Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

Short Stories for Kids

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The Talking Teapot

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.

Try this story at a different level?

 

In a little village surrounded by a magical forest, there was a girl named Lily. She loved all the magical things said to live in the forest. One day, she found a shiny teapot under a bush, but it wasn’t just any teapot – it could talk!

When Lily touched the teapot, it started talking and introduced itself as Timothy, the magical teapot that could make wishes come true. It told her that it could only grant wishes that were good and not selfish. Lily was amazed and thought carefully about what she should wish for.

Lily decided to wish for enough food for everyone in her village. Suddenly, the village was filled with lots of fruits, vegetables, and tasty food. Everyone was happy and thanked Lily for her kind wish that helped them all.

But a mean witch in the forest got jealous when she heard about Lily’s wish. She used her magic to make Lily give her the talking teapot. The witch laughed, thinking about all the power she had now.

The teapot, Timothy, was smart, though. He tricked the witch and went back to Lily, who was locked up by the witch. They worked together and beat the witch. All the magical creatures helped to trap the witch so she couldn’t cause trouble anymore. Everyone in the village celebrated, and they all learned to be kind and helpful like Lily. The teapot stayed in the village, giving good wishes to those who needed them, making the forest a place of kindness and caring.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1magicalHaving special powers that can do things that seem impossible
2introducedTold someone your name when you met them for the first time
3grantTo give someone something they have asked for
4amazedVery surprised and impressed
5selfishThinking only about yourself and not caring about others
6jealousFeeling unhappy because someone has something that you want
7tastyDelicious and good to eat
8powerThe ability to control or influence people or things
9smartClever and able to make good decisions
10trappedCaught in a place and unable to leave
11celebratedHad a party to show happiness about a special event
12helpfulWilling to do things that make life easier for others
13caringShowing kindness and concern for others
14creaturesAnimals or beings that are not human, often found in stories
15villageA small community of people living in the same area

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
2. What did Lily find under a bush in the forest?
3. What could the teapot do when Lily touched it?
4. What kind of wishes could the teapot grant?
5. What did Lily wish for with the teapot?
6. What did the mean witch do when she heard about Lily’s wish?
7. How did Lily and Timothy, the teapot, defeat the witch?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a little village surrounded by a magical (1)______, there was a girl (2)______ Lily. She loved all the magical things said to live in the forest. One day, she found a shiny (3)______ under a bush, but it wasn’t just any teapot – it could talk!

When Lily touched the teapot, it started talking and introduced itself as (4)______, the magical teapot that could make wishes come true. It told her that it could only (5)______ wishes that were good and not selfish. Lily was amazed and thought carefully about what she should wish for.

Lily (6)______ to wish for (7)______ food for everyone in her (8)______. Suddenly, the village was filled with lots of fruits, vegetables, and tasty food. Everyone was happy and thanked Lily for her kind wish that helped them all.

But a mean witch in the forest got (9)______ when she heard about Lily’s wish. She used her magic to make Lily give her the talking teapot. The witch (10)______, (11)______ about all the power she had now.

The teapot, Timothy, was (12)______, though. He tricked the witch and went back to Lily, who was locked up by the witch. They worked together and beat the witch. All the magical (13)______ helped to trap the witch so she couldn’t cause trouble anymore. Everyone in the village celebrated, and they all learned to be kind and helpful like Lily. The teapot (14)______ in the village, giving good wishes to those who needed them, making the forest a (15)______ of (16)______ and caring.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a magical forest? Have you ever heard of one before?
2. How would you feel if you found a talking teapot? Why or why not?
3. Do you like the idea of making wishes? Why or why not?
4. What do you think is the difference between a good wish and a selfish wish? Why?
5. How would you react if someone took something important from you? Why or why not?
6. Do you think it’s important to work together to solve problems? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever had to work with someone to overcome a difficult situation? Can you tell us about it?
8. What do you think about the idea of magical creatures helping humans? Why or why not?
9. How do you think the village changed after Lily’s wish came true? Why?
10. Do you believe in the power of kindness and caring? Why or why not?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. magical
2. introduced
3. grant
4. amazed
5. selfish
6. jealous
7. tasty
8. power
9. smart
10. trapped
11. celebrated
12. helpful
13. caring
14. creatures
15. village

Meanings:
(A) Thinking only about yourself and not caring about others
(B) To give someone something they have asked for
(C) Very surprised and impressed
(D) Having special powers that can do things that seem impossible
(E) Caught in a place and unable to leave
(F) Willing to do things that make life easier for others
(G) A small community of people living in the same area
(H) Clever and able to make good decisions
(I) Had a party to show happiness about a special event
(J) Delicious and good to eat
(K) The ability to control or influence people or things
(L) Feeling unhappy because someone has something that you want
(M) Told someone your name when you met them for the first time
(N) Showing kindness and concern for others
(O) Animals or beings that are not human, often found in stories
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Lily find under the bush in the forest?
(a) A talking teapot
(b) A shiny necklace
(c) A magical book
(d) A hidden treasure chest

2. What could the teapot do?
(a) Fly in the sky
(b) Turn into a bird
(c) Make wishes come true
(d) Grant unlimited power

3. What kind of wishes could the teapot grant?
(a) Good and not selfish wishes
(b) Selfish and mean wishes
(c) Random and silly wishes
(d) Dangerous and harmful wishes

4. What did Lily wish for?
(a) A big house for herself
(b) Enough food for everyone in her village
(c) A bag full of gold coins
(d) A fancy dress for a party

5. Who took the teapot from Lily?
(a) A friendly fairy
(b) A mischievous elf
(c) A wise wizard
(d) A mean witch

6. How did the teapot trick the witch?
(a) By turning invisible
(b) By pretending to be broken
(c) By making a loud noise
(d) By disappearing into thin air

7. How did Lily and the teapot defeat the witch?
(a) By using a powerful spell
(b) By running away and hiding
(c) By making the witch laugh
(d) With the help of the magical creatures

8. What happened to the village after the witch was defeated?
(a) The village disappeared into thin air
(b) The teapot disappeared and was never seen again
(c) Everyone celebrated and learned to be kind and helpful
(d) The witch came back and caused more trouble

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The village celebrated their victory and learned to be kind and helpful like Lily.
2. A jealous witch in the forest made Lily give her the talking teapot.
3. Lily found a silent teapot in a regular forest.
4. Lily wished for enough food for only herself and it came true.
5. The teapot, named Timothy, could grant wishes that were selfish and not good.
6. The magical creatures in the forest helped trap the witch so she couldn’t cause trouble anymore.
7. Lily and the teapot worked alone to defeat the witch.
8. The teapot tricked the witch and returned to Lily, who was locked up.
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?
Lily is the main character in the story.

2. What did Lily find under a bush in the forest?
Lily found a shiny teapot under a bush in the forest.

3. What could the teapot do when Lily touched it?
The teapot could talk and grant wishes when Lily touched it.

4. What kind of wishes could the teapot grant?
The teapot could only grant wishes that were good and not selfish.

5. What did Lily wish for with the teapot?
Lily wished for enough food for everyone in her village.

6. What did the mean witch do when she heard about Lily’s wish?
The mean witch used her magic to make Lily give her the talking teapot.

7. How did Lily and Timothy, the teapot, defeat the witch?
Lily and Timothy tricked the witch and worked together to beat her. They also had help from the magical creatures in the forest who trapped the witch so she couldn’t cause trouble anymore.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) forest
(2) named
(3) teapot
(4) Timothy
(5) grant
(6) decided
(7) enough
(8) village
(9) jealous
(10) laughed
(11) thinking
(12) smart
(13) creatures
(14) stayed
(15) place
(16) kindness
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. magical
Answer: (D) Having special powers that can do things that seem impossible

2. introduced
Answer: (M) Told someone your name when you met them for the first time

3. grant
Answer: (B) To give someone something they have asked for

4. amazed
Answer: (C) Very surprised and impressed

5. selfish
Answer: (A) Thinking only about yourself and not caring about others

6. jealous
Answer: (L) Feeling unhappy because someone has something that you want

7. tasty
Answer: (J) Delicious and good to eat

8. power
Answer: (K) The ability to control or influence people or things

9. smart
Answer: (H) Clever and able to make good decisions

10. trapped
Answer: (E) Caught in a place and unable to leave

11. celebrated
Answer: (I) Had a party to show happiness about a special event

12. helpful
Answer: (F) Willing to do things that make life easier for others

13. caring
Answer: (N) Showing kindness and concern for others

14. creatures
Answer: (O) Animals or beings that are not human, often found in stories

15. village
Answer: (G) A small community of people living in the same area
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Lily find under the bush in the forest?
Answer: (a) A talking teapot

2. What could the teapot do?
Answer: (c) Make wishes come true

3. What kind of wishes could the teapot grant?
Answer: (a) Good and not selfish wishes

4. What did Lily wish for?
Answer: (b) Enough food for everyone in her village

5. Who took the teapot from Lily?
Answer: (d) A mean witch

6. How did the teapot trick the witch?
Answer: (b) By pretending to be broken

7. How did Lily and the teapot defeat the witch?
Answer: (d) With the help of the magical creatures

8. What happened to the village after the witch was defeated?
Answer: (c) Everyone celebrated and learned to be kind and helpful
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The village celebrated their victory and learned to be kind and helpful like Lily. (Answer: True)
2. A jealous witch in the forest made Lily give her the talking teapot. (Answer: True)
3. Lily found a silent teapot in a regular forest. (Answer: False)
4. Lily wished for enough food for only herself and it came true. (Answer: False)
5. The teapot, named Timothy, could grant wishes that were selfish and not good. (Answer: False)
6. The magical creatures in the forest helped trap the witch so she couldn’t cause trouble anymore. (Answer: True)
7. Lily and the teapot worked alone to defeat the witch. (Answer: False)
8. The teapot tricked the witch and returned to Lily, who was locked up. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 3 stories?

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.

The Golden Egg Hunt in Fantasia turns into a heartwarming display of unity and selflessness.

The Golden Egg Hunt

In the magical land of Fantasia, everyone is excited for the Golden Egg Hunt, where they can make any wish they want if they find a golden egg, but this year, they learn that working together and being kind is even better than winning.

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