© 2024 Storyberries

LET’S DISCUSS THE STORIES ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Empathy, Kindness

1. The villagers in this story were frightened of the bear. But Breeze was not. Why wasn’t she frightened of the bear?

2. In this story, Breeze imagines how the bear must feel. This is called “empathy”. How do you think having empathy might help us live together?

Independent Thinking

1. Do you think it is always a good idea to trust wild animals? Why or why not?

2. Why was Breeze not frightened of this particular bear?

3. Do you think she took enough care for her safety when she approached the bear? Why or why not?

Credits:

Bedtime Story written by Lale Sanem Şekercioğlu

Illustrated by Halina Prakapenka

Music Video by “Morning” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Thinking Music” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Casa Bossa Nova” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Hidden Agenda” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Dreamy Flashback” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Goblin Tinker Soldier Spy” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Scheming Weasel (slower version)” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Fireflies and Stardust” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Bushwick Tarantella” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The post Bear of the Woods first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Читайте українською – Read in Ukrainian

© Storyberries 2022

Читайте українською – Read in Ukrainian

Ukrainian Space Hotel will be available for international readers to purchase through the Noosphere Store – check back in at this page for more details in the coming days.

Bedtime Story for Kids written by Jade Maitre

Illustrated by the children of Ukraine in the Noosphere Space Art Challenges 2019-2022

Book design by Jade Maitre

Music Video by “Swimmey Texture” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Transition One” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Adding the Sun” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) , “Enchanted Valley” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) , “Frost Waltz (Alternate)” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The post Ukrainian Space Hotel first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Let’s Chat About The Stories ~ Ideas for Talking With Kids

Environment, Responsibility, Independent Thinking

1. Do you think humans have a responsibility to take care of the planet Earth? Why or why not?

2. What are some of the things you could do, yourself and in your family, to help combat climate change?

Bedtime Story written by Bibek Bhattacharya

Bedtime Story illustrated by Joanna Davala

Other Credits:

Music Video by “Adding the Sun” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Tempting Secrets” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Heart of Nowhere” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Arcadia” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Jerry Five” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Ominous Intro” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Fearless First” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Chase Pulse Faster” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Bicycle” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Heart of Nowhere” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Our Beautiful World (English), written by Bibek Bhattacharya, illustrated by Joanna Davala, supported by Oracle, published by Pratham Books (© Pratham Books,2021) under a CC BY 4.0 license, first released on StoryWeaver. Read, create and translate stories for free on www.storyweaver.org.in

* THE STORY ‘OUR BEAUTIFUL WORLD’ WAS CREATED BY PRATHAM BOOKS AND IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS -BY-4.0 LICENSE. FORMATTING CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE ORIGINAL WORK FOR EASE OF READING ON OUR WEBSITE.

The post Our Beautiful World first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Lilly, Libby, Scarlett and George begged to finish Trick-or-Treating on their own, in their street.

Lilly the green witch with spiders and a pointy hat, Libby the vampire with scary teeth and a blood red cape, Scarlett the pumpkin, her face bright orange, and George the white creepy ghost with a ripped bedsheet.

Mom said yes. All the neighbors wanted to see their costumes, and most of them had plenty of treats…

“Just our neighbors in our street, though. I’ll get the hotdogs ready, so don’t be too long…” Mom called.

And the four children went off to see what their neighbors had ready for them.

The last house was Mrs. Simms, and she had plenty. As they left, George looked along to the end of their road.

“Why not try the old house at the edge of the wood? It’s creepy enough for Halloween.”

“A waste of time. Nobody lives there… it has been empty for years…” Libby shook her Vampire head.

Ghostly George didn’t give up. “But tonight, I can see a light in the front window. Maybe somebody moved in.”

The four children all looked down the road to the big dark old house just outside the little wood at the end of their road.

Lilly squinted. “Yes, there is a light in the window.” She laughed. “OK George, we’ll give the new people a little ‘Halloween welcome’ to our street…”

Why did they feel a bit nervous as they opened the old iron gate, the gate creaked, and they almost turned back?

Sure enough, there was a light – a candle in a dirty jam jar, in the dusty old downstairs window.

“Just moved in… Maybe the electricity isn’t on yet…” Scarlett sounded braver than she felt.

The four Trick-or-Treaters stood close together at the front door. There was no bell, just a rusty old knocker covered in spiderwebs.

Lilly knocked, the sound was hollow and scary.

A face appeared at the window. A thin old lady with straggly white hair. The candle in the jar made her look a little yellow, and very old.

“Happy Halloween,” the children mumbled, in voices that now were no longer so sure that this was a good idea.

But the old lady smiled a crooked smile and asked,

“Who are you? Tell me your names…”

The children were polite and told their names. Wishing the old lady a Happy Halloween, all they wanted to do was to run. Apart from the pale-yellow candle in the window, all around was pitch black. The trees in the garden looked twisted and strange, and the house even older and more broken down than it seemed from the street…

“I have something for you children.” The old lady spoke slowly, and the candle flickered.

Lilly and Libby were holding hands tight. Scarlett and George were gripping each other’s elbows.

“I have so many apple trees in my garden,” the old lady smiled. But it seemed kind of twisted in the candle light.

“Today, I picked a basketful of the best and freshest apples…” Her eyes fixed on each one of the children; her eyes looked right through them. “I hoped some children might come to visit me.”

The children nodded. “Thank you very much…” Libby managed to squeak.

“In front of the door.” The old lady lifted a bony finger, and pointed out of the window.

“Yes, thank you, it’s very kind of you…” Scarlett hardly knew what she was saying. She just wanted to grab that basket and run.

“We’ll bring back the basket, we promise,” George added, but the other three glared at him.

Lilly spotted the basket, quite near her feet on the stone doorstep, where they had just knocked. She hadn’t noticed it before.

“Funny we didn’t see them before,” she mumbled, as she picked up the basket of apples, and the four children turned and ran for the gate.

Only George turned around for a moment – the house was dark again; the candle had gone out.

Back home, Lilly quickly dumped the basket of apples on the kitchen table, then the children went to the counter for the delicious smelling hot-dogs.

“I hope you got plenty of treats,” Mum smiled.

“Loads,” Scarlett grinned.

“And the old lady in the big house at the end of the road gave us a basket of apples…” George told her.

“But nobody lives in that old house. It has been empty for years…” Mom shook her head, and they went out onto the patio to toast marshmallows on a small fire and share out their candy.

The next morning Mom called the children for breakfast.

“What on earth were you thinking, leaving that basket of apples on the table…”

“Why?” Lilly looked hard at the basket.

“Those apples are rotten…” Mum pointed at the basket. “Full of worms, and they look pretty rotten. The basket crumbles as soon as you even touch it, it’s so old…”

“But it wasn’t like that last night,” George frowned. “The apples looked fresh; red and green…”

George stared at the basket. The apples were brown and rotting, moldy with worms and maggots crawling all over, flies buzzing…

“They stink.” Libby held her nose.

“In the bin.” Mum scooped up the basket and threw it away.

“How did that happen?” Scarlett wondered. “Last night they seemed OK”

George couldn’t let it go. “I have to find out. You can come if you like…”

He walked to the end of the road. The others followed behind him.

The big sign said – ‘Keep Out- Dangerous Building!’

A man with a yellow hard hat leaned over the fence.

“That sign has been there for weeks. Those walls are dangerous, the stones are unsafe…”

“And what about the old lady who lives here?” George asked.

“Nobody lives here, little boy.” The man picked up his electric saw and switched it on with a buzz. “We are here to chop down all those old bent and broken old apple trees. They are dangerous and rotten, too. You won’t find any apples in this garden…”

George sniffed, and wondered why he could smell the sweet fruity smell of fresh apples…..

© Storyberries 2021

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Conversation

1. Have you ever had something spooky happen to you that you couldn’t explain? Tell a scary story about it, this Halloween!

Short Story for Kids written by Andrea Kaczmarek

The post A Candle In The Window first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Matthew and Jessica came rushing down the hallway and stopped just shy of the front door. They were filled with energy and excitement while they watched their parents walk towards them. Halloween had finally arrived and trick or treating was all that was on their mind. Once their front door was opened, they ran outside and disappeared.

Jessica wanted to be Red Riding Hood that year, so she dressed up as the character, complete with a red hood and a basket. She also carried around her Scooby Doo stuffed toy as a stand-in for the big bad wolf. Meanwhile, Matthew dressed up as the fastest man alive. The Flash had been one of his favorites ever since he saw the Justice League cartoon on television.

The roads in the neighborhood were filled with children in colorful costumes bringing baskets and plastic bags. There were older children as well. Most of them were chaperones for their little brothers and sisters. Jessica and Matthew even bumped into a few of their friends. They showed off their costumes and gave much deserved complements to one another.

As the evening progressed, Jessica and Matthew visited more and more houses until they reached the more deserted parts of their neighborhood. None of them had been able to walk that far from their house the night before. While they were strolling, Jessica saw something that made her stop abruptly. The sweet delicacies rustled inside when the basket shook at the sudden halt in motion. She grabbed Matthew by the arm to get his attention. When she had his attention, she pointed to a house that seemed empty and said,

“Was there always a house here?”

Matthew saw the house and began to question whether or not he had seen the house before. They passed by that street on their way to school, so surely he would’ve noticed. But that night, he wasn’t sure if it was.

The house in front of them looked old and time-weary. Instead of clean cut grass, weeds had sprouted in its place. The lack of light inside made it seem like the house was empty. Both of them felt curious but equally scared. They both shared a look which telegraphed that they thought of the same thing, without saying a word. They gave each other a nod and approached the house together.

The wooden floors creaked as they stepped onto the front porch. The door was full of cobwebs and Matthew had to pull some away from the doorknob. He turned the knob and found that it was unlocked. The door creaked as it slowly opened. Before they could enter the house, something appeared in front of them and said “Hello”.

They immediately ran away from the house screaming!

They both stopped when they were far enough from their house to catch their breath. Jessica felt her heart beat so fast, she thought it would leap out of her chest. Matthew looked at his little sister and asked her if she was okay. She nodded and told him that they needed to go home. He noticed something was missing and asked Jessica where Scooby was. Jessica gasped in horror when she realized that she had dropped Scooby back at the creepy old house. Both of them knew that they were going to have to go back there and get it.

They tiptoed their way across the front lawn, making sure they weren’t making any noise that would alert whoever was inside the house. They looked around the front porch for the toy but were unable to find it. Then someone behind them said,

“Are you looking for this?”

They turned around and were left speechless when they saw him. He was a small boy. He wore a plaid shirt and pants with suspenders. He appeared normal, except that he had a pumpkin for a head.

Matthew grabbed the chair on the front porch and was ready to use it as a weapon, while Jessica hid behind her older brother. 

“G-Give us Scooby back or I’ll hit you with this chair. I’m not kidding,” he said shakily. Despite the clear conviction in his threat, it did nothing to hide his fear.

“No-No. I mean you no harm. Here, I’ll give you your toy back,” the boy said. He had his arms stretched out in front just to assure them that he truly meant no harm. He walked closer to them and left the toy on the steps of the porch.

The pumpkin-headed boy backed away slowly. Matthew took that chance and picked up Scooby from the steps. He handed it to Jessica, which she hugged tightly, and then lifted the chair again for protection.

Now that they had Scooby back, Matthew and Jessica were ready to leave. They slowly moved forward with Matthew still holding the chair for protection. He stopped just as he was about to reach the sidewalk. He wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but curiosity had a hold of him and he couldn’t help but ask.

“What’s wrong with your head?” he asked.

The pumpkin-headed boy looked at him, puzzled, as if he had failed to understand the question.

There was a moment of silence before Matthew said,

“Why is your head a pumpkin?”

“Oh yes. I guess my head is a bit strange to some. Why don’t you come inside and I’ll tell you all about it. We can have some cookies and some chocolate milk,” the boy said. He casually walked to the door. He looked back and said “My name is Carlson, by the way.”

Matthew wanted to ignore his invitation but Jessica also had the same curiosity he had. She was already making her way to the door. Matthew tried to call her back but it was too late. He sighed and followed her inside.

The house, despite how it looked outside, was surprisingly clean on the inside. The lights illuminated the cozy living room. They sat on the couch, which was soft and comfortable. It had a fireplace, which kept the room warm.

Carlson, who disappeared into the kitchen, reappeared with a tray filled with a plate of cookies and two glasses of chocolate milk. He placed the tray on the table in front of Jessica and Matthew. He told them to eat as much as they wanted.

While Jessica and Matthew ate, Carlson began the interesting story of how he came to be.

Carlson had been brought to life by the wishes of a boy name Jack. He and his family lived in the house they were currently in a long time ago. Jack had no friends and was lonely. On Halloween night, he wanted to go trick or treating but had no-one to go with. So he took a pumpkin which was supposed to be made into a Jack o’ Lantern and made a wish to the stars above. The stars heard his plea and brought to life a boy with a pumpkin head, who he named Carlson.

Both of them had fun trick-or-treating that night. Carlson had so much fun with Jack that he made Halloween his favorite day. However, the next morning when he woke up, Jack and his parents were gone, and the house was completely empty. Carlson had been waiting for Jack to come back ever since.

Matthew and Jessica felt sorry for Carlson. Matthew especially felt bad for threatening to hit Carlson with a chair. He wasn’t a scary threat. He was just sad and lonely.

Carlson saw the gloomy look they both had on their faces and decided that wasn’t in tune with the Halloween spirit. He got up off his seat and made his way to the radio. “Why don’t we have some fun on Halloween?” he said.

Carlson turned on the radio and started dancing. He urged Jessica and Matthew to join him. They were hesitant at first, but seeing Carlson dance made it seem fun. So they got up and joined in. They danced until they couldn’t dance anymore.

Time went by quickly, and much to Jessica and Matthew’s disappointment, it was already getting late and they had to go home. Their parents might worry about them if they stayed out too late. Carlson saw them out the door and they said their goodbyes. Before they left, they shared some of their candy with Carlson, which he graciously accepted. They waved Carlson goodbye one last time before finally making their way back home.

The next morning, Jessica and Matthew came back to Carlson’s house. They knocked on the door but no one came to answer. They called out to Carlson but he still wasn’t there. They tried turning the doorknob and found that it was open. They entered the house and found a lone pumpkin on the table. On top of it was a note. Matthew picked up the note. On the note, the words “Until next Halloween!” were written on it.

Jessica and Matthew left the house feeling sad that they didn’t get to see Carlson again. They kept Carlson’s note and treated it as a promise. They came home that day looking forward to next Halloween, when they could spend another night with Carlson, the living pumpkin.

© Storyberries/ Glenn Francis Faelnar 2021

Short bedtime story written by Glenn Francis F. Faelnar

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Empathy

1. Were Jessica and Matthew right to run away screaming when they first saw Carlson? Why or why not? What do you think you would have done?

2. How do you think it feels to be Carlson, a boy with a pumpkin head? Can you imagine some things that would be difficult for him?

3. What do you think would be some good things about being Carlson?  

The post A Night With A Living Pumpkin first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Conversation, Creativity, Independent Thinking

1. What is your favourite color? Why?

2. Can you think of some other ways that Grandma Liz might have been able to appreciate Jayda’s love of all colors in a dress?

Bedtime story written and illustrated by Mahlet Shiferaw

Note: This story “All the Colors of the Rainbow” by Mahlet Shiferaw is published with the kind permission of Harvard Children’s Stories. Formatting changes have been made to the pages for style purposes, and readers should note that the hard copy version has a different layout and styling to the Storyberries version.  

Music Vide by “Cheery Monday” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Glitter Blast” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Takeover of the 8-bit Synths” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Secret of Tiki Island” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com, “Kool Kats” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Who Likes to Party” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com),”Mining by Moonlight” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Electro Cabello” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Acid Trumpet Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Monster Promenade” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

All the Colors of the Rainbow | Free Kids Books | Bedtime Stories

Grandma has a very special job - to make Jayda a dress in her favourite colour. But what happens if Jayda can't choose?

URL: https://au.blurb.com/b/10150066-all-the-colors-of-the-rainbow

Author: Harvard College Children's Stories

Editor's Rating:
4

The post All The Colors of the Rainbow first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Once a year, Frank and his family travelled to San Francisco. They visited a house where an old man named Rupert and his wife Elaine lived.

His family had been doing this since even before Frank was born. He didn’t mind it, though. He loved visiting Rupert and Elaine. He enjoyed being there.

After his first time visiting, he couldn’t wait to visit them again. He could tell that his mom and dad enjoyed it too. When they arrived, Rupert sat by the porch, rocking back and forth in his chair. Frank ran full-speed to where Mr. Rupert was. He made a full stop when he got to the porch. Then he walked slowly and hugged Rupert.

He went inside and greeted Elaine with a hug as well. She patted his head gently. She would always do this every time, which Frank had come to expect. He liked how gentle it felt every time she did this.

Elaine asked him how old he was and he told her he was ten. Frank’s parents came in the house and greeted Elaine. That was his cue to go outside and join Rupert.

One of the things that made him excited to visit was that Rupert would always have a story ready for him. He loved listening to Rupert’s stories. He had read a few books back home, but there was just something special about sitting down and listening to a good story by Rupert.

Frank went out the door and stood beside Rupert, who was admiring the view of their neighborhood.

Rupert asked him “Are you ready, son?” He smiled from ear to ear and eagerly nodded. “Then pull up a chair,” he said.

Frank grabbed the little stool next to Rupert’s rocking chair. Rupert tilted his chair so that he could look at Frank as he was telling the story. Frank sat in the stool as he eagerly waited for Rupert to start. He could feel his excitement wanting to burst out.

Rupert took a deep breath, then started.

“Once upon a time, there lived a knight. He was one of the fiercest warriors in the kingdom of Magon. He had been part of countless battles with his fellow knights, and all of them emerged victorious. Their kingdom remained peaceful for many years. But one day, that peace was threatened. The people of the kingdom became restless once they heard that one of the villages had been attacked by a griffin. In order for his royal subjects to feel safe again, the king ordered his knights to find the griffin in every corner of the kingdom and slay it. And so, the knight did as his king ordered and travelled to find the griffin.

“The knight knew that slaying the griffin would bring great honor for his family. He travelled far into the mountains. He had heard from an old wise man that griffins are hidden deep within the mountains, where no living soul would dare enter. He travelled day and night. He slept on the ground. Sometimes, the cold wind would make him shiver. He would hear strange noises moving through the forest. His grip on his sword would then tighten.

“Along the way, he stopped by a small village. The people were kind enough to offer him food and shelter for the night before he continued on his travels. He asked one of the villagers if they had been terrorized by a griffin recently. The villager told him that they hadn’t, and that their village was always peaceful. But they would hear strange noises coming from the mountain. They didn’t know what it was and no one was brave enough to travel up the mountain. They believed that there were monsters lurking there.

“After hearing what the villager said, the knight was eager to go up the mountain. He ate to his heart’s content that night and rested. The next morning, he thanked the villagers and bid them farewell. He started his journey up the mountain, hoping to find the griffin.”

Their storytelling was briefly interrupted by Elaine, who brought juice and cookies for Frank and a cup of coffee for Rupert. Elaine left the tray on the table and went back inside.

Frank took a bite of Elaine’s delicious cookies and wished that he could eat them every day for the rest of his life. Rupert took a sip of his coffee then continued with the story.

“The knight made his way up the mountain. He carefully walked through the trees. He listened to every noise he heard. He kept his hand on his sword, tightly gripping its handle, ready to unsheathe it should the need arise. He stopped just short of the mountaintop when he saw a cave. He approached the cave with caution. He heard noises inside. He unsheathed his sword and steadied his heart. He knew the griffin had to be inside.

“And it was. The griffin saw him and charged toward him. He swung his sword but the griffin managed to avoid his blade. The griffin towered over him. It stood on its hind legs with its wings spread out. It tried to pierce his armor with its claws. Luckily, his armor was made by the best blacksmith in the kingdom.

“But the griffin was strong. He may have avoided its claws with the armor on his arm but the strength of the blow almost broke him. He had to take a few paces backward. He was breathing heavily now. He centered himself, ready to take another swing.

“The griffin came charging towards him again. He waited for the right moment to swing his sword. Once the griffin was just a few inches from him, he swung his sword with all his might. At the last second, the griffin managed to dodge, but the knight still managed to cut it on the arm. The cut on its arm was deep. The griffin fell back and hit the side of the cave. The knight saw this as an opening for him to slay the beast.

“He ran towards the griffin with his sword in his hand, ready to make the final blow. But then, he heard a noise from deeper within the cave. It made him stop abruptly.

“He turned towards where the noise was and steadied himself again. There might be another griffin. He was shocked to learn that the noise came from younglings hiding behind a rock. The griffin’s younglings looked terrified. One of the younglings ran to the griffin’s side. The griffin shielded the youngling with its wing. He looked at the griffin. It looked tired and in pain. He realized that the griffin was merely protecting its young. There was no monster here, just a parent trying to protect its young.

“He sheathed his sword and left the cave. He came back to the cave the next day with three wild boars and some medicine he bought from the village below the mountain. The griffin had moved further inside the cave, still in pain from its wound. He took off his armor and dropped his sword. He wanted the griffin to know that he meant no harm. He fed the griffin and its young with the boars he brought. He used the medicine he bought to heal the griffin’s wounds. He stayed in the cave for a few nights and when the griffin finally recovered, he left. He returned to the king’s castle empty-handed, but he didn’t care. He decided that his days as a knight were over. He bid farewell to the king.

“The knight spent his days living peacefully with his wife. They lived in a house on top of a mountain. One day, while he was outside admiring the horizon, he saw a winged creature flying in the sky. It came closer and closer until it landed beside their house. It was the griffin and its young. Its young had gotten bigger since the last time he saw them. He didn’t know how the griffin found him. Maybe it spent its days looking for him. He welcomed the griffin with open arms. He even introduced it to his wife.

“He picked up his sword and went into the forest. He came back with four wild boars this time. They dined with the griffin and its young that day. From that moment on, the griffin and its young would come to visit the knight and his wife every year. The knight would wait patiently until his friend came to visit him again.”

“The End” Rupert said. Frank, with a big smile on his face, clapped his hands when Rupert finished. It was one of Rupert’s best stories yet.

They eventually said their goodbyes and Frank and his family returned home. On their way home, Frank asked his father why his grandfather wanted them to keep visiting Rupert and Elaine once a year. He enjoyed visiting them so much that he never bothered to ask his father why. His father smiled at him and said,

“Rupert was an old friend of your grandfather. Your grandfather promised him that he would always come and visit, even if it was just once a year. And I’d like to keep that promise. I’m hoping one day, you’ll keep that promise too.”

“Of course, I will. I will never get tired of visiting Rupert and Elaine,” Frank said. He asked his father how his grandfather became friends with Rupert, but his father said that it was a story for another time. Frank thought that he would ask Rupert the next time they came to visit.

He also promised himself that when they came back to visit Rupert and Elaine, he would be their storyteller.

© Storyberries/ Glenn Francis Faelnar 2021

Short bedtime story written by Glenn Francis F. Faelnar

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Family, Tradition

1. Why do you think Frank’s father hoped that Frank would continue to visit Rupert as he grew older?

2. What do you think this story says about family traditions?

The Knight and the Griffin | Fairy Tales | Bedtime Stories

Every year Frank visits his grandfather's friend Rupert, who tells him magical stories.

URL: https://www.storyberries.com/bedtime-stories-the-knight-and-the-griffin-short-stories-for-kids/

Author: Harvard College Children's Stories

Editor's Rating:
5

The post The Knight and the Griffin first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

“I don’t want to go to school today, I feel a bit sick…” Ollie told his Mom at breakfast.

Mom frowned. “Have you got a math test?”

“No, of course not.” Ollie pushed his cereal away. “I just feel sick.”

Ollie sometimes felt sick before school. Mom wondered why.

“If you have a school problem, just tell me about it…” His mother hugged him real tight. “When I was a little girl, sometimes the other children called me horrible names.”

Ollie looked up. “Why did they do that?”

“Some children can be mean, especially if they don’t feel so good about themselves.” Mom looked at Ollie. “Is that your problem, maybe?”

Ollie took a long time to answer. “Yes, it is. How did you guess?” A tear ran down his cheek.

“Because you often feel sick before school, so, Moms guess these things…”

“They call me Itsy-Bitsy Ollie, Mini-Me, mean things like that. Now all the other kids call me things, too. Just because I’m a bit small. And the first two now often shove me about as well… and it hurts.”

Mom was quiet, but then asked, “Did you tell your teacher?”

“No, of course not; that would make them worse, I know it…”

“Bullying is wrong, Ollie. Maybe we can talk to your teacher together; would that be OK?”

Ollie had to think for a long time; he didn’t like the idea at all.

“It will make things worse…” he frowned. But then he thought it was worth a try.

Ollie and his Mom met up with Ollie’s teacher after school, with nobody around. Ollie’s teacher was happy that Ollie told her all about the nasty bullying…

“I had an idea that something was going on…” Ollie’s teacher told them. “But the important thing is, Ollie, that you tell a grown-up. First your Mom, and then me.”

The next day at school, Ollie’s teacher told the class: “A lot of schools have No Bullying Projects, and with ALL your help, I’d like to start one in our school. What do you think? Will all you children help me?”

Ollie’s teacher started their project in Art Class: Speak Up – Stand Up! ALL the children agreed that the rules were good:

1. Tell a grown up if you see bullying.
2. Stand Up for others.

They did paintings of the rules, and they made badges.

“It’s really quite easy,” all the children agreed.

Nobody ever knew that it was because Ollie and his Mom talked to the teacher. But now their school is a much nicer place for ALL the children: name-calling stopped, and, that’s how it should be!    

© Andrea Kaczmarek / Storyberries 2021

Poem for Kids written by Andrea Kaczmarek

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Bullying, Independent Thinking, Conversation

1. Ollie’s Mom says that bullying is bad. Why is bullying bad?

2. Have you ever been bullied? How did it make you feel?

2. Why do you think people bully one another?

3. Ollie’s teacher came up with two good rules around preventing bullying at school. Can you think of some more?

The post Ollie is Scared first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

“Not fair.” Wendi was cross. “You promised we could go to the climbing park.”

“But, it is going to rain, and the climbing park is outdoors.” Mum shook her head.

Wendi looked out of the window. “But it isn’t raining, just clouds, it isn’t raining at all…”

“The weather lady says so, and she knows, rain in the afternoon.” Mum looked out of the window.

“I expect that weather lady got it wrong.” Wendi went to her bedroom.

She stared out of her bedroom window. “Silly weather lady,” she whispered – and then the rain started.

“Oh.” Wendi looked up at the sky. “Not so silly weather lady.”

“We’ll go to the climbing park another day.” Mum watched as the rain splashed.

“How does the weather lady know about the weather.” Wendi asked.

“Well, she has got a weather station, I think.” Mum was not sure.

“Grandpa might know; we’ll ask him tomorrow.”

And that’s what Wendi did, she asked her Grandpa.

“We can build a little weather station in the garden if you like, Wendi,” Grandpa explained.” You’ll need a wind vane to see how the wind is blowing, we can make that”

“We can make a rain gauge, to measure how much rain has fallen.”

“And, I’ve got a good thermometer for outdoors.”

“A thermometer, what is that? Wendi was puzzled.

Grandpa laughed “A thermometer measures the temperature, how warm or cold it is.”

“Thermometer.” Wendi was pleased with her new word.

“And last of all, we need a Barometer, that’s a big word too, Wendi.” Grandpa explained “A barometer tells us what the air pressure is, I’ve got one, too.”

“But what’s air pressure?” Wendi asked.

“Well, if the air pressure changes, the weather will change.”

Grandpa laughed and promised to help Wendi build a little garden weather station.

Grandpa and Wendi worked hard.

Wendi made the wind vane with paper cups on a stick. “Like a pinwheel.” Wendi laughed.

They put up a bright ‘Windsock’, silly name, with red, yellow and blue ribbons too. “It isn’t a sock at all.” Wendi stuck the ribbons on. “But we can see how windy the wind is.”

The rain gauge was easy, a glass jar with the measures written on the side. They put it into the grass, so it couldn’t get knocked over.

The Barometer and the Thermometer were easy too, and they found a good place near Wendi’s playhouse. And Grandpa made a stand, so Wendi could check every day.

“And now the most important thing, Wendi…”

Grandpa fixed a chart on the wall of her playhouse. “You have to keep a chart, a list of all the wind, rain and temperature changes. That’s when you’ll see how the weather is changing. Then you really will be a weathergirl.”

All Wendi’s friends visited her garden weather station.

“Rain, Windy, Sun, Snow, Hot, Cold, Cloudy, Stormy, Very Windy – Wendi had painted a picture for all the things a weathergirl has to say.
She held up two pictures – “Rain and very windy tomorrow.” And she put on her yellow rain hat and all her friends laughed.

The next morning the wind started and later the rain poured down.

“Wendi is a weather girl” Wendi’s friends laughed.

With Grandpa’s help, Wendi looked at the sky and checked her weather station.

Wendi was a very good weathergirl – until one icy cold winter day.

“When will it snow? Wendi, we want know…”

That was the big question. It was very cold, Wendi put up her Freeze card.

“Tomorrow, it will snow tomorrow…” Wendi was sure.

But it didn’t snow, not even one tiny snowflake.

“Wendi, you aren’t a weathergirl at all. You promised snow and snowmen.”

Wendi asked Grandpa. “My weather station says snow, but there is no snow.”

. “No weathergirl is always right, but it will snow soon, I am sure…”

And two days later, the snow fell and covered up Wendi’s weather station. So that you could hardly see it.

Wendi’s friends were happy now, they got out their sledges and they made a big snowman.

“Thank you, Wendi Weathergirl, we got our snow….”

“I am a weathergirl, but it isn’t my snow, the snow clouds are the secret.” Wendi smiled

But Wendi had a big problem. She didn’t tell her friends – they were all so happy having fun in the snow.

Wendi whispered the problem to Grandpa “The weather is changing, in a day or two it will get warmer, then the snow will go.”

“Aah.” Grandpa smiled “Let your friends play in the snow today, tell them tomorrow…”

© Andrea Kaczmarek / Storyberries 2020

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE STORY ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Co-operation

1. How did Wendi and her grandfather work together to create the weather station in this story?

2. Do you think Wendi could have done it on her own? Why or why not?

3. Why do you think Wendi’s grandfather was happy to show Wendi about weather stations?

Nature, Conversation

1. What is the weather like where you live? 

2. How might you make your own weather station?

Short Story for Kids written by Andrea Kaczmarek

Illustrations purchased on license.

Music Video:  “Hep Cats” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Golly Gee” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Happy Boy Theme” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Happy Boy End Theme” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Holiday Weasel” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), “Frost Waltz (Alternate)” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.comby/4.0/, “Enchanted Valley” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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