Paul Holmes -
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Short Stories for Kids

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The Elephant’s Earache

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.

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In a big, green jungle in Africa, there was an elephant named Ella. She was the happiest elephant around. She liked to swim in the river and eat tasty leaves from tall trees. But one day, when the sun was out and shining, Ella woke up hurting because her ear was in a lot of pain. It hurt so much that she made a loud noise because it bothered her.

Ella’s friends, a playful monkey named Max and a smart parrot named Polly, heard her loud noise. They came fast to help her. Max climbed through the trees quickly, and Polly flew above them. They looked inside Ella’s huge ear and saw what was wrong. A little bug was in there, making all the trouble.

Polly was quick to act. She flew down to Ella’s ear and used her sharp beak to tickle the bug. The bug flew away with a loud “pop,” and Ella’s pain stopped right away. She felt so much better that she breathed out a big sigh of relief. The friends were happy that they fixed the problem and laughed about it together.

After that, Ella was more careful when she walked through the jungle. She shook her head a lot after being in the river to make sure no bugs got into her ears. And she showed Max and Polly how to protect their ears, too. So, even though the earache was bad, Ella and her friends learned something useful.

Ella’s buddies were thankful they learned how to take care of each other. They knew now how important it was to help and face problems as a team. Max and Polly looked out for Ella after that, keeping her safe from any new problems. They became closer friends and went on lots of fun adventures in the jungle.

Ella became a hero to all the other animals because she was brave and always ready to help. Her story about the earache spread around, and she became famous for being so kind. It showed everyone that good friends will always be there to help when you need it. And with that, Ella, Max, and Polly stayed happy, sharing their fun and friendship with everyone in the jungle.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1jungleA large area covered with trees and plants, usually where wild animals live
2elephantA big animal with a long trunk and large ears that lives in Africa and Asia
3playfulFull of fun and liking to play or joke around
4parrotA bird with bright feathers and the ability to mimic sounds
5botheringCausing annoyance or worry
6sharpHaving a fine edge that can cut or make a hole in something
7reliefA feeling of happiness that comes when something unpleasant stops or does not happen
8carefulBeing cautious and paying attention to avoid danger or mistakes
9protectTo keep someone or something safe from harm or danger
10thankfulFeeling grateful or showing appreciation
11importantHaving great value or significance
12buddiesClose friends
13heroSomeone who is admired for their courage or noble qualities
14famousWell-known by many people
15adventuresExciting experiences or journeys, often involving some risk

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who are Ella’s friends?
2. What happened to Ella’s ear one day?
3. How did Max and Polly help Ella?
4. How did Ella feel after the bug flew away?
5. What did Ella do to prevent bugs from getting into her ears?
6. What did Ella’s friends learn from helping her?
7. Why did Ella become famous in the jungle?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a big, (1)______ jungle in Africa, there was an elephant named Ella. She was the happiest elephant around. She liked to swim in the river and eat tasty leaves from tall trees. But one day, when the sun was out and (2)______, Ella woke up hurting because her ear was in a lot of pain. It hurt so much that she made a loud noise because it bothered her.

Ella’s friends, a playful (3)______ named Max and a smart parrot named (4)______, heard her loud noise. They came fast to help her. Max climbed through the trees quickly, and Polly flew above them. They looked inside Ella’s huge ear and saw what was wrong. A little bug was in there, making all the trouble.

Polly was quick to act. She flew down to Ella’s ear and used her sharp beak to (5)______ the bug. The bug flew away with a loud “pop,” and Ella’s pain stopped right away. She felt so much better that she (6)______ out a big sigh of (7)______. The friends were happy that they fixed the problem and (8)______ about it together.

After that, Ella was more careful when she walked through the jungle. She (9)______ her head a lot after being in the river to make sure no bugs got into her ears. And she showed Max and Polly how to protect their ears, too. So, even though the earache was bad, Ella and her (10)______ learned something useful.

Ella’s buddies were thankful they learned how to take care of each other. They knew now how important it was to help and face (11)______ as a team. Max and Polly (12)______ out for Ella after that, keeping her safe from any new problems. They became closer friends and went on lots of fun adventures in the jungle.

Ella became a hero to all the other animals because she was brave and always (13)______ to help. Her story about the (14)______ spread around, and she became famous for being so kind. It (15)______ everyone that good friends will always be there to help when you need it. And with that, Ella, Max, and Polly (16)______ happy, sharing their fun and friendship with everyone in the jungle.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What do you think it would feel like to have a bug in your ear?
2. How would you feel if you were in pain and your friends came to help you?
3. Do you like swimming in rivers? Why or why not?
4. What do you think it means to be a hero?
5. How do you think Ella’s friends felt when they fixed her earache?
6. Have you ever had a problem that you needed help with? What did you do?
7. Do you think it’s important to take care of your friends? Why or why not?
8. What do you think the other animals in the jungle thought of Ella after she helped them?
9. How do you think Ella felt when she became famous for being kind?
10. Do you think it’s better to face problems alone or with friends? Why or why not?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. jungle
2. elephant
3. playful
4. parrot
5. bothering
6. sharp
7. relief
8. careful
9. protect
10. thankful
11. important
12. buddies
13. hero
14. famous
15. adventures

Meanings:
(A) Feeling grateful or showing appreciation
(B) Close friends
(C) Someone who is admired for their courage or noble qualities
(D) Causing annoyance or worry
(E) A feeling of happiness that comes when something unpleasant stops or does not happen
(F) Full of fun and liking to play or joke around
(G) Well-known by many people
(H) Being cautious and paying attention to avoid danger or mistakes
(I) Having a fine edge that can cut or make a hole in something
(J) A big animal with a long trunk and large ears that lives in Africa and Asia
(K) Having great value or significance
(L) A large area covered with trees and plants, usually where wild animals live
(M) Exciting experiences or journeys, often involving some risk
(N) To keep someone or something safe from harm or danger
(O) A bird with bright feathers and the ability to mimic sounds
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the elephant in the story?
(a) Max
(b) Polly
(c) Ella
(d) Watson

2. What caused Ella’s ear to hurt?
(a) A tree branch
(b) A bug
(c) The sun
(d) A loud noise

3. How did Max and Polly help Ella?
(a) Max flew above the trees and Polly climbed through the trees.
(b) Max and Polly both flew above the trees.
(c) Max and Polly both climbed through the trees.
(d) Max climbed through the trees and Polly tickled the bug.

4. What sound did the bug make when it flew away?
(a) “Pop”
(b) “Buzz”
(c) “Squeak”
(d) “Roar”

5. What did Ella do to make sure no bugs got into her ears?
(a) She shook her head a lot.
(b) She covered her ears with her trunk.
(c) She wore a hat.
(d) She stayed away from the river.

6. What did Ella, Max, and Polly learn from their experience?
(a) How to swim in the river.
(b) How to climb trees.
(c) The importance of helping and facing problems as a team.
(d) The importance of being famous.

7. Why did Ella become a hero to the other animals?
(a) Because she was the biggest elephant in the jungle.
(b) Because she was brave and always ready to help.
(c) Because she could swim in the river.
(d) Because she had a loud voice.

8. What did Ella, Max, and Polly share with everyone in the jungle?
(a) Tasty leaves
(b) New adventures
(c) Their favorite toys
(d) Fun and friendship

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Ella’s cowardice and cruelty made her infamous in the jungle, and she, Max, and Polly stopped having fun adventures while helping others.
2. Max climbed through the trees slowly, while Polly flew below them to see what was wrong with Ella’s ear.
3. Ella’s friends, Max the monkey and Polly the parrot, heard her loud noise and came to help her.
4. Ella is an elephant who lives in a big, green jungle in Africa.
5. One day, Ella woke up with a painless earache that made her make a soft noise.
6. Polly used her sharp beak to tickle a bug in Ella’s ear, causing it to fly away and relieve Ella’s pain.
7. Ella enjoys swimming in the river and eating leaves from tall trees.
8. After the incident, Ella and her friends became less cautious about protecting their ears from bugs.
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 are Ella’s friends?
Ella’s friends are Max, a playful monkey, and Polly, a smart parrot.

2. What happened to Ella’s ear one day?
Ella’s ear was in a lot of pain because there was a bug inside it.

3. How did Max and Polly help Ella?
Max climbed through the trees quickly to check Ella’s ear, and Polly used her beak to tickle the bug and make it fly away.

4. How did Ella feel after the bug flew away?
Ella felt much better after the bug flew away. Her pain stopped right away, and she breathed a big sigh of relief.

5. What did Ella do to prevent bugs from getting into her ears?
Ella shook her head a lot after being in the river to make sure no bugs got into her ears.

6. What did Ella’s friends learn from helping her?
Ella’s friends learned how important it was to help and face problems as a team. They also learned how to take care of each other.

7. Why did Ella become famous in the jungle?
Ella became famous in the jungle because she was brave and always ready to help. Her story about the earache spread around, and she became known for her kindness.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) green
(2) shining
(3) monkey
(4) Polly
(5) tickle
(6) breathed
(7) relief
(8) laughed
(9) shook
(10) friends
(11) problems
(12) looked
(13) ready
(14) earache
(15) showed
(16) stayed
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. jungle
Answer: (L) A large area covered with trees and plants, usually where wild animals live

2. elephant
Answer: (J) A big animal with a long trunk and large ears that lives in Africa and Asia

3. playful
Answer: (F) Full of fun and liking to play or joke around

4. parrot
Answer: (O) A bird with bright feathers and the ability to mimic sounds

5. bothering
Answer: (D) Causing annoyance or worry

6. sharp
Answer: (I) Having a fine edge that can cut or make a hole in something

7. relief
Answer: (E) A feeling of happiness that comes when something unpleasant stops or does not happen

8. careful
Answer: (H) Being cautious and paying attention to avoid danger or mistakes

9. protect
Answer: (N) To keep someone or something safe from harm or danger

10. thankful
Answer: (A) Feeling grateful or showing appreciation

11. important
Answer: (K) Having great value or significance

12. buddies
Answer: (B) Close friends

13. hero
Answer: (C) Someone who is admired for their courage or noble qualities

14. famous
Answer: (G) Well-known by many people

15. adventures
Answer: (M) Exciting experiences or journeys, often involving some risk
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the elephant in the story?
Answer: (c) Ella

2. What caused Ella’s ear to hurt?
Answer: (b) A bug

3. How did Max and Polly help Ella?
Answer: (d) Max climbed through the trees and Polly tickled the bug.

4. What sound did the bug make when it flew away?
Answer: (a) “Pop”

5. What did Ella do to make sure no bugs got into her ears?
Answer: (a) She shook her head a lot.

6. What did Ella, Max, and Polly learn from their experience?
Answer: (c) The importance of helping and facing problems as a team.

7. Why did Ella become a hero to the other animals?
Answer: (b) Because she was brave and always ready to help.

8. What did Ella, Max, and Polly share with everyone in the jungle?
Answer: (d) Fun and friendship
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Ella’s cowardice and cruelty made her infamous in the jungle, and she, Max, and Polly stopped having fun adventures while helping others. (Answer: False)
2. Max climbed through the trees slowly, while Polly flew below them to see what was wrong with Ella’s ear. (Answer: False)
3. Ella’s friends, Max the monkey and Polly the parrot, heard her loud noise and came to help her. (Answer: True)
4. Ella is an elephant who lives in a big, green jungle in Africa. (Answer: True)
5. One day, Ella woke up with a painless earache that made her make a soft noise. (Answer: False)
6. Polly used her sharp beak to tickle a bug in Ella’s ear, causing it to fly away and relieve Ella’s pain. (Answer: True)
7. Ella enjoys swimming in the river and eating leaves from tall trees. (Answer: True)
8. After the incident, Ella and her friends became less cautious about protecting their ears from bugs. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 3 stories?

George and his grape friends escape the vineyard, overcoming obstacles and finding a world full of adventures.

The Great Grape Escape

George the grape and his friends escape from the vineyard, facing obstacles and making new friends along the way.

A snail named Sam learns that true happiness comes from following your own path.

How the Snail Found His Shell

Sam, a shell-less snail, embarks on a quest to find the perfect shell but discovers that true happiness comes from being yourself.

An invisible unicorn named Bella discovers the power of friendship and the magic of being seen.

The Invisible Unicorn

Bella, a unicorn that nobody could see, discovers the power of friendship and being seen for who she truly is.

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