Story Prism

Aesop's fables are a group of stories thought to have been written by Aesop, a Greek Storyteller. Each Aesop story demonstrates a moral lesson. Today's story - 'The Bundle Of Sticks' is a story that teaches us that we must work together. Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-bundle-of-sticks Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Once upon a time, a very old man lived on a beautiful and comfortable farm in the country. From his window, he could see pasture land, barns filled with animals, fields of grain, orchards and forests beyond. The farm was special to the old man as it had been in his family for many generations. He had lived there his whole life and raised his family. Now his wife was dead, and he, too, was in the last days of his life. The old man lay on his bed worrying about his grown children. The children could not seem to get along. The old man heard them quarrelling day and night. Even though the children were good at what they each did, such as farming, working with the animals, carpentry, cooking or preserving the food they grew, each child thought their job was the most important and that the other one didn’t work hard enough. They were all grown up, but they held grudges against each other, and they were jealous of each other’s fortune. Children, what is one thing that you like about a sibling or a friend? That’s great. Let’s listen ahead.. The old man tried talking to his children about living in peace, but they seemed to grow increasingly bitter day after day. He felt sure that they would not be able to keep the family farm after he had died because the sons could not seem to work together or appreciate each other’s hard work. Then one day, as his strength waned, the old man had an idea. He called his children to his bedside. “I have one last favour to ask of you,” he said, “I want each one of you to go to the jungle and find two sticks. Bring them here to me tomorrow, and I will explain further.” The children did as their father asked and came to his room the next day with two sticks each. “Thank you, my children,” the old man said. “Please see if you can break one of your sticks in half,” asked the old man. All the children easily broke their sticks in half. Then the old man asked the children to pass him their second sticks. Children, what do you think the father would do with all the sticks? Let’s find out. Then the old man collected the sticks in a bundle, passed it back to his children, and said, “Pass this bundle of sticks amongst you and try to break the bundle as it was the single stick?” The children passed the bundle around, but not even one of them could break the bundle of sticks. “You, my children, are like these sticks,” the old man said. “If you go your separate ways and quarrelling, you will each be alone like the individual sticks and will face the difficulties of life alone. But if you be together, work together, appreciate one another’s strengths, cherish what you have in common, and above all, care for each other, you will be powerful like a bundle of sticks, and nothing in life can make you weak or break you. My children, try to find strength and joy in each other’s company, and you will live well and succeed in life,” the old man explained. The children took their father’s lesson to heart, focusing on what they shared in common, appreciating one another’s strengths, and working together. The old man died peacefully, and the farm remained in the family for generations to come. In unity is strength

'The Needle Tree' is a story that teaches us to be kind Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-little-thief-in-the-pantry Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript The Little Thief in the Pantry "MOTHER dear,” said a little mouse named Greywhiskers, one day, “I think the people in our house must be very kind; don’t you? They leave such nice things for us in the kitchen pantry.” Children, what things do you think were left in the pantry that the little mouse liked? Great! let’s listen ahead. There was a twinkle in the mother’s eye and she replied, “Well, my child, no doubt they are kind, but I don’t think they are quite as fond of us as you seem to think. Now remember, Greywhiskers, I have absolutely forbidden you to put your nose above the ground unless I am with you, for kind as the people are, I shouldn’t be at all surprised if would try to catch you.” Greywhiskers twitched his tail with scorn; he was quite sure he knew how to take care of himself, and he didn’t mean to walk meekly after his mother’s tail all his life. So, as soon as she had curled herself up for an afternoon nap he stole away, and scampered across the pantry shelves. Ah! here was something particularly good today. A large iced cake stood far back upon the shelf, and Greywhiskers licked his lips as he sniffed it. Across the top of the cake there were words written in pink sugar; but as Greywhiskers could not read, he did not know that he was nibbling at little Miss Daisy’s birthday cake. But he did feel a little guilty when he heard his mother calling. Off he ran, and was back in the hole again by the time his mother had finished rubbing her eyes after her nap. She took Greywhiskers up to the pantry then, and when she saw the hole in the cake she seemed a little annoyed. “Some mouse has evidently been here before us,” she said, but of course she never guessed that it was her own little son. Now, after the previous day’s adventure Greywhisker’s became more confident and the next day the naughty little mouse again popped up to the pantry when his mother was asleep; but at first he could find nothing at all to eat, though there was a most delicious smell of toasted cheese. Presently he found a dear little wooden house, and there hung the cheese, just inside it. Children, do you know what this little wooden house with chees hung was? Let’s find out. In ran Greywhiskers, but, oh! “click” went the little wooden house, and mousie was caught fast in a trap. When the morning came, the cook, who had set the trap, lifted it from the shelf, and then called a pretty little girl to come and see the thief who had eaten her cake. “What are you going to do with him?” asked Daisy. “Why, drown him, my dear, to be sure.” The tears came into the little girl’s pretty blue eyes. “You didn’t know it was stealing, did you, mousie dear?” she said. “No,” squeaked Greywhiskers sadly; “indeed I didn’t.” Cook’s back was turned for a moment, and in that moment tender-hearted little Daisy lifted the lid of the trap, and out popped mousie. Oh! how quickly he ran home to his mother, and how she comforted and petted him until he began to forget his fright; and then she made him promise never to disobey her again, and you may be sure he never did.

Today’s story-Watching the Garden is a folktale from Thailand about a little boy trying to get the beans from his garden back. To find out if he succeeds, listen to the story Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-watching-the-garden Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com Transcript: Once in Thailand, a little boy was sent to watch the garden by his grandfather. But after a while he grew bored and went off to play. As soon as he left, a crow swooped down and stole some beans. Just then, the boy's grandfather came and was most annoyed. After some time, the boy returned with a smile, which quickly turned upside down when he saw his grandfather's face. “Look what happened when you left,” the old man said to the boy. “We need those beans. You should have watched. It was your work.” The boy felt very sad and wanted to help. He decided to get the beans back from the crow. So he ran to a hunter and said, “Please sir, shoot an arrow at that crow so he will drop the beans he stole.” “Why should I bother the crow?” asked the hunter. “You made the mistake, not the crow.” The boy walked on until he found a mouse. “Please little mouse,” he said. “Chew the hunter’s bowstrings so he will shoot an arrow for me.” “I am not mad at the hunter,” said the mouse, “it's your problem”. So, the boy walked on soon he saw a cat and said, “Please friend cat, nip that mouse so it will help me.” But the cat too refused. Children, who do you think the little boy would meet next? Exactly -a dog! So, the boy met a dog. “Dear dog,” he said. “Chase that cat so it will nip the mouse and help me.” “Chase him yourself,” replied the dog. “I am busy.” Then the boy found a hammer and begged him to beat the dog. “I am too tired,” said the hammer. So the boy ran to a fire. “Fire, strong fire,” he said, “Burn that stubborn hammer so it will agree.” “Too much work,” sizzled the fire. Children , let’s list all the people and things that the boy met Yes- the hunter, the mouse, the cat, the dog, the hammer, and the fire. Next the boy pleaded with some water, “Pour yourself on the fire, dear water, to help me.” “But I like that fire,” replied the water. So the boy asked the earth to cover the water but the earth refused to. Then the boy found an elephant and begged, “Could you please pound the earth so it will cover the water.” The elephant shook his trunk. So the boy sat down and cried. Children, why did the boy cry? Yes, the boy cried as he was sad about losing the beans and wanted to get them back. But no one was helping him. At that time, a little mosquito flew around him. The boy suddenly caught it. “Now, little mosquito,” he said, “Fly into the elephant’s ears and annoy him or else squeeze you to death.” The mosquito was scared. He flew into the elephants ear. The elephant was scared and he pounded the earth. The earth was scared and it covered the water. The water was scared and fell on the fire. The fire was scared and ran to burn the hammer. The hammer was scared and threatened the dog. The dog was scared and chased the cat. The cat was scared and ran to nip the mouse. The mouse was scared and ran to bit the bowstring. The hunter was scared and he shot an arrow. The arrow scared the crow. The crow dropped the beans and they fell right into the garden again. The grandfather was delighted and forgave the boy at once. then they enjoyed a meal of the best noodles and the freshest vegetables. But after that the boy always watched the garden very carefully and he waited until he was all finished before he went to play. Try to recall all the events in the story. And remember that we must finish our work before running off to play.

Aesop's fables are a group of stories thought to have been written by Aesop, a Greek Storyteller. Each Aesop story demonstrates a moral lesson. Today's story - 'The Crow And the Pitcher' is a story that teaches us that we must not give up in the face of adversity. Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-crow-and-the-pitcher Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Once upon a time, on a scorching summer day, a thirsty crow was flying over the countryside in search of water. The sun beat down mercilessly, and the crow's throat felt parched. Children, what are the different kinds of drinks that you enjoy while quenching your thirst? Great. After a long flight looking for water, the thirsty crow spotted a pitcher under a shady tree. The crow had a smile on his face. Hopeful, the crow hurriedly flew down to satisfy his thirst. As the crow reached the pitcher, it saw that there was indeed water inside, but alas, the water level was so low that the crow couldn't reach it with its beak. He was disappointed but he didn’t give up. He was determined to find a way to drink the water from the pitcher. So, the crow peered inside, trying to figure out a way to quench its thirst. Children, can you please suggest a way for the crow to quench his thirst? Let’s listen ahead. After a moment of thinking, the clever crow had an idea. It began to pick up small pebbles from the ground nearby and dropped them into the pitcher one by one. Children, do you know what happened when the crow dropped stones in the pitcher? Indeed, with each pebble dropped in, the water level rose ever so slightly. The crow continued this method, dropping pebble after pebble into the pitcher. Slowly but surely, the water level began to rise, inch by inch, until at last, it was high enough for the crow to dip its beak and take refreshing sips of water. The crow drank water to his heart’s content. Then with his thirst quenched, it flew away, feeling satisfied and delighted. From that day on, whenever the crow encountered a challenge, it remembered the lesson it had learned from the pitcher: that with patience, perseverance, and a little bit of creativity, even the most difficult obstacles could be overcome. And that is what we learn from this story: whenever we face problems, we must not give up immediately, but think through it, and we are bound to get the solution.

'The Needle Tree' is a story that teaches us to be kind Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-needle-tree Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript The Needle Tree Once, two brothers lived at the forest’s edge. The older brother was always unkind to his younger brother. He used to even take all the food and snatched all the good clothes from the younger one. Children, what was the unkind behaviour of the older brother? Indeed, the older brother used to take food and good clothes from the younger sibling. The older brother would go into the forest in search of firewood to sell in the market. But he was unkind and as he walked through the forest, he chopped off the branches of every tree he passed. One day he came upon a magical tree. The tree stopped him before he chopped its branches and said, ‘Oh, kind sir, please spare my branches. If you spare me, I will provide you with golden apples.” The older brother agreed. The tree gave him two golden apples. The older brother was disappointed with just two golden apples. Overcome by greed, the brother threatened the tree, “I’ll cut you if you don’t provide me with more apples.” The tree was offended and instead of giving him more apples, the tree showered him with hundreds of tiny needles. The brother fell to the ground, crying in pain as the sun began to set. Soon, the kind-hearted younger brother became worried and went in search of his older brother. He searched every nook and corner of the forest until he found him at the trunk of the apple tree, lying in pain with hundreds of needles on his body. He rushed to him and started to painstakingly remove each needle with love. Once the needles were out, the older brother apologized for mistreating his younger brother. The magical tree saw the change in the older brother’s heart and gifted them with all the golden apples the brothers could need.

Welcome to the Turtle Tales series. The Singing Turtle is an adapted folktale from Japan where a turtle helps a hard-working man to earn money by singing. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources are available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-the-singing-turtle Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Once upon a time, there lived two brothers. These two brothers lived with their mother a little further away from the city. Now, one of them was a hard worker. He worked hard and did not waste his time being lazy. Whereas, the other brother was a lazy bone and did not work at all. He preferred to sleep in his bed all day long. Their mother had been sick and the family had always been poor. The hard-working brother's earnings were always spent by the lazy brother. Every day the hard-working brother went to the town with his lunch and came back in late the evening. During his lunch break, the hard-working brother would go to the river and have his lunch by the river. One day, the hard-working brother told his brother that he's going to the city, “I’ll be back late in the night. There are some sticks I have gathered. I will sell them and make some money,” saying that, he left. But as luck would have it he could not sell even a single stick by lunchtime. The poor brother was upset. He knew his brother and mother were relying on him. Children, what should the hard-working brother do now? So, as usual, during the lunch hour, he went to the river. But instead of having his lunch, he started weeping. When he was weeping, the hard-working brother heard a voice. “Why are you crying?” asked the voice. The hard-working brother looked down wondering where the voice was coming from. Then the voice asked him to look down. When the hard-working brother did so, he saw the voice was that of a turtle. He was even more surprised when the turtle said, “I would like to help you. I am a singing turtle and if you take me to the market, I can help you fetch good money.” The hard-working brother was confused and wondered, “But why would you help me?” “I have been eating the crumbs you left behind after your lunch. I am indebted to you,” said the turtle politely. The hard-working brother thanked the singing turtle for extending help and took him to the market. He was able to earn a handsome amount as people were excited to hear a turtle sing. Children, can you imagine what songs he sang? That’s good. The hard-working brother took his earnings and the turtle to his house. He narrated the entire story to his family. The next day when he was washing up the turtle, the lazy brother snatched the turtle and said, “I can earn more than you can.” With that, the lazy brother took the turtle to the market. The lazy brother ordered and ordered the turtles to sing but that only made the turtle go back into his shell. The townspeople blamed the man for lying to them and said that it was an ordinary turtle anyway and not a singing turtle. Angrily, the lazy brother left him in the market and stomped his way home. Children, is that a good thing to do? The turtle slowly made his way back to the hut. Once home, the turtle told everything to the hard-working brother and the mother. Upon hearing the story that mother told both the brothers, “Bad habits chase away the good things in life. You should be nice and polite to everyone.” The Lazy brother apologized and promised to be polite and also work hard. The hard-working brother and the turtle were delighted by this change of heart of the lazy brother.

The Escapades of Letter D is a story about Alphabet D finding out a secret about his toys and also teaches how everyone can play together. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-alphabet-escapades-letter-d. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript It was night-time and all the alphabets had finished playing and together they put away all the toys: the duck, deer, dinosaur, doll, etc. They never left their toys scattered. They always placed them back neatly in the drawers or in the toy basket. After putting away the toys, they quickly washed up, had their delicious dinner, and went to their room. Soon they were busy reading and in no time, they were fast asleep. One day, after all the other alphabets had gone to sleep Alphabet d decided to return to the playroom to play some more. He quietly got out of the bed, tiptoed out of the bedroom, and walked towards the playroom. As he approached the playroom, he heard some noises. He stopped and wondered what those noises were. D was very inquisitive and instead of rushing into the playroom, he decided to peep through the window to find out what was happening “Oh My God! What are all the toys doing outside their baskets and drawers?” he wondered. He carefully looked and realized that all the toys were playing around in the room. Or were they getting ready for something? Alphabet D wanted to join them but thought that might scare the toys. So, he decided to just watch them through the window. He had never seen anything like this before. Alphabet D saw the doll dressed up in her shimmering shining dress. “Is there going to a party?” Alphabet D wondered. In the other corner Alphabet D’s favourite deer was draping itself in a golden skin. The very next moment, the toy tub caught Alphabet D’s attention. He saw the duck fluttering its wings to dry itself and quacking; quack -quack -quack-quack Once she was done drying, she waddled towards the middle of the room. The doll was ready by now. And so was the deer. They both walked elegantly towards the middle of the room. All the others also assembled in the middle for what looked like a dance party. Suddenly, Alphabet D heard the beating of the drum. It was the dog. He appeared playing a beat on the drum. And everybody started rejoicing and dancing. The doves came in and started circling right above all the others, fluttering their wings to the beat. Indeed, it was a dance party All you little children listening out there, I am sure you all love parties, especially birthday parties. So, what’s your favourite part of any birthday party? Is it the fun-filled games, or the delicious food, or the scrumptious cake, or the refreshing drinks, or the rhythmic dancing? Or is it everything put together. Well, even the toys in our story were having a great time in the party. So, till now in the story, Alphabet D, instead of sleeping, wants to play more and goes to the playroom, only to realize that all the toys were having a party. As the toys were dancing, the dinosaur came with refreshing drinks and served them to all the animals. But then the mean red coloured dragon, who always troubled the other toys, appeared from behind the cupboard. All the animals started running here and there as they were scared of the dragon. He was a big bully and scared all the toys by his loud shrieks and by blowing fire. The toys shouted together, “Someone please help us!” and were running helter-skelter. Hearing the commotion, the lion who was relaxing in the den rushed out. One look at the dragon and the lion understood the problem that it was the dragon scaring all the other toys. He roared, "You red dragon, that is no way to spoil the party. Instead why don’t you join them and have fun too!” “But no one ever invites me to the party,” said one very angry dragon. The doll gathering courage said, “Dragon dear, you are most welcome to join our party, but please don’t...

Welcome to the Fox Tales series. Scrapefoot and the three bears is a story about a fox who enters the castle of the three bears but is thrown out of the window. This has many similarities to the fairy tale; Goldilocks and the three bears. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-scrapefoot-the-fox-and-the-three-bears Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Once upon a time in a land not so far away, lay the most beautiful forest with mighty old trees, mosses in all shades of green, clear babbling streams, and light open spaces filled with delicate sweet-smelling flowers. In the middle of this wonderful forest stood the castle of the Three Bears. They were the masters of the forest. And in the same forest, there was a Fox who lived all alone, his name was Scrapefoot. Children, can you guess why he was called, Scrapefoot? The old fox was known for the fact that he would rather beg and bow to anyone than do an honest day of work. He was lazy. It was his typical bow whereby her foot would scrape heavily backward over the floor that earned him the name -Scrapefoot. He was very proud of himself. He would spend hours grooming himself daily and making sure that his tail was fluffy and lovely. Scrapefoot was very much afraid of the Bears, but amongst all the things that he wanted very much, one was that he wanted to visit the great grey castle. And one day as he was roaming through the wood he found himself near the Bears' castle, and he wondered, “ Oh, how much I want to see this big, great, grey castle of the bears from the inside!” He wondered whether he could get into the castle. He looked to the right, he looked to the left, he looked far ahead and way behind, and he could not see anyone. Then he skidded here and he skidded there, till at last, he arrived at the door of the big grey castle. He tried to see if he could open it. Yes! the door was not locked. “Would it be my lucky day? Looks like I will get to go inside this great grey castle at last, ” Scrapefoot smiled to himself. He raised his paws and pushed the door and opened it just a little more. Next, he put his nose in and looked. Luckily he could not see anyone. So, then he opened it a little way farther and put one paw in, and then another paw, and another and another, and then he was all inside the Bears' castle. He stood at the door, awestruck. Children, put on your thinking caps and tell me why do you think Scrapefoot was awestruck? After a moment, he realized that he was in a great hall with beautiful chandeliers, satin curtains and walls adorned with attractive paintings. Next, his eyes fell on the three thrones; one big, one middling, and one little one. He thought, “Why don’t I sit on one of the thrones and feel like the master of the forest?” So, he sat down on the big throne. But he found it so hard and uncomfortable that it made his bones ache, and he jumped down at once and got into the middling throne, and he turned round and round in it, but he couldn't make himself comfortable. So then, he went to the little chair and sat down in it, and felt very nice, “This is so soft, warm, and comfortable!” The Scrapefoot was quite happy, but all at once, it broke to pieces under him. “Never mind! Let me see the other parts of the castle,” Leaving the throne behind, Scrapefoot walked around the castle. Soon he found the dining room. In it stood a huge heavy but beautifully carved table with three plates on it. The first plate was filled with big smoked salmon. Children salmon a medium-sized silver-coloured fish that lives in the seas or rivers. The Scrapefoot thought, “The bears surely know which fish is good. So I must taste it.” He took the plate but the strong and weird smell of the salmon made him quickly push the plate as far away as he could. On the second plate, lay a lovely cake, dripping with honey, “Ahh, the bears are famous to know which is the best honey. So let me...

'Jumpy Learns A Lesson' is a story that teaches us to have the spirit of never giving up. Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-jumpy-learns-a-lesson Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Jumpy Frog opened his eyes to the bright sun of a new day. He stretched out his long legs and stuck out his tongue to taste the morning air. Jumpy hopped out of his bed onto the green, dew-soaked leaves and raced to his mom nearby. “Wake up, Mommy, wake up,” Jumpy shouted with excitement. “Good morning, my baby boy,” his mom said. Jumpy yelled, “Do you know what today is?” His mom teased, “No, what is today?” Children, can you guess why is Jumpy so excited? Let’s find out. “My Birthday”, exclaimed Jumpy. “I’m 5 years old today.” “Oh,” mom said, “Is it your birthday TODAY?” “Mom, you remember, don’t you?” said Jumpy. “Of course I do. It’s my favourite day of the year,” Mom said. She pulled out a big box with a bright red bow. “Happy Birthday, my son!” “Oh, Mom, is this what I think it is?” Jumpy hoped she had gotten all his hints about what he wanted. A new guitar! The kind that his favourite band plays. Shiny blue and sounding awesome! Jumpy pulled apart the wrapping paper and yanked off the bow. He opened the box and it was…… the guitar! Jumpy was so happy. He immediately picked it up and started playing. Only to his surprise, it did not sound too good. Jumpy quickly got discouraged and threw down the guitar. Mom picked it back up and said, “Jumpy, try again. You’ll never know how good you could be if you give up so fast.” Children, have you learned any new things recently? Please share what it was. That’s lovely Jumpy was disappointed. He wanted the guitar, but he did not want to take the time to learn to play it. He surely did not want to hurt his mom’s feelings, so he picked the guitar back up and tried again. It sounded just as bad. He got very upset! “Jumpy”, said his mom, “never give up. Practice, practice, and practice. Soon you’ll see that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.” That night Jumpy tried again. The day after that he tried again. The day after that he tried again. Each day he tried a little longer and a little harder. Until one day Jumpy played the most beautiful song on his guitar. His mom had been listening, as she had each day. She was so proud of him for not giving up. Jumpy and his mom would sit for hours together while Jumpy played the song over and over until it was perfect! Jumpy was so proud of himself and his mom was so proud of him too! Jumpy said, “Thank you so much for buying me this guitar. I guess you believed in me before I even believed in myself!” Jumpy’s mom said,” That’s what moms’ are for! With this guitar, you will make beautiful music forever. Now what better gift could there be?” Jumpy said, “This is the best birthday gift ever.” Jumpy and his mom sat together on a bunch of lily pads while Jumpy played his music as the sun set around them.

The Woodpeckers’ Granary is a story that is about woodpeckers working as a team to gather acorns, make their granary and protect it too. It also teaches children am important life lesson of not taking others things without permission. Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-originals-the-woodpeckers-granary. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript You must have heard that it’s wrong to take other people’s things without their permission. Well, in today’s story, someone learns a lesson about not picking up things that don’t belong to them. So gather around. Before I plunge into the story, let me tell you dear children that acorn woodpeckers are a particular type of woodpeckers that eat, as the name implies, mainly acorns. They live in a family that cooperates and helps each other. A big flock of acorn woodpeckers was soaring in the sky. This flock had a fledgling named, Nutty. Nutty loved his flock for it had his papa, mummy, uncles, aunts, and cousins too. They always stayed together and had a lot of fun playing as well as working together. One day while flying they spotted an oak tree grove. As they were circling over the grove, all of them were enchanted by its tall oaks. So, they decided to get a closer look and landed in the oak grove. They found that not only were the tall oak trees gorgeous, there were beautiful wildflowers growing and they could even hear the gurgling of a waterfall nearby. Every member of the flock was elated. Looking at his flock’s happy faces, papa announced “Let's make this our new home. It is so pretty here.” The whole flock chirped in agreement. The fledglings couldn’t believe their ears, “Hurray! A new home! That’s awesome.” Looking keenly all around the oak trees Nutty was worried. “There are no holes here,” he gave an anxious shriek. Another fledgling added, “Where will we store our acorns?” “Well! We will teach you how to make the holes and store the nuts. It’s hard work, but doing things together makes it enjoyable,” papa assured the little ones. All the cousins exchanged a smile and gave high-five to each other with their wings and said, “That’ll be fun! We have never made our holes as in our previous home we already had them.” Nutty exclaimed, “I’ll make the biggest one!” Mummy who was observing the excitement amongst the young ones added, “ We don’t need to make big ones. You have to learn to make the holes just the right size to fit the acorn.” One of the uncles explained, “And remember not to make them lower on the trunk as then the other animals might take our nuts.” Soon, all the elders got busy with what woodpeckers love doing the most, drilling small holes in the trunk of the oak trees. Papa made himself comfortable on the trunk of one of the oak trees and called all the fledglings, “Come here, let me teach you how to make the right size holes and the correct distance apart.” Happily, all the fledglings gave noisy trills and under papa’s guidance got busy pecking the wood to make the cavities. One of the uncles, flying around the grove, gave a loud call to the flock, “I suggest that since it’s fall, some of us should start harvesting the green acorns. If we delay, we might not have enough acorns in our new granary for the winter months. The others can keep drilling the wood.” The flock unanimously agreed. They knew building a new granary isn’t an easy task. Every day, some would fly out in search of acorns, bring back some to keep in the cavities. In the meantime, the others would frantically make holes in the oak trees. In a few weeks, all their hard work paid off. Their granary was almost ready. The fledglings were most excited as it was their first year to make holes and store the nuts. They were also very possessive about them. One day, after soaring in the sky, the flock returned to the grove of the oak trees. Nutty, enthusiastic about his acorn went straight to check on his very first acorn that he had...

Akbar and Birbal folktales are very famous in India. These are a set of moral stories inspired by the interactions of Mughal Emperor Akbar and his wisest courtier Birbal and have been enjoyed by children for many many years. These stories were mostly passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth, till the print medium started. You know children, Birbal was an extremely witty courtier and. you will really enjoy listening to the witty, interesting, and sometimes funny, occurrences in the lives of Akbar and Birbal. These stories also help us to think smart just like Birbal. Today's story: The Nine Stick is a witty story where Akbar loses his favourite ring and requests Birbal to help out find the thief. Was Birbal successful? to find out, listen to the story. Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-nine-sticks Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Akbar was one of the greatest rulers in India. As the highest ruler in the land, the emperor, Akbar resided in a spacious palace with throngs of obedient servants and so many riches and treasures, it would take all one thousand of his elephants to carry them! The emperor’s most precious riches and treasures were his jewels. Glittering gold crowns... sparkling silver anklets... radiant ruby earrings... The glistening gems were so dear to the emperor that he kept them locked away in a big locker hidden deep beneath the palace. Only ten people had a key to that locker: the emperor himself, plus nine pf his trusted attendants who had a very special job. Every time the emperor wished to wear a piece of jewelry, be it - the emerald pendant — the one shaped like a peacock! or a shimmering bracelet, he would ask one of the trusted servants to bring it from the locker. To get to the locker, the attendant had to push through a secret hole in the wall. Then they had to run down a hidden set of stairs and unlock a heavy steel door. Once they entered the vault, they would seek out whichever jewel the emperor desired, bring it back to the great ruler’s chamber, and then help him put it on as he admired himself in the mirror. One day, the emperor, Akbar, decided he’d wear a thick gold ring set with a dazzling diamond the size of an apricot. The ring had been passed down in his family from generation to generation, and the emperor considered it to be his greatest treasure. So, he asked one of his nine attendants to fetch the ring from the locker. But when the attendant came back, the great ruler was flabbergasted to hear that the ring wasn’t there! The emperor exclaimed, “What?!? My greatest treasure is missing? It can’t be! Send for another attendant! Let them try!” So a second attendant went to the locker to look for the ring… and, like the first attendant, he too claimed it was nowhere to be found. Emperor said not believing the attendant, “ Come now! That ring didn’t just get up and walk away! The door to that vault is as thick as the trunk of a banyan tree!” But then the third attendant too reported the ring was gone. And so did the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and the ninth. All returned empty-handed. The emperor was now very angry and decided to go himself and look for the diamond ring himself. So, the emperor grabbed his key, marched down to the locker and spent hours sifting through his vast collection of jewels… until, at last, he collapsed in a heap. Emperor Akbar called out to Birbal, “ You need to help…my greatest treasure is gone!” Birbal was the emperor’s favourite advisor. The wise and witty man was famous for his razor-sharp intellect and was the first person the emperor called whenever he had a problem he couldn’t solve, a question he couldn’t answer, or a puzzle he couldn’t crack. Children, do you know any riddle? Please ask either your friend or your family members to solve it. As the emperor told Birbal what had happened. The shrewd advisor, Birbal, listened carefully, scratching his chin and nodding his...

Today’s story- The Blue Jackal is from the Panchatantra. It’s a story about a jackal who acts like someone else and tries to rule the forest, but does he succeed? Listen to the story to find out. Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-panchatantra-the-blue-jackal Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Once there was an adventurous jackal in a forest who frequently strayed into the neighbouring village looking for food. The village was filled with dogs that scared the jackal. Although he was scared of the dogs, the jackal loved food and travelled to the city again and again. One day, as he was going to enter a house, he heard barking. He was shocked to find a gang of dogs running towards the house. They looked violent and caused the jackal to panic. In a hurry, he ran to the next house he saw open. It happened to be the house of a washerman. Scared, the jackal tumbled into a tub of indigo, the blue dye used for bleaching clothes. The dogs couldn’t see the jackal and they ran another way. Children, what colour was the jackal now? Let’s listen ahead. The jackal came back to the forest with his body dyed in blue. He appeared very different from any other animal. With his cunning mind at work, he was pleased as no one would be able to recognize him and he could easily fool anyone in the jungle. Just like he had thought, everyone in the forest was surprised to see such an unusual animal. When the lions, tigers, panthers, wolves and other animals in the forest saw him, they were frightened and ran in all directions. They thought to themselves, "We do not know his power and strength. It is better we keep a distance from him. Haven't the elders warned us not to trust strangers?” Finally, the lions and the tigers gathered courage and asked who he was and who had sent him. “I have been sent by God himself to look after you. I will now be the king of the jungle,” the jackal said. The lion protested, “Don’t you know, I have always been the king of the forest.” “From now, that must change and all of you must serve me” The Jackal said happily. Some animals like the tiger protested and asked what would happen if they didn’t obey him. He replied, “God would destroy the entire forest if you all didn’t obey me.” Scared for their lives and their forest, the animals asked the blue Jackal what he would like them to do. “Bring me lots of food,” said the blue jackal promptly. The animals quickly scurried and returned with lots of food for the Jackal. He had so much food that he gave his leftovers to the other animals and said, “ You must serve me fresh food every day. Hope that is clear.” He even threw out the pack of jackals from the forest because he knew that they could identify him someday. The blue Jackal was very happy with himself for fooling the entire forest and was happy to be away from the city dogs. But one day the banned pack of jackals was walking around the forest, howling loudly. The blue jackal began howling too out of habit. Because of this mistake, the lions and other animals immediately recognized that their king was after all a jackal and not a God-send creature. They at once pounced on the blue jackal and in turn, banished him from the forest forever.

Akbar and Birbal folktales are very famous in India. These are a set of moral stories inspired by the interactions of Mughal Emperor Akbar and his wisest courtier Birbal and have been enjoyed by children for many many years. These stories were mostly passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth, till the print medium started. You know children, Birbal was an extremely witty courtier and. you will really enjoy listening to the witty, interesting, and sometimes funny, occurrences in the lives of Akbar and Birbal. These stories also help us to think smart just like Birbal. Today's story: Birbal's Khichadi is a tale where Birbal helps a poor man get his much-deserved reward. Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-birbals-khichadi Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript On a cold winter day, emperor Akbar and Birbal took a walk along the lake. As they were discussing matters related to the empire, a thought came to Birbal that a man would do anything for money. He expressed his feelings to Akbar. Akbar put his finger into the lake and immediately removed it because it was freezing cold. Akbar immediately said, “ I don’t think a man would spend an entire night in the cold water of this lake for money.” Birbal replied confidently, “I am sure I can find such a person.” Akbar then challenged Birbal to find such a person and said that he would reward the person with a thousand gold coins. Children, do you think Birbal would be successful in finding a person who would be ready to stand in freezing water for a whole night? Let’s see. Birbal searched far and wide until he found a poor man who was desperate enough to accept the challenge. This poor man was really in need of money. The poor man entered the lake and Akbar had guards posted near him to make sure that he did as promised. Children, what’s your guess, would the poor man would be able to stand in cold water. Well, the poor man kept standing the whole night inside the pond, shivering badly. But he did not come out even once. The next morning the guards took the poor man to Akbar. The Emperor asked, “Tell me something, how could you stand in the freezing cold water all through the night?” The innocent poor man replied, “Huzoor, I could see a faintly glowing light coming from your palace, a kilometre away. Looking at that light gave me imaginary warmth and strength to keep standing in the water.” After listening to the poor man, Akbar declined to pay him his reward saying that he had got warmth from the light and this was cheating. The poor man went away disappointed and empty-handed. Children, do you think Akbar did the right thing by not giving the reward to the poor man? That’s correct, it wasn’t good on Akbar’s part not to give the poor man his well-deserved money. Birbal tried to say something in the favour of the poor man but the Emperor refused to listen to him. Soon after, Birbal stopped coming to the durbar and sent a messenger to the king stating that he would come to the court only after he had cooked his khichdi. One day passed, the second day passed, the third and fourth day too. When Birbal did not come to the court for five days, the Emperor himself went to Birbal’s house to see what he was doing. Children, can you guess what Birbal was doing? Listen ahead to find out. Birbal had lit the fire and kept the pot of khichdi one metre away from it. Akbar asked him “How will the khichadi get cooked with the fire one metre away? Are you in your senses, Birbal?” Birbal humbly replied, “O’ Jahapanah! If it is possible for a person to receive warmth from a light that was a kilometre away, then it is also possible for me to cook this khichdi a metre away from the fire.” Akbar understood his mistake. He called back the poor man and rewarded him with 1000 gold coins as promised.

Tenali Raman was a learned scholar and a poet in King Krishnadevaraya’s court. He was a minister in the court and was also one of the eight poets. He was famous for his wit and quick thinking. On the Story Prism podcast, Tenali Raman tales are a collection of some of those stories. Today's story- Raman Outsmarts a Thief is a story that teaches us that being a quick thinker and witty can save us from dire situations. Do you think Raman would be able to save himself this time? Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-tenali-outsmarts-a-thief Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Once upon a time, Raman set out on a long journey. In those days, one had to walk through the jungle to get to another city. Children, how can we travel from one place to another nowadays? That’s a lot of ways, but long-long ago, people had to walk if they wanted to travel. So, Raman started his journey. On the way, another traveller joined Raman, who said, “This forest is infested with thieves. I am afraid they will rob me. Can I travel with you?” the man asked Raman. Raman readily agreed. That night, the two of them stopped at some place in the forest to rest. Raman was tired and fell asleep soon. His companion was waiting for this moment. In fact, he was a thief who used to rob travellers. He got up and looked under Raman’s pillow without disturbing him. He found nothing. He carefully searched Raman’s pockets looking for money. To his disappointment, he did not find even a paisa! Then he opened the bundle Raman was carrying. Again, he found nothing. The next morning, the two resumed their journey. They halted for the night again. Raman again had a sound sleep. Whereas his companion yet again searched Raman’s belongings, looking for money and valuables. Again, he was disappointed. The next day, the two travellers reached the holy city of Tirupati, the famous holy city in southern India. This was where Raman and his companion had to part company. At that moment the companion confessed that he was a thief. “ I have never met with failure. But this time I failed. Now that we are parting company, please tell me where you hid the money in the night?” pleaded the thief. “Unless I know your secret, I may not be able to sleep,” he confessed. Raman smiled, “I knew you were a thief the moment I saw you. I took care to hide money where you would never find it.” Children, where do you think Raman hid his money? Let’s listen ahead. “But where? I looked for it everywhere,” cried out the thief. “Did you look for it under your pillow?” asked Raman. “I looked for it under your pillow and found nothing. Why should I look for your money under my pillow?” asked the bewildered thief. “Because I hid the money under your pillow,” said Raman, “I was confident it was the one place you would never look for my money.” That indeed surprised the thief's companion. He quietly went off his way thinking about how witty Raman was. Careful and smart thinking can help one beat even the worst people in the world

Today's story - The Little New Year is an adapted legend from the USA. It’s about Love and Kindness. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/the-little-new-year Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript One cold morning John awoke from his dreams and sat up in bed and listened. He thought he heard a knock at his window; but though the moon was shining brightly, Mat, a kind hearted boy, had been busy at work. John could not see through the thickly painted panes, so he crept sleepily out of bed, and opened the window, and whispered: “Who is there?” “I am,” replied a tinkling voice. “I am the little New Year, ho! ho! And I’ve promised to bring a blessing to everyone. But I am such a little fellow I need somebody to help me distribute them. Won’t you please come out and help?” Children, what is Mat distributing? Yes, blessings in different forms. Let’s listen ahead “Oh, it’s so cold!” said John; “I’d rather go back to my warm bed; “ and he shivered as Mat, who was passing, tickled him under the chin with one of the frosty paint brushes. “Never mind the cold,” urged the New Year; “please help me.” So John hurried into his clothes, and was soon out in the yard. There he found a rosy-cheeked boy a little smaller than himself, pulling a large cart which seemed to be loaded with good things. On one side of this cart was painted the word “Love,” and on the other “Kindness.” As soon as the New Year saw John he said, “Now please take hold and help me pull;” and down the driveway and up the hill they travelled until they came to an old shop. “Here is where I make my first call,” said the New Year. John looked wonderingly at him. “Why, nobody lives here but a man named Mr Brown, and he hasn’t any children!” “He needs my help,” said the New Year; “for grown people like to be thought of just as much as children do. You shovel out a path to his door, while I unload some of my blessings; and the little hands went busily at work, piling up warm clothing, wood, and a New Year’s dinner, the New Year singing as he worked:— “Oh, I am the little New Year; ho! ho! Here I come tripping it over the snow, Shaking my bells with a merry din; So open your door and let me in.” On hearing some noise outside, Mr Brown came to the door, and when he saw all the nice gifts, tears ran down his cheeks for gladness; and as he carried them into the house, he whispered: “The dear god, thank you so much.” “Where are we going now?” asked John, as they ran down the hill. Children, where do you think the New Year will go next? Nice. Let’s listen ahead “To take some flowers to a poor sick girl,” answered the New Year. Soon they came to a small white house, where the New Year stopped. “Why, Bestie, the little girl who sews lives, here,” said John. “I didn’t know she was sick.” “See,” said the New Year, “this window is open a little; let us throw this bunch of pinks into the room. They will please her when she wakes and will make her happy for several days.” Then they hurried to other places, leaving some blessings behind them. “What a wonderful cart you have,” said John; “though you have taken so much out, it never seems to get empty.” “You are right, John, there is never any end to love and kindness. As long as I find people to love and be kind to, my cart is full of blessings for them; and it will never grow empty until I can no longer find people to help. If you will go with me every day and help me scatter my blessings, you will see how happy you will be all the long year.” “A happy New Year!” called someone, and John found himself in bed, and his sister standing in the doorway smiling at him. “Have you had a pleasant dream, dear?” she asked. “Why, where is the little New Year?” said John; “he was just here with me.” “Come into Mamma’s room and see what he has brought you,” answered his sister. There in a snowy white cradle, he found a tiny baby brother, the gift of the New...

Today’s story is an original story that I wrote, inspired by the ornaments my neighbour’s little child was hanging so lovingly on his Christmas tree. Do you know the significance of each of the Christmas ornaments? Or do you think it’s just for decoration? Well, enjoy the story “No Ordinary Ornament." Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-no-ordinary-ornament Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript It was late November, little Rhea watched as the movers carried luggage to the apartment next door. She was excited that finally, she would have neighbours. She crossed her fingers and prayed that the new family would have kids who could be her companions. She kept peeping out of her window now and then to check and get an update on the move. It was around noon when she heard the kids and rushed to the door. To her delight, she saw three kids walking toward the next-door apartment. Seeing Rhea, they came to meet her and introduced themselves as Tim, Kelly, and Ryan. Well! What followed was days of playing, chatting, and sleepovers. In fact, a strong bond of friendship developed among them. They all celebrated Rhea’s birthday together on the 20th of December, which Rhea claimed was the best so far. All the kids were excited that the Christmas holidays were round the corner and, on the first day of the holiday, Kelly invited Rhea to her house to put up their Christmas tree. Rhea had seen many Christmas trees in the malls and schools but never helped someone put one up. So she was thrilled. Ms. Brown, the children's mother, brought the big fir tree in with the help of the children. Mr. Brown unpacked the boxes filled with all the decorations from previous years. “This is going to be my first time decorating a Christmas tree!” said one very excited Rhea with a twinkle in her eyes. Taking out the lights from one of the boxes, Kelly replied, “Let's put up these lights first. You may then unpack the bells that my father wraps so well every year so they don't break.” “But why do we put these bells?” asked Rhea innocently. Kelly glanced at the two siblings looking for an answer. And they in turn looked at their father for the answer. “Children, bells are rung in the church after the mass. When you go to the church you hear the bells right? And that’s why we also put bells on the Christmas tree,” answered the father. “That's interesting,” Tim nodded as he started to open the next box. “So dad, why do we put all decorations on the tree; the candy canes, the bird in the nest, angels, etc. Is it for decoration or is there some significance that is there?” “I’ll take this one!” mom replied, taking out a candy cane. “I’m glad you asked. This is the staff of the Shepherd. And the wreath is for...” before she could finish Tim jumped in, “Sprucing the front door!” “No dear, that represents the thorns worn by Jesus, and the red berries represent the blood.” Holding a rabbit in one hand and a fruit basket in the other Rhea asked, “What about these, aunty?” “The rabbit symbolizes peace with nature and the fruit is so we always have plenty to eat and to remind us to be generous.” “Mom, Dad, how come you never told us about this earlier?” Kelly inquired. “I was waiting for you to be inquisitive enough and ask yourself,” mom said lovingly hanging the bird ornament on the tree, “and this bird in the nest reflects happiness and joy.” The tree was already looking beautiful. Ryan opened another box and asked, “Hey mom, this frog must be from Kelly's toys!” “Ha, ha! The frogs traditionally are symbols of good luck. Frogs can’t move backward or side to side.” “You know,” father jumped in, “They always move forward suggesting we all achieve our goals and accomplishments.” “Mmm… I will be like the frog from now onwards, moving ahead to achieve my goals,” Rhea thought to herself. Ryan took out the teapot, “Now this for sure has no meaning!” “Dear Ryan, you serve tea to guests in the teapot. This teapot...

Today’s story – Santa’s Christmas is about the spirit of Christmas It's a time for people to come together, celebrate, and spread positive energy. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/santas-christmas Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript It was a beautiful December day, with a clear blue sky and snow-covered tree tops. Christmas was in the air but up in Santa's lodge, all was quiet. The usual hustle and bustle for preparing Christmas presents had gone for Santa had fallen ill. “Oh dear, what will children say when they don’t receive presents this year,” Santa wondered sadly, as he lay on his bed. Suddenly, he heard a noise from outside. Children , who do you think was outside? Nice. Let’s listen ahead. He looked out of his window and saw his four reindeer standing patiently as always. But they seemed quite out of breath as if they had just finished a long trip. And as Santa took a closer look, he could not believe what he saw. For behind the reindeer was the long train of sledges carrying children little children dressed in all sorts of colours. One by one, they hopped out onto the snow and headed towards Santa’s lodge. Soon came a knock on the door. “Come in,” Santa called out as he was extremely curious. In came a little girl hugging something soft in her arms. “I hear you were sick Mr Santa,” she began. “So, I am giving you my teddy bear to keep you company.” “Thank you little Emma,” said Santa as he knew every child by name. Then entered a young boy with a red package in his arms. “We knew that you were ill Papa Santa,” he said. “So my family knitted this quilt for you to keep you warm in the winter days.” “What a wonderful thought Paul,” beamed Santa patting him on the head. One by one, the children came in through Santa’s door, each with a special gift to wish Santa a speedy recovery. Children, name a few gift that you think Santa got from the children? Yes, there were cookies, pieces, socks, mittens, books, jigsaw puzzles, and even a small Christmas tree! “Children delivered to my doorstep!” exclaimed Santa. “Come let us all share these wonderful gifts.” and he gathered the children around him in a big circle. “Santa, which present did you like the most?” Emma soon piped up. “My dear little ones, it is the love and kindness that each one of you has shown me today. That is the best present of all!” Santa said smiling. He looked fondly at all the eager faces around him. “This, my little ones is the true meaning of Christmas,” Santa said. With that, Santa gave each of the children are big warm holiday hug.

Escapades of Letter C is a story of Alphabet C's positive attitude when faced with a difficult time while going to the circus. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-alphabet-escapades-letter-c. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Once a farmer lived on a big farm on the outskirts of the city with his wife and two children, Cocco and Camy. And there was alphabet C that stayed with them too. Camy, the younger of the two children carried Alphabet C everywhere. The farmer often went to the city to get seeds, manure, and other things needed on the farm. One day, when the farmer returned from one such trip to the city, he exclaimed, “There is a circus running in the city!” Cocco and Camy were very excited. Mummy was milking the cow and when she returned, both the kids shouted in delight, “Mummy! May we please go to the circus? Please, please!” “Sure! That will be fun,” answered mummy hugging the children. Alphabet C, who was listening to all the excitement also wanted to go to the circus. He pleaded, “Please take me along to the circus!” Mummy explained, “You are welcome Alphabet C, but you should stay close to us as a city is a huge place, and we do not want you to get lost.” “Pinky promise! I will stay with Cocco and Camy all the time,” said one very excited alphabet C. Let me ask a question to all you lovely children listening to the story out there: When you go to a new place, should you go far away from your parent or a grown-up? No, never! Is that a pinky promise? Coming back to the story- Remember Camy and Cocco along with alphabet C were excited about going to the circus in the city. Camy, who was only 5 years old asked sheepishly, “But what exactly is a circus?” Mummy took Camy in her lap and explained, “Well, Circus has acrobats, clowns, and other performances, in a large tent. The rest you can find out when we go there!” Children and Alphabet C waited impatiently waited for Sunday. On Saturday, mummy asked everybody, “What snacks would you all like me to pack for the circus?” Coco exclaimed, “Let’s take a chocolate cake!” Camy added, “ I want my favourite carrots!” “I think we should take some sandwiches and juice too as we might return late from the circus,” father said. “And how did you children forget candy??” “Yes! Yes! Please take that too,” the children said together. The next day, Cocco and Camy wore nice clothes, combed their hair neatly, and were ready. In the excitement Camy forgot Alphabet C, who came rolling behind, “Please don’t leave me! Please don’t leave me!” Camy Picked him and said, “I am really sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you behind!” Mummy was ready with the snacks too. They all sat in the car and were off to the city. We are driving down the bumpy road, the bumpy road the bumpy road We are driving down the bumpy road, To the circus, it’ll lead! They all were singing songs and rhymes when suddenly they heard a Boom! All of them jumped in their seats because of that loud sound. Father got down from the car and looking around the car he said, “Don’t worry, it’s just a flat tyre, I have a spare tyre and will fix it in 10 min.” The children looked at their father with pride. “My daddy is the best,” said Camy. The farmer opened the trunk of the car to replace the tyre, but he realized he didn't have a spare tyre. “I am so sorry; I forget to place the spare tyre!” father said very sadly. The children had tears rolling down their cheeks, “Now we’ll have to wait another year to watch the circus,” said Cocco, sobbing. “Crying doesn’t help dear Cocco, let’s think of some other ways to reach the circus,” said Alphabet C. “That’s right,” said mumma. “Shhh everybody be quiet, I hear something,” said alphabet C. Just then they heard the chime of the bells and the clippety-clop, clippety-clop! Being on the farm they knew that it was the sound of a horse or listening carefully was it the sound of two...

Today’s story-Watching the Garden is a folktale from Thailand about a little boy trying to get the beans from his garden back. To find out if he succeeds, listen to the story Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/watching-the-garden Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com Transcript: Once in Thailand, a little boy was sent to watch the garden by his grandfather. But after a while he grew bored and went off to play. As soon as he left, a crow swooped down and stole some beans. Just then, the boy's grandfather came and was most annoyed. After some time, the boy returned with a smile, which quickly turned upside down when he saw his grandfather's face. “Look what happened when you left,” the old man said to the boy. “We need those beans. You should have watched. It was your work.” The boy felt very sad and wanted to help. He decided to get the beans back from the crow. So he ran to a hunter and said, “Please sir, shoot an arrow at that crow so he will drop the beans he stole.” “Why should I bother the crow?” asked the hunter. “You made the mistake, not the crow.” The boy walked on until he found a mouse. “Please little mouse,” he said. “Chew the hunter’s bowstrings so he will shoot an arrow for me.” “I am not mad at the hunter,” said the mouse, “it's your problem”. So, the boy walked on soon he saw a cat and said, “Please friend cat, nip that mouse so it will help me.” But the cat too refused. Children, who do you think the little boy would meet next? Exactly -a dog! So, the boy met a dog. “Dear dog,” he said. “Chase that cat so it will nip the mouse and help me.” “Chase him yourself,” replied the dog. “I am busy.” Then the boy found a hammer and begged him to beat the dog. “I am too tired,” said the hammer. So the boy ran to a fire. “Fire, strong fire,” he said, “Burn that stubborn hammer so it will agree.” “Too much work,” sizzled the fire. Children , let’s list all the people and things that the boy met Yes- the hunter, the mouse, the cat, the dog, the hammer, and the fire. Next the boy pleaded with some water, “Pour yourself on the fire, dear water, to help me.” “But I like that fire,” replied the water. So the boy asked the earth to cover the water but the earth refused to. Then the boy found an elephant and begged, “Could you please pound the earth so it will cover the water.” The elephant shook his trunk. So the boy sat down and cried. Children, why did the boy cry? Yes, the boy cried as he was sad about losing the beans and wanted to get them back. But no one was helping him. At that time, a little mosquito flew around him. The boy suddenly caught it. “Now, little mosquito,” he said, “Fly into the elephant’s ears and annoy him or else squeeze you to death.” The mosquito was scared. He flew into the elephants ear. The elephant was scared and he pounded the earth. The earth was scared and it covered the water. The water was scared and fell on the fire. The fire was scared and ran to burn the hammer. The hammer was scared and threatened the dog. The dog was scared and chased the cat. The cat was scared and ran to nip the mouse. The mouse was scared and ran to bit the bowstring. The hunter was scared and he shot an arrow. The arrow scared the crow. The crow dropped the beans and they fell right into the garden again. The grandfather was delighted and forgave the boy at once. then they enjoyed a meal of the best noodles and the freshest vegetables. But after that the boy always watched the garden very carefully and he waited until he was all finished before he went to play. Try to recall all the events in the story. And remember that we must finish our work before running off to play.

Escapades of Letter B is a story of Alphabet B's adventure in a forest. He observes the daily routine of various animals and becomes especially fond of the baby bear. Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-alphabet-escapades-letter-b. Send your artwork to rituvaish@gmail.com. Transcript Alphabet B was very adventurous. He loved to travel to places near and far. On one of his travels, he reached a beautiful forest. The forest was full of big and small trees, with fruits and flowers of many kinds and colours. He liked the forest so much that he decided to stay there for a few days. Alphabet B quietly observed the daily routine of the animals there. He watched the squirrels, the baboons, the deer, the birds, the bees to just name a few. Alphabet B was very fond of the bear family that lived in a cave towards the east of the forest, especially the baby bear. This cub was no ordinary baby bear. While all his friends and family roamed around in the jungle, looking for the honeycombs, fighting with the honeybees, eating the honey that the bees made, the baby bear had a different routine. Unlike the rest of the bears, the baby bear, would come out of the cave with his family but he trotted straight to his favourite banyan tree. He lay his precious belongings which were his books and the soap water that he loved to make bubbles with. Next, he would pluck a few banana leaves and lay them neatly under the banyan tree. Then he sat comfortably and started reading his books. As soon as the baby bear’s friends saw him, they rushed towards the banyan tree. The baboons jumped from tree to tree to reach the banyan tree, the birds flew, the ants marched, the rabbits scurried, and the beetles flew to the banyan tree. Even the barn owl would get up from the middle of his sleep when the baby bear arrived at the banyan tree. All the animals gathered around the banyan tree because they all loved when the baby bear read stories to them. Even the alphabet B would hide amongst the branches of the banyan tree and enjoy the stories that the baby bear read. After reading the story for his friends, baby bear would blow bubbles some big and the others small. He loved to observe his friends play with the bubbles. The little birds would pop them with their tiny beaks, the baboons would push then with their hands, just like we push a ball. The ants would wriggle when bubbles would fall on them, and the beetles chased them till they popped. Well, the owls, needless to say went back to sleep. This happened every single day. There was a gigantic beehive opposite the banyan tree. The bees were extremely curious. They wanted to know what was happening under the banyan tree every single day. One of them asked the other bee while cleaning the beehive, “Why do all the animals rush to meet the baby bear every day?” The other bee replied, “I have no idea, but they all seem to enjoy their time together.” One day, a group of beetles were rushing towards the banyan tree, as they had gotten late. When the beetles crossed the hive, they heard a bee shout out, “Hey beetles! Why do you all go to the bear under the banyan tree? What's so special about him?” One beetle stopped and shouted back, “0h! don’t you know he tells us very nice stories. Why don’t you come and join someday? Bees were excited but scared at the same time. Excited as they also wanted to enjoy the story, Scared, as the bees and the bears had never been friends. But still a few of the brave bees gathered their courage and followed the beetles. Scared of being shoed away, they approached the bear slowly. And To the bees’ surprise, the bear said, “Please don’t be afraid, you are welcomed to listen to the story.” All the beetles, bees, and other animals heard him in pin drop silence. The bees were enchanted not just by the story, but by the baby bear too for he was very gentle and kindhearted. They all thanked him and went back happily Now,...