Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

Short Stories for Kids

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The Remarkable Raspberry Rain

A young girl named Emily discovers a tree that produces rainbow-colored raspberries, bringing joy to her village.

Try this story at a different level?

 

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Emily who lived in a small village. She loved finding new things. One day, while playing in the woods, she found a very special tree. The tree had different colored raspberries that made it rain colorful fruit when she ate them!

Emily ran back to tell everyone in her village. The people were happy and came to see the colorful raspberry rain. They laughed and danced as they picked the magical fruit. Everything was bright and joyful.

But soon, the raspberries started to lose their colors. They weren’t special anymore. The people were sad because they didn’t want the magic to end.

Then, Emily found a way to bring the colors back. She discovered that the laughter of children could make the raspberries colorful again. So all the kids played and laughed a lot. The next day, the magic raspberry rain came back even better than before. From that day, everyone knew that laughing and being happy could make wonderful things happen.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1villageA tiny place where people live, like a very small town
2specialSomething not like the others, very different and nice
3woodsA place with lots of trees where you can play hide and seek
4colorfulHaving many bright colors like a rainbow
5magicalSomething that seems to have secret powers, like in fairy tales
6joyfulFeeling very, very happy
7laughterThe sound you make when something is funny
8discoveredFinding something you didn’t know before
9raspberryA yummy, small fruit that can be red or black
10wonderfulReally, really good and makes you smile

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
2. What did Emily find in the woods?
3. What happened when Emily ate the raspberries?
4. How did the people in the village feel when the raspberries lost their colors?
5. What did Emily discover could make the raspberries colorful again?
6. What did everyone learn from this story?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Emily who lived in a (1)______ village. She (2)______ finding new things. One day, while playing in the woods, she found a very special tree. The tree had different colored raspberries that made it rain colorful fruit when she ate them!

Emily ran back to tell everyone in her village. The people were happy and came to see the (3)______ raspberry rain. They laughed and danced as they picked the magical fruit. Everything was bright and (4)______.

But soon, the raspberries started to lose their colors. They weren’t special anymore. The people were sad because they didn’t want the magic to end.

Then, Emily found a way to bring the colors back. She (5)______ that the (6)______ of children could make the raspberries colorful again. So all the kids (7)______ and laughed a lot. The next day, the magic raspberry rain came back even better than before. From that day, everyone knew that laughing and being happy could make wonderful (8)______ happen.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a special tree?
2. How would you feel if you found a tree that made it rain colorful fruit?
3. Do you like raspberries? Why or why not?
4. What do you think happened when the raspberries started to lose their colors?
5. How do you think Emily felt when she discovered that laughter could bring the colors back?
6. Do you think it’s important to laugh and be happy? Why or why not?
7. What wonderful things do you think can happen when you are happy?
8. Have you ever found something special? What was it?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. village
2. special
3. woods
4. colorful
5. magical
6. joyful
7. laughter
8. discovered
9. raspberry
10. wonderful

Meanings:
(A) Having many bright colors like a rainbow
(B) A place with lots of trees where you can play hide and seek
(C) The sound you make when something is funny
(D) A tiny place where people live, like a very small town
(E) Really, really good and makes you smile
(F) A yummy, small fruit that can be red or black
(G) Feeling very, very happy
(H) Something not like the others, very different and nice
(I) Finding something you didn’t know before
(J) Something that seems to have secret powers, like in fairy tales
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the little girl in the story?
(a) Sarah
(b) Emily
(c) Lily
(d) Emma

2. Where did Emily find the special tree?
(a) In the park
(b) In the woods
(c) In the city
(d) In the ocean

3. What happened when Emily ate the different colored raspberries?
(a) It rained colorful fruit
(b) It started to snow
(c) The sun came out
(d) Nothing happened

4. How did the people in the village feel when they saw the colorful raspberry rain?
(a) Happy
(b) Sad
(c) Angry
(d) Scared

5. Why were the people sad when the raspberries started to lose their colors?
(a) They didn’t like raspberries
(b) They were allergic to raspberries
(c) They didn’t want the magic to end
(d) They wanted it to rain something else

6. How did Emily bring the colors back to the raspberries?
(a) By singing a song
(b) By watering the tree
(c) By painting the raspberries
(d) By making children laugh

7. What did the kids do to help make the raspberries colorful again?
(a) They cried and screamed
(b) They hid in the woods
(c) They played and laughed a lot
(d) They ate all the raspberries

8. What did everyone in the village learn from this experience?
(a) That raspberries are delicious
(b) That trees are magical
(c) That colors are important
(d) That laughing and being happy can make wonderful things happen

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Emily discovered that the laughter of children could make the raspberries colorful again.
2. When she ate the raspberries, they made it rain colorless fruit.
3. Emily loved exploring and finding new things.
4. She found an ordinary tree in the woods that had different colored raspberries.
5. Everyone in the village learned that being happy and laughing could make wonderful things happen.
6. The people in the village were unhappy and stayed away from the colorful raspberry rain.
7. The raspberries eventually lost their colors and became ordinary.
8. Emily kept the magical tree a secret from everyone in her village.
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?
Emily

2. What did Emily find in the woods?
Emily found a special tree with different colored raspberries.

3. What happened when Emily ate the raspberries?
When Emily ate the raspberries, they made it rain colorful fruit.

4. How did the people in the village feel when the raspberries lost their colors?
The people in the village felt sad when the raspberries lost their colors.

5. What did Emily discover could make the raspberries colorful again?
Emily discovered that the laughter of children could make the raspberries colorful again.

6. What did everyone learn from this story?
Everyone learned that laughing and being happy can make wonderful things happen.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) small
(2) loved
(3) colorful
(4) joyful
(5) discovered
(6) laughter
(7) played
(8) things
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

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

2. special
Answer: (H) Something not like the others, very different and nice

3. woods
Answer: (B) A place with lots of trees where you can play hide and seek

4. colorful
Answer: (A) Having many bright colors like a rainbow

5. magical
Answer: (J) Something that seems to have secret powers, like in fairy tales

6. joyful
Answer: (G) Feeling very, very happy

7. laughter
Answer: (C) The sound you make when something is funny

8. discovered
Answer: (I) Finding something you didn’t know before

9. raspberry
Answer: (F) A yummy, small fruit that can be red or black

10. wonderful
Answer: (E) Really, really good and makes you smile
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the little girl in the story?
Answer: (b) Emily

2. Where did Emily find the special tree?
Answer: (b) In the woods

3. What happened when Emily ate the different colored raspberries?
Answer: (a) It rained colorful fruit

4. How did the people in the village feel when they saw the colorful raspberry rain?
Answer: (a) Happy

5. Why were the people sad when the raspberries started to lose their colors?
Answer: (c) They didn’t want the magic to end

6. How did Emily bring the colors back to the raspberries?
Answer: (d) By making children laugh

7. What did the kids do to help make the raspberries colorful again?
Answer: (c) They played and laughed a lot

8. What did everyone in the village learn from this experience?
Answer: (d) That laughing and being happy can make wonderful things happen
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Emily discovered that the laughter of children could make the raspberries colorful again. (Answer: True)
2. When she ate the raspberries, they made it rain colorless fruit. (Answer: False)
3. Emily loved exploring and finding new things. (Answer: True)
4. She found an ordinary tree in the woods that had different colored raspberries. (Answer: False)
5. Everyone in the village learned that being happy and laughing could make wonderful things happen. (Answer: True)
6. The people in the village were unhappy and stayed away from the colorful raspberry rain. (Answer: False)
7. The raspberries eventually lost their colors and became ordinary. (Answer: True)
8. Emily kept the magical tree a secret from everyone in her village. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 1 stories?

Lily discovers a hidden door in the enchanted forest and befriends a sparkling fairy named Hazel.

The Fairy’s Secret

Lily found a secret door in the woods and met a fairy named Hazel. They danced with fairies and made the woods pretty again.

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