Riza was a grocer in a small town in Persia. He worked very hard, but earned only enough to feed his family. Riza wasn’t happy. He wanted to earn more. He wanted to be wealthy. There also lived a rich landlord in Persia. Kind, the landlord wished to share his wealth with someone who needed…
Sasha was sitting underneath the basket on the court next to her home. She had not been able to make a basket the whole evening. She was sad and disappointed. “Why can I not do it? Not even once? How can everyone else do it?” she kept beating herself up, although it was the first…
In the middle of a thick forest, there was a vast pond. Deer and lions, elephants and leopards, bears and giraffes, all lived in the forest in harmony, all relying on the pond for water. All animals went to the pond to quench their thirst once every day. There was an unwritten rule about the…
It was a warm Sunday. The month was January. Hannah found a bird lying in their backyard. The little sparrow had broken her wing. As Hannah approached, the bird struggled hard to get away from whatever harm could come from the 5-year-old. Hannah gently picked up the bird, and went to her mother. “Look, Mommy,…
A herd of sheep lived in a forest. There were all kinds of sheep in the herd: fat and lean; young and old; white and grey. And there were sheep with horns as well. There also lived a pack of wolves adjacent to where the sheep lived. The sheep were easy prey for the wolves,…
A princess had been sitting in the window of their palace since morning, refusing to eat anything. When nothing worked, the king was told about the princess. “O my sweetheart, what makes you so sad? Is there anything I can do for you, my lovely princess? Your sadness is spreading its wings to my heart,”…
The sun had stopped shining over the lake. The summer was over, winter about to begin, to freeze everything that black ducks called home. It was time for the birds to migrate to warmer regions to spend their winter. The entire colony of the birds was getting ready to begin their long flight. While the…
John had just landed in Maple Town, where his father had been transferred to. Lean, little John had to leave behind his friends and good company. In Maple Town, things were different. The surroundings were green and clean, but many a kid there was rather rough. One boy in particular, named Steel, who was known…
Not so long ago, two stray dogs lived in a lane in Srinagar, Kashmir. They would never leave the locality. One of them was a big dog and the other was just a puppy. Every morning when the local bakery opened, they would get up from their resting place and sit in front of the…
Rihana was sad, sitting in her small room. She needed all the toys she could have at five. She had none. Her parents wanted to bring her the moon and the stars, but they could not afford it. Her father, a blacksmith, worked really hard to earn for his family, but all he could manage…
