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The lion and the monkey

One day Grandpa wanted to teach us a lesson about trust and gratitude, so he told us a story about the lion and the monkey…

The lion and the monkey lived in a thick jungle. The lion roamed the jungle floor, while the monkey lived in the ...

The rain bird

A little village stood at the edge of a forest. In the heart of this forest, in the highest branches of an enormous tree, lived a very special bird − the bird that made rain. The villagers had always taken the time to keep this bird happy. Every ...

  •  Read this story aloud to children who are learning to read 
  • Support beginner readers (7-10 years old) by reading this story with them
  • Children older than 11 years would enjoy reading this story on their own

The devoted friend

One morning Swamp Rat stuck his head through the reeds on the bank of the river. He put his nose in the air and wiggled the end, sniffing the air to smell who was about. Seven newly-hatched ducklings came swimming round the bend, looking like a ...

Mr Hare meets Mr Mandela

Mr Hare crept out of his forest home. The morning sky was blue. The grass was green. The trees swayed in the cool breeze. The forest was full of the songs of birds. But…

On his doormat lay something he’d never seen before: a brand new ...

It started with a puppy...

“Story, story, please Gogo, tell us a story,” begged Neo. Bella smiled and nodded.

“Yes, please,” said Afrika who was sitting on Gogo’s lap.

Gogo laughed. “Okay,” she said, “let me tell you the story of how you became ...

The lonely tailor

Dell the tailor lived in a little town near the sea. Dell loved making beautiful clothes for the people in town. He was very busy snipping and sewing every day. He was so busy that he didn’t have time to make friends. In fact, he didn’t even ...

The mermaid's purse

It was late when Nolitha eventually fell asleep, her head full of mermaids, seals and sailors. Outside stars twinkled and the African moon cast shadows on the dried out earth. Tomorrow she was going to the seaside for the very first time.

The ...

The worst birthday ever

Hi, my name is Thando. That’s Zulu for love. My mama says it is because she loves me so much. I live with my mum, my cousin Santie, and my aunt Sallie. Santie and her mum just moved into our place two weeks ago. Auntie Sallie is my mum’s younger ...

The magic paintbrush

There is a land far, far away called China. Once upon a time, in this far-away land there lived a young boy named Ho. Ho was poor, but very kind. He worked hard to earn enough money to buy food.

Even though Ho was poor, he helped other people ...

  •  Read this story aloud to children who are learning to read 
  •  Support beginner readers (7-10 years old) by reading this story with them
  • Children older than 11 years would enjoy reading this story on their own

How stories began

A long time ago, a woman lived with her family in a village in the Kingdom of Zululand. Every Sunday the family went down to the big ocean. The children dug in the sand and played in the waves. The woman made food over a fire while her husband ...

* Read this story aloud to children who are learning to read 
* Support beginner readers (7-10 years old) by reading this story with them
* Children older than 11 years would enjoy reading this story on their own