Signs Of The Zodiac

Subscribe to EnglishClub Podcasts

Aries
Aries make good friends, because they are honest individuals who are easy to talk to.

Aries

Birth date: 21 March – 20 April
Symbol: The Ram
Birthstone: Diamond
Element: Fire
Ruling planets: Mars
Soul mate: Gemini

Strengths: independent, optimistic, ambitious
Weaknesses: moody, impatient, pushy

 Listen [ 0.01 MB ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Aries is the 1st sign of the zodiac. Aries have a lot of energy. They are strong, athletic, and naturally beautiful. Aries make good friends, because they are honest individuals who are easy to talk to. On the other hand, they can be seen as close-minded. They don’t like to compromise. Arians are known for their creative ideas. They set high goals for themselves and aren’t afraid to take chances. The energy of these risk-takers rubs off on those around them. Don’t tell an Arian that he can’t do something! Like its symbol the ram, an Arian will push his way to the top no matter what it takes. They can sometimes take things too far and become physically aggressive. On the other hand, they get bored easily, and don’t always follow through if things are too easy. They enjoy hunting more than winning.

---

Wordchecker
optimistic (adjective): thinking positively in all situations
ambitious (adjective): determined to succeed
pushy (adjective): very self-assertive
compromise (verb): to settle a difference of opinion by giving and taking
rub off (verb): to be transferred to others by contact
aggressive (adjective): likely to attack; tending to violence

 

Taurus
Taurus-born people love comfort and luxury, such as candlelight dinners and a happy home.

Taurus

Birth date: 21 April – 21 May
Symbol: The Bull
Birthstone: Emerald
Element: Earth
Ruling planets: Venus
Soul mate: Capricorn

Strengths: patient, practical, determined
Weaknesses: jealous, greedy, materialistic

 Listen [ 0.01 MB ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Taurus is the 2nd sign of the zodiac, and the closest sign to earth. Following the law is important to a Taurus. A Taurus will also follow a good leader. Taurus-born people enjoy material possessions. They also love comfort and luxury, such as candlelight dinners and a happy home. Like the bull, a Taurus can be a bit stubborn. This isn’t always a negative aspect. They work at a slow and steady pace to achieve their hopes and dreams. A Taurus will shower herself with gifts after achieving a goal. Taurus make good friends as long are you are in a similar social rank. They are calm and collected, but don’t push them too far. It can be difficult to calm a Taurus down after an incident. And don’t try to change the mind of a Taurus. You won’t win! It may surprise you that the bull-headed Taurus enjoys the arts. Many famous singers are born under the Taurus sign.

---

Wordchecker
materialistic (adjective): enjoying having and buying “things”
luxury (noun): an expensive item that is not a necessity
stubborn (adjective): fixed in one’s ways and opinions
steady (adjective): self-controlled; balanced
calm and collected (adjectives): relaxed and able to take on a challenge
incident (noun): something that happened (usually negative)
bull-headed (adjective): stubborn; unwilling to change

 

Gemini
Gemini are explorers of the world.

Cancer
People born under the Cancer sign have a tough outer shell.

Leo
Leos are born leaders and do best in positions of authority.

Virgo
Virgos look calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside they are analyzing everything.

Libra
The Scales symbolize balance, and Libras are well-balanced people who believe in fairness.

Scorpio
Scorpios are independent people who enjoy their alone time.

Sagittarius
Sags are level-headed people who think before they act.

Capricorn
Like a mountain goat, Capricorns keep climbing until they reach the top.

Aquarius
Aquarians are forward thinkers who often take the road less traveled.

Pisces
Pisceans are artistic people who enjoy dance, art, and film.

Poems

Subscribe to EnglishClub Podcasts

At Tara today in this fateful hour
The Rune of St Patrick

At Tara today in this fateful hour

 At Tara today in this fateful hour [ 0:30 | 0.07 MB ] Hide Player | Play in Popup |Download

At Tara today in this fateful hour
I place all heaven with its power,
and the sun with its brightness,
and the snow with its whiteness,
and fire with all the strength it hath,
and lightning with its rapid wrath,
and the winds with their swiftness along their path,
and the sea with its deepness,
and the rocks with their steepness
and the earth with its starkness:
all these I place,
by God’s almighty help and grace,
between myself and the powers of darkness.

---

Wordchecker
fateful (adjective): with serious, often disastrous, consequences
wrath (noun): great anger

 

Futility
“Futility” is a classic 14-line poem by First World War poet Wilfred Owen expressing the pointlessness of war.

Futility

 Futility [ 0.01 MB ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Move him into the sun -
Gently its touch awoke him once,
At home, whispering of fields unsown.
Always it woke him, even in France,
Until this morning and this snow.
If anything might rouse him now
The kind old sun will know.

Think how it wakes the seeds, -
Woke, once, the clays of a cold star.
Are limbs, so dear-achieved, are sides,
Full-nerved,- still warm,- too hard to stir?
Was it for this the clay grew tall?
- O what made fatuous sunbeams toil
To break earth’s sleep at all?

---

Wordchecker

• futility (noun): an inability to produce any useful result; pointlessness
• awake (awoke, awoken) (verb): to wake up; to waken; to stop sleeping
• whisper (verb): to speak softly
• unsown (adjective): without seed; not planted (NB: “fields unsown” = “unsown fields”)
• rouse (verb): to wake (somebody) up; to stimulate; to animate
• limb (noun): an arm or a leg
• fatuous (adjective): silly and without purpose
• clay (noun): type of earth; earth; soil
• limb (noun): member of the body (leg, arm)
• dear-achieved (adjective): costly to create
• stir (verb): to move; to waken
• fatuous (adjective): purposeless
• toil (verb): to work hard; to labour

 

Classics

Subscribe to EnglishClub Podcasts

Little Women
An excerpt from Chapter 2 of Louisa May Alcott’s novel “Little Women”.

Little Women

Title: Little Women
Writer: Louisa May Alcott
Genre: Fiction

 Listen and read [ 0.01 MB ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Chapter 2 – Merry Christmas (an excerpt)

Jo was the first to wake in the gray dawn of Christmas morning. No stockings hung at the fireplace, and for a moment she felt as much disappointed as she did long ago, when her little sock fell down because it was crammed so full of goodies. Then she remembered her mother’s promise and, slipping her hand under her pillow, drew out a little crimson-covered book. She knew it very well, for it was that beautiful old story of the best life ever lived, and Jo felt that it was a true guidebook for any pilgrim going on a long journey. She woke Meg with a “Merry Christmas,” and bade her see what was under her pillow. A green-covered book appeared, with the same picture inside, and a few words written by their mother, which made their one present very precious in their eyes. Presently Beth and Amy woke to rummage and find their little books also, one dove-colored, the other blue, and all sat looking at and talking about them, while the east grew rosy with the coming day.

In spite of her small vanities, Margaret had a sweet and pious nature, which unconsciously influenced her sisters, especially Jo, who loved her very tenderly, and obeyed her because her advice was so gently given.

“Girls,” said Meg seriously, looking from the tumbled head beside her to the two little night-capped ones in the room beyond, “Mother wants us to read and love and mind these books, and we must begin at once. We used to be faithful about it, but since Father went away and all this war trouble unsettled us, we have neglected many things. You can do as you please, but I shall keep my book on the table here and read a little every morning as soon as I wake, for I know it will do me good and help me through the day.”

Then she opened her new book and began to read. Jo put her arm round her and, leaning cheek to cheek, read also, with the quiet expression so seldom seen on her restless face.

“How good Meg is! Come, Amy, let’s do as they do. I’ll help you with the hard words, and they’ll explain things if we don’t understand,” whispered Beth, very much impressed by the pretty books and her sisters’ example.

“I’m glad mine is blue,” said Amy. And then the rooms were very still while the pages were softly turned, and the winter sunshine crept in to touch the bright heads and serious faces with a Christmas greeting.

“Where is Mother?” asked Meg, as she and Jo ran down to thank her for their gifts, half an hour later.

“Goodness only knows. Some poor creeter came a-beggin’, and your ma went straight off to see what was needed. There never was such a woman for givin’ away vittles and drink, clothes and firin’,” replied Hannah, who had lived with the family since Meg was born, and was considered by them all more as a friend than a servant.

“She will be back soon, I think, so fry your cakes, and have everything ready,” said Meg, looking over the presents which were collected in a basket and kept under the sofa, ready to be produced at the proper time. “Why, where is Amy’s bottle of cologne?” she added, as the little flask did not appear.

“She took it out a minute ago, and went off with it to put a ribbon on it, or some such notion,” replied Jo, dancing about the room to take the first stiffness off the new army slippers.

“How nice my handkerchiefs look, don’t they? Hannah washed and ironed them for me, and I marked them all myself,” said Beth, looking proudly at the somewhat uneven letters which had cost her such labor.

“Bless the child! She’s gone and put ‘Mother’ on them instead of ‘M. March’. How funny!” cried Jo, taking one up.

“Isn’t that right? I thought it was better to do it so, because Meg’s initials are M.M., and I don’t want anyone to use these but Marmee,” said Beth, looking troubled.

“It’s all right, dear, and a very pretty idea, quite sensible too, for no one can ever mistake now. It will please her very much, I know,” said Meg, with a frown for Jo and a smile for Beth.

“There’s Mother. Hide the basket, quick!” cried Jo, as a door slammed and steps sounded in the hall.

Amy came in hastily, and looked rather abashed when she saw her sisters all waiting for her.

“Where have you been, and what are you hiding behind you?” asked Meg, surprised to see, by her hood and cloak, that lazy Amy had been out so early.

“Don’t laugh at me, Jo! I didn’t mean anyone should know till the time came. I only meant to change the little bottle for a big one, and I gave all my money to get it, and I’m truly trying not to be selfish any more.”

As she spoke, Amy showed the handsome flask which replaced the cheap one, and looked so earnest and humble in her little effort to forget herself that Meg hugged her on the spot, and Jo pronounced her ‘a trump’, while Beth ran to the window, and picked her finest rose to ornament the stately bottle.

“You see I felt ashamed of my present, after reading and talking about being good this morning, so I ran round the corner and changed it the minute I was up, and I’m so glad, for mine is the handsomest now.”

Another bang of the street door sent the basket under the sofa, and the girls to the table, eager for breakfast.

“Merry Christmas, Marmee! Many of them! Thank you for our books. We read some, and mean to every day,” they all cried in chorus.

“Merry Christmas, little daughters! I’m glad you began at once, and hope you will keep on. But I want to say one word before we sit down. Not far away from here lies a poor woman with a little newborn baby. Six children are huddled into one bed to keep from freezing, for they have no fire. There is nothing to eat over there, and the oldest boy came to tell me they were suffering hunger and cold. My girls, will you give them your breakfast as a Christmas present?”

They were all unusually hungry, having waited nearly an hour, and for a minute no one spoke, only a minute, for Jo exclaimed impetuously, “I’m so glad you came before we began!”

“May I go and help carry the things to the poor little children?” asked Beth eagerly.

“I shall take the cream and the muffins,” added Amy, heroically giving up the article she most liked.

Meg was already covering the buckwheats, and piling the bread into one big plate.

“I thought you’d do it,” said Mrs. March, smiling as if satisfied. “You shall all go and help me, and when we come back we will have bread and milk for breakfast, and make it up at dinnertime.”

They were soon ready, and the procession set out. Fortunately it was early, and they went through back streets, so few people saw them, and no one laughed at the queer party.

A poor, bare, miserable room it was, with broken windows, no fire, ragged bedclothes, a sick mother, wailing baby, and a group of pale, hungry children cuddled under one old quilt, trying to keep warm.

How the big eyes stared and the blue lips smiled as the girls went in.

WordChecker
crimson (adjective): deep red in colour
bade (past tense of verb “bid”): invited or ordered
rummage (verb): to search for something
vanity (noun): excessive belief in one’s own beauty or worth
pious (adjective): devout to one’s religion or morals
trump (informal noun; not common): a respectable person
vittles (noun; not common): food supplies
abashed (adjective): self-conscious; embarrassed

 

Metamorphosis
An excerpt from Part I of Franz Kafka’s novella “Metamorphosis”.

Metamorphosis

Title: Metamorphosis
Writer: Franz Kafka (Translated by David Wyllie)
Genre: Philosophical Novella

 Listen and read. [ 0.01 MB ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Metamorphosis (an excerpt)

One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked.

“What’s happened to me?” he thought. It wasn’t a dream. His room, a proper human room although a little too small, lay peacefully between its four familiar walls. A collection of textile samples lay spread out on the table – Samsa was a travelling salesman – and above it there hung a picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and housed in a nice, gilded frame. It showed a lady fitted out with a fur hat and fur boa who sat upright, raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her lower arm towards the viewer.

Gregor then turned to look out the window at the dull weather. Drops of rain could be heard hitting the pane, which made him feel quite sad. “How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense”, he thought, but that was something he was unable to do because he was used to sleeping on his right, and in his present state couldn’t get into that position. However hard he threw himself onto his right, he always rolled back to where he was. He must have tried it a hundred times, shut his eyes so that he wouldn’t have to look at the floundering legs, and only stopped when he began to feel a mild, dull pain there that he had never felt before.

“Oh, God”, he thought, “what a strenuous career it is that I’ve chosen! Travelling day in and day out. Doing business like this takes much more effort than doing your own business at home, and on top of that there’s the curse of travelling, worries about making train connections, bad and irregular food, contact with different people all the time so that you can never get to know anyone or become friendly with them. It can all go to Hell!” He felt a slight itch up on his belly; pushed himself slowly up on his back towards the headboard so that he could lift his head better; found where the itch was, and saw that it was covered with lots of little white spots which he didn’t know what to make of; and when he tried to feel the place with one of his legs he drew it quickly back because as soon as he touched it he was overcome by a cold shudder.

He slid back into his former position. “Getting up early all the time”, he thought, “it makes you stupid. You’ve got to get enough sleep. Other travelling salesmen live a life of luxury. For instance, whenever I go back to the guest house during the morning to copy out the contract, these gentlemen are always still sitting there eating their breakfasts. I ought to just try that with my boss; I’d get kicked out on the spot. But who knows, maybe that would be the best thing for me. If I didn’t have my parents to think about I’d have given in my notice a long time ago, I’d have gone up to the boss and told him just what I think, tell him everything I would, let him know just what I feel. He’d fall right off his desk! And it’s a funny sort of business to be sitting up there at your desk, talking down at your subordinates from up there, especially when you have to go right up close because the boss is hard of hearing. Well, there’s still some hope; once I’ve got the money together to pay off my parents’ debt to him – another five or six years I suppose – that’s definitely what I’ll do. That’s when I’ll make the big change. First of all though, I’ve got to get up, my train leaves at five.”

WordChecker
vermin (noun): small insect or animal that is very annoying to humans
domed (adjective): shaped like a dome (roof with a round structure)
pitifully (adverb): poorly
textile (noun): a type of fabric
gilded (adjective): gold or gold-like finish on a surface
flounder (verb): to move about wildly
subordinate (adjective): secondary; in a lower class

 

The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes
Excerpt from Adventure IV of “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes

Title: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Writer: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Mystery

 Standard Podcast [ 0.01 MB ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Adventure IV: The Boscombe Valley Mystery (an excerpt)

“I think that I see my way to clearing James McCarthy,” said Holmes. “Have you an order to see him in prison?”

“Yes, but only for you and me.”

“Then I shall reconsider my resolution about going out. We have still time to take a train to Hereford and see him to-night?”

“Ample.”

“Then let us do so. Watson, I fear that you will find it very slow, but I shall only be away a couple of hours.”

I walked down to the station with them, and then wandered through the streets of the little town, finally returning to the hotel, where I lay upon the sofa and tried to interest myself in a yellow-backed novel. The puny plot of the story was so thin, however, when compared to the deep mystery through which we were groping, and I found my attention wander so continually from the action to the fact, that I at last flung it across the room and gave myself up entirely to a consideration of the events of the day. Supposing that this unhappy young man’s story were absolutely true, then what hellish thing, what absolutely unforeseen and extraordinary calamity could have occurred between the time when he parted from his father, and the moment when, drawn back by his screams, he rushed into the glade? It was something terrible and deadly. What could it be? Might not the nature of the injuries reveal something to my medical instincts? I rang the bell and called for the weekly county paper, which contained a verbatim account of the inquest. In the surgeon’s deposition it was stated that the posterior third of the left parietal bone and the left half of the occipital bone had been shattered by a heavy blow from a blunt weapon. I marked the spot upon my own head. Clearly such a blow must have been struck from behind. That was to some extent in favour of the accused, as when seen quarrelling he was face to face with his father. Still, it did not go for very much, for the older man might have turned his back before the blow fell. Still, it might be worth while to call Holmes’ attention to it. Then there was the peculiar dying reference to a rat. What could that mean? It could not be delirium. A man dying from a sudden blow does not commonly become delirious. No, it was more likely to be an attempt to explain how he met his fate. But what could it indicate? I cudgelled my brains to find some possible explanation. And then the incident of the grey cloth seen by young McCarthy. If that were true the murderer must have dropped some part of his dress, presumably his overcoat, in his flight, and must have had the hardihood to return and to carry it away at the instant when the son was kneeling with his back turned not a dozen paces off. What a tissue of mysteries and improbabilities the whole thing was! I did not wonder at Lestrade’s opinion, and yet I had so much faith in Sherlock Holmes’ insight that I could not lose hope as long as every fresh fact seemed to strengthen his conviction of young McCarthy’s innocence.

WordChecker
resolution (noun): a strong decision
clear (verb): to prove that a person is innocent of a crime
puny (adjective): weak
grope (verb): to search with little guidance
delirium (noun): in a wild, disturbed state of mind
cudgel (verb): to beat
hardihood (noun): courage

 

Great Expectations
Excerpt from Chapter 1 of “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens.

Great Expectations

Title: Great Expectations
Writer: Charles Dickens
Genre: Fiction

 Listen and read. [ 0.01 MB ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Chapter 1 (an excerpt)

My father’s family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip.

I give Pirrip as my father’s family name, on the authority of his tombstone and my sister,—Mrs. Joe Gargery, who married the blacksmith. As I never saw my father or my mother, and never saw any likeness of either of them (for their days were long before the days of photographs), my first fancies regarding what they were like were unreasonably derived from their tombstones. The shape of the letters on my father’s, gave me an odd idea that he was a square, stout, dark man, with curly black hair. From the character and turn of the inscription, “Also Georgiana Wife of the Above,” I drew a childish conclusion that my mother was freckled and sickly. To five little stone lozenges, each about a foot and a half long, which were arranged in a neat row beside their grave, and were sacred to the memory of five little brothers of mine,—who gave up trying to get a living, exceedingly early in that universal struggle,—I am indebted for a belief I religiously entertained that they had all been born on their backs with their hands in their trousers-pockets, and had never taken them out in this state of existence.

Ours was the marsh country, down by the river, within, as the river wound, twenty miles of the sea. My first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things seems to me to have been gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards evening. At such a time I found out for certain that this bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard; and that Philip Pirrip, late of this parish, and also Georgiana wife of the above, were dead and buried; and that Alexander, Bartholomew, Abraham, Tobias, and Roger, infant children of the aforesaid, were also dead and buried; and that the dark flat wilderness beyond the churchyard, intersected with dikes and mounds and gates, with scattered cattle feeding on it, was the marshes; and that the low leaden line beyond was the river; and that the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing was the sea; and that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry, was Pip.

“Hold your noise!” cried a terrible voice, as a man started up from among the graves at the side of the church porch. “Keep still, you little devil, or I’ll cut your throat!”

A fearful man, all in coarse gray, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, and shivered, and glared, and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin.

“Oh! Don’t cut my throat, sir,” I pleaded in terror. “Pray don’t do it, sir.”

“Tell us your name!” said the man. “Quick!”

“Pip, sir.”

WordChecker
explicit (adjective): clear
derive (verb): to originate from
inscription (noun): words written on a monument or inside a book cover
indebted (adjective): grateful
leaden (adjective): dull; lacking in life
savage (adjective): fierce; wild
lame (verb): to cause a living thing to be unable to move well

 

Frankenstein
Excerpt from Chapter 5 of “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley.

Pride and Prejudice
Excerpt from Chapter 1 of “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen.

The Night Before Christmas
A reading of the poem, “The Night Before Christmas”. Includes vocabulary notes and discussion questions.

The Velveteen Rabbit
Listen to an excerpt from this children’s holiday classic.

Children’s Stories

Subscribe to EnglishClub Podcasts

The Goblins’ Christmas
Listen to the preface to Elizabeth Anderson’s poem “The Goblins’ Christmas”.

The Goblins’ Christmas

Title: The Goblins’ Christmas
Writer: Elizabeth Anderson
Genre: Poetry

 Listen and read. [ 0.01 MB ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Preface to The Goblins’ Christmas poem

Once upon a time I visited Fairy-land and spent a day in Goblin-town.
The people there are much like ourselves, only they are very, very small
and roguish. They play pranks on one another and have great fun. They
are good natured and jolly, and rarely get angry. But if one does get
angry, he quickly recovers his good nature and joins again in the sport.

If a Goblin should continue angry he would take on some visible form.
Perhaps he would become a toad or a squirrel, or some other little
animal, and would have to live here on the Earth-plane forevermore. But,
if he keeps good natured, he can come here and have his fun, and not be
seen by any one except a Seer, or very wise person.

The Goblins are gracious to the wise people now, but they were not
always so. A long, long time ago, on a Christmas-eve, the Fairy-folk
were having great sport. All the little people of the Unseen-world had
gathered together in the Earth-realm. There were Brownies, and Gnomes,
and Elves; even some little Cherubs had joined them. They were having a
wild dance and a gay time when who should appear but Kris Kringle! Now
the Fairies did not know that he was a Magician, or Seer, and so they
tried to make sport of him. But Kris by his wonderful magic, changed
them into the most beautiful toys. They became straight little
jumping-jacks, and dolls in bright dresses, and the dearest little
rabbit with white, soft fur. And somewhere in the bottom of the sleigh
one was turned into a cute little Teddy-bear. Then old Kris tucked all
these toys into his roomy sleigh, and shook the reins of his waiting
steed. “Go on!” he said, “For I’ve many, many a chimney to reach
tonight.”

Now this is the tale of “The Goblins’ Christmas” that the moonbeams
told, as they heard it from the Fairy-Queen, who declares that every
word of it is perfectly true.

WordChecker
roguish (adjective): naughty; mischievous
good natured (adjective): in a happy mood
prank (noun): a joke or trick you play on someone for fun
jumping jack (noun): toy dancing man with strings
roomy (adjective): spacious; has lots of space
reins (noun): the straps attached to a horse and held by a driver
steed (noun): horse
declare (verb): to state firmly

 

The Bears’ Night Out
The four bears that couldn’t get comfortable.

The Bears’ Night Out

 Standard Podcast [ 0.01 MB ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Megan loved bears more than anything else in the whole world. She had a polar bear, a grizzly bear, a panda bear, and even a koala bear. She had other animals too, but it was only the bears that got to sleep in Megan’s bed at night.

Each night before bed, she gathered the bears around her and tucked them in. Before she closed her eyes she told each of the bears to behave. And, normally they did. But one summer night, the polar bear couldn’t sleep.

“It’s too hot in here,” he told the other bears. “I wish I were in the North Pole right now.”

“Where is the North Pole?” asked Panda.

“I’ll take you there if you want to go,” said Polar.

Panda did want to go and Grizzly and Koala did too.

So, the four bears slid down the bedpost and headed off North. When they arrived in the North Pole, Polar showed the other bears around. Koala did not feel very comfortable.

“It’s too cold!” said Koala. “I could never live here.”

“We polar bears have two kinds of fur,” Polar said, “some that is woolly and keeps us warm, and some that is spiky and keeps us dry. And even though we are as white as the snow we have thick black skin that keeps us comfortable.”

“It was nice to meet your friends and family,” said Koala, “but I wish I were somewhere warmer.”

So, the bears headed South, all the way down to Australia. Koala showed her friends around.

“Is there something to drink?” asked Grizzly. “It’s hot here, and I’m thirsty.”

“Koala bears eat eucalyptus,” said Koala. “We get all the water we need from the leaves.” Koala shared some eucalyptus with her bear friends, and they all got sleepy. But, just before they were about to have a nap, Grizzly’s tummy began to roar.

“I’m still hungry,” Grizzly said. “I wish I were in the mountains by a nice cold stream.

So, the bears headed West, all the way to Canada. Grizzly showed his friends all of the wonderful things to eat, like fish, and grapes, and even garbage left by nearby campers. Panda was exhausted from all of the travelling.

“I wish I were home where life is a whole lot slower,” said Panda.

So, the four bears headed East to China. As they were travelling, Panda looked very worried.

“Aren’t you happy to be going home for a visit?” Polar asked Panda.

“I am, but I’m afraid there won’t be any pandas left,” explained Panda.

When they arrived in China there were only a few other panda bears around. Panda and his friends had to share one small bamboo stick.

“Where is everybody?” asked Koala.

“Is this all there is to eat?” asked Grizzly.

“I’m afraid bears like me have almost gone extinct,” said Panda. “And most of the bamboo trees have been cut down so there isn’t much to eat.”

The bears were tired so they decided to head back to Megan’s house. All the way home, the bears were very quiet. They had enjoyed their trip around the world, but they felt sad that there were only a few panda bears left. When they had snuggled back in bed with Megan, Panda lifted up his head and smiled.

“I’m so thankful to have other bear friends like you,” Panda said. “Friends don’t have to be panda bears. Other kinds of bears are just as nice.”

The bears smiled and hugged each other and then closed their eyes and went to sleep. A moment later Koala sat up again.

“I have a secret to tell you,” she said. “I’m not really a bear at all. I wish I were a bear, but actually I’m a marsupial. I hope you’ll love me just the same.”

None of the bears said a word. They were already fast asleep. But, just when Koala thought her secret was still a secret she heard a tiny voice.

“I love you just the same as all the other bears, Koala,” Megan said. “And, sometimes I wish I were a bear too.”

---

Wordchecker

• gather (verb): to bring together in a group
• tuck someone in (verb): to help someone get comfortable under the blankets in a bed
• eucalyptus (noun): a flowering tree native to Australia
• exhausted (adjective): very tired
• extinct (adjective): no longer a species on earth
• snuggle (verb): to get comfortable with soft or warm things or people
• marsupial (noun): a mammal that lives in its mother’s pouch after birth and continues to develop there

 

Maxwell Loses A Tooth
Maxwell’s classmates have different ideas about what he should do with his lost tooth.

Maxwell Loses A Tooth

 Standard Podcast [ 0.01 MB ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Maxwell put up his hand and waited for his teacher, Mrs. Gilbert, to notice him.

“Do you have a question, Maxwell?” she asked.

“It’s more like a problem,” Maxwell said. “I lost my tooth.”

Maxwell stood up and held out his hand to show his class his baby tooth.

“Congratulations,” Mrs. Gilbert said. Then she asked the class if anyone had any advice for Maxwell. Keiko put up her hand first. Keiko was from Japan.

“Is it an upper or a lower tooth?” Keiko asked.

“A lower tooth,” Maxwell said. He opened his mouth and showed the class the empty spot in the bottom of his mouth.

“You should throw your baby tooth over the roof of your house,” Keiko said.

“Why should I do that?” Maxwell said.

“Because then your new adult tooth will grow properly. When you lose an upper tooth you should put it under the floor.”

Mrs. Gilbert thought this was a good idea, but Frida disagreed. Frida was from Austria.

“You shouldn’t throw your baby tooth away, Maxwell. You should keep it and give it to your mother,” Frida said.

“Why should I do that?” asked Maxwell.

“She will make it into a necklace for you to wear.”

Jorge shook his head and put up his hand. He had some different advice for Maxwell. Jorge was from Mexico.

“You should take your tooth home. Then you should put it under your pillow when you go to sleep,” Jorge said.

“Why should I do that?” Maxwell said.

“Because then the tooth mouse will come. He will keep your tooth and pay you with good luck. Sometimes the tooth mouse even brings a small toy.”

Maxwell liked Jorge’s advice the best. Mrs. Gilbert gave him a box to keep his tooth in. She didn’t want him to lose his tooth again.

“Whatever you decide, you should show your mother your tooth when you get home,” Mrs. Gilbert said.

When Maxwell got home he showed his mother the empty spot in his mouth. Then he opened the box and showed her his tooth.

“Congratulations! What are you going to do with your tooth, Maxwell?” his mother asked.

“I’m going to put it under my pillow,” he said. And he did.

When Maxwell woke up the next morning he looked under his pillow. The tooth was gone. In its place, Maxwell found a one dollar bill. He also found a letter. This is what the letter said:

Dear Maxwell,
Congratulations! You lost your first tooth. I will keep it forever. You should buy something nice for yourself with this money.
Love,
The Tooth Fairy

“I should tell my class about the tooth fairy,” Maxwell thought. “Everyone should lose a tooth!”

---

Maxwell Loses a Tooth is a useful story for reading in a multicultural classroom. It is also a nice introduction to giving advice with “should”.

Written and Read by: Tara Benwell

 

The Lucky Octopus
This unlucky octopus knows exactly what to wish for.

The Lucky Octopus

 Standard Podcast [ 0.01 MB ] Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Ollie the octopus only had seven legs.

“The last one will grow,” the ocean doctor said the day Ollie was born.

“But when?” asked Ollie’s mother. She was very sad.

“When Ollie turns eight years old,” the doctor said.

For seven years, Ollie’s brothers and sisters teased her about her missing leg. She was the youngest octopus in the family. Her sister Olivia was the oldest.

“Ollie only has seven legs because she isn’t part of our real family,” Olivia told the other sea creatures one day.

It was a lie, but everyone believed Olivia because she was the oldest.

When the other sea creatures played games like tag and hide and go seek, Ollie’s brother Oscar wouldn’t let Ollie play.

“You can’t catch a fish with only seven legs,” Oscar said. “Go and find a friend that has an extra leg to play with.”

Ollie searched around the ocean, but there weren’t any kind sea creatures to play with. She was very lonely.

One day Ollie’s brother Orlando saw Ollie playing by herself in the seaweed. He was very happy.

“Guess what I found today, Ollie!” Orlando said. “A treasure chest. It is from a ship and it is full of beautiful jewels.”

“Can I see it?” Ollie asked. “I have always dreamed of seeing a treasure chest.”

“I’m not showing it to anyone!” Orlando said. “Especially not a tiny octopus with only seven legs.”

Ollie went home and told her mother that she was sad. “Everyone treats me differently because I only have seven legs,” she said.

“Don’t worry,” her mother said. “Tomorrow is your eighth birthday and you will finally grow another leg! Then you will never be lonely.”

That night Ollie dreamed that she grew another leg. Everyone celebrated and ate delicious food. She was so happy. But the next day, when Ollie woke up and counted her legs, there were still only seven.

Ollie hid in the seaweed patch and cried. She was so sad. Suddenly a sea fairy appeared. It was the tiniest creature Ollie had ever seen.

“You are the lucky octopus I have been waiting for,” the sea fairy said.

“I am?” Ollie said.

“Yes. Only the luckiest octopus gets to make three wishes.”

Ollie knew exactly what to wish for.

“First I wish that Olivia was honest,” Ollie said.

“Your wish is granted. Now you have two more wishes,” the fairy said.

“Second I wish that Oscar was kind.”

“And now he is,” the fairy said. “And what is your last wish?”

“Lastly, I wish that Orlando was fair,” Ollie said.

Before the tiny sea fairy disappeared, she told Ollie that she was the kindest octopus in the whole sea. “I wish that all of your birthday dreams come true,” the sea fairy said before she swam away.

When Ollie got home her family was waiting for her. “Surprise!” they said all at once.

“I bought you a present,” Oscar said. “It’s a beautiful pearl necklace!”

“Thank you,” Ollie said. “You are very kind.”

“I baked a delicious cake for you,” Orlando said. “And I invited all of the sea creatures to share it with us.”

“You are very fair,” Ollie said. “Thank you for sharing.”

“I’m very sorry, I don’t have a present for you,” Olivia said. “I forgot it was your birthday.”

“That’s okay,” Ollie said. “You are very honest. Thank you.”

Ollie’s mother swam over to her daughter with a red birthday balloon.

“I’m so happy for you, Ollie,” she said.

“Why Mother?”

“Look, you’ve finally grown your eighth leg!” Ollie’s mother tied the balloon to her daughter’s new leg.

It was the happiest day of Ollie’s life.

 

Good Neighbours
Jack’s new neighbour Naoko is Japanese. Does she know how to make a snowman?

The Chickens Take A Holiday
Farming is hard work. Everyone needs a holiday. What will the farmer say?

Too Tiny For Tea
Marty is too tiny for almost everything.

Inky Pinky Pooh
This is the story of a very small cat who lived in a very big house.