In a small town called Willowbrook, there was a big, old church with a special gargoyle named Grumpy. Even though he was called Grumpy, he was known for giggling a lot. When he laughed, good things happened: flowers grew, birds sang, and everyone felt super happy. His giggles made the town a really cheerful place.

One day, a mean witch named Penelope came to town. She was jealous of all the joy and wanted Grumpy’s laughing power for herself. She tried to trap him with a magic spell to stop his giggles. But Grumpy was smart and made her spell go wrong by giggling even more.

Because of the broken spell, the whole town started laughing non-stop. People laughed everywhere, and it was so much that no one could live normally. Now, Willowbrook was filled with too much laughter and everyone was stressed.

Penelope felt sorry for the trouble she caused. She said sorry to Grumpy and together they made a new plan. Grumpy laughed with his magic to make the town joyful again, but this time, not too much. They made sure people could be happy without laughing all the time.

After that, the town of Willowbrook was happy once more. People learned it’s good to laugh, but not too much. Grumpy and Penelope became friends and spread cheer in a way that was just right. The town knew that a little laugh could make hard times better, and they were grateful to Grumpy.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What was the name of the special gargoyle in the church?
2. What happened when Grumpy laughed?
3. Who came to town and why was she jealous?
4. What did Penelope try to do to Grumpy?
5. What happened when the spell went wrong?
6. How did Grumpy and Penelope fix the problem in the town?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a small town called Willowbrook, there was a big, old church with a special gargoyle named Grumpy. Even though he was called Grumpy, he was known for giggling a lot. When he laughed, (1)______ things happened: (2)______ grew, birds sang, and everyone felt super happy. His giggles made the town a really cheerful (3)______.

One day, a mean witch named Penelope came to (4)______. She was (5)______ of all the joy and wanted Grumpy’s laughing power for herself. She tried to trap him with a magic spell to stop his (6)______. But Grumpy was smart and made her spell go wrong by giggling even more.

Because of the broken spell, the whole town started laughing non-stop. People laughed everywhere, and it was so much that no one could live normally. Now, Willowbrook was (7)______ with too much (8)______ and everyone was stressed.

Penelope felt sorry for the trouble she caused. She said sorry to Grumpy and together they made a new plan. Grumpy (9)______ with his magic to make the town joyful again, but this time, not too much. They made sure people could be happy without laughing all the time.

After that, the town of (10)______ was happy once (11)______. People learned it’s good to laugh, but not too much. Grumpy and Penelope (12)______ friends and spread cheer in a way that was just right. The town knew that a little laugh could make hard times better, and they were grateful to Grumpy.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a gargoyle? Why do you think Grumpy was called Grumpy even though he giggled a lot?
2. How would you feel if someone tried to take something special from you, like Penelope tried to take Grumpy’s laughing power? Why?
3. Do you like to laugh? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s important to be happy? Why or why not?
5. How do you think the people in Willowbrook felt when they couldn’t stop laughing? Why?
6. Have you ever felt stressed? What makes you feel stressed? How do you cope with stress?
7. What do you think Grumpy and Penelope’s new plan was to make the town joyful again? Why do you think it worked?
8. Have you ever experienced a time when a little laugh made a hard time better? Can you tell us about it?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Willowbrook
2. gargoyle
3. giggling
4. witch
5. jealous
6. trap
7. spell
8. non-stop
9. stressed
10. joyful
11. grateful
12. cheer

Meanings:
(A) Very happy and full of good feelings
(B) Happiness and good feelings that you share with others
(C) Without any breaks; continuously
(D) A woman in stories who can do magic
(E) Catch someone or something so they can’t get away
(F) The name of a small town
(G) Words that are said to make magic happen
(H) A stone creature that sits on old buildings
(I) Wanting what someone else has
(J) Feeling worried and unable to relax
(K) Laughing quietly and in a cute way
(L) Thankful for something good
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the special gargoyle in the story?
(a) Happy
(b) Silly
(c) Grumpy
(d) Sad

2. What happened when Grumpy laughed?
(a) Bad things happened
(b) Nothing happened
(c) People got scared
(d) Good things happened

3. Who came to town and wanted Grumpy’s laughing power?
(a) Sarah
(b) Jack
(c) Penelope
(d) Tom

4. What did Penelope try to do to Grumpy?
(a) Make him sad
(b) Make him stop laughing
(c) Give him a gift
(d) Trap him with a magic spell

5. What happened when Penelope’s spell went wrong?
(a) The whole town started crying
(b) The whole town started laughing non-stop
(c) The whole town became silent
(d) The whole town disappeared

6. Why did the town become stressed after the broken spell?
(a) There was too much laughter
(b) There was too much sadness
(c) There was too much silence
(d) There was too much anger

7. What did Grumpy and Penelope do to fix the problem?
(a) They left the town and never came back
(b) They made a new plan to make the town joyful again
(c) They made the town even more stressed
(d) They ignored the problem and did nothing

8. What did the town learn from this experience?
(a) It’s good to laugh, but not too much
(b) It’s good to be sad all the time
(c) It’s good to be angry all the time
(d) It’s good to be silent all the time

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Because of the repaired spell, the whole town started crying non-stop, which made everyone stressed.
2. Grumpy the gargoyle lived in a big, old church in a small town called Willowbrook.
3. A kind witch named Penelope came to town and wanted Happy-go-lucky’s frowning power for herself.
4. Grumpy and Penelope made a new plan to bring just the right amount of joy and laughter back to the town of Willowbrook.
5. Penelope tried to trap Grumpy with a magic spell, but he outsmarted her by giggling even more.
6. When Happy-go-lucky laughed, bad things happened in the town – flowers died, birds stopped singing, and everyone felt super sad.
7. Penelope felt sorry for causing trouble and apologized to Grumpy.
8. Happy-go-lucky was known for sulking a lot, even though he was called Happy-go-lucky.
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 was the name of the special gargoyle in the church?
Grumpy.

2. What happened when Grumpy laughed?
Good things happened, like flowers growing, birds singing, and everyone feeling happy.

3. Who came to town and why was she jealous?
Penelope, the mean witch, came to town because she was jealous of all the joy and wanted Grumpy’s laughing power for herself.

4. What did Penelope try to do to Grumpy?
Penelope tried to trap Grumpy with a magic spell to stop his giggles.

5. What happened when the spell went wrong?
The whole town started laughing non-stop and people couldn’t live normally. They were stressed because there was too much laughter.

6. How did Grumpy and Penelope fix the problem in the town?
Grumpy and Penelope made a new plan together. Grumpy used his magic to make the town joyful again, but this time, not too much. They made sure people could be happy without laughing all the time.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) good
(2) flowers
(3) place
(4) town
(5) jealous
(6) giggles
(7) filled
(8) laughter
(9) laughed
(10) Willowbrook
(11) more
(12) became
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Willowbrook
Answer: (F) The name of a small town

2. gargoyle
Answer: (H) A stone creature that sits on old buildings

3. giggling
Answer: (K) Laughing quietly and in a cute way

4. witch
Answer: (D) A woman in stories who can do magic

5. jealous
Answer: (I) Wanting what someone else has

6. trap
Answer: (E) Catch someone or something so they can’t get away

7. spell
Answer: (G) Words that are said to make magic happen

8. non-stop
Answer: (C) Without any breaks; continuously

9. stressed
Answer: (J) Feeling worried and unable to relax

10. joyful
Answer: (A) Very happy and full of good feelings

11. grateful
Answer: (L) Thankful for something good

12. cheer
Answer: (B) Happiness and good feelings that you share with others
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the special gargoyle in the story?
Answer: (c) Grumpy

2. What happened when Grumpy laughed?
Answer: (d) Good things happened

3. Who came to town and wanted Grumpy’s laughing power?
Answer: (c) Penelope

4. What did Penelope try to do to Grumpy?
Answer: (d) Trap him with a magic spell

5. What happened when Penelope’s spell went wrong?
Answer: (b) The whole town started laughing non-stop

6. Why did the town become stressed after the broken spell?
Answer: (a) There was too much laughter

7. What did Grumpy and Penelope do to fix the problem?
Answer: (b) They made a new plan to make the town joyful again

8. What did the town learn from this experience?
Answer: (a) It’s good to laugh, but not too much
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Because of the repaired spell, the whole town started crying non-stop, which made everyone stressed. (Answer: False)
2. Grumpy the gargoyle lived in a big, old church in a small town called Willowbrook. (Answer: True)
3. A kind witch named Penelope came to town and wanted Happy-go-lucky’s frowning power for herself. (Answer: False)
4. Grumpy and Penelope made a new plan to bring just the right amount of joy and laughter back to the town of Willowbrook. (Answer: True)
5. Penelope tried to trap Grumpy with a magic spell, but he outsmarted her by giggling even more. (Answer: True)
6. When Happy-go-lucky laughed, bad things happened in the town – flowers died, birds stopped singing, and everyone felt super sad. (Answer: False)
7. Penelope felt sorry for causing trouble and apologized to Grumpy. (Answer: True)
8. Happy-go-lucky was known for sulking a lot, even though he was called Happy-go-lucky. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧