Story Prism

Tenali Raman was a learned scholar and a poet in King Krishnadevaraya’s court. He was a minister in the court and was also one of the eight poets. He was famous for his wit and quick thinking.

On the Story Prism podcast, Tenali Raman tales are a collection of some of those stories.

Today's story- Raman Outsmarts a Thief is a story that teaches us that being a quick thinker and witty can save us from dire situations. Do you think Raman would be able to save himself this time?

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-tenali-outsmarts-a-thief

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Transcript

Once upon a time, Raman set out on a long journey. In those days, one had to walk through the jungle to get to another city.

Children, how can we travel from one place to another nowadays?

That’s a lot of ways, but long-long ago, people had to walk if they wanted to travel.

So, Raman started his journey. On the way, another traveller joined Raman, who said, “This forest is infested with thieves. I am afraid they will rob me. Can I travel with you?” the man asked Raman. Raman readily agreed.

That night, the two of them stopped at some place in the forest to rest. Raman was tired and fell asleep soon. His companion was waiting for this moment. In fact, he was a thief who used to rob travellers. He got up and looked under Raman’s pillow without disturbing him. He found nothing. He carefully searched Raman’s pockets looking for money. To his disappointment, he did not find even a paisa! Then he opened the bundle Raman was carrying. Again, he found nothing.

The next morning, the two resumed their journey. They halted for the night again. Raman again had a sound sleep. Whereas his companion yet again searched Raman’s belongings, looking for money and valuables. Again, he was disappointed.

The next day, the two travellers reached the holy city of Tirupati, the famous holy city in southern India. This was where Raman and his companion had to part company.

At that moment the companion confessed that he was a thief. “ I have never met with failure. But this time I failed. Now that we are parting company, please tell me where you hid the money in the night?” pleaded the thief. “Unless I know your secret, I may not be able to sleep,” he confessed.

Raman smiled, “I knew you were a thief the moment I saw you. I took care to hide money where you would never find it.”

Children, where do you think Raman hid his money?

Let’s listen ahead.

“But where? I looked for it everywhere,” cried out the thief.

“Did you look for it under your pillow?” asked Raman.

“I looked for it under your pillow and found nothing. Why should I look for your money under my pillow?” asked the bewildered thief.

“Because I hid the money under your pillow,” said Raman, “I was confident it was the one place you would never look for my money.”

That indeed surprised the thief's companion. He quietly went off his way thinking about how witty Raman was.

Careful and smart thinking can help one beat even the worst people in the world

Today's story - The Little New Year is an adapted legend from the USA. It’s about Love and Kindness.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/the-little-new-year

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Transcript

One cold morning John awoke from his dreams and sat up in bed and listened. He thought he heard a knock at his window; but though the moon was shining brightly, Mat, a kind hearted boy, had been busy at work. John could not see through the thickly painted panes, so he crept sleepily out of bed, and opened the window, and whispered: “Who is there?”

“I am,” replied a tinkling voice. “I am the little New Year, ho! ho! And I’ve promised to bring a blessing to everyone. But I am such a little fellow I need somebody to help me distribute them. Won’t you please come out and help?”

Children, what is Mat distributing?

Yes, blessings in different forms.

Let’s listen ahead

“Oh, it’s so cold!” said John; “I’d rather go back to my warm bed; “ and he shivered as Mat, who was passing, tickled him under the chin with one of the frosty paint brushes.

“Never mind the cold,” urged the New Year; “please help me.”

So John hurried into his clothes, and was soon out in the yard. There he found a rosy-cheeked boy a little smaller than himself, pulling a large cart which seemed to be loaded with good things. On one side of this cart was painted the word “Love,” and on the other “Kindness.” As soon as the New Year saw John he said, “Now please take hold and help me pull;” and down the driveway and up the hill they travelled until they came to an old shop.

“Here is where I make my first call,” said the New Year. John looked wonderingly at him. “Why, nobody lives here but a man named Mr Brown, and he hasn’t any children!” “He needs my help,” said the New Year; “for grown people like to be thought of just as much as children do. You shovel out a path to his door, while I unload some of my blessings; and the little hands went busily at work, piling up warm clothing, wood, and a New Year’s dinner, the New Year singing as he worked:—

   “Oh, I am the little New Year; ho! ho!

   Here I come tripping it over the snow,

   Shaking my bells with a merry din;

   So open your door and let me in.”

On hearing some noise outside, Mr Brown came to the door, and when he saw all the nice gifts, tears ran down his cheeks for gladness; and as he carried them into the house, he whispered: “The dear god, thank you so much.”

“Where are we going now?” asked John, as they ran down the hill.

Children, where do you think the New Year will go next?

Nice.

Let’s listen ahead

“To take some flowers to a poor sick girl,” answered the New Year.

Soon they came to a small white house, where the New Year stopped. “Why, Bestie, the little girl who sews lives, here,” said John. “I didn’t know she was sick.” “See,” said the New Year, “this window is open a little; let us throw this bunch of pinks into the room. They will please her when she wakes and will make her happy for several days.”

Then they hurried to other places, leaving some blessings behind them.

“What a wonderful cart you have,” said John; “though you have taken so much out, it never seems to get empty.”

“You are right, John, there is never any end to love and kindness. As long as I find people to love and be kind to, my cart is full of blessings for them; and it will never grow empty until I can no longer find people to help. If you will go with me every day and help me scatter my blessings, you will see how happy you will be all the long year.”

“A happy New Year!” called someone, and John found himself in bed, and his sister standing in the doorway smiling at him. “Have you had a pleasant dream, dear?” she asked.

“Why, where is the little New Year?” said John; “he was just here with me.”

“Come into Mamma’s room and see what he has brought you,” answered his sister. There in a snowy white cradle, he found a tiny baby brother, the gift of the New Year. How happy John was then! But he did not forget his dream.

From that day John tried very hard to be helpful. He made all his friends glad because the happy New Year had come.

Today’s story is an original story that I wrote, inspired by the ornaments my neighbour’s little child was hanging so lovingly on his Christmas tree.

Do you know the significance of each of the Christmas ornaments? Or do you think it’s just for decoration? Well, enjoy the story “No Ordinary Ornament."

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-no-ordinary-ornament

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Transcript

It was late November, little Rhea watched as the movers carried luggage to the apartment next door. She was excited that finally, she would have neighbours. She crossed her fingers and prayed that the new family would have kids who could be her companions. She kept peeping out of her window now and then to check and get an update on the move.

It was around noon when she heard the kids and rushed to the door. To her delight, she saw three kids walking toward the next-door apartment. Seeing Rhea, they came to meet her and introduced themselves as Tim, Kelly, and Ryan.

Well! What followed was days of playing, chatting, and sleepovers. In fact, a strong bond of friendship developed among them. They all celebrated Rhea’s birthday together on the 20th of December, which Rhea claimed was the best so far.

All the kids were excited that the Christmas holidays were round the corner and, on the first day of the holiday, Kelly invited Rhea to her house to put up their Christmas tree. Rhea had seen many Christmas trees in the malls and schools but never helped someone put one up. So she was thrilled.

Ms. Brown, the children's mother, brought the big fir tree in with the help of the children. Mr. Brown unpacked the boxes filled with all the decorations from previous years.

“This is going to be my first time decorating a Christmas tree!” said one very excited Rhea with a twinkle in her eyes.

Taking out the lights from one of the boxes, Kelly replied, “Let's put up these lights first. You may then unpack the bells that my father wraps so well every year so they don't break.”

“But why do we put these bells?” asked Rhea innocently. Kelly glanced at the two siblings looking for an answer. And they in turn looked at their father for the answer.

 “Children, bells are rung in the church after the mass. When you go to the church you hear the bells right? And that’s why we also put bells on the Christmas tree,” answered the father.

“That's interesting,” Tim nodded as he started to open the next box. “So dad, why do we put all decorations on the tree; the candy canes, the bird in the nest, angels, etc. Is it for decoration or is there some significance that is there?”

“I’ll take this one!” mom replied, taking out a candy cane. “I’m glad you asked. This is the staff of the Shepherd. And the wreath is for...” before she could finish Tim jumped in, “Sprucing the front door!”

“No dear, that represents the thorns worn by Jesus, and the red berries represent the blood.”

Holding a rabbit in one hand and a fruit basket in the other Rhea asked, “What about these, aunty?”

“The rabbit symbolizes peace with nature and the fruit is so we always have plenty to eat and to remind us to be generous.”

“Mom, Dad, how come you never told us about this earlier?” Kelly inquired.

“I was waiting for you to be inquisitive enough and ask yourself,” mom said lovingly hanging the bird ornament on the tree, “and this bird in the nest reflects happiness and joy.”

The tree was already looking beautiful.

Ryan opened another box and asked, “Hey mom, this frog must be from Kelly's toys!”

“Ha, ha! The frogs traditionally are symbols of good luck. Frogs can’t move backward or side to side.”

“You know,” father jumped in, “They always move forward suggesting we all achieve our goals and accomplishments.”

“Mmm… I will be like the frog from now onwards, moving ahead to achieve my goals,” Rhea thought to herself.

Ryan took out the teapot, “Now this for sure has no meaning!”

“Dear Ryan, you serve tea to guests in the teapot. This teapot ornament symbolizes hospitality,” Ms. Brown responded.

Rhea said, “I have seen angels being hung. Do you have them?”

“Oh, of course! Open the box marked ‘angels and stars’, right over there,” Mr. Brown replied. “Rhea, angels are a must, for through them we ask for guidance in our lives.”

“But what about this house ornament?” questioned Kelly.

“That symbolizes shelter and protection for the family. And the star that we perch on the top represents the stars that led the three wise men to baby Jesus,” the mother helped the children understand. “Now I'll ask you all a question. Why is there a Christmas tree during Christmas in the first place?” asked father.

Kelly, Rhea, and Ryan looked puzzled but Tim yelled out, “I know, I read somewhere, it's because the evergreens would always keep the away from the evil spirits away! Isn't it?”

“You’re right! The Christmas tree is to keep evil spirits and illness at bay,” Mr. Brown patted Tim.

Everybody stepped back to look at the Christmas tree. It looked gorgeous, adorned with all the ornaments.

Then Ms. Brown announced, “Rhea join us on Christmas Day morning to find the Christmas pickle ornament.”

“Pickle ornament?” one very confused Rhea asked.

Kelly excitedly said, “You know, it's a Christmas tradition to hide a pickle ornament in the tree, and the first person who finds it gets an extra present and has a year of good fortune.”

“I'll be there for sure! Thanks, uncle and auntie, for letting me be a part of your Christmas traditions and I learned so much today,” Rhea said.

“So did we!” said the siblings unanimously.

Today’s story – Santa’s Christmas is about the spirit of Christmas It's a time for people to come together, celebrate, and spread positive energy.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/santas-christmas

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Transcript

It was a beautiful December day, with a clear blue sky and snow-covered tree tops. Christmas was in the air but up in Santa's lodge, all was quiet. The usual hustle and bustle for preparing Christmas presents had gone for Santa had fallen ill.

“Oh dear, what will children say when they don’t receive presents this year,” Santa wondered sadly, as he lay on his bed.

Suddenly, he heard a noise from outside.

Children , who do you think was outside?

Nice. Let’s listen ahead.

He looked out of his window and saw his four reindeer standing patiently as always. But they seemed quite out of breath as if they had just finished a long trip. And as Santa took a closer look, he could not believe what he saw. For behind the reindeer was the long train of sledges carrying children little children dressed in all sorts of colours.

One by one, they hopped out onto the snow and headed towards Santa’s lodge. Soon came a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Santa called out as he was extremely curious.

In came a little girl hugging something soft in her arms. “I hear you were sick Mr Santa,” she began. “So, I am giving you my teddy bear to keep you company.”

“Thank you little Emma,” said Santa as he knew every child by name.

Then entered a young boy with a red package in his arms.

“We knew that you were ill Papa Santa,” he said. “So my family knitted this quilt for you to keep you warm in the winter days.”

“What a wonderful thought Paul,” beamed Santa patting him on the head.

One by one, the children came in through Santa’s door, each with a special gift to wish Santa a speedy recovery.

Children, name a few gift that you think Santa got from the children?

Yes, there were cookies, pieces, socks, mittens, books, jigsaw puzzles, and even a small Christmas tree!

“Children delivered to my doorstep!” exclaimed Santa. “Come let us all share these wonderful gifts.” and he gathered the children around him in a big circle.

“Santa, which present did you like the most?” Emma soon piped up.

“My dear little ones, it is the love and kindness that each one of you has shown me today. That is the best present of all!” Santa said smiling.

He looked fondly at all the eager faces around him. “This, my little ones is the true meaning of Christmas,” Santa said.

With that, Santa gave each of the children are big warm holiday hug.

Escapades of Letter C is a story of Alphabet C's positive attitude when faced with a difficult time while going to the circus.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-alphabet-escapades-letter-c.

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Transcript

Once a farmer lived on a big farm on the outskirts of the city with his wife and two children, Cocco and Camy. And there was alphabet C that stayed with them too. Camy, the younger of the two children carried Alphabet C everywhere.

The farmer often went to the city to get seeds, manure, and other things needed on the farm.

One day, when the farmer returned from one such trip to the city, he exclaimed, “There is a circus running in the city!”

Cocco and Camy were very excited. Mummy was milking the cow and when she returned, both the kids shouted in delight, “Mummy! May we please go to the circus? Please, please!”

“Sure! That will be fun,” answered mummy hugging the children.

Alphabet C, who was listening to all the excitement also wanted to go to the circus. He pleaded, “Please take me along to the circus!”

Mummy explained, “You are welcome Alphabet C, but you should stay close to us as a city is a huge place, and we do not want you to get lost.”

“Pinky promise! I will stay with Cocco and Camy all the time,” said one very excited alphabet C.

Let me ask a question to all you lovely children listening to the story out there: When you go to a new place, should you go far away from your parent or a grown-up? 

No, never! Is that a pinky promise?

Coming back to the story- Remember Camy and Cocco along with alphabet C were excited about going to the circus in the city.

Camy, who was only 5 years old asked sheepishly, “But what exactly is a circus?”

Mummy took Camy in her lap and explained, “Well, Circus has acrobats, clowns, and other performances, in a large tent. The rest you can find out when we go there!”

Children and Alphabet C waited impatiently waited for Sunday.

On Saturday, mummy asked everybody, “What snacks would you all like me to pack for the circus?”

Coco exclaimed, “Let’s take a chocolate cake!”

Camy added, “ I want my favourite carrots!”

“I think we should take some sandwiches and juice too as we might return late from the circus,” father said.

“And how did you children forget candy??”

“Yes! Yes! Please take that too,” the children said together.

The next day, Cocco and Camy wore nice clothes, combed their hair neatly, and were ready. In the excitement Camy forgot Alphabet C, who came rolling behind, “Please don’t leave me! Please don’t leave me!”

Camy Picked him and said, “I am really sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you behind!”

Mummy was ready with the snacks too.

They all sat in the car and were off to the city.

We are driving down the bumpy road,

the bumpy road

the bumpy road

We are driving down the bumpy road,

To the circus, it’ll lead!

They all were singing songs and rhymes when suddenly they heard a Boom!

All of them jumped in their seats because of that loud sound.

Father got down from the car and looking around the car he said, “Don’t worry, it’s just a flat tyre, I have a spare tyre and will fix it in 10 min.”

The children looked at their father with pride.

“My daddy is the best,” said Camy.

The farmer opened the trunk of the car to replace the tyre, but he realized he didn't have a spare tyre.

“I am so sorry; I forget to place the spare tyre!” father said very sadly.

The children had tears rolling down their cheeks, “Now we’ll have to wait another year to watch the circus,” said Cocco, sobbing.

“Crying doesn’t help dear Cocco, let’s think of some other ways to reach the circus,” said Alphabet C.

“That’s right,” said mumma.

“Shhh everybody be quiet, I hear something,” said alphabet C.

Just then they heard the chime of the bells and the clippety-clop, clippety-clop! Being on the farm they knew that it was the sound of a horse or listening carefully was it the sound of two horses galloping.

All of them looked in the direction of the sound and sure enough, there were two horses pulling a beautiful carriage.

The farmer waved to the coachman who immediately stopped.

Father explained that they were going to the city and had a flat tyre. Unfortunately, he forgot to keep the spare tyre.

The coachman said politely, “I can take you to the town. Please sit in the carriage.”

The farmer and his family couldn’t leave an offer like and thanking the coachman climbed onto the carriage.

Off they all went clippety-clop, clippety-clop!

The coachman asked on the way, “Where do you want to go in the city?”

“We are going to the circus!” Shrieked the children in excitement.

“Wow! What a coincidence, I work at the circus and would drop you right at the gate!”

“That’s awesome!” The two kids shouted clapping their hands.

As they approached the city children spotted colourful tents, “Is that where the circus is?”

“Indeed,” said the coachman.

Once they reached, they thanked the coachman.

Alphabet C whispered in Camy’s ear, “Please give carrots to the horses. I think they would love them.”

“That’s a great idea!” Camy said and took out some carrots from the basket and gave them to the horses, “Thank you very much for bringing us to the circus dear horses!”

With a big smile on their faces, they bought the tickets and some people dressed as caterpillars showed them their seats.

Soon the circus started with a clown wearing colourful outfit riding his cycle that had just one wheel.

“That’s called a unicycle!’ father told the children.

He had a cane in his hand and did funny tricks that made the whole audience roar out in laughter.

Then, there were the acrobats. The children were awestruck by their balancing acts.

Soon there was a short break. By now the children were hungry and they ate the cake and farmer bought them caramelized popped corn.

There were many other performances and the farmer's family had a great time at the circus. So did alphabet C.

When the circus finished, the farmer took a car mechanic who took them in his car and repaired the tyre.

They thanked the car mechanic.

“All is well that ends well!” exclaimed Alphabet C as they drove back to the farm.

Hello Children! I am alphabet C. Hope you liked the story.

You know I make two sounds: /k/ and /s/

I mostly make the sound /k/ as in /c/ car.   

But I also make the sound /s/ as in circus.

Let’s see what all words in the story started with the sound /c/.

Remember was mummy was milking? /c/ cow

And there were many other words

/c/ cake

/c/ carrot

/c/ candy

/c/ car

/c/ carriage

/c/ coachman

/c/ caterpillar

/c/ clown

And what kind of popcorn did the father get? /c/caramelized.

And do you remember the names of the children? Cocco and Camy

But sometimes I make the sound /s/ too

/s/ city

/s/ circus

Is that confusing?

Not at all if I tell you a rule:

When ‘c‘ comes directly before the letters ‘e‘, ‘i‘ or ‘y‘ we use the /s/ sound.

In other cases, we use a /k/ sound.

Simple!! Isn’t it?

Today’s story-Watching the Garden is a folktale from Thailand about a little boy trying to get the beans from his garden back.

To find out if he succeeds, listen to the story

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/watching-the-garden

Send your artwork to [email protected]

Transcript:

Once in Thailand, a little boy was sent to watch the garden by his grandfather. But after a while he grew bored and went off to play. As soon as he left, a crow swooped down and stole some beans. Just then, the boy's grandfather came and was most annoyed. After some time, the boy returned with a smile, which quickly turned upside down when he saw his grandfather's face.

“Look what happened when you left,” the old man said to the boy.

“We need those beans. You should have watched. It was your work.”

The boy felt very sad and wanted to help.

He decided to get the beans back from the crow. So he ran to a hunter and said, “Please sir, shoot an arrow at that crow so he will drop the beans he stole.”

“Why should I bother the crow?” asked the hunter. “You made the mistake, not the crow.”

The boy walked on until he found a mouse.

“Please little mouse,” he said. “Chew the hunter’s bowstrings so he will shoot an arrow for me.”

“I am not mad at the hunter,” said the mouse, “it's your problem”.

So, the boy walked on soon he saw a cat and said, “Please friend cat, nip that mouse so it will help me.”

But the cat too refused.

Children, who do you think the little boy would meet next?

Exactly -a dog!

So, the boy met a dog.

“Dear dog,” he said. “Chase that cat so it will nip the mouse and help me.”

“Chase him yourself,” replied the dog. “I am busy.”

 Then the boy found a hammer and begged him to beat the dog.

“I am too tired,” said the hammer.

So the boy ran to a fire.

“Fire, strong fire,” he said, “Burn that stubborn hammer so it will agree.”

“Too much work,” sizzled the fire.

Children , let’s list all the people and things that the boy met

Yes- the hunter, the mouse, the cat, the dog, the hammer, and the fire.

Next the boy pleaded with some water, “Pour yourself on the fire, dear water, to help me.”

“But I like that fire,” replied the water.

So the boy asked the earth to cover the water but the earth refused to.

Then the boy found an elephant and begged, “Could you please pound the earth so it will cover the water.”

The elephant shook his trunk.

So the boy sat down and cried.

Children, why did the boy cry?

Yes, the boy cried as he was sad about losing the beans and wanted to get them back. But no one was helping him.

At that time, a little mosquito flew around him. The boy suddenly caught it.

“Now, little mosquito,” he said, “Fly into the elephant’s ears and annoy him or else squeeze you to death.”

The mosquito was scared. He flew into the elephants ear.

The elephant was scared and he pounded the earth.

The earth was scared and it covered the water.

The water was scared and fell on the fire.

The fire was scared and ran to burn the hammer.

The hammer was scared and threatened the dog.

The dog was scared and chased the cat.

The cat was scared and ran to nip the mouse.

The mouse was scared and ran to bit the bowstring.

The hunter was scared and he shot an arrow.

The arrow scared the crow.

The crow dropped the beans and they fell right into the garden again.

The grandfather was delighted and forgave the boy at once. then they enjoyed a meal of the best noodles and the freshest vegetables.

But after that the boy always watched the garden very carefully and he waited until he was all finished before he went to play.

Try to recall all the events in the story.

And remember that we must finish our work before running off to play.

Escapades of Letter B is a story of Alphabet B's adventure in a forest. He observes the daily routine of various animals and becomes especially fond of the baby bear.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-alphabet-escapades-letter-b.

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Transcript

Alphabet B was very adventurous. He loved to travel to places near and far.

On one of his travels, he reached a beautiful forest. The forest was full of big and small trees, with fruits and flowers of many kinds and colours. He liked the forest so much that he decided to stay there for a few days.

Alphabet B quietly observed the daily routine of the animals there. He watched the squirrels, the baboons, the deer, the birds, the bees to just name a few.

Alphabet B was very fond of the bear family that lived in a cave towards the east of the forest, especially the baby bear. This cub was no ordinary baby bear. While all his friends and family roamed around in the jungle, looking for the honeycombs, fighting with the honeybees, eating the honey that the bees made, the baby bear had a different routine. 

Unlike the rest of the bears, the baby bear, would come out of the cave with his family but he trotted straight to his favourite banyan tree. He lay his precious belongings which were his books and the soap water that he loved to make bubbles with. Next, he would 

pluck a few banana leaves and lay them neatly under the banyan tree. Then he sat comfortably and started reading his books.

As soon as the baby bear’s friends saw him, they rushed towards the banyan tree. The baboons jumped from tree to tree to reach the banyan tree, the birds flew, the ants marched, the rabbits scurried, and the beetles flew to the banyan tree. Even the barn owl would get up from the middle of his sleep when the baby bear arrived at the banyan tree.

All the animals gathered around the banyan tree because they all loved when the baby bear read stories to them. Even the alphabet B would hide amongst the branches of the banyan tree and enjoy the stories that the baby bear read.

After reading the story for his friends, baby bear would blow bubbles some big and the others small. He loved to observe his friends play with the bubbles. The little birds would pop them with their tiny beaks, the baboons would push then with their hands, just like we push a ball. The ants would wriggle when bubbles would fall on them, and the beetles chased them till they popped. Well, the owls, needless to say went back to sleep. This happened every single day.

There was a gigantic beehive opposite the banyan tree. The bees were extremely curious. They wanted to know what was happening under the banyan tree every single day. One of them asked the other bee while cleaning the beehive, “Why do all the animals rush to meet the baby bear every day?”

The other bee replied, “I have no idea, but they all seem to enjoy their time together.”

One day, a group of beetles were rushing towards the banyan tree, as they had gotten late. When the beetles crossed the hive, they heard a bee shout out, “Hey

beetles! Why do you all go to the bear under the banyan tree? What's so special about him?”

One beetle stopped and shouted back, “0h! don’t you know he tells us very nice stories. Why don’t you come and join someday?

Bees were excited but scared at the same time. Excited as they also wanted to enjoy the story, Scared, as the bees and the bears had never been friends.

But still a few of the brave bees gathered their courage and followed the beetles. Scared of being shoed away, they approached the bear slowly. And To the bees’ surprise, the bear said, “Please don’t be afraid, you are welcomed to listen to the story.” All the beetles, bees, and other animals heard him in pin drop silence. The bees were enchanted not just by the story, but by the baby bear too for he was very gentle and kindhearted. They all thanked him and went back happily Now, every day even the bees joined the baby bear’s story telling sessions. Each following day the numbers kept on increasing.

One day, after the storytelling session, the bear was returning to his cave when he saw some nice blue coloured berries and he plucked them and tossed them into his mouth. “Umm these are delicious, wonder why no one eats them?” thought the baby bear, plucking a bunch of berries. But as soon as he ate them, he had such a terrible-terrible tummy ache, it was so acute that he lay on the ground shouting in pain. -Someone please help me…help me.

Well children, should the bear have eaten those berries, without knowing if they were safe or harmful? Yes, indeed. He did a big mistake eating the wild berries. You too should not try to eat anything you are not sure of.

In fact, those blue berries, which looked so delicious were not the good blue berries to be eaten.

The birds saw him in pain and fluttered their wings as fast as they could they told the baby bears parents, “Please come, baby bear is not well.”

Mummy and papa bear hurried to the place where baby bear lay. Mummy bear patted the baby bears hands and said, “Don’t worry, you will be ok soon.” The birds were circling around the baby bear and fanning him. But nothing that the mummy papa bear did, or the birds did help the baby bear. Alphabet B was really sad and prayed for the bear cub to become fine soon. The bees were busy as usual cleaning their hive but when they heard a lot of commotion, they rushed to see what had happened. Looking at the baby bear, the bees at once buzzed into action and took a big piece of hive with delicious honey dripping from it towards the baby bear. Seeing the bees, Papa bear shooed them, “Go away, please leave us alone as out baby is in a lot of pain.”

One of the bees politely said, “We are not here to trouble your baby bear, but to give him some honey that will help his stomach.”

Astonished the mummy bear, thanked the bees and took the honeycomb. She placed the piece of honeycomb oozing with honey in bear’s month. As he sucked into the hive, the honey worked like magic and in no time the baby bear was feeling better. Mumma and papa bear thanked the bees for helping. All the animals were delighted. d mummy and papa bear shouted, “Three cheers for the bees. All the animals echoed-Hip -hip -hurray, Hip -hip -hurray, Hip -hip -hurray!

Everyone left for their homes as it was getting dark.

Alphabet B smiled and was happy that the bear cub was healthy again. He decided it was time to travel again and slowly walked away from the forest for yet another adventure.

Escapades of Letter A is a story of Alphabet A's first day of school and his excitement to learn the sound he makes.

Free activity sheets and other downloadable resources available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-alphabet-escapades-of-letter-a

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Transcript

It was the day alphabet A had been waiting for; the day he would go to school. He quickly got ready and was on his way. He was really excited about the school. He wanted to hear lots of stories and learn about the shapes, animals, plants and of course, the sound that he makes.

On the way to school, he crossed a pond. There he met an alligator. The alligator was looking up at the tree beside the pond.

“What are you doing alligator?” asked Alphabet A

“I am collecting all the apples that are falling down from this apple tree. Want to join me?”

“I would have loved to, but I have to go to school. They will tell me lots of stories and teach me about the different shapes, animals, plants ….and of course the sound that I make. 

Waving bye to the alligator, Alphabet A went ahead. 

He now met some ants.

“What are you doing ants?” asked letter A.

“We are carrying grains to our ant hill. Want to join us?”

“I would have loved to, but I have to go to school. They will tell me lots of stories and teach me about the different shapes, animals, plants ….and of course the sound that I make.

Waving bye to the ants he said, “Hope you collect lots of grains today!”

Jumping along, Alphabet A reached school.

School was fun. His teacher told a story during the circle time. Then they played with the blocks. After the snack time, the teacher took them to the playground. Alphabet A was really enjoying the school.

But he was most excited when the teacher taught the sound that alphabet A makes.

A says /a/.

A says /a/.

Letter A was delighted, He kept saying “A says /a/. A says /a/. A says /a/.”

Soon it was time to return home. Delighted, letter A thanked the teacher and waved bbye to all his new friends, “ Cu tomorrow friends!”

A was glad he learnt learn what sound he makes and kept singing to himself, “A says /a/. A says /a/.”

While he was returning, he met a wood cutter with an axe. Axe is like a big knife used for cutting trees.

As soon as he saw the axe, A shouted, “Axe starts with me. Yipee! A says /a/, Axe.”

He went ahead and met the ants again.

A asked ants, “So, how many grains did you collect?”

The ants kept marching and said ‘lots! We hope that you enjoyed your school.”

Then suddenly A exclaimed, “Wow! Ants, my dear friends, your name starts with the sound that I make! A says /a/ ants.”

Ants smiled and gave him a thumbs up to alphabet A.

A marched ahead. He met the alligator again as he was passing the pond.

“What did you do whole day alligator?”

“I made an apple pie with all the apples I collected!”

Suddenly, he realized he heard the sound he makes.

He exclaimed, “Wow! A says/a/, /a/ apple. That’s what you collected. Alligator your name starts with A. A says/a/, Alligator. Oh my god! I learnt so much at the school today.”

“I am glad you enjoyed school. Now run off home!” said the alligator.

Alphabet happily went home singing- A says /a/. A says /a/.

A crow is a bird whom most people ignore and do not attach any special things like peacock feathers, Cuckoo's singing or sparrow's nests.

Today’s story – ‘The Crow’s Discover’- is a story where a crow tries to learn something that would be special, but does he succeed?

Let’s listen to the story and find out.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/archive-the-crows-discovery

Send your artwork to [email protected].

Transcript

The sun’s rays had started to paint the east horizon with hues of red and orange. In his nest, Kalu, the crow, woke up and looked around. He was bored. He cleared his throat and called a few times.” Ka, ka! It is so boring,” He thought to himself. Then suddenly, He heard beautiful music. A koel was singing his sweet song somewhere nearby.

Children, “koels and cuckoos are cousins belonging to the same family. Both birds lay eggs in the nests of host birds. koels are primarily found in the  Indian Subcontinent, China, and Southeast Asia.

Getting back to the story

For a while, Kalu enjoyed the song. Then he got mad. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair! It was he who had warmed the eggs that the koel had hatched from, and now that little bird was singing so much better than his! But he shouldn't be jealous, he told himself, the thing to do was to take singing lessons from the Koel.

Kalu went looking for the koel and found his at last. The koel looked at him a little suspiciously, but Kalu was very respectful.

“You have the sweetest voice in the world. Will you teach me to sing?” Kalu asked humbly.

“For sure, but you have to be here at dawn every morning,” said the koel. 

Kalu nodded.

“Great! So, let’s start tomorrow morning,” said the koel soaring high in the sky.

Kalu was very worried. He loved his sleep and never woke up before sunrise. But he was very firm about his singing lessons and so he wound up his alarm clock and set it before he went to bed. When the alarm rang, Kalu jumped out of the bed, rubbed his eyes and spread his wings to yawn. Then, he flapped his wings as fast as he could and reached the koel.

The koel was waiting impatiently.

“Good morning Koel!” greeted Kalu.

“Let’s get started.” Kuhoo, kuhoo. Now you copy me, Kalu, “she sang and asked Kalu to try.

 Eagerly, Kalu tried, but all he could say was, “Ka-ka, Ka-ka.”

After a while, the koel had had enough, “I give up. You are just not able to learn. Please find another teacher. I have to rush to the place I recently found some grains piled up. let me go and enjoy that. Don’t tell anyone else, Kalu as then I’ll have to share which I don’t want to.” 

Kalu was very disappointed that He couldn’t learn to sing.

He had tears rolling down his cheeks and sadly He returned to his nest.

Another day Kalu saw a mouse gnawing at a sack. 

Kalu called out, “Hey mouse, please teach me to gnaw too!”

The mouse whispered, “Shhhh, be quiet, else all the mice will come and finish the grains in this sack. This is my find and I want to eat it every day. I don’t want to share with anyone. Moreover, you are a crow, you crows can never learn anything, except cawing. I can’t teach you.”

Children, what can you say about the character of the mouse? Is he helpful, mean, kind, or unkind?

Well, days passed and Kalu went about doing his regular chores. But he had a burning desire to be able to do something as special as singing like Koel or gnawing like the mice.

Soon it was the rainy season. Kalu used to watch the peacocks dancing. He loved to see their grace in every movement. He wanted to dance just like them.

So one day he went up to one of the peacocks and requested, “Would you be kind enough to teach me to dance?”

The peacock smiled and said, “Sure, I could most certainly do that. Just follow me.”

The peacock continued, “One-two move to the left, 3-4 move to the right.”

The crow focussed and tried. He couldn’t get it right on the first try. He tried again, and again, but all in vain.  

“Looks like I can never learn to sing like koel, gnaw like a mouse, or even dance like a peacock!” Sadly he walked back home.

“I am good at nothing,” He said sobbing.

As He passed a house, He saw wheat spread on a mat for drying.

He burst into a smile.

Children, why did the crow burst into a smile?

Let’s listen ahead.

Kalu flapped his wings as fast as he could, announcing about the wheat to all his friends and family.

They all gathered in the backyard and had a feast.

They all thanked Kalu for being generous.

It was then that a thought struck Kalu, “So what if I can sing, gnaw, or dance, but I am generous and invited my friends and family to share the wheat that I found. No other animal did that.”

He was proud of himself and grateful that He was a part of such a kind and sharing family.

Today's story, The Mountain Lion Learns A Lesson is an adapted folktale from Spain. It is a story about an arrogant Puma who learns a lesson.

Free activity sheet available at www.rituvaish.com/the-mountain-lion-learns-a-lesson

Send your artwork to [email protected]

Transcript:

It is said that many, many years ago, there lived in Mexico a lion, as black as coal and strong like no other animal.

He knew that his presence scared the other animals in the forest, so he enjoyed scaring them whenever he saw the opportunity.

If he caught them off guard, he would suddenly start roaring, causing them to be greatly startled. Another of his favourite hobbies was to climb trees and jump noiselessly so close to them that they were terrified. The Puma had a lot of fun with these practical jokes, but the other animals were fed up with his pranks.

Children, do you play any tricks on your friends?

Remember, our pranks should not harm anyone.

One day, the Puma was running at such speed and suddenly it tripped over the house of a small grasshopper and destroyed it. The grasshopper got very angry.

“Do you think what you have done is nice?” he said angrily, facing him bravely.

“I'm tired of you acting so arrogantly and troubling all the animals in the forest. Look, you destroyed my home that I had so painstakingly made!”

“How dare you talk to me like that?” The Puma roared so loudly that it could be heard throughout the forest.

“An insect as small and useless as you doesn't have to tell me what I should or shouldn't do, that's all!”

The grasshopper was not scared, he gathered his courage and said, “That's what you think?” the grasshopper screeched, his voice becoming almost hoarse from the effort to appear threatening.

“You have kicked my home and you will have to take care of the rebuilding cost of it.”

“Ha ha ha! Don't even dream of it, you fool! Get out of the way and let me pass. I have more important things to do than be here wasting time with you.” Roared the lion

The Puma was preparing to leave without giving in, without even apologizing. This made the grasshopper enraged. “Since you are so brave and believe you are stronger and smarter than anyone, I challenge you to fight. Tomorrow at this time, we will face each other right here. I will gather my army and you will gather yours. We'll see who wins!”

Children, whom do you think will be in the army of the grasshopper and the army of the lion?

Let’s listen ahead.

“Alright! You and your army will get what they deserve and then you will learn to respect me," shouted the lion, convinced that the grasshopper had everything to lose.

Both, the Puma and the grasshopper went in search of their army. The grasshopper gathered his friends the wasps; the Puma asked some of the foxes. When the appointed time arrived, the two sides appeared ready to confront each other in the open field. They looked at each other with contempt and watched every movement.

One of the foxes with the most experience in this type of situation decided it was time to attack. He looked at the Puma to ask for his approval and when it nodded, he encouraged the others to attack the opponents, “Attack! Let not even one of those insects remain!”

The grasshopper reacted and also shouted at the army of wasps at him. “Let's go, friends! This is going to be a piece of cake! Attack!”

The Puma and the foxes were much larger in size and strength, but they did not have the secret weapon of the wasps

Children, what do you think the secret weapon of the wasps is?

Yes, indeed, the secret weapons are their stingers.

They took their secret weapons and stuck them into the backs of their enemies, again and again.

The Puma and the foxes began to jump due to the unbearable pain.

The stings were hurting the Pumaand foxes so much that they ran towards the nearest lake and jumped into the water to relieve the stinging. They submerged their bodies except their heads. The dozens of wasps, under the orders of the grasshopper, remained buzzing a short distance above them.

If the Puma and the foxes wanted to get out of the water, wham!... They would come back to bite them! So they had to soak for hours.

As night fell, the temperature of the water dropped and they were so cold that their bones were hurting. They were hungry, thirsty, and could no longer bear the strain of staying afloat. Putting aside his pride, the Puma surrendered.

“Okay, grasshopper. I admit that I was wrong. You and your army have won the battle,” the Puma acknowledged with a tired voice.

Of course, the Puma felt very humiliated but had no other option. The grasshopper sighed and applauded his faithful wasp friends as a thank-you for their help. Then he looked into the lion’s eyes, “I hope you have learned your lesson. Strength is not the most valuable thing one has. Nor is size or believing oneself better than others. And let it be clear to you: no matter how small some of us may be, together we can defeat the most powerful.”