Paul Holmes -
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Short Stories for Kids

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The Fantastic Fossil

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

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In a small village in the woods, there was a boy named Max. He liked old things and looking for treasure in the forest. One day, Max found a special stone. When he cleaned it, it looked like an old bone from a big animal.

Max ran home to show the bone to his mommy and daddy. People from the village came to see it, even smart people from far away. They said it was from a very old animal. Everyone said Max was a hero for finding it.

A man from a big museum wanted to take the bone away to show more people. Max was sad because he wanted to keep the bone. But the man said it was important for others to see it. Max understood and said okay.

The next day, there was a big goodbye party for the bone with music. But then, a big storm came and broke the truck carrying the bone. Max thought maybe the bone should stay. He told the museum man, and he agreed. The village kept the bone and had a huge party. And Max kept looking for treasures in the forest.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1villageA tiny place where people live, with houses and trees
2treasureSomething very valuable and hard to find, like gold or diamonds
3forestA big place with lots of trees and animals
4specialNot like other things, very unusual
5cleanedMade something not dirty anymore
6heroA person who does something amazing
7museumA big house where old and interesting things are kept for people to see
8importantSomething that matters a lot
9goodbyeWhat you say when someone is leaving
10stormA very bad weather with lots of rain and wind

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
2. What did Max find in the forest?
3. Who came to see the bone?
4. Why was Max sad when the man from the museum wanted to take the bone away?
5. What happened to the truck carrying the bone?
6. What did Max decide to do with the bone in the end?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a small (1)______ in the woods, there was a boy named Max. He liked old things and looking for treasure in the forest. One day, Max found a special stone. When he cleaned it, it looked like an old bone from a big (2)______.

Max ran home to show the (3)______ to his mommy and daddy. People from the village came to see it, even smart people from far away. They said it was from a very old animal. Everyone said Max was a hero for (4)______ it.

A man from a big museum wanted to take the bone away to show more people. Max was sad because he (5)______ to (6)______ the bone. But the man said it was important for others to see it. Max understood and said okay.

The next day, there was a big goodbye party for the bone with music. But then, a big storm came and broke the truck carrying the bone. Max thought maybe the bone should (7)______. He (8)______ the museum man, and he agreed. The village kept the bone and had a huge party. And Max kept looking for treasures in the forest.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a treasure? Why do you think Max likes looking for treasure in the forest?
2. How would you feel if you found a special stone like Max did? Why?
3. Do you like old things? Why or why not?
4. Do you think Max made the right decision to let the museum man take the bone? Why or why not?
5. What do you think happened when the big storm came? Why do you think Max thought the bone should stay?
6. How do you think the village felt when they kept the bone and had a huge party? Why?
7. Have you ever found something special in nature? What was it? How did you feel?
8. Do you think Max will keep looking for treasures in the forest? Why or why not?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. village
2. treasure
3. forest
4. special
5. cleaned
6. hero
7. museum
8. important
9. goodbye
10. storm

Meanings:
(A) Something that matters a lot
(B) What you say when someone is leaving
(C) A very bad weather with lots of rain and wind
(D) A tiny place where people live, with houses and trees
(E) Something very valuable and hard to find, like gold or diamonds
(F) A person who does something amazing
(G) A big place with lots of trees and animals
(H) Not like other things, very unusual
(I) Made something not dirty anymore
(J) A big house where old and interesting things are kept for people to see
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Max find in the forest?
(a) A special stone
(b) A shiny coin
(c) A colorful flower
(d) A big tree

2. Who did Max show the bone to?
(a) His friends at school
(b) His mommy and daddy
(c) The animals in the forest
(d) The people at the museum

3. What did the people from the village say about Max?
(a) He was a magician
(b) He was a hero
(c) He was a singer
(d) He was a chef

4. What did the man from the museum want to do with the bone?
(a) Give it to Max as a gift
(b) Sell it to a collector
(c) Keep it in his own house
(d) Take it away to show more people

5. What happened to the truck carrying the bone?
(a) It broke in a big storm
(b) It got lost in the forest
(c) It was stolen by a thief
(d) It crashed into a tree

6. What did Max think should happen to the bone after the truck broke?
(a) It should be given to the museum
(b) It should be thrown away
(c) It should stay in the village
(d) It should be hidden in the forest

7. What did the village do after keeping the bone?
(a) They sold it to a collector
(b) They buried it in the ground
(c) They had a huge party
(d) They threw it in the river

8. What did Max continue to do after the bone was kept?
(a) Go to school every day
(b) Play video games all day
(c) Watch movies at home
(d) Look for treasures in the forest

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Max liked finding old things and treasure in the forest.
2. Average people from nearby said the bone was from a very recent animal.
3. Max and the village decided to return the bone and had a small party to mourn.
4. Max was happy because he wanted to keep the bone, and he didn’t care if others saw it.
5. A man from a big museum wanted to take the bone away to show more people.
6. A big storm came and broke the truck carrying the bone.
7. Max found a special stone that looked like an old bone.
8. Max hid the bone from his mommy and daddy, and no one in the village was interested in seeing it.
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

2. What did Max find in the forest?
Max found a special stone that looked like an old bone from a big animal.

3. Who came to see the bone?
People from the village and smart people from far away came to see the bone.

4. Why was Max sad when the man from the museum wanted to take the bone away?
Max was sad because he wanted to keep the bone.

5. What happened to the truck carrying the bone?
A big storm came and broke the truck carrying the bone.

6. What did Max decide to do with the bone in the end?
Max decided to keep the bone in the village.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) village
(2) animal
(3) bone
(4) finding
(5) wanted
(6) keep
(7) stay
(8) told
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. village
Answer: (D) A tiny place where people live, with houses and trees

2. treasure
Answer: (E) Something very valuable and hard to find, like gold or diamonds

3. forest
Answer: (G) A big place with lots of trees and animals

4. special
Answer: (H) Not like other things, very unusual

5. cleaned
Answer: (I) Made something not dirty anymore

6. hero
Answer: (F) A person who does something amazing

7. museum
Answer: (J) A big house where old and interesting things are kept for people to see

8. important
Answer: (A) Something that matters a lot

9. goodbye
Answer: (B) What you say when someone is leaving

10. storm
Answer: (C) A very bad weather with lots of rain and wind
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Max find in the forest?
Answer: (a) A special stone

2. Who did Max show the bone to?
Answer: (b) His mommy and daddy

3. What did the people from the village say about Max?
Answer: (b) He was a hero

4. What did the man from the museum want to do with the bone?
Answer: (d) Take it away to show more people

5. What happened to the truck carrying the bone?
Answer: (a) It broke in a big storm

6. What did Max think should happen to the bone after the truck broke?
Answer: (c) It should stay in the village

7. What did the village do after keeping the bone?
Answer: (c) They had a huge party

8. What did Max continue to do after the bone was kept?
Answer: (d) Look for treasures in the forest
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Max liked finding old things and treasure in the forest. (Answer: True)
2. Average people from nearby said the bone was from a very recent animal. (Answer: False)
3. Max and the village decided to return the bone and had a small party to mourn. (Answer: False)
4. Max was happy because he wanted to keep the bone, and he didn’t care if others saw it. (Answer: False)
5. A man from a big museum wanted to take the bone away to show more people. (Answer: True)
6. A big storm came and broke the truck carrying the bone. (Answer: True)
7. Max found a special stone that looked like an old bone. (Answer: True)
8. Max hid the bone from his mommy and daddy, and no one in the village was interested in seeing it. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 1 stories?

A dragon and a squirrel team up to find an enchanted treasure, but the squirrel has a secret plan.

The Dragon’s Dream

Dillon the dragon had special dreams that showed him exciting adventures, like finding a shiny treasure!

The Cloudy Day

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Sarah. She was determined to have a good day no

Mia and Ben conquer the Maze of Mirrors, learning the value of perseverance and laughter.

The Maze of Mirrors

Mia and Ben went into a mirror maze and got all mixed up, but they kept going because they were brave.

A princess falls in love with a humble peasant who brings her a plain potato.

The Princess and the Potato

Once upon a time, there was a princess named Penelope who loved potatoes more than anything. She said she would marry whoever gave her the best potato. Even though a fancy man brought a big potato, Penelope chose a boy named Peter with a small potato made with love. They got married and became happy together.

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