what do we do, how do we get her attention?" "Mmmm … I don't know let's think about it." Now mice have very small brains and something a human could think up in half an hour would take a mouse at least a couple of weeks, even months , I remember my dear friend Tommy Tumble mouse took a whole year looking for his shoes, until one morning he suddenly thought to check his feet and there they were exactly where he put them a year ago, the left shoe on the left foot and the right shoe on the right foot. I'm afraid all mice get confused with some things, unfortunately their brains are just too small to deal with such big problems and this was a very big problem indeed! Harold's mice sat for months twiddling their whiskers and trying to think of ... "How on earth can we get them together?" The confusion of hard thinking went on for two long years, until one day, Polker sat up in his chair and said loudly as the others sat playing cards and nibbling a chocolate biscuit. "A LETTER !" "What was that ?" Penny asked as her round ears pricked with interest, as she sat knitting a long cosy tail warmer for Polker. "A letter, we shall send her a letter." "How? we cant write." "No but one of the attic rats can. I remember meeting him and he told me about it, we will go and see the attic rats." "All right then Polker if you insist." "Bring one of the biscuits, rats don't do something for nothing, he will expect paying". Later when they stood in front of Roller Rolling rat as he scratched his ear, they told him what he would have to write but he wasn't to happy about the idea. "I mean, what have the humans ever done for us old boy, apart from frightening us and hating us at every chance they get". "Yes but Harold is not like the others, he's very kind he would never hurt anything he cares too much for life to dis-respect it in such ways". Roller thought about it then he picked up a pen from behind him and started to scribble on a piece of paper ... Dear Susie, I would very much appreciate it, if you could find time to join me tomorrow for a delicious Christmas dinner, I look forward to seeing you. Harold. They then put it in an envelope and sealed it before heading out into the night and leaving it on her doorstep, then they all quietly sneaked back to bed for a relaxing and peaceful sleep. The next day, as they sat watching him in the garden, there was a shy knock at the door, when Harold opened it, there was Susie holding the note, before she could say anything, Harold asked, "Would you like to come in?" She entered the house and sat down, Harold then made some tea, she didn't have to mention the note, soon enough she put it in her cardigan pocket and forgot about it. They didn't speak very much at all for the first half an hour. The mice worried it was going badly until suddenly Harold turned to her and said quickly ... "Would you marry me ? … I'm sorry I've been needing to ask you for years but I was always to nervous." "Yes!" She answered with a smile. "You will ?" "Yes Harold I've needed you to ask me for years." The mice danced around on the window sill with joy, then later watched them both sit down to enjoy a wonderful Christmas dinner. Five months later on the 8th May 1945 they were married in the local church and the whole village turned up to show their happiness for them. The headboard mice watched the celebration from afar with their little bundles of belongings, they had decided to go back home to their families, parents, brothers and sisters who had not seen them for the last 3 years. They wiped their tiny happy tears from their sweet little cheeks and scurried off towards the wood. As they left the village they realised it was a double celebration because all through the village the people where cheering and repeating the sentence … "The War is over!" The end.

FKB-BD-i-will-help-you_pdf.txt

I Will Help You When Mama Heron needs help, Lungile comes to her rescue. "Ouch!" Mama Heron hurts her wing and leg on barbed wire. "I am hurt. I can’t get home to my children." "Please help me." "Why are you crying Mama Heron?" "I can’t get home to my children." "I will help you," says Lungile. "Thank you, Lungile!" The next day, Gogo sends Lung- ile to the shop to buy bread. On the way, he stops to play with his friends in the river. Eish! The money is gone. "Don’t come home until you find that money!" "Why are you crying, Lungile?" "I lost the money Gogo gave me to buy bread. We have no supper now." "I will help you." Mama Heron’s sharp eyes see the coins shining in the water. "Thank you, Mama Heron."

Off-to-see-spiders_biology.txt

Off to See Spiders! We are off to see spiders, Some large as a plate, some small as a pin. We will see so many spiders, Our heads will spin, spin, spin! "Is that an ant or a spider?" asks Kaveri. It looks like an ant, but it has eight legs. "Uff, ants are insects. All insects have six legs, not eight. But you are right, this does look like an ant!" says Shivi. "Full marks," says Shama. "It is an ant-mimic spider." Kaveri and Shivi love being with Shama. She is studying to be a wildlife biologist, and is full of fun facts and stories about different animals and plants. Just then, Kaveri spots the sac spider. It's neatly rolled up inside a leaf! "How did you find it?" asks Shivi. "Ah! When you get to know the different signs that spiders make, you start finding them everywhere," Shama says, with a wink. We are off to see spiders, Some fat, some thin, some hairy. They have eight legs and eight eyes, But don’t worry! They are not scary! "Ummm, that looks like a crab!" says Shivi, squinting at a yellow flower. "Ha!" Shama says. "It’s the crab spider. And look! It has caught a poor bee that was visiting the flower for nectar." "Ah, no wonder the bee didn’t see the spider. It’s almost the same colour as the flower," says Kaveri. "Look, look," yells Shivi, pointing towards the leaves on the damp ground. A female wolf spider is carrying her egg sac. "And there is another one! Ooh! There are hundreds of tiny baby spiders on her back!" Shama whispers in awe. We are off to see spiders, Oh where, oh where, oh where? On grass, on leaves, on flowers, Here, there and everywhere! Shivi is leaning on a tree trunk when suddenly he jumps in fright! Something scuttled by at lightning speed. "There you are!" Shama says, moving closer. "See how well the two-tailed spider blends with the tree bark?" "Here’s a spider that looks like it has only four legs," Kaveri says excitedly, pointing towards a bush. The spider has spun a wheel-shaped web between two plants. "What a beautiful zigzag pattern! This has to be the cross spider," Shama exclaims. We are off to see spiders, So far we have had quite a catch! Hey! Someone’s spinning lovely webs, On this grassy patch. Kaveri, Shivi and Shama stumble upon a sheet-and-tunnel web spider. "So many webs," Kaveri exclaims. "They look like delicate sheets!" "This juicy grasshopper stuck in the web will become spider food soon. Slurp!" says Shivi. "Right! It’s time to go home now," says Shama, looking at her watch. "I have to study for my class tomorrow." Kaveri and Shivi’s faces fall. "Oh don't worry, there’s plenty to see at home as well," says Shama. Back home, Shama spies the common house spider. "Oh! There’s the daddy-long-legs spider." "They are funny," says Kaveri. "They dangle upside down and have long, long legs." We saw so many wondrous spiders, On grass, trees and flower heads. Let’s crawl and look for more of them, Will we find some under our beds? Spider Guide Meet the spiders that Kaveri, Shivi and Shama see on their walk. Two-tailed spiders These spiders get their name because of their long spinning organs that look like a tail! With a flat body, these spiders blend in very well on tree trunks and walls. Ant-mimic spiders They behave just like ants and look like them too! These spiders in disguise trick animals and birds that like to eat spiders. Crab spiders With a much longer and stronger pair of front legs, these spiders often extend their legs while waiting to catch their food. This pose makes them look very much like a crab! Wolf spiders You will often find wolf spiders scuttling on the ground, especially where there are leaves and shrubs. A female wolf spider carries egg sacs attached to her spinning organs. When the sac opens, hundreds of baby spiders climb onto her back and stay there for several days. Sac spiders These spiders rest inside silken sacs that they make within rolled leaves and blades of grass. They come out of their silken retreats when they have to hunt for food. Sheet-and-tunnel web spiders These spiders make beautiful and delicate sheet- like webs. A tunnel at the end of the sheet web is the perfect hiding place for them. They dart out when an insect gets caught in the web. Daddy-long-legs spiders These common house spiders are found on the ceiling, in corners of houses and sheds. Their cobwebs may look untidy, but they catch a lot of flying insect pests. Cross spiders When cross spiders are on their wheel-shaped webs, they look like they’re making an X-shape! They are also called signature spiders because of the zigzag pattern they make on their webs.