In a village close to a big green forest, there was a boy named Max who could talk to animals. He could understand all kinds of creatures, from little bugs to big pigs. Because of this, everyone in the village liked Max. They would ask him to chat with their pets or help find animals that got lost. Max enjoyed using his special gift to help people and made friends with lots of animals.

One day, Max was walking in the woods when he heard a bear trapped in a hunter’s trap and crying for help. Max raced over and saw the bear was really scared and angry. He talked to the bear very nicely and promised to help free him. The bear calmed down, and with the help of some other animals, Max managed to release the bear from the trap.

Sometimes, talking to animals made funny things happen. Like when a raccoon asked Max for directions to find some tasty trash, and Max pointed him the right way. But then the neighbor who owned the trash got really upset with Max. And when Max’s dog, Buster, talked about his favorite bone in front of everyone, it made people laugh and be surprised. These funny things made Max chuckle too.

Max learned a lot from speaking with animals. He found out that they have feelings just like people and need to be treated nicely. Max wanted to keep animals safe, so he taught his village about taking care of nature and being kind to animals. Because of Max, people saw that even though we’re all different, we can still understand each other and be friends.

Max’s ability brought happiness to his village. It helped everyone learn that talking and listening to each other, whether we’re people or animals, is important. Max made his village a better place, full of laughter and care for every living thing.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

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📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
2. What could Max do that made him special?
3. What did Max do when he heard the bear in the trap?
4. What happened when Max’s dog, Buster, talked about his favorite bone?
5. What did Max learn from speaking with animals?
6. How did Max make his village a better place?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a village close to a big green (1)______, there was a boy named Max who could talk to animals. He could understand all kinds of creatures, from little bugs to big pigs. Because of this, everyone in the village liked Max. They would ask him to chat with their pets or help find animals that got lost. Max (2)______ using his special gift to help people and made friends with (3)______ of animals.

One day, Max was walking in the woods when he heard a bear trapped in a hunter’s trap and crying for help. Max (4)______ over and saw the bear was really scared and angry. He talked to the bear very nicely and (5)______ to help free him. The bear calmed down, and with the help of some other animals, Max managed to release the bear from the trap.

Sometimes, talking to animals made funny things happen. Like when a raccoon asked Max for (6)______ to find some tasty trash, and Max pointed him the right way. But then the neighbor who owned the trash got really upset with Max. And when Max’s dog, Buster, talked about his favorite bone in front of everyone, it (7)______ people laugh and be surprised. These funny things made Max chuckle too.

Max learned a lot from speaking with (8)______. He found out that they (9)______ feelings just like people and need to be treated nicely. Max wanted to keep animals safe, so he taught his (10)______ about taking care of nature and being kind to animals. Because of Max, people saw that even though we’re all different, we can still understand each other and be friends.

Max’s ability brought happiness to his village. It helped everyone learn that talking and listening to each other, whether we’re people or animals, is (11)______. Max made his village a better place, full of (12)______ and care for every living thing.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a special gift that Max has?
2. How would you feel if you could talk to animals?
3. Do you like animals? Why or why not?
4. What do you think Max learned from speaking with animals?
5. How do you think Max’s ability made his village a better place?
6. Do you think it’s important to be kind to animals? Why or why not?
7. What do you think Max taught his village about taking care of nature?
8. Why do you think Max’s ability brought happiness to his village?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. village
2. creatures
3. trapped
4. released
5. raccoon
6. directions
7. upset
8. chuckle
9. feelings
10. nature
11. ability
12. laughter

Meanings:
(A) Set free or let go
(B) Feeling sad, angry, or disappointed
(C) A quiet, soft laugh
(D) The sound of someone laughing
(E) Instructions on how to get to a place
(F) The outdoors, including plants, forests, and wildlife
(G) A type of animal that has a mask-like marking on its face and likes to wash its food
(H) A special talent or skill that someone has
(I) Animals or living things
(J) A small town or community in the countryside
(K) Caught and unable to escape
(L) Emotions or how someone feels inside
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did everyone in the village like Max?
(a) Because he was the strongest boy in the village
(b) Because he could talk to animals
(c) Because he was the smartest boy in the village
(d) Because he was the funniest boy in the village

2. What did Max do when he heard the bear crying for help?
(a) He ignored the bear and kept walking
(b) He called the police to help the bear
(c) He ran away because he was scared of the bear
(d) He raced over to help free the bear

3. What happened when Max pointed the raccoon in the right direction to find tasty trash?
(a) The neighbor who owned the trash got upset with Max
(b) The raccoon got lost and couldn’t find the trash
(c) Max got in trouble with his parents for talking to animals
(d) The raccoon found the trash and shared it with Max

4. What made people laugh and be surprised?
(a) When Max tripped and fell while talking to animals
(b) When Max’s dog, Buster, talked about his favorite bone
(c) When Max wore a funny hat while talking to animals
(d) When Max made funny faces while talking to animals

5. What did Max learn from speaking with animals?
(a) That animals can’t understand humans at all
(b) That animals don’t have any feelings and don’t need to be treated nicely
(c) That animals are always mean and scary
(d) That animals have feelings and need to be treated nicely

6. What did Max teach his village?
(a) To ignore animals and not talk to them
(b) To be afraid of animals and stay away from them
(c) To take care of nature and be kind to animals
(d) To never go into the forest because it’s dangerous

7. What did Max’s ability bring to his village?
(a) Happiness and laughter
(b) Sadness and anger
(c) Fear and loneliness
(d) Confusion and frustration

8. What did Max show his village?
(a) That only talking to animals is important, not listening to them
(b) That only talking to people is important, not animals
(c) That talking and listening to each other is important, whether we’re people or animals
(d) That talking and listening to each other is not important at all

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Sometimes, funny things happen when Max talks to animals, like when a raccoon asked him for directions to find trash.
2. Max’s inability to talk to animals brings sadness to his village and prevents anyone from learning the importance of communication and kindness.
3. Max enjoys using his gift to help people and make friends with animals.
4. Max’s dog, Buster, can also talk, which surprises and makes people laugh.
5. Max cannot talk to animals or understand what they’re saying.
6. Max ignores a scared and angry bear caught in a hunter’s trap with the help of other animals.
7. Max’s special gift makes him popular in the village.
8. Max neglects teaching his village about taking care of nature and being kind to animals.
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. Who is the main character in the story?
Max is the main character in the story.

2. What could Max do that made him special?
Max could talk to animals, which made him special.

3. What did Max do when he heard the bear in the trap?
Max raced over to help the bear and promised to free him.

4. What happened when Max’s dog, Buster, talked about his favorite bone?
People laughed and were surprised when Buster talked about his favorite bone.

5. What did Max learn from speaking with animals?
Max learned that animals have feelings and need to be treated nicely.

6. How did Max make his village a better place?
Max made his village a better place by teaching people about taking care of nature and being kind to animals.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) forest
(2) enjoyed
(3) lots
(4) raced
(5) promised
(6) directions
(7) made
(8) animals
(9) have
(10) village
(11) important
(12) laughter
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. village
Answer: (J) A small town or community in the countryside

2. creatures
Answer: (I) Animals or living things

3. trapped
Answer: (K) Caught and unable to escape

4. released
Answer: (A) Set free or let go

5. raccoon
Answer: (G) A type of animal that has a mask-like marking on its face and likes to wash its food

6. directions
Answer: (E) Instructions on how to get to a place

7. upset
Answer: (B) Feeling sad, angry, or disappointed

8. chuckle
Answer: (C) A quiet, soft laugh

9. feelings
Answer: (L) Emotions or how someone feels inside

10. nature
Answer: (F) The outdoors, including plants, forests, and wildlife

11. ability
Answer: (H) A special talent or skill that someone has

12. laughter
Answer: (D) The sound of someone laughing
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did everyone in the village like Max?
Answer: (b) Because he could talk to animals

2. What did Max do when he heard the bear crying for help?
Answer: (d) He raced over to help free the bear

3. What happened when Max pointed the raccoon in the right direction to find tasty trash?
Answer: (a) The neighbor who owned the trash got upset with Max

4. What made people laugh and be surprised?
Answer: (b) When Max’s dog, Buster, talked about his favorite bone

5. What did Max learn from speaking with animals?
Answer: (d) That animals have feelings and need to be treated nicely

6. What did Max teach his village?
Answer: (c) To take care of nature and be kind to animals

7. What did Max’s ability bring to his village?
Answer: (a) Happiness and laughter

8. What did Max show his village?
Answer: (c) That talking and listening to each other is important, whether we’re people or animals
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Sometimes, funny things happen when Max talks to animals, like when a raccoon asked him for directions to find trash. (Answer: True)
2. Max’s inability to talk to animals brings sadness to his village and prevents anyone from learning the importance of communication and kindness. (Answer: False)
3. Max enjoys using his gift to help people and make friends with animals. (Answer: True)
4. Max’s dog, Buster, can also talk, which surprises and makes people laugh. (Answer: True)
5. Max cannot talk to animals or understand what they’re saying. (Answer: False)
6. Max ignores a scared and angry bear caught in a hunter’s trap with the help of other animals. (Answer: False)
7. Max’s special gift makes him popular in the village. (Answer: True)
8. Max neglects teaching his village about taking care of nature and being kind to animals. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧