Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

Short Stories for Kids

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The Baffling Banana Blizzard

Milo the mischievous monkey discovers a hidden portal to a land of sour bananas and embarks on a quest to find kindness crystals and restore sweetness to the land.

Try this story at a different level?

 

In a magical place called Tootsville, there was a cheeky monkey named Milo who loved bananas a lot. One day, he found a secret door under a banana peel. He jumped in and landed in a world with huge bananas and snowflakes that looked like banana cream pie.

Milo walked into the land with giant chocolate bananas and a storm of banana peels. He ate a banana, but it was sour, not sweet. This made Milo unhappy and confused.

Milo asked his smart friend, Oliver the Owl, what was going on. Oliver said a grumpy wizard made the bananas sour to teach people to be nice and thankful. To change the bananas back, Milo had to find five special kindness stones hidden around.

Milo was brave and set out to find the stones. He met playful squirrels that tried to slow him down with jokes, but he kept going. He climbed slippery peels, swam in a banana pudding river, and got caught in a banana pie storm. He never stopped trying.

Finally, Milo found all the stones. When he put them together, the sour bananas turned sweet again. The storm ended, and Tootsville was happy. Milo learned being thankful and kind is the way to be happy. He and Oliver started teaching this to everyone, and they shared bananas to cheer up anyone having a bad day.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1magicalLike something from a fairy tale, full of wonder
2cheekyActing in a funny way, sometimes a little naughty
3sourHaving a taste that is sharp, often like a lemon, not sweet
4confusedNot sure what is happening or what to do
5smartHaving a good brain and able to learn or understand things quickly
6grumpyIn a bad mood, easily annoyed by things
7thankfulFeeling happy because someone has done something nice for you
8braveHaving courage, not afraid to try difficult things
9playfulFull of fun, liking to play and have a good time
10slipperyVery smooth and wet, easy to slide on
11puddingA soft, creamy dessert, often sweet and thick
12cheerfulFull of joy and happiness

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
2. What did Milo find under a banana peel?
3. Why were the bananas sour?
4. What did Milo have to find to change the bananas back?
5. What did Milo do when he found all the stones?
6. What did Milo and Oliver teach everyone in Tootsville?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a magical place called Tootsville, there was a cheeky monkey named Milo who loved (1)______ a lot. One day, he found a secret door under a banana peel. He jumped in and (2)______ed in a world with huge bananas and snowflakes that looked like banana (3)______ pie.

Milo walked into the land with giant chocolate bananas and a storm of banana (4)______. He ate a banana, but it was sour, not sweet. This made Milo (5)______ and confused.

Milo asked his smart friend, (6)______ the Owl, what was going on. Oliver said a grumpy wizard made the bananas sour to teach people to be nice and thankful. To change the bananas back, Milo had to find five special (7)______ stones hidden around.

Milo was brave and set out to find the stones. He met playful squirrels that (8)______ to slow him down with jokes, but he kept going. He climbed slippery peels, swam in a banana pudding river, and got caught in a banana pie (9)______. He never stopped trying.

Finally, Milo found all the stones. When he put them together, the sour bananas turned sweet again. The storm ended, and Tootsville was (10)______. Milo learned being thankful and kind is the way to be happy. He and Oliver (11)______ teaching this to everyone, and they (12)______ bananas to cheer up anyone having a bad day.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is your favorite fruit? Why?
2. How would you feel if you found a secret door to a magical world? Why?
3. Do you like bananas? Why or why not?
4. What do you think Milo learned from his adventure? Why?
5. How do you think Milo felt when he found out the bananas were sour? Why?
6. Have you ever had a bad day? How did you cheer yourself up?
7. What would you do if you were Milo and had to find the kindness stones? Why?
8. Do you think being thankful and kind can make you happy? Why or why not?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. magical
2. cheeky
3. sour
4. confused
5. smart
6. grumpy
7. thankful
8. brave
9. playful
10. slippery
11. pudding
12. cheerful

Meanings:
(A) Full of joy and happiness
(B) Like something from a fairy tale, full of wonder
(C) Having a taste that is sharp, often like a lemon, not sweet
(D) A soft, creamy dessert, often sweet and thick
(E) Acting in a funny way, sometimes a little naughty
(F) In a bad mood, easily annoyed by things
(G) Full of fun, liking to play and have a good time
(H) Having courage, not afraid to try difficult things
(I) Having a good brain and able to learn or understand things quickly
(J) Not sure what is happening or what to do
(K) Feeling happy because someone has done something nice for you
(L) Very smooth and wet, easy to slide on
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the cheeky monkey in the story?
(a) Milo
(b) Oliver
(c) Watson
(d) Robert

2. Where did Milo find a secret door?
(a) Under a banana peel
(b) In a tree
(c) In a cave
(d) On a mountain

3. What did Milo find in the land he entered through the secret door?
(a) Huge snowflakes
(b) Magical flowers
(c) Talking animals
(d) Giant chocolate bananas

4. Why were the bananas sour in the land Milo entered?
(a) They were naturally sour
(b) A grumpy wizard made them sour
(c) The animals didn’t take care of them
(d) The weather made them sour

5. What did Milo have to find to change the bananas back to sweet?
(a) A magic wand
(b) A secret potion
(c) Five special kindness stones
(d) A friendly wizard

6. Who did Milo ask for help in finding the kindness stones?
(a) Playful squirrels
(b) Grumpy wizard
(c) Oliver the Owl
(d) Talking bananas

7. What did Milo have to do to find the kindness stones?
(a) Solve riddles from the squirrels
(b) Keep trying and not give up
(c) Climb tall trees
(d) Swim in a river

8. What did Milo learn from his adventure?
(a) Bananas are the best fruit
(b) Squirrels are tricky animals
(c) The grumpy wizard was right
(d) Being thankful and kind is the way to be happy

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Milo’s friend, Oliver the Owl, explained that a grumpy wizard made the bananas sour to teach people to be nice and thankful.
2. After gathering all the stones and assembling them, Milo triumphantly transformed the sweet bananas sour once again, reviving sorrow in Tootsville.
3. Milo experienced a sweet banana in this alien world, which made him content and clear-headed.
4. To change the bananas back to their sweet taste, Milo had to find five special kindness stones hidden around.
5. Milo stumbled upon a secret door concealed beneath a banana peel.
6. Milo is a mischievous monkey who loves bananas a lot.
7. Through the secret door, Milo entered a magical world with giant bananas and snowflakes that looked like banana cream pie.
8. Despite avoiding obstacles from mischievous squirrels and a pineapple pie storm, Milo always remained determined to locate the kindness stones.
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?
The main character in the story is Milo, the cheeky monkey.

2. What did Milo find under a banana peel?
Milo found a secret door under a banana peel.

3. Why were the bananas sour?
The bananas were sour because a grumpy wizard made them that way to teach people to be nice and thankful.

4. What did Milo have to find to change the bananas back?
Milo had to find five special kindness stones hidden around to change the bananas back.

5. What did Milo do when he found all the stones?
When Milo found all the stones, he put them together and the sour bananas turned sweet again.

6. What did Milo and Oliver teach everyone in Tootsville?
Milo and Oliver taught everyone in Tootsville to be thankful and kind. They also shared bananas to cheer up anyone having a bad day.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) bananas
(2) land
(3) cream
(4) peels
(5) unhappy
(6) Oliver
(7) kindness
(8) tried
(9) storm
(10) happy
(11) started
(12) shared
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. magical
Answer: (B) Like something from a fairy tale, full of wonder

2. cheeky
Answer: (E) Acting in a funny way, sometimes a little naughty

3. sour
Answer: (C) Having a taste that is sharp, often like a lemon, not sweet

4. confused
Answer: (J) Not sure what is happening or what to do

5. smart
Answer: (I) Having a good brain and able to learn or understand things quickly

6. grumpy
Answer: (F) In a bad mood, easily annoyed by things

7. thankful
Answer: (K) Feeling happy because someone has done something nice for you

8. brave
Answer: (H) Having courage, not afraid to try difficult things

9. playful
Answer: (G) Full of fun, liking to play and have a good time

10. slippery
Answer: (L) Very smooth and wet, easy to slide on

11. pudding
Answer: (D) A soft, creamy dessert, often sweet and thick

12. cheerful
Answer: (A) Full of joy and happiness
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the cheeky monkey in the story?
Answer: (a) Milo

2. Where did Milo find a secret door?
Answer: (a) Under a banana peel

3. What did Milo find in the land he entered through the secret door?
Answer: (d) Giant chocolate bananas

4. Why were the bananas sour in the land Milo entered?
Answer: (b) A grumpy wizard made them sour

5. What did Milo have to find to change the bananas back to sweet?
Answer: (c) Five special kindness stones

6. Who did Milo ask for help in finding the kindness stones?
Answer: (c) Oliver the Owl

7. What did Milo have to do to find the kindness stones?
Answer: (b) Keep trying and not give up

8. What did Milo learn from his adventure?
Answer: (d) Being thankful and kind is the way to be happy
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Milo’s friend, Oliver the Owl, explained that a grumpy wizard made the bananas sour to teach people to be nice and thankful. (Answer: True)
2. After gathering all the stones and assembling them, Milo triumphantly transformed the sweet bananas sour once again, reviving sorrow in Tootsville. (Answer: False)
3. Milo experienced a sweet banana in this alien world, which made him content and clear-headed. (Answer: False)
4. To change the bananas back to their sweet taste, Milo had to find five special kindness stones hidden around. (Answer: True)
5. Milo stumbled upon a secret door concealed beneath a banana peel. (Answer: False)
6. Milo is a mischievous monkey who loves bananas a lot. (Answer: True)
7. Through the secret door, Milo entered a magical world with giant bananas and snowflakes that looked like banana cream pie. (Answer: True)
8. Despite avoiding obstacles from mischievous squirrels and a pineapple pie storm, Milo always remained determined to locate the kindness stones. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 2 stories?

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

The Jolly Jellyfish

Finley the jellyfish gets lost in a storm, but makes new friends and finds his way back home.

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

The Voyage to Vegetable Land

Max, a boy who hated vegetables, went on an adventure to Vegetable Land and met talking veggies who changed his mind about healthy food.

A young boy named Milo solves the mystery of the missing moon with the help of woodland creatures.

The Mystery of the Missing Moon

One night, the moon disappeared in Sunfield, and Milo wanted to find out where it went. He discovered that the animals in Dark Forest had hidden it while playing a game, so he and his new friend Oliver the owl gathered everyone to search for it. Finally, they found the moon and put it back in the sky, teaching everyone the power of teamwork and friendship.

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