Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

Short Stories for Kids

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The Tangerine Thief

A mischievous squirrel named Benny embarks on an unexpected journey after stealing a tangerine.

Try this story at a different level?

 

Once there was a playful squirrel named Benny. He loved going on adventures and sometimes got in trouble. One day, he saw a juicy tangerine on a windowsill and took it. But this started a big, unexpected adventure for him.

Benny was happy with the tangerine, but then he dropped it, and a monkey named Max caught it. Max loved playing tricks and ran away with the tangerine. Benny was surprised but ran after Max to get the tangerine back.

Benny and Max ran through the jungle, and some animals joined them. There was Polly the parrot and Timmy the tortoise. They all wanted the tangerine but also had fun running and playing together.

In the end, they all stopped because they reached a big waterfall. Benny had a good idea. He said, “Let’s all be friends and share the tangerine.” They all liked the idea. They shared the tangerine and had a great time. From then on, they all had many fun adventures together.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1squirrelA small, fast animal with a big, fluffy tail
2adventuresFun trips or experiences
3tangerineA sweet, orange fruit
4unexpectedA surprise, something you didn’t think would happen
5monkeyAn animal that can climb trees really well and has a long tail
6animalsCreatures like dogs, cats, or birds
7jungleA place with lots of trees, plants, and wild animals
8waterfallWater falling down from high rocks
9friendsPeople you like to play and spend time with
10shareTo give some of what you have to others

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character of the story?
2. What did Benny see on the windowsill?
3. Who took the tangerine from Benny?
4. Who joined Benny and Max on their adventure?
5. What did Benny suggest they do when they reached the big waterfall?
6. What happened after they shared the tangerine?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Once there was a playful (1)______ named Benny. He loved going on adventures and sometimes got in trouble. One day, he saw a juicy tangerine on a windowsill and took it. But this (2)______ a big, unexpected adventure for him.

Benny was happy with the tangerine, but then he dropped it, and a monkey named Max (3)______ it. Max loved (4)______ tricks and ran away with the tangerine. Benny was surprised but ran after Max to get the tangerine back.

Benny and Max ran through the (5)______, and some animals joined them. There was Polly the parrot and Timmy the (6)______. They all wanted the tangerine but also had fun running and playing together.

In the end, they all stopped because they reached a big waterfall. Benny had a good idea. He said, “Let’s all be friends and share the tangerine.” They all liked the idea. They shared the tangerine and had a great (7)______. From then on, they all had many fun (8)______ together.
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 found a juicy tangerine?
3. Do you like playing tricks? Why or why not?
4. What do you think Benny’s idea was?
5. How would you feel if you had to share something you really liked?
6. Do you have any friends you like to play with? Who are they?
7. What do you think happened after they shared the tangerine?
8. Have you ever had a fun adventure? What happened?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. squirrel
2. adventures
3. tangerine
4. unexpected
5. monkey
6. animals
7. jungle
8. waterfall
9. friends
10. share

Meanings:
(A) A small, fast animal with a big, fluffy tail
(B) An animal that can climb trees really well and has a long tail
(C) To give some of what you have to others
(D) A sweet, orange fruit
(E) A surprise, something you didn’t think would happen
(F) People you like to play and spend time with
(G) Water falling down from high rocks
(H) Creatures like dogs, cats, or birds
(I) Fun trips or experiences
(J) A place with lots of trees, plants, and wild animals
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the playful squirrel?
(a) Max
(b) Polly
(c) Timmy
(d) Benny

2. What did Benny see on the windowsill?
(a) A banana
(b) A tangerine
(c) An apple
(d) A watermelon

3. Who caught the tangerine when Benny dropped it?
(a) Polly
(b) Timmy
(c) Sherlock
(d) Max

4. Where did Benny and Max run through?
(a) The city
(b) The beach
(c) The jungle
(d) The desert

5. Who joined Benny and Max in their adventure?
(a) Polly the parrot and Timmy the tortoise
(b) Watson the dog and Robert the cat
(c) Smith the rabbit and Jones the mouse
(d) Lucy the lion and Sam the snake

6. What did Benny suggest they do with the tangerine?
(a) Hide it
(b) Eat it all
(c) Share it
(d) Throw it away

7. What did they reach at the end of their adventure?
(a) A big waterfall
(b) A tall mountain
(c) A deep cave
(d) A wide river

8. What did they all do at the end of the story?
(a) Fight over the tangerine
(b) Have a great time
(c) Cry and go home
(d) Get lost in the jungle

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. They all reached a big waterfall and Benny had a foolish idea.
2. Benny and Max ran through the jungle and made new friends, like Polly the parrot and Timmy the tortoise.
3. Benny ran away from Max to give him the tangerine.
4. One day, Benny saw a yummy tangerine on a windowsill and took it.
5. They decided to be friends and share the tangerine, and they had lots of fun adventures together.
6. Benny threw the tangerine and a monkey named Max missed it.
7. Benny the squirrel hated going on adventures and rarely got in trouble.
8. Max loved playing tricks and ran away with the tangerine.
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 of the story?
Benny is the main character of the story.

2. What did Benny see on the windowsill?
Benny saw a juicy tangerine on the windowsill.

3. Who took the tangerine from Benny?
A monkey named Max took the tangerine from Benny.

4. Who joined Benny and Max on their adventure?
Polly the parrot and Timmy the tortoise joined Benny and Max on their adventure.

5. What did Benny suggest they do when they reached the big waterfall?
Benny suggested that they all be friends and share the tangerine.

6. What happened after they shared the tangerine?
After they shared the tangerine, they all had a great time and continued to have fun adventures together.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) squirrel
(2) started
(3) caught
(4) playing
(5) jungle
(6) tortoise
(7) time
(8) adventures
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. squirrel
Answer: (A) A small, fast animal with a big, fluffy tail

2. adventures
Answer: (I) Fun trips or experiences

3. tangerine
Answer: (D) A sweet, orange fruit

4. unexpected
Answer: (E) A surprise, something you didn’t think would happen

5. monkey
Answer: (B) An animal that can climb trees really well and has a long tail

6. animals
Answer: (H) Creatures like dogs, cats, or birds

7. jungle
Answer: (J) A place with lots of trees, plants, and wild animals

8. waterfall
Answer: (G) Water falling down from high rocks

9. friends
Answer: (F) People you like to play and spend time with

10. share
Answer: (C) To give some of what you have to others
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the playful squirrel?
Answer: (d) Benny

2. What did Benny see on the windowsill?
Answer: (b) A tangerine

3. Who caught the tangerine when Benny dropped it?
Answer: (d) Max

4. Where did Benny and Max run through?
Answer: (c) The jungle

5. Who joined Benny and Max in their adventure?
Answer: (a) Polly the parrot and Timmy the tortoise

6. What did Benny suggest they do with the tangerine?
Answer: (c) Share it

7. What did they reach at the end of their adventure?
Answer: (a) A big waterfall

8. What did they all do at the end of the story?
Answer: (b) Have a great time
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. They all reached a big waterfall and Benny had a foolish idea. (Answer: False)
2. Benny and Max ran through the jungle and made new friends, like Polly the parrot and Timmy the tortoise. (Answer: True)
3. Benny ran away from Max to give him the tangerine. (Answer: False)
4. One day, Benny saw a yummy tangerine on a windowsill and took it. (Answer: True)
5. They decided to be friends and share the tangerine, and they had lots of fun adventures together. (Answer: True)
6. Benny threw the tangerine and a monkey named Max missed it. (Answer: False)
7. Benny the squirrel hated going on adventures and rarely got in trouble. (Answer: False)
8. Max loved playing tricks and ran away with the tangerine. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 1 stories?

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

The Remarkable Raspberry Rain

Emily found a magical tree with colorful raspberries that made it rain fruit, but the colors started to fade until she discovered that laughter could bring the magic back.

A young girl named Lily embarks on a daring adventure to find a hidden harbor and discovers that true treasure lies in the simple pleasures of life.

The Hidden Harbor

Lily found a secret harbor and learned that the best treasure is having fun with friends.

A jolly jellyfish named Finley gets lost in the deep sea but finds new friends along the way.

The Jolly Jellyfish

Finley the jellyfish got lost in the sea, but with the help of new friends, he found his way home.

The Clever Flower

Once upon a time, in a beautiful garden, there was a little flower named Daisy. Daisy was very clever and

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.

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