Paul Holmes -
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English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

Short Stories for Kids

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The Day the Sun Forgot to Rise

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

Try this story at a different level?

 

There was a small town where the sun always rose in the morning. But one day, the sun did not come up, and it was very dark. The people in the town were scared and did not know what to do.

A little girl named Lily wanted to help. She took her flashlight and went into the forest. She found squirrels taking sunflowers. The squirrels thought they could be like the sun. Lily told the squirrels they needed to put the flowers back.

The people in the town planted the sunflowers again. They took care of the flowers and sang to make the sun come back. After a while, the sun began to rise, and everyone was very happy.

The sun always came up after that day. The people learned to love each sunrise. They understood that even when it’s dark, staying hopeful can make things better. Lily showed that even a little bit of light is important.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1difficultHard to do or understand
2flashlightA small light you can carry in your hand
3forestA place with many trees
4squirrelsLittle animals with bushy tails that climb trees
5sunflowersBig yellow flowers that look like the sun
6plantedPut seeds in the ground so they can grow
7sangMade music with your voice
8sunriseWhen the sun comes up in the morning
9hopefulThinking that good things will happen
10importantVery special or needed

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened in the small town when the sun didn’t come up?
2. What did Lily do to try and help?
3. What did Lily find in the forest?
4. What did Lily tell the squirrels to do with the sunflowers?
5. What did the people in the town do to make the sun come back?
6. What did the people learn from this experience?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

There was a small town where the sun always rose in the morning. But one day, the sun did not (1)______ up, and it was very dark. The (2)______ in the town were scared and did not know what to do.

A little girl named Lily wanted to (3)______. She took her flashlight and went into the (4)______. She found squirrels taking sunflowers. The squirrels thought they could be like the sun. Lily told the squirrels they needed to put the flowers back.

The people in the town planted the sunflowers again. They took care of the flowers and (5)______ to make the sun come back. After a (6)______, the sun began to rise, and everyone was very happy.

The sun always came up after that day. The people (7)______ to love each sunrise. They (8)______ that even when it’s dark, staying hopeful can make things better. Lily showed that even a little bit of light is important.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a sunrise?
2. How would you feel if the sun didn’t come up in the morning?
3. Do you like flowers? Why or why not?
4. What do you think the squirrels were trying to do by taking the sunflowers?
5. How do you think the people in the town felt when the sun started to rise again?
6. Have you ever planted flowers before? How did you take care of them?
7. Do you think singing can make the sun come back? Why or why not?
8. Why do you think Lily’s flashlight was important?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. difficult
2. flashlight
3. forest
4. squirrels
5. sunflowers
6. planted
7. sang
8. sunrise
9. hopeful
10. important

Meanings:
(A) Hard to do or understand
(B) Little animals with bushy tails that climb trees
(C) Put seeds in the ground so they can grow
(D) Made music with your voice
(E) Big yellow flowers that look like the sun
(F) A small light you can carry in your hand
(G) A place with many trees
(H) Thinking that good things will happen
(I) Very special or needed
(J) When the sun comes up in the morning
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What happened in the small town?
(a) The moon did not come up
(b) The stars did not come up
(c) The clouds covered the sun
(d) The sun did not come up

2. Who wanted to help in the town?
(a) Tom
(b) Lily
(c) Sarah
(d) Jack

3. What did Lily find in the forest?
(a) Birds taking sunflowers
(b) Rabbits taking sunflowers
(c) Squirrels taking sunflowers
(d) Bears taking sunflowers

4. What did Lily tell the squirrels to do?
(a) Put the flowers back
(b) Take the flowers home
(c) Eat the flowers
(d) Give the flowers to Lily

5. What did the people in the town do after the sunflowers were planted again?
(a) Took care of the flowers and danced
(b) Took care of the flowers and slept
(c) Took care of the flowers and cried
(d) Took care of the flowers and sang

6. What happened after a while?
(a) The moon began to rise
(b) The sun began to rise
(c) The stars began to rise
(d) The clouds began to rise

7. How did the people feel when the sun began to rise?
(a) Very sad
(b) Very scared
(c) Very happy
(d) Very angry

8. What did the people learn to love?
(a) Each sunrise
(b) Each sunset
(c) Each rainstorm
(d) Each snowfall

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. One day, the sun didn’t come up and it was very dark.
2. The people in the town were fearless and had a clear plan.
3. The people in the town decided not to replant the sunflowers and remained silent, hoping for the sun to disappear.
4. Lily avoided the forest with her flashlight to avoid discovering what happened to the sun.
5. She found squirrels taking sunflowers because they thought they could be like the sun.
6. A little girl named Lily wanted to help.
7. Lily instructed the squirrels they needed to remove the flowers.
8. In a small town, the sun always came up in the morning.
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?
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!

Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened in the small town when the sun didn’t come up?
The town became very dark and the people were scared.

2. What did Lily do to try and help?
Lily went into the forest with her flashlight to find out what happened.

3. What did Lily find in the forest?
Lily found squirrels taking sunflowers.

4. What did Lily tell the squirrels to do with the sunflowers?
Lily told the squirrels to put the sunflowers back where they found them.

5. What did the people in the town do to make the sun come back?
The people in the town planted the sunflowers again and took care of them. They also sang to make the sun come back.

6. What did the people learn from this experience?
The people learned to stay hopeful even when it’s dark. They learned that even a little bit of light is important.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) come
(2) people
(3) help
(4) forest
(5) sang
(6) while
(7) learned
(8) understood
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. difficult
Answer: (A) Hard to do or understand

2. flashlight
Answer: (F) A small light you can carry in your hand

3. forest
Answer: (G) A place with many trees

4. squirrels
Answer: (B) Little animals with bushy tails that climb trees

5. sunflowers
Answer: (E) Big yellow flowers that look like the sun

6. planted
Answer: (C) Put seeds in the ground so they can grow

7. sang
Answer: (D) Made music with your voice

8. sunrise
Answer: (J) When the sun comes up in the morning

9. hopeful
Answer: (H) Thinking that good things will happen

10. important
Answer: (I) Very special or needed
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What happened in the small town?
Answer: (d) The sun did not come up

2. Who wanted to help in the town?
Answer: (b) Lily

3. What did Lily find in the forest?
Answer: (c) Squirrels taking sunflowers

4. What did Lily tell the squirrels to do?
Answer: (a) Put the flowers back

5. What did the people in the town do after the sunflowers were planted again?
Answer: (d) Took care of the flowers and sang

6. What happened after a while?
Answer: (b) The sun began to rise

7. How did the people feel when the sun began to rise?
Answer: (c) Very happy

8. What did the people learn to love?
Answer: (a) Each sunrise
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. One day, the sun didn’t come up and it was very dark. (Answer: True)
2. The people in the town were fearless and had a clear plan. (Answer: False)
3. The people in the town decided not to replant the sunflowers and remained silent, hoping for the sun to disappear. (Answer: False)
4. Lily avoided the forest with her flashlight to avoid discovering what happened to the sun. (Answer: False)
5. She found squirrels taking sunflowers because they thought they could be like the sun. (Answer: True)
6. A little girl named Lily wanted to help. (Answer: True)
7. Lily instructed the squirrels they needed to remove the flowers. (Answer: False)
8. In a small town, the sun always came up in the morning. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 1 stories?

In the magical land of Sprinkleville, a mischievous gnome named Minty Mischief plots to steal all the cupcakes from the famous cupcake castle, but a young girl named Ella is determined to stop him and save the town from chaos.

The Cupcake Castle Caper

In a yummy town called Sprinkleville, a little gnome named Minty made salty cupcakes by mistake. Ella, a brave girl with a good nose, found Minty and helped him make delicious cupcakes again.

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 magical swan named Saffron and a brave boy named Milo embark on a journey to defeat an evil sorcerer and teach a lesson about friendship.

The Saffron Swan

A shiny swan named Saffron and a brave boy named Milo became friends and stopped a bad man together.

In a small village nestled deep in a magical forest, a little girl named Lily discovers a talking teapot with the power to grant wishes.

The Talking Teapot

Lily found a talking teapot that could make wishes come true, and together they helped the village have lots of food and defeated a bad witch.

Peter the mischievous penguin learns the importance of bringing joy to others through a grand party.

The Playful Penguin’s Party

Peter the penguin wanted to have a big party, but he forgot the music, so he asked his friend Sammy the seal for help and they made a happy song for everyone to dance to.

A unique tiger with tangerine stripes leads his animal friends on a quest for a magical fruit, only to discover that true magic lies in friendship and laughter.

The Tale of the Tangerine Tiger

The Tangerine Tiger and his friends went on an adventure to find a special fruit that gives superpowers, but they realized that having fun and being friends is even better.

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