Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

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Short Stories for Kids

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The Land of Flying Pancakes

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In a land far away, there was a magical place called Pancakeland. The coolest part about this place was that the pancakes had wings and could fly! Just think, every morning, you could see pancakes zooming through the air.

In the middle of Pancakeland, there was a girl named Lily who absolutely loved pancakes. When she found out that pancakes could fly in this place, she was super excited. One day, while she was wandering around, she found a secret map. The map showed the way to a place called Pancake Mountain, which people said was completely made of chocolate chip pancakes.

Lily grabbed her special pancake compass and set off on an epic quest. She ran into some sneaky syrup trolls who wanted her map. Lily outsmarted them by using honey to stick them in place because they just couldn’t resist the smell of it. She grinned and kept going on her adventure.

When she got to the bottom of Pancake Mountain, there was a huge pancake blocking her path. The pancake said, “Solve this riddle to get by me.” Lily thought hard and answered, “What pancake can’t fly?” The pancake said, “Flatcakes!” and moved out of her way.

At the top of Pancake Mountain, Lily couldn’t believe her eyes – there were tons of delicious chocolate chip pancakes everywhere! She felt so thankful for all the amazing pancakes in Pancakeland. She took some pancakes to go and shared the rest with everyone in her village. She showed them that sharing is important.

Lily became a hero in her town. Everybody was thankful for what she did and learned to share. Every year, on Pancake Day, they had a big feast with flying pancakes to celebrate Lily’s journey. And all the kids learned to never give up, be smart, and share good times (and pancakes!) with their friends and family.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1magicalSomething that seems to have powers that can do amazing things
2questA long and difficult journey, often in search of something special
3compassA tool used for finding direction
4sneakyActing in a secret and sometimes dishonest way
5outsmartedTo be smarter than someone else and win against them
6riddleA tricky question that you have to think hard to answer
7thankfulFeeling happy and grateful because of something
8feastA large meal that is prepared for a celebration
9epicVery impressive and grand
10trollsCreatures in stories that are often naughty or cause trouble
11grinnedSmiled widely with pleasure or amusement
12wanderingMoving around without a clear purpose or direction
13adventureAn exciting experience that is full of risks
14villageA small community where people live
15heroSomeone who is admired for doing something very brave or great

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What was special about the pancakes in Pancakeland?
2. How did Lily feel when she found out that pancakes could fly?
3. What did Lily use to outsmart the syrup trolls?
4. How did Lily solve the riddle at the bottom of Pancake Mountain?
5. What did Lily do with the pancakes at the top of Pancake Mountain?
6. Why did Lily become a hero in her town?
7. What did the people in Lily’s village learn from her journey?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a land far away, there was a magical place called Pancakeland. The coolest part about this place was that the pancakes had wings and could fly! Just think, every morning, you could see pancakes (1)______ through the air.

In the (2)______ of Pancakeland, there was a girl (3)______ Lily who absolutely (4)______ pancakes. When she found out that pancakes could fly in this place, she was super excited. One day, while she was wandering around, she found a (5)______ map. The map showed the way to a (6)______ called (7)______ Mountain, which people said was completely made of chocolate chip pancakes.

Lily grabbed her special pancake compass and set off on an epic quest. She ran into some sneaky syrup trolls who wanted her map. Lily outsmarted them by using honey to (8)______ them in place because they just couldn’t resist the smell of it. She grinned and kept going on her adventure.

When she got to the bottom of Pancake Mountain, there was a huge (9)______ blocking her path. The pancake said, “Solve this riddle to get by me.” Lily (10)______ hard and answered, “What pancake can’t fly?” The pancake said, “Flatcakes!” and moved out of her way.

At the top of Pancake Mountain, Lily couldn’t believe her eyes – there were tons of delicious (11)______ chip pancakes everywhere! She felt so (12)______ for all the amazing pancakes in Pancakeland. She took some pancakes to go and (13)______d the rest with everyone in her (14)______. She showed them that sharing is important.

Lily became a hero in her town. Everybody was thankful for what she did and learned to share. Every year, on Pancake Day, they had a big feast with flying pancakes to celebrate Lily’s (15)______. And all the kids learned to never give up, be smart, and share good (16)______ (and pancakes!) with their friends and family.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is Pancakeland?
2. How would you feel if you could see pancakes flying through the air every morning?
3. Do you like pancakes? Why or why not?
4. What would you do if you found a secret map like Lily did?
5. How do you think Lily outsmarted the syrup trolls?
6. Do you think solving a riddle is a fun way to get past an obstacle? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever had a moment where you had to think hard to solve a problem? Can you share your experience?
8. How do you think Lily felt when she reached the top of Pancake Mountain? Why?
9. Why do you think Lily shared the pancakes with everyone in her village?
10. Do you think it’s important to share good times and food with friends and family? Why or why not?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. magical
2. quest
3. compass
4. sneaky
5. outsmarted
6. riddle
7. thankful
8. feast
9. epic
10. trolls
11. grinned
12. wandering
13. adventure
14. village
15. hero

Meanings:
(A) Someone who is admired for doing something very brave or great
(B) A tricky question that you have to think hard to answer
(C) Something that seems to have powers that can do amazing things
(D) Very impressive and grand
(E) Moving around without a clear purpose or direction
(F) A long and difficult journey, often in search of something special
(G) A tool used for finding direction
(H) A small community where people live
(I) Smiled widely with pleasure or amusement
(J) An exciting experience that is full of risks
(K) To be smarter than someone else and win against them
(L) Acting in a secret and sometimes dishonest way
(M) Creatures in stories that are often naughty or cause trouble
(N) Feeling happy and grateful because of something
(O) A large meal that is prepared for a celebration
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the magical place where pancakes can fly?
(a) Syrupville
(b) Waffle World
(c) Crepe City
(d) Pancakeland

2. What did Lily find while wandering around Pancakeland?
(a) A secret map
(b) A magical pancake
(c) A talking syrup bottle
(d) A flying spoon

3. How did Lily outsmart the syrup trolls?
(a) She ran away from them
(b) She turned them into pancakes
(c) She asked them nicely to leave her alone
(d) She used honey to stick them in place

4. What did Lily have to solve to get past the pancake blocking her path?
(a) A math problem
(b) A riddle
(c) A puzzle
(d) A secret code

5. What was the answer to the riddle?
(a) Flying pancakes
(b) Syrup
(c) Flatcakes
(d) Lily

6. What did Lily do with the pancakes at the top of Pancake Mountain?
(a) She took some to go and shared the rest with everyone in her village
(b) She ate them all by herself
(c) She threw them off the mountain
(d) She saved them for later

7. How did Lily become a hero in her town?
(a) By solving the riddle
(b) By sharing the pancakes with everyone
(c) By defeating the syrup trolls
(d) By finding the secret map

8. What did the people in Lily’s town learn from her journey?
(a) To never eat pancakes again
(b) To always carry a pancake compass
(c) To never give up, be smart, and share good times (and pancakes!) with their friends and family
(d) To fly like the pancakes in Pancakeland

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Lily used mustard to trap the syrup trolls who wanted her map.
2. Lily shared the pancakes with her village and taught them the importance of sharing.
3. Lily became a villain in her town and they refused to celebrate her journey every year on Pancake Day.
4. Lily, a girl who dislikes pancakes, found a secret map to Pancake Mountain.
5. In Pancakeland, pancakes do not have wings and cannot fly.
6. At the top of Pancake Mountain, Lily found an abundance of chocolate chip pancakes.
7. To get to the top of Pancake Mountain, Lily had to solve a riddle.
8. The riddle asked what pancake can’t fly, and Lily answered “flatcakes.”
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 special about the pancakes in Pancakeland?
The pancakes in Pancakeland had wings and could fly.

2. How did Lily feel when she found out that pancakes could fly?
Lily felt super excited when she found out that pancakes could fly.

3. What did Lily use to outsmart the syrup trolls?
Lily used honey to outsmart the syrup trolls.

4. How did Lily solve the riddle at the bottom of Pancake Mountain?
Lily solved the riddle by answering “Flatcakes!”

5. What did Lily do with the pancakes at the top of Pancake Mountain?
Lily took some pancakes to go and shared the rest with everyone in her village.

6. Why did Lily become a hero in her town?
Lily became a hero in her town because she went on an epic quest and shared the pancakes with everyone.

7. What did the people in Lily’s village learn from her journey?
The people in Lily’s village learned to never give up, be smart, and share good times (and pancakes!) with their friends and family.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) zooming
(2) middle
(3) named
(4) loved
(5) secret
(6) place
(7) Pancake
(8) stick
(9) pancake
(10) thought
(11) chocolate
(12) thankful
(13) share
(14) village
(15) journey
(16) times
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. magical
Answer: (C) Something that seems to have powers that can do amazing things

2. quest
Answer: (F) A long and difficult journey, often in search of something special

3. compass
Answer: (G) A tool used for finding direction

4. sneaky
Answer: (L) Acting in a secret and sometimes dishonest way

5. outsmarted
Answer: (K) To be smarter than someone else and win against them

6. riddle
Answer: (B) A tricky question that you have to think hard to answer

7. thankful
Answer: (N) Feeling happy and grateful because of something

8. feast
Answer: (O) A large meal that is prepared for a celebration

9. epic
Answer: (D) Very impressive and grand

10. trolls
Answer: (M) Creatures in stories that are often naughty or cause trouble

11. grinned
Answer: (I) Smiled widely with pleasure or amusement

12. wandering
Answer: (E) Moving around without a clear purpose or direction

13. adventure
Answer: (J) An exciting experience that is full of risks

14. village
Answer: (H) A small community where people live

15. hero
Answer: (A) Someone who is admired for doing something very brave or great
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the magical place where pancakes can fly?
Answer: (d) Pancakeland

2. What did Lily find while wandering around Pancakeland?
Answer: (a) A secret map

3. How did Lily outsmart the syrup trolls?
Answer: (d) She used honey to stick them in place

4. What did Lily have to solve to get past the pancake blocking her path?
Answer: (b) A riddle

5. What was the answer to the riddle?
Answer: (c) Flatcakes

6. What did Lily do with the pancakes at the top of Pancake Mountain?
Answer: (a) She took some to go and shared the rest with everyone in her village

7. How did Lily become a hero in her town?
Answer: (b) By sharing the pancakes with everyone

8. What did the people in Lily’s town learn from her journey?
Answer: (c) To never give up, be smart, and share good times (and pancakes!) with their friends and family
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Lily used mustard to trap the syrup trolls who wanted her map. (Answer: False)
2. Lily shared the pancakes with her village and taught them the importance of sharing. (Answer: True)
3. Lily became a villain in her town and they refused to celebrate her journey every year on Pancake Day. (Answer: False)
4. Lily, a girl who dislikes pancakes, found a secret map to Pancake Mountain. (Answer: False)
5. In Pancakeland, pancakes do not have wings and cannot fly. (Answer: False)
6. At the top of Pancake Mountain, Lily found an abundance of chocolate chip pancakes. (Answer: True)
7. To get to the top of Pancake Mountain, Lily had to solve a riddle. (Answer: True)
8. The riddle asked what pancake can’t fly, and Lily answered “flatcakes.” (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 3 stories?

In the magical land of Sprinkleville, a mischievous gnome named Minty Mischief plots to steal all the cupcakes from the famous cupcake castle, but a young girl named Ella is determined to stop him and save the town from chaos.

The Cupcake Castle Caper

A mischievous gnome named Minty steals cupcakes, but a girl named Ella catches him and teaches him a lesson about honesty.

A dolphin and a seagull team up to create a mesmerizing performance that wows the judges.

The Dolphin’s Dance

Flip the dolphin dreams of being the best dancer in the ocean, but he can’t jump high enough – until he teams up with his seagull friend Squawk and wows everyone at the audition.

Emma, Jack, and Lily, the village's best detectives, discover a mysterious map leading to buried treasure.

The Secret of the Sunken Ship

Emma, Jack, and Lily find a treasure map and go on an exciting adventure to find it, facing storms, bats, and a volcano along the way.

A small village is transformed by a baker's magical pies, teaching the importance of sharing.

The Peculiar Purple Pie

Mr. Higgins accidentally makes a magical pie that turns people into floating, singing, rhyming, and funny beings, bringing joy to the village, but greed threatens their happiness until they learn the importance of sharing.

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