Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

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Short Stories for Kids

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Echo in the Elephant Valley

A mischievous monkey disrupts the harmony of Elephant Valley with a powerful crystal, but learns a valuable lesson.

Try this story at a different level?

 

In the jungle, there was a place called Elephant Valley. It was a beautiful area with lots of trees, flowers, and a river. A group of elephants lived there, and their leader was Big Tusk, who was really smart and nice.

These elephants had a cool skill; they could make echoes with their trunks that could be heard everywhere. Every day, they would make these amazing sounds together.

One day, a naughty monkey named Charlie found a shiny crystal in a hidden cave. He took it back to show everyone, even though Big Tusk said it could be dangerous. Charlie used the crystal to make the elephants’ echoes louder and more exciting.

But the loud echoes began to cause problems. Animals couldn’t sleep, bees had trouble collecting honey, and birds couldn’t sing because of the noise. They all needed Big Tusk to solve this problem.

Big Tusk talked to Charlie and told him that fun things could also hurt others. Charlie felt bad and put the crystal back. Now he looks after it to keep it safe. The jungle animals learned to think about how what they do might bother someone else. Harmony returned to Elephant Valley, and everyone became more caring and responsible.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1jungleA big area with lots of trees and wild animals
2elephantsBig animals with long noses and large ears
3echoesSounds that bounce back and you can hear again
4naughtyBehaving badly or causing trouble
5crystalA clear, hard object that sparkles like glass
6dangerousSomething that can cause harm or injury
7collectingGathering things together
8solveFind an answer to a problem
9responsibleBeing in charge of something and making sure it’s done right
10harmonyWhen everything is peaceful and works well together
11caringShowing kindness and looking after others
12shinySomething that reflects light and looks bright and pretty

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Where did the elephants live?
2. What special skill did the elephants have?
3. What did Charlie find in the hidden cave?
4. Why did Big Tusk say the crystal could be dangerous?
5. What problems did the loud echoes cause?
6. How did Charlie fix the problem in the end?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In the jungle, there was a place called Elephant (1)______. It was a beautiful area with (2)______ of trees, (3)______, and a river. A group of elephants lived there, and their leader was Big Tusk, who was really smart and nice.

These elephants had a cool skill; they could make echoes with their trunks that could be heard everywhere. Every day, they would make these (4)______ sounds together.

One day, a naughty monkey named Charlie found a shiny (5)______ in a hidden (6)______. He took it back to show everyone, even though Big Tusk said it could be dangerous. Charlie used the crystal to make the elephants’ echoes louder and more (7)______.

But the loud echoes began to cause problems. Animals couldn’t sleep, bees had trouble collecting honey, and (8)______ couldn’t sing because of the noise. They all needed Big Tusk to solve this problem.

Big Tusk (9)______ to Charlie and told him that fun things could also hurt (10)______. Charlie felt bad and put the crystal back. Now he looks after it to keep it safe. The jungle animals (11)______ to (12)______ about how what they do might bother someone else. Harmony returned to Elephant Valley, and everyone became more caring and responsible.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is Elephant Valley like?
2. How would you feel if you couldn’t sleep because of a loud noise?
3. Do you think it’s important to think about how our actions might bother someone else? Why or why not?
4. What do you think Charlie learned from this experience?
5. How do you think the other animals felt when they couldn’t collect honey or sing because of the loud echoes?
6. Do you like it when things are loud and exciting, or do you prefer it to be quiet? Why?
7. What is a responsibility? Can you think of an example of a responsibility you have?
8. How do you think Elephant Valley changed after the animals learned to be more caring?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. jungle
2. elephants
3. echoes
4. naughty
5. crystal
6. dangerous
7. collecting
8. solve
9. responsible
10. harmony
11. caring
12. shiny

Meanings:
(A) Something that reflects light and looks bright and pretty
(B) Showing kindness and looking after others
(C) When everything is peaceful and works well together
(D) Being in charge of something and making sure it’s done right
(E) Find an answer to a problem
(F) Gathering things together
(G) Behaving badly or causing trouble
(H) A big area with lots of trees and wild animals
(I) Sounds that bounce back and you can hear again
(J) Big animals with long noses and large ears
(K) Something that can cause harm or injury
(L) A clear, hard object that sparkles like glass
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who was the leader of the elephants in Elephant Valley?
(a) Charlie
(b) Big Tusk
(c) Smith
(d) Robert

2. What special skill did the elephants have?
(a) They could fly
(b) They could swim really fast
(c) They could talk to other animals
(d) They could make echoes with their trunks

3. What did Charlie find in the hidden cave?
(a) A golden crown
(b) A magic wand
(c) A shiny crystal
(d) A treasure map

4. Why did Big Tusk say the crystal could be dangerous?
(a) Because it made the echoes too loud
(b) Because it was too heavy
(c) Because it was too shiny
(d) Because it was too small

5. What problems did the loud echoes cause?
(a) Bees couldn’t collect honey
(b) Animals couldn’t sleep
(c) Birds couldn’t sing
(d) All of the above

6. What did Big Tusk tell Charlie about fun things?
(a) That they were always good
(b) That they were always bad
(c) That they could also hurt others
(d) That they were only for elephants

7. What did Charlie do after talking to Big Tusk?
(a) He put the crystal back
(b) He kept the crystal for himself
(c) He gave the crystal to Big Tusk
(d) He threw the crystal away

8. What did the jungle animals learn from this experience?
(a) To never have fun again
(b) To always make loud noises
(c) To only care about themselves
(d) To think about how what they do might bother someone else

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. One day, a monkey named Charlie found a dull crystal in an exposed cave.
2. The leader of the elephants is a smart and nice elephant named Big Tusk.
3. The loud echoes caused problems for other animals in the jungle, like bees and birds.
4. After Charlie took the crystal away, chaos returned to Elephant Valley and everyone became more careless and irresponsible.
5. Big Tusk talked to Charlie and explained that fun things can hurt others.
6. The elephants in Elephant Valley have no special skill – they cannot make echoes with their trunks.
7. Elephant Valley is an ugly place in the desert with no trees, flowers, or a river.
8. Charlie used the crystal to make the elephants’ echoes louder and more exciting.
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. Where did the elephants live?
The elephants lived in Elephant Valley.

2. What special skill did the elephants have?
The elephants could make echoes with their trunks.

3. What did Charlie find in the hidden cave?
Charlie found a shiny crystal in the hidden cave.

4. Why did Big Tusk say the crystal could be dangerous?
Big Tusk said the crystal could be dangerous because it made the echoes too loud and caused problems for other animals.

5. What problems did the loud echoes cause?
The loud echoes caused animals to have trouble sleeping, bees to have trouble collecting honey, and birds to have trouble singing.

6. How did Charlie fix the problem in the end?
Charlie put the crystal back and made sure to keep it safe.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Valley
(2) lots
(3) flowers
(4) amazing
(5) crystal
(6) cave
(7) exciting
(8) birds
(9) talked
(10) others
(11) learned
(12) think
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. jungle
Answer: (H) A big area with lots of trees and wild animals

2. elephants
Answer: (J) Big animals with long noses and large ears

3. echoes
Answer: (I) Sounds that bounce back and you can hear again

4. naughty
Answer: (G) Behaving badly or causing trouble

5. crystal
Answer: (L) A clear, hard object that sparkles like glass

6. dangerous
Answer: (K) Something that can cause harm or injury

7. collecting
Answer: (F) Gathering things together

8. solve
Answer: (E) Find an answer to a problem

9. responsible
Answer: (D) Being in charge of something and making sure it’s done right

10. harmony
Answer: (C) When everything is peaceful and works well together

11. caring
Answer: (B) Showing kindness and looking after others

12. shiny
Answer: (A) Something that reflects light and looks bright and pretty
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who was the leader of the elephants in Elephant Valley?
Answer: (b) Big Tusk

2. What special skill did the elephants have?
Answer: (d) They could make echoes with their trunks

3. What did Charlie find in the hidden cave?
Answer: (c) A shiny crystal

4. Why did Big Tusk say the crystal could be dangerous?
Answer: (a) Because it made the echoes too loud

5. What problems did the loud echoes cause?
Answer: (b) Animals couldn’t sleep

6. What did Big Tusk tell Charlie about fun things?
Answer: (c) That they could also hurt others

7. What did Charlie do after talking to Big Tusk?
Answer: (a) He put the crystal back

8. What did the jungle animals learn from this experience?
Answer: (d) To think about how what they do might bother someone else
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. One day, a monkey named Charlie found a dull crystal in an exposed cave. (Answer: False)
2. The leader of the elephants is a smart and nice elephant named Big Tusk. (Answer: True)
3. The loud echoes caused problems for other animals in the jungle, like bees and birds. (Answer: True)
4. After Charlie took the crystal away, chaos returned to Elephant Valley and everyone became more careless and irresponsible. (Answer: False)
5. Big Tusk talked to Charlie and explained that fun things can hurt others. (Answer: True)
6. The elephants in Elephant Valley have no special skill – they cannot make echoes with their trunks. (Answer: False)
7. Elephant Valley is an ugly place in the desert with no trees, flowers, or a river. (Answer: False)
8. Charlie used the crystal to make the elephants’ echoes louder and more exciting. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 2 stories?

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The Tangerine Thief

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The Clever Fox

Once upon a time, there was a fox named Fuzzy. Fuzzy was very clever and liked to solve puzzles. He

Ella the elephant's friends, Max the monkey and Polly the parrot, come to her rescue when she gets an earache from a cheeky bug.

The Elephant’s Earache

Ella the elephant had a big problem in her ear, but her friends Max the monkey and Polly the parrot came to the rescue and saved the day.

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