A band of gypsies had set up a camp in the commons near Tydewell. The younger villagers were excited, and visited the camp to buy embroidered cloth, or to get their fortune told. But the older villagers were not happy. Whenever a gypsy camp came to the area, there were always many thefts. This time, […]
Ali was excited for his first camel race. His family had been participating in the race for years, and his father had won many times. Just then, he saw his closest competitor, Umar. They hated each other. Ali could not bear the thought of being defeated by him! Soon, it was time for the race
At one time, the Arabian Sea was the busiest trading route in the world. However, there was always one danger to be faced in these waters–pirates! They lived on remote islands, paid no taxes, and had no rulers. Dewan was a pirate. His parents had been killed by tax collectors, but he had fled. Hiding
A lion looks so mighty that it is called the king of the jungle. A lion has a golden brown-yellow coat. The male lion has a rich mane of golden, brown or black fur around its neck. A male lion’s loud roar can be heard for as far as 5 miles. Lions live in dens
Mir Singh was going to Bukhara from Punjab as part of a trading caravan. He had heard of the wonderful markets there, and was excited to see them himself. The caravan had just entered the passes of Afghanistan, however, when they were attacked by a tribe of Pashtuns. They plundered the goods and sold the
Anna was on a cruise ship, with about fifty people on board. One night, after dinner, Anna was standing on the upper deck, admiring the moonlight. Suddenly, she heard a scuffle and a small splash. Looking over, she clearly saw a figure sinking in the water, and another running away from the deck below. Anna
Once, a farmer used to live with his parents. One day, the farmer became very rich. So, he collected all his valuables and left his poor parents for greener pastures. When his parents asked him for food and money, he drove them away. The poor parents were full of grief. Suddenly, they met an elf.
Terence was a forest ranger. There had been a series of attacks on wild animals in the last few weeks, and the rangers were determined to catch the poachers. Tonight, Terence had tracked a large herd of elephants. They were heading straight for a local watering hole, so Terence hid himself in a tall tree
When the evil Amir took over Samarqand, Mirza Haidar had to flee. Only forty of his closest officers rode with him. They rode hard, trying to reach the safety of Hindustan. Otherwise, the Amir would surely try to kill them. Soon, they were among the steep and treacherous mountain passes of the Himalayas. High up,
A train is a series of wagons or carriages. A train is drawn by an engine. An engine driver operates the train. A train runs on the rail tracks. A train stops at different railway stations. People travel from one place to another in passenger trains. Freight trains carry cargo. Some trains are like toy
A Sultan had a beautiful daughter, Salma, but she was ill-tempered and proud. Once, a prince, Jehangir, wished to marry her but she rejected him. One day, a bearded man came to the Sultan’s palace. He wished to paint the princess’s portrait. But he had a condition. Nobody should be permitted to see the painting
Once, in the forest, there lived many birds together. Among them was a wise old bird. All the birds respected him. Now, it so happened that the weather became very hot once. All the birds got affected due to the heat. So, the wise birds said, “Since it has become so hot here, we will
A car is a vehicle with wheels used for carrying people and goods. Cars come in different colours and sizes. A car has four wheels, one steering wheel and an engine. The headlights of the car shine brightly at night. Cars usually run on petrol or diesel. But battery-operated cars need to be charged with
Once, there was a cunning cat. One day, as he came out of his hole, he a saw a cat sitting near by. The rat quickly went back to his hole. There were many other rats. The cunning rat had an idea. He asked another rat, “Friend, would you like to come along with me
Once, a student used to absent himself from classes very often. One day, the principal called him. It was lunchtime when the student came. The principal asked, “Is this the time to come?” The student replied, “I got late today because I found a lump of gold in our field.” The principal was surprised and