Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

Short Stories for Kids

Complete lesson plans, including stories, listening, classroom activities, quiz questions and more!

The Secret of the Crystal Cavern

Oliver uncovers a magical map, leading him and a mischievous squirrel to unexpected adventures.

Try this story at a different level?

 

In a busy village called Whimsy Woods, a boy named Oliver found a map inside an old book in his attic. The map said “Crystal Cavern” in shiny letters. Excited, Oliver packed snacks in his backpack and went to find the cavern.

Oliver walked through the woods. The trees whispered, and the birds sang. After a long walk, he found the Crystal Cavern hidden by bright vines. A funny squirrel appeared and wanted to join him. Oliver and the squirrel went inside the cavern together.

Inside, the cavern sparkled like stars. Crystals of many colors shined. A fluffy creature with three eyes and a purple mustache appeared. “I am Glimmer, the Guardian of the Crystals!” Glimmer said. “Answer my riddle to explore.” Oliver thought hard and guessed the riddle correctly: “It’s the sun!”

They found a shiny pool, and the squirrel jumped in. A tiny fish with a crown popped out and said, “Thank you! I will grant one wish.” Oliver wished for a big feast in the village. The fish made delicious treats appear in the village square. Everyone had a joyful party, and Oliver shared his adventure with friends, bringing everyone together.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1cavernA large cave
2atticThe space at the top of a house, under the roof
3whisperedSpoke very softly
4squirrelA small animal with a bushy tail that climbs trees
5crystalsShiny, colorful rocks
6riddleA tricky question or puzzle
7feastA big meal with lots of food
8adventureAn exciting journey or trip
9guardianSomeone who protects something
10grantTo give something special

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did Oliver find in the old book?
2. What did Oliver pack in his backpack?
3. Who joined Oliver in the Crystal Cavern?
4. What did Glimmer say he was the guardian of?
5. What did the tiny fish with a crown say it would grant?
6. What did Oliver wish for at the end of the story?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a busy village called Whimsy Woods, a boy (1)______ Oliver found a map inside an old book in his attic. The map said “Crystal Cavern” in shiny letters. (2)______, Oliver packed snacks in his backpack and went to find the cavern.

Oliver walked through the woods. The trees whispered, and the birds sang. After a long walk, he found the Crystal Cavern hidden by bright vines. A funny squirrel (3)______ and wanted to join him. Oliver and the squirrel went inside the cavern together.

Inside, the cavern (4)______ like stars. Crystals of many colors shined. A fluffy creature with three eyes and a purple (5)______ appeared. “I am Glimmer, the Guardian of the (6)______!” Glimmer said. “Answer my riddle to explore.” Oliver thought hard and guessed the riddle correctly: “It’s the sun!”

They found a shiny pool, and the squirrel jumped in. A tiny fish with a crown popped out and said, “Thank you! I will grant one wish.” Oliver wished for a big feast in the village. The fish made delicious treats appear in the village square. Everyone had a joyful party, and Oliver shared his (7)______ with (8)______, bringing everyone together.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is your favorite place to explore?
2. How would you feel if you found a treasure map?
3. Do you like to have adventures? Why or why not?
4. What is a fun snack you would take on a trip?
5. Do you think animals can be friends with people? Why?
6. How would you feel if you saw a creature with three eyes?
7. Do you like to share food with friends? Why?
8. What is a wish you would make if you found a magic fish?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. cavern
2. attic
3. whispered
4. squirrel
5. crystals
6. riddle
7. feast
8. adventure
9. guardian
10. grant

Meanings:
(A) A tricky question or puzzle
(B) A big meal with lots of food
(C) An exciting journey or trip
(D) A large cave
(E) The space at the top of a house, under the roof
(F) Someone who protects something
(G) A small animal with a bushy tail that climbs trees
(H) Shiny, colorful rocks
(I) To give something special
(J) Spoke very softly
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Oliver find in the attic?
(a) A toy
(b) A book
(c) A map
(d) A picture

2. What is the name of the cavern?
(a) Magic Cave
(b) Crystal Cavern
(c) Secret Room
(d) Star Cave

3. Who wanted to join Oliver?
(a) A rabbit
(b) A bird
(c) A cat
(d) A squirrel

4. Who is Glimmer?
(a) A shiny fish
(b) A funny bird
(c) The Guardian of the Crystals
(d) A big tree

5. What did Oliver have to do to explore the cavern?
(a) Sing a song
(b) Dance around
(c) Jump high
(d) Answer a riddle

6. What did Oliver wish for?
(a) A new toy
(b) A big feast
(c) A pet dog
(d) A magic wand

7. What did the tiny fish have?
(a) A crown
(b) A hat
(c) A ball
(d) A ring

8. Where did the party happen?
(a) In the village square
(b) In the cavern
(c) In the woods
(d) At Oliver’s house

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Oliver packed snacks before he went on his adventure.
2. He encountered a serious squirrel who declined to join him.
3. Inside the cavern, there were sparkling crystals of many colors.
4. A being named Glimmer was the Protector of the Crystals.
5. Oliver answered Glimmer’s enigma correctly.
6. The map led him to a place called Crystal Cavern.
7. Oliver found a map in his attic.
8. A small fish denied Oliver one wish for a big feast.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this story in two sentences. Here are some hints:
Who are the main characters?
What happens in the story?

Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did Oliver find in the old book?
Oliver found a map.

2. What did Oliver pack in his backpack?
Oliver packed snacks.

3. Who joined Oliver in the Crystal Cavern?
A funny squirrel joined Oliver.

4. What did Glimmer say he was the guardian of?
Glimmer said he was the guardian of the crystals.

5. What did the tiny fish with a crown say it would grant?
The fish said it would grant one wish.

6. What did Oliver wish for at the end of the story?
Oliver wished for a big feast in the village.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) named
(2) Excited
(3) appeared
(4) sparkled
(5) mustache
(6) Crystals
(7) adventure
(8) friends
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. cavern
Answer: (D) A large cave

2. attic
Answer: (E) The space at the top of a house, under the roof

3. whispered
Answer: (J) Spoke very softly

4. squirrel
Answer: (G) A small animal with a bushy tail that climbs trees

5. crystals
Answer: (H) Shiny, colorful rocks

6. riddle
Answer: (A) A tricky question or puzzle

7. feast
Answer: (B) A big meal with lots of food

8. adventure
Answer: (C) An exciting journey or trip

9. guardian
Answer: (F) Someone who protects something

10. grant
Answer: (I) To give something special
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Oliver find in the attic?
Answer: (c) A map

2. What is the name of the cavern?
Answer: (b) Crystal Cavern

3. Who wanted to join Oliver?
Answer: (d) A squirrel

4. Who is Glimmer?
Answer: (c) The Guardian of the Crystals

5. What did Oliver have to do to explore the cavern?
Answer: (d) Answer a riddle

6. What did Oliver wish for?
Answer: (b) A big feast

7. What did the tiny fish have?
Answer: (a) A crown

8. Where did the party happen?
Answer: (a) In the village square
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Oliver packed snacks before he went on his adventure. (Answer: True)
2. He encountered a serious squirrel who declined to join him. (Answer: False)
3. Inside the cavern, there were sparkling crystals of many colors. (Answer: True)
4. A being named Glimmer was the Protector of the Crystals. (Answer: False)
5. Oliver answered Glimmer’s enigma correctly. (Answer: False)
6. The map led him to a place called Crystal Cavern. (Answer: True)
7. Oliver found a map in his attic. (Answer: True)
8. A small fish denied Oliver one wish for a big feast. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 1 stories?

The Cloudy Day

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Sarah. She was determined to have a good day no

The Rainbow Ribbons work together to fix a chaotic rainbow and teach us about unity.

Rainbow Ribbons in the Sky

Once upon a time, there were colorful Ribbons in the sky who made pretty rainbows. One day, a naughty cloud messed up their rainbow, but they worked together to fix it and make it even better!

A little girl named Lily saves her town from darkness by convincing mischievous squirrels to return stolen sunflowers.

The Day the Sun Forgot to Rise

Once upon a time, there was a town that got scared when the sun didn’t come up. A brave girl named Lily found squirrels taking sunflowers, and she told them to put them back. The people in the town planted the flowers again and sang to make the sun come back. They learned that being hopeful is important, and the sun always came up after that day.

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