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 Adventure in the Hidden Hollow

Max discovers a magical forest, befriends a quirky rabbit, and embarks on a whimsical adventure.

Try this story at a different level?

 

Max lived in a small village with green fields. One day, he found a big forest. Max walked in, feeling excited. He had no idea he was going on a special adventure.

Max saw many colorful flowers and shiny streams. A tiny purple rabbit with glasses and a bow tie jumped out. “Hello, I’m Professor Fluffbottom!” said the rabbit. “Why are you here?” Max laughed because the rabbit looked funny.

Professor Fluffbottom showed Max a map. “A naughty squirrel named Windy Whiskers took our special Golden Acorn! Without it, our flowers will be sad, and the streams will dry up. Can you help?” Max said, “Yes!” and they went to find the acorn.

They followed the map and had fun. They met singing butterflies and laughed a lot. Finally, they found Windy. Max told funny jokes, and Windy laughed so hard he gave back the acorn. Max learned that being kind and funny can solve problems. Max and his friends made the village happy again.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1villageA small place where people live, like a tiny town
2forestA big area with lots of trees
3adventureAn exciting trip or journey
4streamsSmall rivers or brooks
5glassesSomething you wear on your face to help you see better
6squirrelA small animal that climbs trees and eats nuts
7acornA small nut that falls from oak trees
8butterfliesColorful flying insects
9jokesFunny stories or things that make people laugh
10solveTo fix a problem or find an answer

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Where did Max live?

2. What did Max find in the forest?

3. Who did Max meet in the forest?

4. What did Professor Fluffbottom want Max to help find?

5. How did Max make Windy give back the acorn?

6. What did Max learn at the end of the story?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Max lived in a small village with green fields. One day, he found a big forest. Max (1)______ in, feeling excited. He had no idea he was going on a special adventure.

Max saw many colorful flowers and shiny (2)______. A tiny purple rabbit with glasses and a bow tie (3)______ out. “Hello, I’m (4)______ Fluffbottom!” said the rabbit. “Why are you here?” Max laughed because the rabbit looked funny.

Professor Fluffbottom showed Max a map. “A naughty squirrel named Windy Whiskers took our special (5)______ Acorn! Without it, our flowers will be sad, and the streams will dry up. Can you help?” Max said, “Yes!” and they went to find the (6)______.

They followed the map and had fun. They met singing butterflies and laughed a lot. Finally, they found Windy. Max told funny jokes, and Windy laughed so hard he gave back the acorn. Max learned that being kind and funny can solve problems. Max and his friends made the (7)______ (8)______ again.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is your favorite animal?

2. How would you feel if you found a funny rabbit?

3. Do you like to go on adventures? Why or why not?

4. What is a special treasure you would like to find?

5. How would you feel if you helped a friend?

6. Do you think flowers can be happy? Why?

7. What is your favorite joke?

8. How would you feel if you met a talking animal?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. village
2. forest
3. adventure
4. streams
5. glasses
6. squirrel
7. acorn
8. butterflies
9. jokes
10. solve

Meanings:
(A) A small nut that falls from oak trees
(B) A big area with lots of trees
(C) Something you wear on your face to help you see better
(D) A small place where people live, like a tiny town
(E) A small animal that climbs trees and eats nuts
(F) Funny stories or things that make people laugh
(G) An exciting trip or journey
(H) Small rivers or brooks
(I) Colorful flying insects
(J) To fix a problem or find an answer
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is Max’s adventure about?
(a) Going to school
(b) Playing with toys
(c) Eating ice cream
(d) Finding a special acorn

2. Who did Max meet in the forest?
(a) A big bear
(b) A tall tree
(c) A flying bird
(d) A purple rabbit

3. What did Professor Fluffbottom wear?
(a) A hat and a coat
(b) Glasses and a bow tie
(c) Shoes and socks
(d) A scarf and gloves

4. What did Windy Whiskers take?
(a) A shiny rock
(b) A big flower
(c) The Golden Acorn
(d) A funny book

5. How did Max make Windy laugh?
(a) By telling funny jokes
(b) By dancing
(c) By singing a song
(d) By drawing pictures

6. What did the flowers and streams need?
(a) More sunlight
(b) The Golden Acorn
(c) Water from the sky
(d) More friends

7. What did Max learn from his adventure?
(a) Being kind and funny helps
(b) Running fast is good
(c) Climbing trees is fun
(d) Sleeping is nice

8. Where did Max live?
(a) In a big city
(b) In a tall castle
(c) In a small village
(d) In a dark cave

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. He found a small forest one day.
2. Max met a huge purple rabbit named Professor Fluffbottom.
3. Max and his friends made the village sad again.
4. Professor Fluffbottom needed help to find a special Golden Acorn.
5. Max told funny jokes to Windy to get the acorn back.
6. The rabbit wore glasses and a bow tie.
7. Max lived in a large village with green fields.
8. A naughty squirrel named Windy Whiskers took the acorn.
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. Where did Max live?
Max lived in a small village with green fields.

2. What did Max find in the forest?
Max found many colorful flowers and shiny streams.

3. Who did Max meet in the forest?
Max met a tiny purple rabbit named Professor Fluffbottom.

4. What did Professor Fluffbottom want Max to help find?
Professor Fluffbottom wanted Max to help find the special Golden Acorn.

5. How did Max make Windy give back the acorn?
Max told funny jokes, and Windy laughed so hard he gave it back.

6. What did Max learn at the end of the story?
Max learned that being kind and funny can solve problems.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) walked
(2) streams
(3) jumped
(4) Professor
(5) Golden
(6) acorn
(7) village
(8) happy
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. village
Answer: (D) A small place where people live, like a tiny town

2. forest
Answer: (B) A big area with lots of trees

3. adventure
Answer: (G) An exciting trip or journey

4. streams
Answer: (H) Small rivers or brooks

5. glasses
Answer: (C) Something you wear on your face to help you see better

6. squirrel
Answer: (E) A small animal that climbs trees and eats nuts

7. acorn
Answer: (A) A small nut that falls from oak trees

8. butterflies
Answer: (I) Colorful flying insects

9. jokes
Answer: (F) Funny stories or things that make people laugh

10. solve
Answer: (J) To fix a problem or find an answer
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is Max’s adventure about?
Answer: (d) Finding a special acorn

2. Who did Max meet in the forest?
Answer: (d) A purple rabbit

3. What did Professor Fluffbottom wear?
Answer: (b) Glasses and a bow tie

4. What did Windy Whiskers take?
Answer: (c) The Golden Acorn

5. How did Max make Windy laugh?
Answer: (a) By telling funny jokes

6. What did the flowers and streams need?
Answer: (b) The Golden Acorn

7. What did Max learn from his adventure?
Answer: (a) Being kind and funny helps

8. Where did Max live?
Answer: (c) In a small village
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. He found a small forest one day. (Answer: False)
2. Max met a huge purple rabbit named Professor Fluffbottom. (Answer: False)
3. Max and his friends made the village sad again. (Answer: False)
4. Professor Fluffbottom needed help to find a special Golden Acorn. (Answer: True)
5. Max told funny jokes to Windy to get the acorn back. (Answer: True)
6. The rabbit wore glasses and a bow tie. (Answer: True)
7. Max lived in a large village with green fields. (Answer: False)
8. A naughty squirrel named Windy Whiskers took the acorn. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 1 stories?

Duncan, The Cheeky Monkey

Once upon a time, deep in the lush jungle of the Amazon rainforest, there lived a mischievous little monkey named

A llama farmer builds an obstacle course to keep his mischievous llamas entertained and happy.

The Llama Farmer

Mr. Thompson’s llamas loved to play on the fun course he made, and everyone in the village liked watching them.

The broken letterbox becomes a source of laughter and connection as the townsfolk turn it into an interactive game for a mischievous squirrel named Nutkin.

The Broken Letterbox

The people in the colorful town found their broken letterbox and played a fun game to fix it.

Penelope, the brave pirate princess, embarks on daring adventures, outsmarting sea monsters, cunning pirates, and even making a wish with a magical Golden Mermaid.

The Pirate Princess

Penelope the pirate princess goes on exciting adventures, defeats sea monsters, tricks bad pirates, and finds treasure.

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