Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

Short Stories for Kids

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The Friendly Dragon

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In a magical forest, there was a nice dragon named Fred. Unlike other dragons who scared people, Fred loved making friends and being happy. But because he was a dragon with big wings and fire breath, people were afraid of him. This made Fred feel lonely most of the time.

One day, Fred walked into a nearby village to find a friend. He came across some kids playing and they were scared at first, but then they saw that Fred was friendly. His shiny scales and kind eyes made them curious and they started to talk to him.

The bravest kid, Timmy, asked Fred, “Why are you so nice, Mr. Dragon? Aren’t you supposed to scare us?” Fred laughed and told them about his dream to show people that dragons could be nice. He wanted to change the way people thought about dragons.

The kids liked Fred and decided to go on an adventure with him. They visited other villages and did nice things, like fixing fences, painting houses, and saving a cat from a tree. The people in the villages were surprised and happy, and they learned that dragons could be friends and not monsters.

Soon, everyone knew about the nice things Fred was doing, and even the King, who was afraid of dragons, heard about it. The King invited Fred to his castle and found out that he was actually very friendly. The King felt sorry for being scared before. From then on, Fred was a welcome visitor in the kingdom, and he encouraged other dragons to be kind too.

This story teaches us that we shouldn’t judge people by how they look or what others say. Someone might look scary but actually be very nice. We should keep our hearts and minds open and we might find friends in places we never expected.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1dragonA mythical creature with wings and the ability to breathe fire
2scaredFeeling afraid or frightened
3lonelyFeeling sad and without companionship
4curiousWanting to know or learn more about something
5adventureAn exciting and unusual experience or activity
6surprisedFeeling amazed or taken aback by something unexpected
7monstersImaginary creatures that are often portrayed as frightening or dangerous
8kingdomA country ruled by a king or queen
9judgeForming an opinion about someone or something without knowing all the facts
10heartsThe emotional center or core of a person
11mindsThe part of a person that thinks, reasons, and understands
12visitorSomeone who visits a place for a short period of time
13encourageTo give support, confidence, or hope to someone
14placesLocations or areas that are not familiar or anticipated
15expectedNot predicted or foreseen

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What was different about Fred compared to other dragons?
2. Why were people afraid of Fred?
3. How did the kids react when they saw Fred?
4. Why did Fred want to show people that dragons could be nice?
5. What kind of things did Fred and the kids do on their adventure?
6. How did the people in the villages feel when they saw Fred and the kids doing nice things?
7. What happened when the King invited Fred to his castle?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a (1)______ forest, there was a nice dragon (2)______ Fred. Unlike other dragons who scared people, Fred loved (3)______ (4)______s and being happy. But because he was a dragon with big wings and fire breath, people were afraid of him. This made Fred feel lonely most of the time.

One day, Fred walked into a nearby village to find a friend. He came across some kids playing and they were scared at first, but then they saw that Fred was friendly. His (5)______ scales and kind eyes made them curious and they started to talk to him.

The (6)______ kid, Timmy, asked Fred, “Why are you so nice, Mr. Dragon? Aren’t you (7)______ to scare us?” Fred laughed and told them about his dream to show people that dragons could be nice. He wanted to change the way people thought about dragons.

The kids liked Fred and decided to go on an (8)______ with him. They (9)______ other villages and did nice things, like fixing (10)______, (11)______ houses, and saving a cat from a tree. The people in the villages were surprised and happy, and they learned that dragons could be (12)______ and not monsters.

Soon, everyone knew about the nice things Fred was doing, and even the King, who was afraid of dragons, heard about it. The King invited Fred to his castle and found out that he was actually very friendly. The King felt sorry for being scared before. From then on, Fred was a (13)______ visitor in the kingdom, and he encouraged other dragons to be kind too.

This (14)______ teaches us that we shouldn’t judge people by how they look or what others say. Someone might look scary but actually be very nice. We should keep our (15)______ and minds open and we might find friends in (16)______ we never expected.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a dragon? Have you ever seen one in a movie or read about them in a book?
2. How would you feel if you saw a dragon in real life? Would you be scared or curious?
3. Do you think it’s important to judge people by how they look? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever felt lonely like Fred? How did you deal with it?
5. Do you like making new friends? Why or why not?
6. How do you think the kids felt when they found out that Fred was nice and not scary?
7. What nice things have you done for others? How did it make you feel?
8. Do you think it’s possible for someone to change the way others think about a certain group of people or things? Why or why not?
9. Why do you think the King was afraid of dragons? Do you think his opinion changed after meeting Fred? Why or why not?
10. Can you think of a time when you judged someone based on their appearance and later realized that you were wrong? What happened and how did you feel?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. dragon
2. scared
3. lonely
4. curious
5. adventure
6. surprised
7. monsters
8. kingdom
9. judge
10. hearts
11. minds
12. visitor
13. encourage
14. places
15. expected

Meanings:
(A) Imaginary creatures that are often portrayed as frightening or dangerous
(B) Feeling sad and without companionship
(C) Not predicted or foreseen
(D) Wanting to know or learn more about something
(E) The emotional center or core of a person
(F) A mythical creature with wings and the ability to breathe fire
(G) Forming an opinion about someone or something without knowing all the facts
(H) The part of a person that thinks, reasons, and understands
(I) To give support, confidence, or hope to someone
(J) Feeling afraid or frightened
(K) A country ruled by a king or queen
(L) Locations or areas that are not familiar or anticipated
(M) Feeling amazed or taken aback by something unexpected
(N) An exciting and unusual experience or activity
(O) Someone who visits a place for a short period of time
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the friendly dragon in the story?
(a) Timmy
(b) Smith
(c) Robert
(d) Fred

2. Why were people afraid of Fred at first?
(a) Because he was mean and scary
(b) Because he was a dragon with big wings and fire breath
(c) Because he was always causing trouble
(d) Because he was a magical creature

3. What did Fred want to show people about dragons?
(a) That they could be nice
(b) That they were scary monsters
(c) That they could fly really fast
(d) That they could breathe fire

4. Who was the bravest kid in the story?
(a) Fred
(b) The King
(c) The other dragons
(d) Timmy

5. What did Fred and the kids do to show people that dragons could be nice?
(a) They scared everyone with their fire breath
(b) They stole from the villagers
(c) They visited other villages and did nice things
(d) They caused chaos and destruction

6. What did the people in the villages think when they saw Fred and the kids doing nice things?
(a) They were surprised and happy
(b) They were scared and angry
(c) They didn’t care
(d) They thought it was a trick

7. How did the King feel about dragons before he met Fred?
(a) He loved them
(b) He was afraid of them
(c) He didn’t know they existed
(d) He thought they were funny

8. What did Fred encourage other dragons to do?
(a) To be mean and scary
(b) To fly away and never come back
(c) To be kind
(d) To steal from the villagers

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Fred feels lonely most of the time because people are not scared of him.
2. People are not afraid of Fred because he has small wings and cannot breathe fire.
3. The kids realize that Fred is friendly and they start talking to him.
4. The kids decide to stay at home and not go on an adventure with Fred, avoiding doing nice things in different villages and showing people that dragons can be friends, not monsters.
5. One day, Fred walks into a nearby village and comes across some kids who are initially scared of him.
6. The bravest kid, Timmy, asks Fred why he is so nice when dragons are supposed to scare people.
7. Fred is a dragon who is different from other dragons because he is nice and loves making friends.
8. Fred tells the kids about his dream to maintain the way people think about dragons and show them that they can be mean.
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. What was different about Fred compared to other dragons?
Fred was different from other dragons because he was nice and friendly, unlike the other dragons who scared people.

2. Why were people afraid of Fred?
People were afraid of Fred because he was a dragon with big wings and fire breath, which made him look scary.

3. How did the kids react when they saw Fred?
At first, the kids were scared when they saw Fred, but then they saw that he was friendly and they became curious. They started talking to him and became friends with him.

4. Why did Fred want to show people that dragons could be nice?
Fred wanted to show people that dragons could be nice because he wanted to change the way people thought about dragons. He believed that dragons could be friends and not monsters.

5. What kind of things did Fred and the kids do on their adventure?
Fred and the kids went on an adventure to different villages. They did nice things like fixing fences, painting houses, and saving a cat from a tree.

6. How did the people in the villages feel when they saw Fred and the kids doing nice things?
The people in the villages were surprised and happy when they saw Fred and the kids doing nice things. They learned that dragons could be friendly and started to change their perception of dragons.

7. What happened when the King invited Fred to his castle?
When the King invited Fred to his castle, he found out that Fred was actually very friendly. The King felt sorry for being scared of dragons before and from then on, Fred was a welcome visitor in the kingdom. He also encouraged other dragons to be kind too.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) magical
(2) named
(3) making
(4) friend
(5) shiny
(6) bravest
(7) supposed
(8) adventure
(9) visited
(10) fences
(11) painting
(12) friends
(13) welcome
(14) story
(15) hearts
(16) places
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. dragon
Answer: (F) A mythical creature with wings and the ability to breathe fire

2. scared
Answer: (J) Feeling afraid or frightened

3. lonely
Answer: (B) Feeling sad and without companionship

4. curious
Answer: (D) Wanting to know or learn more about something

5. adventure
Answer: (N) An exciting and unusual experience or activity

6. surprised
Answer: (M) Feeling amazed or taken aback by something unexpected

7. monsters
Answer: (A) Imaginary creatures that are often portrayed as frightening or dangerous

8. kingdom
Answer: (K) A country ruled by a king or queen

9. judge
Answer: (G) Forming an opinion about someone or something without knowing all the facts

10. hearts
Answer: (E) The emotional center or core of a person

11. minds
Answer: (H) The part of a person that thinks, reasons, and understands

12. visitor
Answer: (O) Someone who visits a place for a short period of time

13. encourage
Answer: (I) To give support, confidence, or hope to someone

14. places
Answer: (L) Locations or areas that are not familiar or anticipated

15. expected
Answer: (C) Not predicted or foreseen
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the friendly dragon in the story?
Answer: (d) Fred

2. Why were people afraid of Fred at first?
Answer: (b) Because he was a dragon with big wings and fire breath

3. What did Fred want to show people about dragons?
Answer: (a) That they could be nice

4. Who was the bravest kid in the story?
Answer: (d) Timmy

5. What did Fred and the kids do to show people that dragons could be nice?
Answer: (c) They visited other villages and did nice things

6. What did the people in the villages think when they saw Fred and the kids doing nice things?
Answer: (a) They were surprised and happy

7. How did the King feel about dragons before he met Fred?
Answer: (b) He was afraid of them

8. What did Fred encourage other dragons to do?
Answer: (c) To be kind
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Fred feels lonely most of the time because people are not scared of him. (Answer: False)
2. People are not afraid of Fred because he has small wings and cannot breathe fire. (Answer: False)
3. The kids realize that Fred is friendly and they start talking to him. (Answer: True)
4. The kids decide to stay at home and not go on an adventure with Fred, avoiding doing nice things in different villages and showing people that dragons can be friends, not monsters. (Answer: False)
5. One day, Fred walks into a nearby village and comes across some kids who are initially scared of him. (Answer: True)
6. The bravest kid, Timmy, asks Fred why he is so nice when dragons are supposed to scare people. (Answer: True)
7. Fred is a dragon who is different from other dragons because he is nice and loves making friends. (Answer: True)
8. Fred tells the kids about his dream to maintain the way people think about dragons and show them that they can be mean. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 3 stories?

In a small village nestled deep in a magical forest, a little girl named Lily discovers a talking teapot with the power to grant wishes.

The Talking Teapot

A brave girl named Lily finds a talking teapot that grants good wishes, but a mean witch tries to steal it.

Oliver and Polly, renowned adventurers, spread laughter and kindness wherever they go.

Oliver’s Ocean Adventure

Oliver and Polly go on an exciting adventure to find treasure on Emerald Island, but encounter sneaky pirates along the way.

A little girl named Mia embarks on a magical adventure through the Candy Kingdom after awakening a Jelly Bean Tree.

The Jelly Bean Tree

Mia discovers a magical tree that turns into a creature and takes her on a sweet adventure to the Candy Kingdom.

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.

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

The Tangerine Thief

Benny the squirrel’s mischievous act of stealing a tangerine led to an exciting chase and unexpected friendships.

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