The gift of the Magi is a Christmas story, so it seemed appropriate to share it in the Christmas week. It tells us of a couple that each try to get their significant other, a worthy Christmas present, but in order to do so, they have a difficult choice to make.  The Magi were three wise men that delivered gifts to the newborn baby Jesus. This story is not about them, but the wisdom and actions of these characters are compared to those three wise men.

Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/j8KYdsEAa80

The Nightingale is a short story by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It tells the tale of a Chinese emperor, in whose garden resides a Nightingale with a beautiful voice. Through the story we see how the emperor wishes to control the nightingale and refers to her as his 'possession'. The story contains multiple moral lessons and is quite educational and appropriate for all readers/listeners of all ages. 

Wasps's Nest is a short story by Agatha Christie, with the detective Hercule Poirot as the Protagonist. The story deals with a Wasps Nest, and a detective bent on solving a murder before it takes place. 

Watch on youtube through the link https://youtu.be/wujkpLnwsc0 

The alligator war is a short story, that tells us of a river in south america, inhabited by alligators. One day a boat arrives, and its presence means the extinction of every alligator there. What follows is a comedic, and enterprising battle between the alligators and the ships that travel the river. There's lots of explosions, trash talking, and some unlikely alliances along the way. I hope you enjoy this tale.

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXGwb-bnUq4

The emperors new clothes is a Danish literary folktale, this particular story was written by Hans Christian Andersen. It tells us of a King, who is obsessed with how he dresses, he has clothes for every hour of the day, and is very vain. His obsession with his image and vanity is what sets the basis for the story. One day two swindlers, or cheats, come to the kingdom. They claim they can make clothes out of a magical material, that can only be seen by clever people, or people who are worthy of the job that they are in. This magical material cloth then causes great chaos throughout the kingdom. To know more, check out the audiobook :D

The Adventures of Toto, is a short story by eminent author Ruskin Bond, taken from his own life. It tells us of his Grandfathers deep love for all animals, and how he had his own "Private Zoo". One of the inhabitants of this zoo is a small red monkey named Toto. He is highly mischievous and curious, and causes all sorts of chaos. The story is simple and keeps the reader/listener engaged with the flow of the story and the behaviour of the characters.  This story is part of the NCERT CBSE 9th grade curriculum. I remember having a different Ruskin Bond story, in maybe the 7th grade, where he adopts a tiger cub, and that tiger cub was harassed by a monkey named toto

Puss in Boots is one of those stories that has existed for a few hundred years, shared among people. This means, over time the story has shifted and been retold in different versions. One story tells us the cat is a fairy in disguise, while others tell us the cat actually attempts to harm its master.  Before narrating this story, I compiled the various versions of the story I found online into one simple, easy to follow, and coherent storyline. Hence this story has been modified, but it still contains the essence of the original storyline.  Fun fact, Puss in boots shows up to fight the Ogre Shrek in the movie Shrek 2, which makes sense once you hear the original story through this audiobook.

The military leaders of the nation of Panduria have stumbled on some shocking news, the idea that books might not paint war and invasion as positive things, and that they might carry the idea that the military leaders were human, and capable of making mistakes. To verify these facts, General Fedina is sent to the largest library in the country with a small army. Their objective is to verify that the books there contain no objectional content.  The story here is an analysis on the transformative power of books and reading, and how they can be very dangerous weapons against the propaganda spewed by the ruling class. In addition it also shows how the ruling powers often use censorship as a means of controlling its people. The main idea explored here is that accumulating more knowledge and having access to books, allows one to think in more than just black and white, and allows the reader to have complex opinions on several topics.  Its a fun story with a hint of comedy and irony throughout. I hope you enjoy it.

'A Story of Magic Strawberries' is a short story by Enid Blyton from her Summer stories collection. It tells us the story of a greedy king, and his reign of terror on his people. This all changes when a curious visitor with a flute visits the kingdom and is appalled by what he sees. The visitor decides to do something about this, with the help of some magic strawberries.

This is a poem that encourages the listener to take charge of their lives and face whatever challenge lies in their path. There's also a very physical aspect to this poem, 'plant your feet', 'lift your chin', etc. These work on your mind subconsciously and modify your posture to a more confident state. The refrain 'see it through' is repeated at the end of every stanza, reinforcing the message of the poem. I really like this poem and I wanted to share it with you!