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 Invisible Unicorn

An invisible unicorn named Bella discovers the power of friendship and the magic of being seen.

Try this story at a different level?

 

In a magic forest, there was an invisible unicorn named Bella. She couldn’t be seen by anyone. Bella liked to walk around the forest, but she had to be careful. One day, she found a little squirrel that needed help. The squirrel was stuck in a tree.

Bella played a trick on the squirrel. She touched the squirrel with her invisible horn. The squirrel was scared and jumped down. They both laughed. Then Bella and the squirrel, named Sammy, became best friends. They had fun and learned new things from each other.

Bella felt sad sometimes because no one else could see her, only Sammy. One day, they found a place with talking flowers and butterflies that made music. A smart old owl lived there too. Bella told the owl she wanted to be seen by everyone.

The owl took them to a special pond and used magic dust to make Bella visible. Now everyone could see her! Bella was very happy. She learned that real friends don’t care about how you look. Now Bella had lots of friends and wasn’t lonely anymore. She knew that the most special things are felt with the heart.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1invisibleWhen you can’t see something at all
2squirrelA small animal with a big fluffy tail that climbs trees
3forestA place with lots of trees and plants
4carefulBeing safe and not getting hurt
5trickA joke or something you do to surprise someone
6laughedThe sound you make when something is funny
7butterfliesPretty insects with wings that can fly
8smartWhen someone knows a lot of things
9pondA small pool of water in the ground
10lonelyFeeling sad because you have no friends to play with

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who was the main character in the story?
2. What was special about Bella the unicorn?
3. How did Bella help the squirrel?
4. Who did Bella become best friends with?
5. What did Bella want the owl to do for her?
6. What did Bella learn about having friends?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a magic (1)______, there was an (2)______ unicorn named Bella. She couldn’t be seen by anyone. Bella liked to walk around the forest, but she had to be careful. One day, she found a little squirrel that needed help. The squirrel was stuck in a tree.

Bella played a trick on the squirrel. She touched the squirrel with her invisible horn. The squirrel was scared and jumped down. They both (3)______. Then Bella and the squirrel, named Sammy, became best friends. They had fun and learned new things from each other.

Bella (4)______ sad sometimes because no one else could see her, only Sammy. One day, they (5)______ a place with talking (6)______ and butterflies that made music. A smart old owl lived there too. Bella told the owl she wanted to be seen by everyone.

The owl took them to a special pond and used (7)______ (8)______ to make Bella visible. Now everyone could see her! Bella was very happy. She learned that real friends don’t care about how you look. Now Bella had lots of friends and wasn’t lonely anymore. She knew that the most special things are felt with the heart.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is an invisible unicorn?
2. How would you feel if you were stuck in a tree like the squirrel?
3. Do you like playing tricks on your friends? Why or why not?
4. Do you think Bella was happy when she became visible? Why or why not?
5. What are some special things that you feel with your heart?
6. How do you think Bella and Sammy became best friends?
7. Have you ever had a friend who couldn’t be seen by other people?
8. Why do you think Bella felt sad sometimes?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. invisible
2. squirrel
3. forest
4. careful
5. trick
6. laughed
7. butterflies
8. smart
9. pond
10. lonely

Meanings:
(A) A small animal with a big fluffy tail that climbs trees
(B) Pretty insects with wings that can fly
(C) Being safe and not getting hurt
(D) A small pool of water in the ground
(E) The sound you make when something is funny
(F) When you can’t see something at all
(G) A joke or something you do to surprise someone
(H) When someone knows a lot of things
(I) A place with lots of trees and plants
(J) Feeling sad because you have no friends to play with
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the invisible unicorn?
(a) Lily
(b) Daisy
(c) Rosie
(d) Bella

2. Who did Bella help when she found them stuck in a tree?
(a) Molly the mouse
(b) Sammy the squirrel
(c) Tommy the turtle
(d) Bobby the bird

3. What did Bella use to make the squirrel jump down from the tree?
(a) Her invisible horn
(b) Her magic wings
(c) Her sparkly tail
(d) Her colorful mane

4. Who could see Bella in the forest?
(a) The talking flowers
(b) The butterflies
(c) All of the above
(d) Sammy the squirrel

5. Where did Bella and Sammy find a place with talking flowers and butterflies?
(a) In the big city
(b) In the deep ocean
(c) In the magic forest
(d) In the snowy mountains

6. Who helped Bella become visible to everyone?
(a) The friendly fox
(b) The smart old owl
(c) The playful rabbit
(d) The silly monkey

7. What did the owl use to make Bella visible?
(a) Magic dust
(b) A shiny mirror
(c) A golden crown
(d) A colorful ribbon

8. What did Bella learn about real friends?
(a) They only like pretty things
(b) They only like popular things
(c) They don’t care about how you look
(d) They only like funny things

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. They found a regular place with silent flowers, butterflies that made noise, and a foolish old owl.
2. Bella and Sammy became worst enemies and had fights together.
3. The owl used magic dust to make Bella invisible to everyone, and she was very happy.
4. One day, Bella found a squirrel named Sammy who needed help climbing up a tree.
5. Bella sometimes felt sad because no one else could see her, only Sammy.
6. Bella played a trick on Sammy and scared him, but they both laughed afterwards.
7. Bella liked to walk around the magic forest, but she had to be careful.
8. There was a unicorn named Bella who couldn’t be seen by anyone.
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 was the main character in the story?
Bella the unicorn was the main character in the story.

2. What was special about Bella the unicorn?
Bella the unicorn was invisible, so no one could see her.

3. How did Bella help the squirrel?
Bella touched the squirrel with her invisible horn and scared it, making it jump down from the tree.

4. Who did Bella become best friends with?
Bella became best friends with a squirrel named Sammy.

5. What did Bella want the owl to do for her?
Bella wanted the owl to use magic dust to make her visible, so that everyone could see her.

6. What did Bella learn about having friends?
Bella learned that real friends don’t care about how you look.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) forest
(2) invisible
(3) laughed
(4) felt
(5) found
(6) flowers
(7) magic
(8) dust
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. invisible
Answer: (F) When you can’t see something at all

2. squirrel
Answer: (A) A small animal with a big fluffy tail that climbs trees

3. forest
Answer: (I) A place with lots of trees and plants

4. careful
Answer: (C) Being safe and not getting hurt

5. trick
Answer: (G) A joke or something you do to surprise someone

6. laughed
Answer: (E) The sound you make when something is funny

7. butterflies
Answer: (B) Pretty insects with wings that can fly

8. smart
Answer: (H) When someone knows a lot of things

9. pond
Answer: (D) A small pool of water in the ground

10. lonely
Answer: (J) Feeling sad because you have no friends to play with
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the invisible unicorn?
Answer: (d) Bella

2. Who did Bella help when she found them stuck in a tree?
Answer: (b) Sammy the squirrel

3. What did Bella use to make the squirrel jump down from the tree?
Answer: (a) Her invisible horn

4. Who could see Bella in the forest?
Answer: (d) Sammy the squirrel

5. Where did Bella and Sammy find a place with talking flowers and butterflies?
Answer: (c) In the magic forest

6. Who helped Bella become visible to everyone?
Answer: (b) The smart old owl

7. What did the owl use to make Bella visible?
Answer: (a) Magic dust

8. What did Bella learn about real friends?
Answer: (c) They don’t care about how you look
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. They found a regular place with silent flowers, butterflies that made noise, and a foolish old owl. (Answer: False)
2. Bella and Sammy became worst enemies and had fights together. (Answer: False)
3. The owl used magic dust to make Bella invisible to everyone, and she was very happy. (Answer: False)
4. One day, Bella found a squirrel named Sammy who needed help climbing up a tree. (Answer: False)
5. Bella sometimes felt sad because no one else could see her, only Sammy. (Answer: True)
6. Bella played a trick on Sammy and scared him, but they both laughed afterwards. (Answer: True)
7. Bella liked to walk around the magic forest, but she had to be careful. (Answer: True)
8. There was a unicorn named Bella who couldn’t be seen by anyone. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 1 stories?

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.

Three friendly ghosts bring joy and laughter to a lonely boy, teaching him the power of true friendship.

The Three Friendly Ghosts

Three friendly ghosts named Casper, Jasper, and Hester meet a boy named Timmy, and they become best friends and have lots of fun adventures together.

A little girl named Lily discovers a jar of magical marmalade that brings everything to life.

The Magical Marmalade

Lily and Bubbles had a magical day in the garden, making things dance and telling jokes, but grumpy Grumblebore learned to smile and have fun too.

Embarking on a magical adventure in Vegetable Land, Max discovers that vegetables are superheroes in disguise.

The Voyage to Vegetable Land

Max didn’t like eating vegetables, but one day he went on an adventure to Vegetable Land and discovered that veggies can be fun and yummy!

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