Author: Ariel Goodbody
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The Crying Woman
Once, there was a woman called Inmaculada. Her friends called her Inma. She lived in a village in Mexico. Inmaculada was indigenous, and her mother and father died when she was very young. She was poor, and she washed clothes for other people in the village. She wanted to leave the village and travel the world, but she thought it would never happen.
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The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Once there was a young boy called Lyman. He worked in the field and looked after the sheep. He was a shepherd. His father was a shepherd, and his grandfather was a shepherd and his grandfather’s father was a shepherd. Everyone told Lyman, ‘One day, you will be a great shepherd.’ But Lyman didn’t want to be a shepherd. He wanted to be a hunter. Hunters fought wolves, and they were big and strong. Shepherds…
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Stone Soup
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Genre: PhilosophicalSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Axe, Delicious, Get stuck, Ingredient, Nail (metal), Owner, Pot, Stone, Suffocate, TasteWord Count: 792Original Author: Fairy TalesOnce, a man was travelling across the country. He was very poor. One day he arrived in a town, and he had no more food. He asked the people for food, but nobody wanted to talk to him. So he went into the centre of town with a big cooking pot. He made a fire, put a stone in the pot, and filled it with water. An old woman walked past and saw the pot.…
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Hold On, Little Pot!
Once, there was a builder. He worked very hard, but he was happy. He had a good home and a beautiful wife. One day, the King came to him and said, ‘Dear builder! I have heard that you are the best builder in the country. I want to see your work. Build a house for my son.’
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The Wolf and the Fox
Once, there were a wolf and a fox. The fox worked for the wolf, and he hated him. The wolf was very bad, and made the fox do everything for him. The wolf was ugly and greedy, but he was stronger than the fox, so the fox had to do what he said.
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Put the Lid Back On!
Once, a poor man was coming home at night. All he had was a gun and a single silver coin. He was riding a horse, but both he and the horse were very tired. They saw a graveyard, and the grass there was very long. So they stopped, the horse ate the grass, and the man lay down on one of the graves. He tried to sleep, but he could not sleep at all.
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Billy and Dim Chapters 2 & 3
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Genre: RomanceSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: “You’re toast”, Beast, Bind, Charm, Ex, Five o’ clock shadow, Flustered, Hulking, Make a scene, Overhear, Pack (animals), Pin Down, Seduce, Shudder, Spit, Sprout, Tame (verb), Torture, TrackWord Count: 4238Original Author: Ariel Goodbody‘Tell me your name, dog,’ spat the Big Bad Wolf. ‘Or I’ll break your pretty little neck.’ A deep, dark part of Demetrius’ mind thought, “Maybe I’d like that,” a thought which he quickly silenced.
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Billy and Dim Chapter 1
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Genre: RomanceSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Bug (spying), Cast a spell, Grin, Inn, Pollen, Reminisce, Rogue (loner), Sorceress, Tattoo, Waterskin, Werewolf, WickedWord Count: 2031Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyLittle Red Riding Hood wasn’t so little anymore. In fact, she was a full-grown woman, and not only that, but a powerful sorceress, too. The only remains of her past were the red riding hood she always wore, whatever the weather, and her nickname: Red. Billy, for his part, had changed very little. He was the Big Bad Wolf, or at least, that was what the wanted posters and frightened villagers called him, but in…
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The Adventures of Lucky the Elephant
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Genre: Children’sSetting: AfricanNew Vocabulary: Bathe, Buzz, Herd, Nod, Pat, Rhino(ceros), Savannah, Separate (verb), Smile bitterly, Swamp, TrunkWord Count: 1898One sunny day Lucky the Elephant was born. He was a beautiful little elephant, and he quickly became the favourite of the herd. He was cute and funny, and he could even make the saddest elephant laugh. His mother, Madeleine, always gave him what he wanted, and his grandmother, Sophia, was the proud and strong leader of the elephants.
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The Three Feathers
Once there was an old king. He knew that he would die soon, and he had to decide who to give his kingdom to. He had three sons. The older two sons were tall, clever and strong, and the youngest son, Stu, was short and stupid. They all called him Stupid Stu. The King knew he wanted to give the kingdom to one of his older sons, but he didn’t know which he wanted to…