Read the book: «A storybook for Young Hearts. 15 Stories for Beginner English Learners»

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ISBN 978-5-0069-6612-3

Создано в интеллектуальной издательской системе Ridero

Hello, Dear Reader!

This book is full of stories about children like you.

They go to school. They have friends. They feel happy and sad and brave and scared.

Sometimes they make mistakes. Sometimes they help each other. And sometimes small moments change everything.

Each story is short and easy to read. After every story, you will find new words, questions, and things to talk about with your friends or family.

You do not need to read fast. Read slowly. Think about the characters. Imagine you are there with them.

These stories are about the little steps we all take – and the big hearts that help us along the way.

Are you ready? Let’s begin.

Story 1
The Red Backpack

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It was the first day of September. The leaves on the trees near the school were still green. Children walked through the big gates with new bags and clean shoes.

A girl named Mia stood near the school door. She had a red backpack on her shoulders. It was too big for her. She looked at the other children. They were talking and laughing. Mia did not know anyone here.

Her family moved to this town three weeks ago. Her old school was far away. Her old friends were far away too. Mia took a deep breath and walked inside.

The classroom was bright and warm. There were drawings on the walls. A tall woman with short brown hair smiled at the children. «Good morning, everyone. I am Mrs. Bell. Welcome to our class.»

Mia sat at a desk near the window. A boy with dark curly hair sat next to her. He looked at her red backpack. «That is a really big bag,» he said.

Mia looked down. «I know. My mum said I will grow into it.»

The boy laughed. It was a nice laugh, not a mean one. «I am Sam,» he said. «Is this your first day here?»

«Yes,» Mia said quietly.

«It is okay. I was new last year. The first week is always strange. But then it gets better.»

Mrs. Bell gave everyone a small blue notebook. «Today we will write about our summer,» she said. «Just one page. Write what you remember best.»

Mia opened her notebook. She thought about the summer. She thought about her old garden with the apple tree. She thought about her cat, Biscuit, sleeping on the warm steps. She started to write.

After twenty minutes, Mrs. Bell said, «Who wants to read their story?»

Nobody moved. The room was very quiet. Then Sam raised his hand. He stood up and read about fishing with his grandfather at a lake. He caught a very small fish. His grandfather said it was the best fish he ever saw. Everyone laughed.

«Very good, Sam,» Mrs. Bell said. «Who is next?»

Mia looked at her notebook. Her hands were cold. She did not want to read. But then she thought about what Sam said. The first week is strange, but then it gets better.

She raised her hand slowly.

«Yes, Mia. Please go ahead.»

Mia stood up. Her voice was very quiet at first. She read about her old garden. She read about Biscuit and the apple tree. She read about the day they packed everything into a big truck.

«I was sad to leave,» she read. «But my mum said that new places bring new friends. I did not believe her then.»

She stopped. She looked at Sam. He was smiling.

«I think maybe she was right,» Mia added. It was not in her notebook. She just said it.

The class was quiet for a moment. Then Mrs. Bell smiled. «That was lovely, Mia. Thank you.»

At lunchtime, Sam walked to Mia. «Do you want to sit with me and my friend Leo?» he asked.

«Yes, please,» Mia said.

They sat at a long wooden table in the school hall. Leo was a short boy with glasses and a big smile. He talked a lot. He told Mia about the park near the school, the library on Green Street, and the bakery that made chocolate rolls every Friday.

«You have to try the chocolate rolls,» Leo said seriously. «They are the best thing about this town.»

Mia smiled. «I will.»

After lunch, they played in the schoolyard. It was warm and the sky was very blue. Mia ran with Sam and Leo. She was still carrying her big red backpack because she forgot to leave it inside.

«Your backpack is running too,» Sam said. They all laughed.

When school finished, Mia walked home slowly. The streets were new but not so scary now. She knew the name of the park. She knew the way to the bakery on Green Street.

Her mum was waiting by the door. «How was your first day?» she asked.

Mia put down her big red backpack. «It was good,» she said. «I think you were right. New places do bring new friends.»

Her mum hugged her. «I am glad,» she said quietly.

That evening, Mia wrote in her blue notebook again. Not for school. Just for herself.

«Today I was scared,» she wrote. «But I raised my hand anyway. And everything changed.»

She closed the notebook and put it inside her red backpack. Tomorrow it would not feel so heavy.

New Words

backpack – a bag you carry on your back

moved – went to live in a new place

breath – air you take in and let out

curly – hair that goes in round shapes

strange – new and a little unusual

notebook – a small book for writing

raised – lifted up

quietly – in a soft, low voice

lovely – very nice and beautiful

scared – feeling afraid

believe – to think something is true

bakery – a shop that makes bread and cakes

Comprehension Questions

1. Why was Mia standing alone near the school door?

2. What did Sam say to Mia about being new?

3. What did Mia write about in her blue notebook?

4. Who did Mia sit with at lunchtime?

5. Why did Mia say the backpack would not feel so heavy tomorrow?

Talk About It

▸ Were you ever new at a place? How did you feel?

▸ What can you do to help a new person in your class?

▸ Do you think it is hard to be brave? Why?

Story 2
The Umbrella

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The rain started at lunchtime. It came fast and hard. Big drops hit the school windows. All the children looked outside.

«No playing in the yard today,» said Mr. Peters, the teacher. Everyone groaned.

A boy named Tom sat at his desk and looked at the rain. He liked the rain, actually. He liked the sound it made on the roof. He liked the way the streets became shiny.

Tom had a yellow umbrella in his bag. His dad always put it there in autumn. «Just in case,» his dad always said. Tom never forgot it.

After school, the children ran out of the building. Some had umbrellas. Some had raincoats. Some had nothing. They stood under the small roof near the door and waited.

Tom opened his yellow umbrella and started walking. The rain was cold but he did not mind.

Then he saw someone. A girl was sitting on the bench near the school gate. She had no umbrella and no raincoat. Her school bag was on her head. She was trying to stay dry, but it was not working.

Tom knew her name. It was Lily. She was in his class, but they never really talked. Lily was very quiet. She always sat in the back row and drew pictures in her notebook.

Tom stopped walking. He looked at Lily. She looked cold and sad. The rain was getting heavier.

He walked over to the bench. «Hi,» he said.

Lily looked up. Water ran down her face. «Hi,» she said.

«Do you want to share my umbrella? I can walk with you.»

Lily shook her head. «My house is far. It is on Mill Street.»

Tom thought for a moment. Mill Street was not on his way home. It was in the opposite direction. If he walked Lily there, he would have to walk back alone in the rain.

But Lily was sitting in the rain with a bag on her head.

«That is okay,» Tom said. «I like walking.»

Lily looked at him. Then she stood up slowly. «Thank you,» she said.

They walked together under the yellow umbrella. The streets were empty. The rain made everything grey and soft. Their shoes made splashing sounds on the wet ground.

For a while, they did not talk. Then Lily said, «I forgot my raincoat today. I never forget it. But today my little brother was crying in the morning and I was helping my mum, and I just ran out without it.»

«That happens,» Tom said. «I forget things too.»

«What do you forget?»

«My lunch, sometimes. Last week I forgot my homework. And once I forgot my shoes for the gym.»

Lily smiled a little. «Your shoes?»

«Yes. I had to do sports in my socks. Everyone laughed.»

Lily laughed. It was a quiet laugh, like a small bell. Tom smiled.

They turned onto Mill Street. It was a narrow street with old brick houses and small gardens. Some gardens had late flowers – red and orange ones.

«That one is mine,» Lily said. She pointed to a blue door with a round window.

They stopped at the door. Lily was mostly dry now. Tom was a little wet on one side because the umbrella was not big enough for two people. But he did not say anything about it.

«Thank you, Tom,» Lily said. «That was really kind.»

«It is no problem,» Tom said.

«Wait,» Lily said. She opened her school bag. She took out a small piece of paper. It was a drawing. A drawing of a bird sitting on a rainy branch. The bird was small and round, and the rain around it was soft blue lines.

«I drew this today,» Lily said. «Do you want it?»

Tom took the drawing carefully. «It is beautiful,» he said. And he meant it.

«Nobody ever says that about my drawings,» Lily said quietly.

«Then nobody is looking properly,» Tom said.

Lily smiled. This time it was a real, big smile. «See you tomorrow?» she said.

«See you tomorrow.»

Tom walked home in the rain. The yellow umbrella was over his head, and the small drawing was safe inside his jacket pocket. His shoes were completely wet. His socks made funny sounds.

But he felt warm inside.

The next morning, the sun was out. Tom came to school early. Lily was already there, sitting at her desk. She was drawing something.

«Good morning,» Tom said.

«Good morning,» Lily said. She showed him her picture. It was two children walking under a yellow umbrella in the rain.

Tom looked at it for a long time. «Can I keep this one too?» he asked.

«Of course,» Lily said. «I can draw you one every day, if you want.»

And she did. Every single day.

New Words

umbrella – a thing you hold over your head when it rains

drops – small pieces of water that fall from the sky

groaned – made a sound that shows you are not happy

actually – really, in fact