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 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?

 

Once upon a time, in a magical place called Tootsville, there was a playful monkey named Milo. Milo loved bananas more than anything and would do just about anything to eat them. One bright morning, while jumping from tree to tree, he found a secret door hidden behind a banana peel. Milo, always up for an adventure, jumped through the door and found himself in a crazy world where bananas were as huge as trees and the snow was made of banana cream pie.

Milo was amazed as he explored this strange place full of banana wonders. There were mountains covered in chocolate and bananas, and the sky was filled with flying banana peels. Quickly, he grabbed a giant banana to eat. But, instead of being sweet and yummy, the banana tasted sour and icky, which made Milo feel really weird.

Feeling confused and let down, Milo asked his smart friend, Oliver the Owl, for help. Oliver told him that a grumpy wizard made the bananas sour on purpose. The wizard wanted everyone to learn to be kind and thankful. To fix the bananas and make them sweet again, Milo had to find five special crystals hidden all over the place.

Milo was ready to fix things, so he went looking for the crystals. On his journey, he ran into some playful squirrels who tried to make him laugh with banana jokes. Milo didn’t let them stop him, though. He bravely climbed slippery banana peels, swam through a river of banana pudding, and even got caught in a storm of banana cream pie. But no matter what, he kept going.

Finally, Milo found all the crystals. When he brought them together, a bright light shone around him, and all the bananas turned sweet again. The crazy banana storm was gone, and Tootsville became a happy place once more. Milo learned that being happy is about being grateful and nice to others.

Milo and Oliver spent their days teaching everyone in Tootsville about being kind and thankful. And whenever someone was having a tough day or felt sad, they would share a banana. They all knew that a little kindness could make the gloomiest day bright again.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1magicalSomething that seems to have special powers, like in a fairy tale
2playfulFull of fun and liking to play around
3adventureAn exciting experience or trip
4amazedVery surprised and impressed by something
5exploredWent around looking at different things in a place you’ve never been before
6weirdStrange or unusual in a way that is hard to explain
7confusedNot able to understand something clearly or to think clearly
8grumpyIn a bad mood and easily annoyed
9journeyA long trip or search for something
10bravelyDoing something with courage, not showing fear
11slipperyVery smooth and wet, so it’s easy to slide and fall
12gratefulFeeling thankful and showing appreciation
13crystalsShiny, clear pieces of mineral often used in jewelry
14shoneGave off light or glowed brightly
15gloomiestThe most sad or depressing

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
2. What did Milo find behind a banana peel?
3. Why did the bananas taste sour to Milo?
4. Who did Milo ask for help to fix the bananas?
5. What did Milo have to find in order to make the bananas sweet again?
6. What challenges did Milo face on his journey to find the crystals?
7. What did Milo learn about being happy?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Once upon a time, in a magical place called Tootsville, there was a playful monkey named Milo. Milo loved (1)______ more than anything and would do just about anything to eat them. One bright morning, while jumping from tree to tree, he found a secret door hidden behind a banana peel. Milo, always up for an (2)______, (3)______ through the door and found himself in a crazy world where bananas were as huge as trees and the snow was made of banana cream pie.

Milo was amazed as he (4)______ this strange place full of (5)______ wonders. There were mountains covered in chocolate and bananas, and the sky was filled with flying banana peels. Quickly, he grabbed a giant banana to eat. But, instead of being sweet and yummy, the banana tasted sour and icky, which made Milo feel really weird.

Feeling confused and let down, Milo asked his smart (6)______, Oliver the Owl, for help. Oliver told him that a (7)______ wizard made the bananas sour on purpose. The wizard wanted everyone to (8)______ to be kind and thankful. To fix the bananas and make them sweet again, Milo had to find five (9)______ (10)______ hidden all over the (11)______.

Milo was ready to fix things, so he went looking for the crystals. On his journey, he ran into some playful squirrels who tried to make him laugh with banana jokes. Milo didn’t let them stop him, though. He bravely climbed slippery banana peels, swam through a river of banana pudding, and even got caught in a storm of banana cream pie. But no matter what, he kept (12)______.

Finally, Milo found all the crystals. When he brought them together, a bright light shone around him, and all the bananas turned sweet again. The crazy banana storm was gone, and Tootsville became a happy place once more. Milo (13)______ that being happy is about being grateful and nice to others.

Milo and (14)______ spent their days teaching everyone in Tootsville about being kind and thankful. And whenever someone was (15)______ a tough day or felt sad, they would share a banana. They all knew that a little (16)______ could make the gloomiest day bright again.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is your favorite fruit and why?
2. How would you feel if you found a secret door to a magical world?
3. Do you like adventure? Why or why not?
4. What do you think it means to be kind and thankful?
5. Have you ever had a food that tasted different than you expected? How did it make you feel?
6. If you could create your own magical world, what would it be like?
7. Do you think it’s important to help others when they are feeling sad or having a tough day? Why or why not?
8. Have you ever had to overcome obstacles to achieve a goal? How did you stay motivated?
9. How do you think Milo felt when he finally found all the crystals and fixed the bananas?
10. Why do you think Milo and Oliver decided to teach everyone in Tootsville about kindness and gratitude?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. magical
2. playful
3. adventure
4. amazed
5. explored
6. weird
7. confused
8. grumpy
9. journey
10. bravely
11. slippery
12. grateful
13. crystals
14. shone
15. gloomiest

Meanings:
(A) Full of fun and liking to play around
(B) The most sad or depressing
(C) Very smooth and wet, so it’s easy to slide and fall
(D) In a bad mood and easily annoyed
(E) A long trip or search for something
(F) Doing something with courage, not showing fear
(G) Gave off light or glowed brightly
(H) Strange or unusual in a way that is hard to explain
(I) Shiny, clear pieces of mineral often used in jewelry
(J) Not able to understand something clearly or to think clearly
(K) Very surprised and impressed by something
(L) Feeling thankful and showing appreciation
(M) An exciting experience or trip
(N) Something that seems to have special powers, like in a fairy tale
(O) Went around looking at different things in a place you’ve never been before
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Milo love more than anything?
(a) Apples
(b) Oranges
(c) Bananas
(d) Grapes

2. What did Milo find behind the banana peel?
(a) A secret door
(b) A treasure chest
(c) A magic wand
(d) A talking banana

3. Why did the bananas taste sour and icky?
(a) They were rotten
(b) Milo didn’t wash them properly
(c) A grumpy wizard made them that way
(d) They were meant to taste that way

4. How many special crystals did Milo have to find?
(a) Three
(b) Ten
(c) Two
(d) Five

5. What did Milo have to do to fix the bananas?
(a) Find the special crystals
(b) Plant new banana trees
(c) Eat all the sour bananas
(d) Ask the wizard for help

6. Who tried to make Milo laugh with banana jokes?
(a) Wise owls
(b) Playful squirrels
(c) Silly monkeys
(d) Grumpy wizards

7. What did Milo have to climb on his journey?
(a) Tall trees
(b) Slippery banana peels
(c) Rocky mountains
(d) Ladders

8. What did Milo learn about being happy?
(a) It’s about eating lots of bananas
(b) It’s about finding the secret door
(c) It’s about being the strongest monkey
(d) It’s about being grateful and nice to others

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Milo is disappointed when he finds out that the giant banana he grabs tastes sour and icky.
2. Milo embarks on a journey to find five special crystals hidden all over the strange place.
3. Along the way, Milo encounters playful squirrels who try to make him laugh with banana jokes.
4. Milo finds a secret door hidden behind an apple peel and jumps through it.
5. Milo unsuccessfully finds all the crystals and fails to bring them together, leaving the bananas bitter and happiness absent in Tootsville.
6. Oliver the Owl tells Milo that a grumpy wizard made the bananas sour on purpose to teach everyone to be kind and thankful.
7. Milo discovers a mundane world where bananas are as small as berries and the snow is made of regular snowflakes.
8. Milo is a serious monkey who hates bananas more than anything.
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 playful monkey.

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

3. Why did the bananas taste sour to Milo?
The bananas tasted sour to Milo because a grumpy wizard made them that way on purpose.

4. Who did Milo ask for help to fix the bananas?
Milo asked his smart friend, Oliver the Owl, for help to fix the bananas.

5. What did Milo have to find in order to make the bananas sweet again?
Milo had to find five special crystals hidden all over the place in order to make the bananas sweet again.

6. What challenges did Milo face on his journey to find the crystals?
Milo faced challenges such as climbing slippery banana peels, swimming through a river of banana pudding, and getting caught in a storm of banana cream pie.

7. What did Milo learn about being happy?
Milo learned that being happy is about being grateful and nice to others.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) bananas
(2) adventure
(3) jumped
(4) explored
(5) banana
(6) friend
(7) grumpy
(8) learn
(9) special
(10) crystals
(11) place
(12) going
(13) learned
(14) Oliver
(15) having
(16) kindness
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. magical
Answer: (N) Something that seems to have special powers, like in a fairy tale

2. playful
Answer: (A) Full of fun and liking to play around

3. adventure
Answer: (M) An exciting experience or trip

4. amazed
Answer: (K) Very surprised and impressed by something

5. explored
Answer: (O) Went around looking at different things in a place you’ve never been before

6. weird
Answer: (H) Strange or unusual in a way that is hard to explain

7. confused
Answer: (J) Not able to understand something clearly or to think clearly

8. grumpy
Answer: (D) In a bad mood and easily annoyed

9. journey
Answer: (E) A long trip or search for something

10. bravely
Answer: (F) Doing something with courage, not showing fear

11. slippery
Answer: (C) Very smooth and wet, so it’s easy to slide and fall

12. grateful
Answer: (L) Feeling thankful and showing appreciation

13. crystals
Answer: (I) Shiny, clear pieces of mineral often used in jewelry

14. shone
Answer: (G) Gave off light or glowed brightly

15. gloomiest
Answer: (B) The most sad or depressing
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Milo love more than anything?
Answer: (c) Bananas

2. What did Milo find behind the banana peel?
Answer: (a) A secret door

3. Why did the bananas taste sour and icky?
Answer: (c) A grumpy wizard made them that way

4. How many special crystals did Milo have to find?
Answer: (d) Five

5. What did Milo have to do to fix the bananas?
Answer: (a) Find the special crystals

6. Who tried to make Milo laugh with banana jokes?
Answer: (b) Playful squirrels

7. What did Milo have to climb on his journey?
Answer: (b) Slippery banana peels

8. What did Milo learn about being happy?
Answer: (d) It’s about being grateful and nice to others
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Milo is disappointed when he finds out that the giant banana he grabs tastes sour and icky. (Answer: True)
2. Milo embarks on a journey to find five special crystals hidden all over the strange place. (Answer: True)
3. Along the way, Milo encounters playful squirrels who try to make him laugh with banana jokes. (Answer: True)
4. Milo finds a secret door hidden behind an apple peel and jumps through it. (Answer: False)
5. Milo unsuccessfully finds all the crystals and fails to bring them together, leaving the bananas bitter and happiness absent in Tootsville. (Answer: False)
6. Oliver the Owl tells Milo that a grumpy wizard made the bananas sour on purpose to teach everyone to be kind and thankful. (Answer: True)
7. Milo discovers a mundane world where bananas are as small as berries and the snow is made of regular snowflakes. (Answer: False)
8. Milo is a serious monkey who hates bananas more than anything. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 3 stories?

A group of adventurous children discover a hidden cave filled with riddles and magical trials.

The Enigma of Echo Cave

Emma, Ben, and Lucy find a secret cave with a tricky creature inside, but their friendship helps them solve the riddles and escape.

Stella the unicorn uses her magical rainbow to spread happiness and love to all creatures.

The Rainbow Bridge

Stella, a magical unicorn, wins a competition and uses her wish to spread happiness and love.

A mischievous penguin named Percy and a wise snow owl named Oliver form an unbreakable friendship on their journey to the legendary "Penguin Parade."

The Penguin Parade

Percy the penguin and Oliver the owl become best friends on an exciting adventure to the Penguin Parade.

Captain Pete, the Polka-Dot Pirate, embarks on a treasure hunt and discovers the true meaning of sharing.

The Polka-Dot Pirate

Captain Pete, the Polka-Dot Pirate, goes on an adventure to find a special treasure hidden on Dottilandia, but discovers that true treasure is about sharing joy and being kind to others.

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

The Jolly Jellyfish

A colorful jellyfish named Finley gets lost in the ocean but makes new friends along the way.

Feedback