Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

Short Stories for Kids

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The Adventures of Molly Mouse

Try this story at a different level?

In a little house near the woods, there was a small mouse named Molly. Molly loved to go on adventures. One morning, she took her backpack with food and went into the big, green forest.

Molly found a big river and wanted to cross it. She pulled a rope, and a bridge came to her. She tried to walk over, but the wind pushed her, and she fell into the water!

In the water, a kind otter named Oliver helped Molly swim to the other side. But there, two raccoons named Rocky and Rosie played a trick and got them stuck in a sticky mess.

A wise old owl named Oscar flew down and scared the raccoons away. He helped Molly and Oliver get free. They all became friends and promised to help others and be careful on new adventures.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1adventuresGoing on exciting trips and doing new things
2bridgeSomething that helps you cross over water or a big hole
3riverA big, flowing body of water
4otterA cute animal that lives in the water and can swim very well
5raccoonsMischievous animals with black masks on their faces
6owlA bird that can see very well in the dark and is very smart
7stuckNot able to move or get out of a place
8messA situation that is not clean or tidy
9wiseVery smart and knows a lot of things
10promisedSaying you will definitely do something

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
2. What did Molly take with her when she went into the forest?
3. What happened when Molly tried to cross the river?
4. Who helped Molly and Oliver when they were stuck in the sticky mess?
5. What did the wise old owl do to scare away the raccoons?
6. What did Molly, Oliver, and Oscar promise to do after they became friends?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a little (1)______ near the (2)______, there was a small mouse named Molly. Molly loved to go on adventures. One morning, she took her backpack with food and went into the big, green forest.

Molly found a big river and wanted to cross it. She (3)______ a rope, and a bridge came to her. She tried to walk over, but the wind (4)______ her, and she fell into the water!

In the water, a kind otter named Oliver helped Molly swim to the other side. But there, two raccoons named Rocky and Rosie played a (5)______ and got them stuck in a (6)______ mess.

A wise old owl named Oscar flew down and scared the raccoons away. He (7)______ Molly and Oliver get free. They all became friends and promised to help others and be careful on new (8)______.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is an adventure?
2. How would you feel if you fell into a river?
3. Do you like making new friends? Why or why not?
4. What is a trick?
5. How would you feel if someone scared you?
6. Do you think it’s important to help others? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever been on an adventure? What did you do?
8. What is something you would like to explore or discover? Why?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. adventures
2. bridge
3. river
4. otter
5. raccoons
6. owl
7. stuck
8. mess
9. wise
10. promised

Meanings:
(A) Something that helps you cross over water or a big hole
(B) Very smart and knows a lot of things
(C) A cute animal that lives in the water and can swim very well
(D) A big, flowing body of water
(E) Mischievous animals with black masks on their faces
(F) Saying you will definitely do something
(G) Not able to move or get out of a place
(H) Going on exciting trips and doing new things
(I) A situation that is not clean or tidy
(J) A bird that can see very well in the dark and is very smart
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the little mouse?
(a) Lucy
(b) Molly
(c) Lily
(d) Daisy

2. Where did Molly want to go?
(a) The big, green forest
(b) The tall, snowy mountain
(c) The deep, blue ocean
(d) The hot, sandy desert

3. How did Molly try to cross the river?
(a) By jumping over it
(b) By swimming across
(c) By pulling a rope
(d) By flying over with wings

4. Who helped Molly swim to the other side?
(a) Oscar the owl
(b) Rocky the raccoon
(c) Rosie the raccoon
(d) Oliver the otter

5. What did the raccoons do to Molly and Oliver?
(a) They gave them a big hug
(b) They gave them a present
(c) They got them stuck in a sticky mess
(d) They helped them cross the river

6. Who scared the raccoons away?
(a) Molly the mouse
(b) Oliver the otter
(c) Rosie the raccoon
(d) Oscar the owl

7. What did Molly, Oliver, and Oscar promise to do?
(a) Stay at home and never go on adventures again
(b) Help others and be careful on new adventures
(c) Forget about their new friends and never see them again
(d) Play tricks on other animals and make them sad

8. Where did Molly live?
(a) In a little house near the woods
(b) In a big city with tall buildings
(c) In a cave deep underground
(d) In a castle on top of a mountain

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Molly, Oliver, and Oscar became friends and promised to help others and be careful on new adventures.
2. Molly left her backpack with food and went into the small, brown forest.
3. A kind otter named Oliver helped Molly swim to the other side.
4. Molly is a large elephant who hates going on adventures.
5. A foolish young owl named Oscar attracted the raccoons and hindered Molly and Oliver from escaping.
6. Molly found a big river and tried to cross it using a bridge.
7. The wind pulled Molly and she fell into the water.
8. Two raccoons named Rocky and Rosie played a trick on Molly and Oliver.
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?
Molly is the main character in the story.

2. What did Molly take with her when she went into the forest?
Molly took her backpack with food when she went into the forest.

3. What happened when Molly tried to cross the river?
When Molly tried to cross the river, the wind pushed her and she fell into the water.

4. Who helped Molly and Oliver when they were stuck in the sticky mess?
A wise old owl named Oscar helped Molly and Oliver when they were stuck in the sticky mess.

5. What did the wise old owl do to scare away the raccoons?
The wise old owl flew down and scared the raccoons away to help Molly and Oliver.

6. What did Molly, Oliver, and Oscar promise to do after they became friends?
After they became friends, Molly, Oliver, and Oscar promised to help others and be careful on new adventures.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) house
(2) woods
(3) pulled
(4) pushed
(5) trick
(6) sticky
(7) helped
(8) adventures
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. adventures
Answer: (H) Going on exciting trips and doing new things

2. bridge
Answer: (A) Something that helps you cross over water or a big hole

3. river
Answer: (D) A big, flowing body of water

4. otter
Answer: (C) A cute animal that lives in the water and can swim very well

5. raccoons
Answer: (E) Mischievous animals with black masks on their faces

6. owl
Answer: (J) A bird that can see very well in the dark and is very smart

7. stuck
Answer: (G) Not able to move or get out of a place

8. mess
Answer: (I) A situation that is not clean or tidy

9. wise
Answer: (B) Very smart and knows a lot of things

10. promised
Answer: (F) Saying you will definitely do something
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the little mouse?
Answer: (b) Molly

2. Where did Molly want to go?
Answer: (a) The big, green forest

3. How did Molly try to cross the river?
Answer: (c) By pulling a rope

4. Who helped Molly swim to the other side?
Answer: (d) Oliver the otter

5. What did the raccoons do to Molly and Oliver?
Answer: (c) They got them stuck in a sticky mess

6. Who scared the raccoons away?
Answer: (d) Oscar the owl

7. What did Molly, Oliver, and Oscar promise to do?
Answer: (b) Help others and be careful on new adventures

8. Where did Molly live?
Answer: (a) In a little house near the woods
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Molly, Oliver, and Oscar became friends and promised to help others and be careful on new adventures. (Answer: True)
2. Molly left her backpack with food and went into the small, brown forest. (Answer: False)
3. A kind otter named Oliver helped Molly swim to the other side. (Answer: True)
4. Molly is a large elephant who hates going on adventures. (Answer: False)
5. A foolish young owl named Oscar attracted the raccoons and hindered Molly and Oliver from escaping. (Answer: False)
6. Molly found a big river and tried to cross it using a bridge. (Answer: True)
7. The wind pulled Molly and she fell into the water. (Answer: False)
8. Two raccoons named Rocky and Rosie played a trick on Molly and Oliver. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 1 stories?

A determined cat named Fluffy builds a flying contraption and learns the importance of seeking guidance.

Fluffy’s Fantastic Flight

Fluffy the cat wanted to fly, so he made a flying thing, but got lost in the sky. Thankfully, friendly birds helped him come back down safely.

A young boy's discovery of a mysterious fossil leads to a village's newfound fame and unity.

The Fantastic Fossil

Max finds a special bone, but decides it should stay in his village instead of going to a museum.

The Castle in the Clouds

Lily climbed a big mountain and found a magical castle where she helped a friendly man find his lost key with the help of talking animals.