The man and the crocodile story

The man and the crocodile story
(Folktale from Malaysia)

Folktale from Malaysia

A man was hurrying along a river bank. “Help, Help! Please have pity on me.” He looked all around him. Then he stared. It was a crocodile. There were tears streaming down its cheeks. It could not move because a tree had fallen on top of it and pinned its tail to the ground.
Folktale from Malaysia

The man said, “look, Mr. Crocodile, If I release you, will you eat me up?”

“No, no. how could I be so ungrateful?” said the crocodile.

The man pulled the tree off the crocodile’s tail. The crocodile quickly twisted round and seized the men by the leg.
Folktale from Malaysia

“Wait!” the man cried, very frightened. “Let’s ask my friend, Mr. Mousedeer, whether this is the right way for you to repay my kindness.”
Folktale from Malaysia

When the mousedeer arrived he pretended that he did not believe the story that the man told him.

“I can’t believe that you would be so good to Mr. crocodiles,” he said. “Probably you were trying to harm him and he caught hold of you. Er … er, Mr. Crocodile, would you please show me where you were lying when the man came along?”
Folktale from Malaysia

“Why, certainly,” said the crocodile. “I was here.”

Ah he let go of the man, the mousedeer shouted to the man to drop a log on the crocodile. The crocodile could not move.
Folktale from Malaysia

The man bowed and thanked the clever mousedeer.

“Ah,” said the mousedeer, “Don’t try to be too kind. It’s man’s nature to be ungrateful,”

He called out to an old sleeping-mat that was floating in midstream. “Hai there, old mat, what’s the reward for those who do kind acts?”
Folktale from Malaysia

“Mr. Mousedeer,” answered the mat, “just look at me. Once I was bright and new. Now that I am old you can see what has happened to me.”
Folktale from Malaysia

And then an empty cooking pot floated past. The mousedeer asked it the same question and receive the same reply.
Folktale from Malaysia

Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit (bahasa inggris)

Why some people are black and others white and brown story
(Favourite story from Philippines)

Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit

When the world was young, no one lived on earth. Every day, Magbabaya, the God of life, looked down on the earth from his home in the sky.
Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit

“Oh, how lovely the earth looks! It’s so big but yet so empty!”

One day, he had a bright idea.

“I must make some people to live on earth.”
Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit

He jumped down from his home in the sky. He dug up, some earth and mixed it with water. He then made some human beings out of it. He laid them on the ground to dry in the sun.
Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit

Soon he returned to the sky, he hunted the whole day in the sky forest, afterwards, he went home with the animals he had caught. Suddenly, he remembered the people he had left to dry in the sun. he returned to earth as fast as he could. But they had already been burnt as black as coal by the hot sun.
Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit

He shook his head. “I must try again,” he said. “Next time, I’ll be careful not to leave them so long under the sun.”
Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit

Again, he made some human beings out of clay. He laid them out carefully to dry under the sun. but he was so worried this time that he did not leave them long enough. They were not baked properly. When he looked at them, he saw that they were too pale.
Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit

He said. “Tomorrow when the sun shine, I shall make some more people. This time, I shall make sure they are baked longer.”
Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit

Once more, he took some clay and made some human beings out of it. He laid them carefully in the sun. when he thought that the sun was getting too hot, he covered them with leaves, and put them in the shede.
Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit

Then he let a gentle breeze blow over them. Every now and again, he turned each of them over so that they would have the same light brown colour all over.
Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit

When he had finished, he looked proudly at his work. They were a golden brown colour and very good to look at. “They are perfect!” he cried happily.
Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit

Then he collected all the human beings he had made and placed them in different parts of the world.

And this is why we have black, white and brown people today.
Cerita Sejarah Warna Kulit

The Fisherman and the Bear

The Fisherman and the Bear story

retold by S.E. Schlosser 

One fine day an old Maine man was fishing and fishing on his favorite lake and catching nary a thing. Finally, he gave up and walked back along the shore to his fishing shack. When he got close to the front door, he saw it was open. Being of a suspicious nature, he walked to the door quietly and looked inside. There was a big black bear. It was just pulling the cork out

of his molasses jug with its teeth. The molasses spilled all over the floor and the bear rubbed his paw in it, smearing it all over.

Well, the old man was not the timid sort. He went to the back of the shack, put his head in the window and gave a loud yell. The bear jumped and ran out the door. It was running strangely. The old man saw that the bear was holding up the foot covered with molasses so it wouldn't get dirty.

The bear ran to the lake shore. Standing on its hind legs, it held up the paw full of molasses. Soon all the flies and bugs and mosquitoes were swarming all over the sticky sweet paw. Then the bear waded into the water with his sticky paw full of bugs. It held the paw out over the water. Suddenly, a big trout came jumping out of the water trying to get to the flies. The bear gave it a swat and it flew to the shore and flopped there. Then another fish jumped into the air after the flies, followed swiftly by another. Every time a fish jumped after his paw, the bear cuffed it ashore. Soon it had a large pile.

Finally, the bear decided he had enough fish and waded to shore. The bear had caught a mess of fish any fisherman would envy. The old man had caught nothing. He watched that bear eat half a dozen trout, his stomach rumbling. All he had for dinner was some bread and what was left of the molasses. Finally the bear paused in his eating, and looked over to the bushes where the old man was hidden. The bear stood up and laid the remaining fish in a row. Then it walked away up the shore. It kept looking back at the bushes where the old man stood.

The old man crept out of the bushes and down to the shore. Sure enough, the bear had left six large trout for him. He looked over at the bear. It was standing at the edge of the wood watching. "Thanks a lot," the old man called to the bear. The bear waved the now-clean paw at the old man and disappeared into the thicket. "Well," said the old man, "That's the first time a bear has ever paid me for my molasses."

The old man never hunted bears again.

Sumber : americanfolklore

The mirror of Matsuyama

The mirror of Matsuyama story

In ancient days there lived in a remote part of Japan a man and his wife, and they were blessed with a little girl, who was the pet and idol of her parents. On one occasion the man was called away on business in distant Kyoto. Before he went he told his daughter that if she were good and dutiful to her mother he would bring her back a present she would prize very highly. Then the good man took
his departure, mother and daughter watching him go.

At last he returned to his home, and after his wife and child had taken off his large hat and sandals he sat down upon the white mats and opened a bamboo basket, watching the eager gaze of his little child. He took out a wonderful doll and a lacquer box of cakes and put them into her outstretched hands. Once more he dived into his basket, and presented his wife with a metal mirror. Its convex surface shone brightly, while upon its back there was a design of pine trees and storks.

The good man's wife had never seen a mirror before, and on gazing into it she was under the impression that another woman looked out upon her as she gazed with growing wonder. Her husband explained the mystery and bade her take great care of the mirror.

Not long after this happy homecoming and distribution of presents the woman became very ill. Just before she died she called to her little daughter, and said: "Dear child, when I am dead take every care of your father. You will miss me when I have left you. But take this mirror, and when you feel most lonely look into it and you will always see me." Having said these words she passed away.

In due time the man married again, and his wife was not at all kind to her stepdaughter. But the little one, remembering her mother's words, would retire to a corner and eagerly look into the mirror, where it seemed to her that she saw her dear mother's face, not drawn in pain as she had seen it on her deathbed, but young and beautiful.

One day this child's stepmother chanced to see her crouching in a corner over an object she could not quite see, murmuring to herself. This ignorant woman, who detested the child and believed that her stepdaughter detested her in return, fancied that this little one was performing some strange magical art--perhaps making an image and sticking pins into it. Full of these notions, the stepmother went to her husband and told him that his wicked child was doing her best to kill her by witchcraft.

When the master of the house had listened to this extraordinary recital he went straight to his daughter's room. He took her by surprise, and immediately the girl saw him she slipped the mirror into her sleeve. For the first time her doting father grew angry, and he feared that there was, after all, truth in what his wife had told him, and he repeated her tale forthwith.

When his daughter had heard this unjust accusation she was amazed at her father's words, and she told him that she loved him far too well ever to attempt or wish to kill his wife, who she knew was dear to him.

"What have you hidden in your sleeve?" said her father, only half convinced and still much puzzled.

"The mirror you gave my mother, and which she on her deathbed gave to me. Every time I look into its shining surface I see the face of my dear mother, young and beautiful. When my heart aches--and oh! it has ached so much lately--I take out the mirror, and mother's face, with sweet, kind smile, brings me peace, and helps me to bear hard words and cross looks."

Then the man understood and loved his child the more for her filial piety. Even the girl's stepmother, when she knew what had really taken place, was ashamed and asked forgiveness. And this child, who believed she had seen her mother's face in the mirror, forgave, and trouble forever departed from the home.

Sumber : belajar bahasa

The lonely Landy

Kumpulan dongeng bahasa inggris

Dongeng bahasa inggris -The lonely Landy story

One day, there was a porcupine named Landy. He was lonely. No one wanted to play with him because they were afraid of his spikes.
Kumpulan dongeng bahasa inggris

“Dear Landy, we don’t want to play with you because your spikes are too sharp. We don’t want you to hurt us,” said Cici the rabbit one day.
Kumpulan dongeng bahasa inggris

“Cici is right. Landy. It is not because you’re

bad or rude to us. No, Landy. Just because of your spikes. They will stab us if we are close to you,” said Tito the rooster.
Kumpulan dongeng bahasa inggris

Landy left lonely, landy spent most of the time daydreaming at the river bank, “I would be happy if there were no spikes on my body.”
Kumpulan dongeng bahasa inggris

Suddenly, Kuku the turtle appeared from the river. He came to Landy and said, “Landy, what are you thinking of?”

“Oh, nothing,” Landy replied.

“Don’t lie to me, Landy! Who knows I can help you,” said Kuku wisely. Then he sat beside Landy. He wasn’t afraid of Landy’s spikes.
Kumpulan dongeng bahasa inggris

Shortly, Landy told his problem, Kuku nodded his head. He said, “Poor you. But it isn’t your fault. I know , your spikes are very useful and helpful for you. They will realize it someday. Trust me!”
Kumpulan dongeng bahasa inggris

“Thanks, Kuku. You are my best friend.”

One day, Koko the frog held his birthday party, he invited all his friends, including Landy. But he decided not to come. He didn’t want to mess up the party.

“I’ll come with you, Landy. I’ll tell everyone that you are harmless,” said Kuku. Finally, Landy attended the party. everyone enjoy it.
Kumpulan dongeng bahasa inggris

Suddenly Tito screamed, “Help … help …..! the evil wolf is coming. Save yourself!” Then, everyone saved their live, except Kuku and Landy. Kuku pulled his head and his leg into his shell. And Landy rolled his body into a ball.
Kumpulan dongeng bahasa inggris

Unintentionally, the evil wolf touched Landy. Of course, the spike pricked him. He screamed “Ouch!” since his foot was bleeding, he didn’t chase Landy’s  friend any longer. Then, he ran away.

“Horray …. Horray …. ! long live Landy! He saved our lives,” said Cici and her friends. They thanked him from then on. Landy wasn’t lonely anymore.

Kumpulan dongeng bahasa inggris

The old Grandfather and his Grandson

The old Grandfather and his Grandson story

Once upon a time, there was a very old grandfather. His eyes were almost blind, his ears were deaf and his knees shock. When he sat at the table, he could not hold the spoon strongly, he spilled soup on the tablecloth. Besides, some of his soup would run back out of his mouth.

His son and his son’s wife were annoyed. Finally, they made the old grandfather sat in the corner behind the stove. They gave him not enough food in a clay bowl. He sat there and looked at them sadly. He was almost crying.

One day, the old grandfather could not hold the bowl because his hands were too weak. The bowl fell to the ground and broke. The woman scolded him. However, the old grandfather did not say anything. He could only cry. Then, they bought hi a wooden bowl and made him eat from it.

Once the husband and wife were sitting in the dining room, their four-years-old son put together some pieces of wood on the flour. His father asked him what he was doing. The little child said that he was making a bowl for his father and mother to eat from when he became an adult.

The man and the woman looked at each other. They began to cry. They brought the old grandfather to the table immediately. Since then, they always let him eat there. If he spilled a little, they did not say anything.

Adapted from “Scanffolding Englidh for Grade VIII Junior High School (SMP/MTs)

The tiger, the monkey, and the mousedeer story

The tiger, the monkey, and the mousedeer story
(Favourite story from Malaysia)

There was a tiger whose greatest friend was a monkey. One day, the tiger went away fo a holyday and told the monkey to look after his cave. A mousedeer, his wife and family came to live in the cave.

“you can’t do that,” said the monkey. “This cave belongs to the King of the Forest.”

“Oh, does it?” the mousedeer replied. “My father lived here long

before the tiger come. Anyway, I’m not afraid of the tiger, he’s only a paper tiger to me.”

He told his wife what to do when the tiger returned. “You must make our babies cry. I’ll then ask you why they’re crying. You must say that they want to eat tiger meat,”

A few days later, the monkey heard that the tiger was coming home. He ran to meet him. “The mousedeer’s living in your cave.” He told him. “He says he’s not afraid of you and that you’re only a paper tiger.”

“Is that so?” growled the tiger. “I’ll soon teach hi a lesson.”

The tiger did not believe that the small mousedeer could be so brave. He crept up to the cave.

The mousedeer’s children were crying loudly, “Keep quiet,” said Mrs. Mousedeer ”Your father will soon get some tiger meat for you.”

Then tiger heard this and ran back to the monkey.

“I thought that mousedeer only ate grass and vegetables,” he said. “But Mrs. Mousedeer said that her husband would soon get some tiger meat to feed their children. Perhaps the mousedeer has changed?”

“Don’t worry,” the monkey replied, “They’re only saying that to frightened you. The mousedeer is not big and strong. He can’t fight.”

The next day, the tiger went to the cave again. The mousedeer’s children were again crying.

“Tell them to kept quiet,” said the mousedeer to his wife. “We shall certainly get some tiger meat today. The monkey has promised to send the tiger here.”

When the tiger heard this, he became very angry with his friend, he quickly run after the monkey and killed him.

The tiger did not go back to the cave, and the mousedeer and his family lived there happily ever after.

The old woman and the fish

The old woman and the fish story
(Favourite story from Asia)

A long time ago, there lived in Indonesia an old widow. She had no sons or daughters and no one knew anything about her family. She lived by collection stick which she sold as firewood. With the money she earned she bought a little rice.

She had never been to school. She did not know about God and so she had never prayed or been to mosque.

One day, she was collecting firewood in the forest

near the hut where she lived. She passed a river which had very little water in it. As she looked down, she saw there were several fish trying to swim in the shallow water. "Ah," “he thought, “It’ll be easy for me to catch them. I shall be able to have a good meal tonight.”

She picked one of them up. It was unable to breath properly. “Kek! Ko! Kek! Ko!” it made a noise like a frog. She felt sorry for it. Suddenly it spoke in a loud voice: “Allah! Almighty God! Please help us. Please send down some rain or we shall die.” All the other fish prayed in the same way.

The old woman put the fish back in the river.

Before long, the sky became dark and it started to rain. The old woman stood in the rain. She did not know what to say. “How wonderful! The fish prayed and Allah helped them.”

When she went home that evening, she sat on the floor and prayed aloud, “O Allah! Almighty God! Please have mercy on me. I’m a poor widow, please send me some money.”

She kept on praying all night. She made so much noise that a rich man who lived in the next house was unable to sleep.

She prayed again the next night, and the night after that.

The rich man thought of a way to keep her quite. He filled a large sack with stones and broken glass. He climbed on to the roof of her hut, made a hole in the atap, and dropped it on her.

“Pla-a-ng!” the sack fell right on top of her head.

The rich man, who was very cruel, laughed. The old woman fell to the found unconscious.

The rich man watched through the hole in the roof to see what she would do when she recovered her sense.

“O Allah!” she cried. “Thank you very much for answering my prayer. I shall never forget your kindness.”

The old woman opened the sack. The rich man was waiting for this moment. He thought that there would only be stones and broken glass inside. But the sack was full of gold and silver coins. Allah had taken pity on the poor old woman and answered her prayer by turning the stones and broken glass into money.

The rich man returned home as fast as he could. He called his wife and told her what had happened. She could hardly believe him. “All right,” he said. “Help me fill a sack with stones and broken glass. I want you to drop it on me tonight.”

He sat on the floor and prayer. “Allah! Almighty God! Please help your poor servant. Please send me some money as you did the old woman.”

As soon as it became dark, his wife climbed on to the roof carrying the sack. It was very heavy. She cut a hole in the atap roof, and dropped the sack in her husband’s head. “Pla-a-ang!” the sack knocked him unconscious.

When he recovered after an hour or so, although his head felt very painful, he was so happy that he laughed. “O Allah! Thank you very much for answering my prayer.”

He opened the sack but there were only stones and broken glass inside. He cried and banged his head on the wall. But Allah refuse to hear him. “This in my punishment,” the rich man told his wife. “I shall never be wicked and cruel again.”

Legend of the first banana story

untuk kamu yang mencari cerita bahasa inggris, english story, narrative teks. semoga postingan ini bermanfaat

The first banana story

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl called Maria. She was tall, with black eyes, and long shining hair. The colour of her skin was a clear light brow.

One morning, while she was collecting firewood, she met a young man.

He looked like a hunter. He was tall, handsome and very neatly dressed. No one knew

who he was or where he came from. Nor did anyone know his name. Maria liked him. He liked her too.

Maria did not know this but he was an anito or a spirit from the sky.

They became friends. Although they were good friends for a long time, the young man never asked Maria to became his wife.

This made Maria very unhappy. “I have no parents or brothers or sisters,” she said. “You too are alone. I am sure we could be happy together.”

“I didn’t want to tell you this,” the young man said, “but I am an anito. I cannot marry a human being. I have to return to the sky.”

Maria was surprised. She did not know what to say. She held his hands tightly.

“please let me go,” said the young man. “I had hoped you would never find out who I am.”

There was a blinding flash of light and the young man disappeared. But as Maria was holding on to his hands so tightly, he left them behind.

Of course, Maria was frightened. She ran  home and buried them in her garden. Soon she saw a strange plant growing where she had buried them. The plant grew fast.

Then some fruit appeared. It was yellow and shaped like a man’s hand with fingers on it. It was the first banana.

Source: Favourite stories from the Philippines by Leon Comber

shared by www.englishstory12.blogspot.com

The Wise Governor

The Wise Governor story
(Favourite story from Taiwan)

Kumpulan cerita bahasa inggris-narrative teks There was a wise governor of a small town in northern Taiwan. His name was Chu-San. One day, he inspected the local prison.

He saw many prisoners there and asked the prison guard what they had done. “They are all robbers,” said the guard.

“Release them!” the governor said. He told the robbers, “You can go
. Find yourself a job. Never rob or steal again,” he gave each man ten dollars.

About a month later, he visited the prison again. He recognized one of the prisoners as one of the men he had set free previously. He was very angry, “Take that man out and execute him,” he ordered.

Everyone heard about this and the town was very peaceful for a long time. There were no reports of anyone stealing. One day, another thief was brought before him. He immediately recognized him as one of the men he had previously set free. “Thin man must be punished,” he said. “He has not followed my advice. Take him away and execute him.”

    “Don’t execute me, sir.” Cried the thief. “You can punish me in any other way, but please don’t kill me. My mother is outside. I am her only son. What will happen to her if I die?”

Chu-San went outside. He saw old lady sitting on the ground. She was crying and holding a dirty blanket in her hands.

“Why are you carrying that blanket?” he asked.

“It is to cover my son’s body after he has been killed,” the old lady replied.

Chu-San felt pity for her. He released her son and gave him ten dollars. The thief and his mother knelt in front of him and thanked him.

Soon afterwards, the thief got a job and worked very hard. He never stole again. Later he married and had a family. When his sons grew up, he said to them, “Never steal or break the law. Always be kind to others. If you will listen to my words, you will have a good life.”

The first man and woman in the Philippenes story

The first man and woman in the Philippenes story

Folktale from Philippines

The god Kaptan loved his wife Maguayan very much. They lived together in the sky. They had nothing to do all day except watch the earth below. They watched the sun rise every morning. The earth was bathed in its beautiful golden rays. At night, the moon and stars shone with a silvery light.
Folktale from Philippines

But after some time, they became tired of

watching the something. They began to quarrel. Kaptan said that he wanted to fly to the sun. Maguayan said that she wanted to go to the moon.
Folktale from Philippines

“The sun’s too hot for me,” said Maguayan.

“The moon’s too cold for me,” Kaptan answered

They refused to speak to each other.
Folktale from Philippines

The next morning. When Kaptan woke up, his wife was not there. Although he looked for her everywhere, he could not find her.
Folktale from Philippines

He soon felt very lonely living by himself.

When he looked down at the earth, he remembered how he and his wife had watched it together. He felt very unhappy.
Folktale from Philippines

“The earth is really a lonely place,” he thought to himself. “Why are there no trees and flowers on it?”

He picked up some seeds; and dropped them on the earth. He watched the seeds grow into trees and flowers.
Folktale from Philippines

He was surprised to see that the tallest plant was a bamboo. He watched it carefully. He sprinkled some rain on it.
Folktale from Philippines

“Cr-a-a-ck!” it split open. A man and a woman stepped out. The man was tall and handsome. The woman was fair and beautiful . she reminded him of his wife.
Folktale from Philippines

Kaptan called the man Si Lalaki and the woman Si Kabaye.

Afterwards, he shortened their names to Lalaki and Babae.

They helped him become happy again. Even today, in the Filipino language, men are called lalaki and women babae.
Folktale from Philippines

The king of the forest

English Story - The king of the forest

Many years ago, so long ago that no one knows exactly when a lion lived in a  cave in the forest. He was very strong and fierce, with pointed claws and teeth as sharp as knives. All the animal living in the forest were afraid of him.

He was lazy and did nothing every day except eat and sleep. Mr. Peacock swept the floor of his cave with

his long tail, so that he could have a clean bed to sleep on. While he slept, Mr. Mouse stroked and massaged his body. When he opened his mouth to yamn, Mr. Mouse would jump in to clean and polish his teeth.

Mr. Porcupine was the lion’s chief assistant. He was a brave and hard worker. He never tired of obeying the lion’s orders.

“I’m feeling hungry.” The lion told him one day. “Go and catch a goat for me.”

Mr. Porcupine went and asked Mr. tiger to help him. Mr. Tiger stretched himself. “Ah well,” he said. “If the King of the forest wants a goat for dinner, I’ll have to catch one for him.” He caught a goat and carried it back to the lion’s cave. “Thank’s, Mr. Tiger,” said the lion. “I’m very grateful to you for such a tasty meal.”

As soon as all the other animals in the forest heard that Mr. tiger was hunting food for the lion. They hid themselves in the forest..

After a day or so, the lion felt hungry again. “Tell Mr. tiger to catch a deer for me,” he ordered Mr. Porcupine. Mr. Porcupine did as he was told. However, although Mr. tiger searched everywhere, he was unable to find a single animal.

Finally, he had to tell the king of the forest that he had not been successful.

“What!” roared the lion. “The forest is full of animals, who are all my subjects. Order all of them to come to my cave at once.”

Mr. tiger kept quit. He did not know what to do.

He returned to the forest to continue his search. At the end of the day. He felt tired and fell asleep.

When he awoke, he saw Mr. Mousedeer passing by.

“Where are all the other animals?” he asked.

“They’re hiding in the forest,” replied Mr. Mousedeer.

“Can you show me where they are?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“The king of the forest’s hungry,” replied Mr. Tiger

“All right,” said Mr. Mousedeer. “come with me.”

He took Mr. tiger with him to meet the other animals.

None of them wanted to go and see the lion. In the end, they decided to draw lots to see who should go.

Mr. Mousedeer was the unlucky one who was chosen. All his friends felt sorry for him because they knew what would happen to him.

Mr. Mousedeer followed Mr. Tiger back to the lion’s cave.

“Who have you brought?” roared the lion. Who was very hungry by this time.

“It’s Mr. Mousedeer, Your majesty.” Answered Mr. Tiger.

“There’s not much flesh on him,” said the lion.

“Your Majesty, he was the best I could find.”

“O King of the forest,” said Mr. Mousedeer. “I’ve brought a message for you from your brother.”

“From my brother?” asked the lion. “I don’t have a brother,”

“But he told me to tell you that he has forbidden all the other animals to come and see you,”

The lion shouted in anger, “Ho, ho, ho! We shall see about that. Take me to see him straight away.”

Mr. Mousedeer led him into the forest. He pointed into a deep hole which had been dug in the ground by a hunter. The lion jumped into it but was unable to climb out. All the animals came running out of the foreest and dance happily round the hole.

“Thank you very much Mr. Mousedeer,” they cried. “you’ve saved our lives. Now, we shan’t have to worry about the King of the Forest any more, and we can live happily ever after.”

Juan and the crabs story

Juan and the crabs story

In many parts of the Philippines, there are stories about the funny adventures of a naughty, lazy and stupid boy. He is called by different names in different parts of the Philippines. In this story, he is called Juan Pusong, the name by which he is known among the Visayans.

One day, Juan was sent to the market by his mother to buy some crabs for dinner. At the market, Juan chose five crabs and put them in his basket. On his way home

, he passed by a group of boys playing marbles. He sat down to watch. Soon he heard the crabs making a noise as they moved from one side of the basket to the other. This annoyed Juan so he opened the basket and shouted at them, “So, you want to go home already? All right, you run home first to tell mother that I shall be coming soon.”

He allowed the crabs to leave the basket.

It was almost midday before he returned home. He was very hungry. When he thought of the crabs, his mouth watered. His mother could cook crabs very well.

“I shall have three big crabs and mother can eat the other two,” he said to himself. He began to run.

When he arrived home, his mother was waiting for him at the door. She was very angry.

“Where are the crabs? It has been hours since I sent you to get them!”

“Didn’t they home?” Juan asked. “I told them to come home first so that you could cook them.”

His mother scolded him. “Aray! Aray!” he cried. “You should scold the crabs not me!”

The next day he went back to the market to look for the crabs. He wanted to each them a good lesson. He walked along the side of a river. Soon he saw a crab just as it was going into a hole in the sand.

“Aha! So you are trying to hide from me? Where are your companions? Are they hiding in that hole too?”

He sat down and looked into the hole.

“Come out you cowards!” he cried. “Come out! You should be punished for what you did yesterday!” he pushed his fingers into the hole.

Immediately, a crab bit his finger. “Ouch! Let go!” but the crab refused to do so. Juan jumped several feet into the air. But the crab still did not let go of his finger.

“Please let me go, Mr. Crab!” Juan cried in pain.

“not until you say sorry,” replied the crab.

So Juan had to say sorry before the crab would let go of his fingers.

Fabel - The rabbit’s tail

Fabel - The rabbit’s tail story

Many years ago, rabbits had long tails, not short ones, and crocodiles had tongues.

One such long-tailed rabbit lived near a pond. He drank water from the pond and the grass nearby.

Now, in the pond lived a crocodile. The crocodile saw the rabbit eating grass and drinking water, and he thought how nice it would be to eat the rabbit.

One day the crocodile swam very close to the edge of the pond. He lay still in the water, hoping that the rabbit wouldn’t see him. When the rabbit came to drink

, the crocodile opened his mouth wide. Then he closed it with a snap. The rabbit was caught between the crocodile’s sharp teeth!

Of course, the rabbit was very frightened, but he did not want the crocodile to know this. “I’m not afraid of you,” said the rabbit. “I’m only afraid of animals that roar. Everyone knows that crocodiles can’t roar, so you can’t frighten me.

When the crocodile heard this, he became very angry. He wanted to show the rabbit that he could roar as fiercely as a tiger. And so, the crocodile opened his mouth to roar. When the crocodile opened his mouth, the clever rabbit jumped free. As he jumped, the rabbit’s sharp toe-nails caught the crocodile’s tongue and tore it out.

The crocodile tried to catch the rabbit again, but his great teeth only snapped off the end of the rabbit’s tail. Again and again the crocodile tried to catch the rabbit, but the rabbit was too quick for him. Sometimes the crocodile caught a piece of the rabbit’s tail, but he could never roar at the rabbit because he had lost his tongue.

That is why rabbit today have short tail, and crocodiles have no tongue.

Mice have sharp teeth

Mice can eat iron bar story
(Favourite story from Malaysia)

Many years ago, there was a trader who had to leave suddenly for a far country. He did not know what to do with some iron bars which he had. As his friend had a shop, he left them with him.

“Please try to sell them for me at the best possible price.” He told his friend. “You can pay me when return.”

“Oh, all right,” said his friend, “I’ll do my best to help you.”

While he was away, his friend

sold them for him at a good price.

After several months, the trader returned home. “Did you sell the iron bars for me?” he asked his friend.

“I’m sorry,” said his friend sadly, “I didn’t want to write and tell you about it, but your iron bars were eaten up by mice.”

“Eaten by mice! How is that possible?”

“Yes, I know it sounds strange, but it’s true.”

“Oh, well,” said the trader, “I knew that mice have sharp teeth but I didn’t know they could eat iron bars.”

Next day, the trader saw his friend’s son playing in the street. “I’ve brought back a present for you,” he said. “Why don’t you come home with me to collect it?” the small boy followed him home. When they reached his house, the trader’s wife asked the boy to stay for dinner. After dinner, as it was getting dark, she asked him to stay for the night. “I’m sure your father won’t mind.” She said. “He’s an old friend of my husband’s.”

Early next morning the boy’s father came running to the trader’s house. “Have you seen my son?” he asked.

“Your son …? Ah, yes I saw an eagle swoop down and carry him off..”

“How can an eagle be so strong?” asked the boy’s father.

“Well, I supposed in the same way the mice can eat my iron bars,” said the trader.

His friend understood what he meant without saying any more.

“All right,” he said, “If you’ll give me back my son, I’ll pay you or the iron bars.”

The golden chain story

The golden chain story
(Favourite Story From Malaysia)

Many years ago, there was a fisherman in Malaysia whose name was Mahmud. He was a kind man but he dreamed of nothing else but how to get rich. He was not really interested in catching fish. He had heard tales from his father and grandfather of treasure ships being sunk off the coast of Malaysia. So he visited all these places in the hope of being able to

fish up some treasure from the bottom of the sea.

One day, while he was dozing in the hot sun, he felt something tugging at his fishing line. He pulled it in to see what he had caught. It was such hard work that he wondered what it was. As his fishing line came out of water, he was surprised to see that he had caught a heavy golden chain.

He learned over the side of the ship to pull in the chain. “It must be worth thousands of dollars,” he thought “I shall be able to buy a big house with padi field around it.”

The chain seemed to be endless. The more he pulled, the more there was. “I can buy some jewelry for my wife,” he thought. “There will be no need for me to work any more. I can hire men to work for me.” The chain filled his boat. He did not notice that it was so heavy that his boat was beginning to sink. “I can buy a rubber estate and a coconut plantation--- a herd of buffaloes. My wife can have a chicken farm too. I can open a bank account. I ---I --- Ugh!” the water closed over his head. He tried to swim up through the water but his legs were trapped in the golden chain.

That was the last that was ever seen of him.

His wife, children and friends were very sad when he did not return home that evening. His wife said, “He was a good man but it is a pity that he was so greedy. The old saying is quite right --- “Greed leads a man to his destruction just as a camel is led by its driver.”

The seven brothers

cerita rakyat -The seven brothers story
(Favourite story from ASIA)

Cerita Rakyat bahasa inggris

There was an old man who had seven sons. The eldest was called Mr. Giant; the second Mr. Typhoon; the third Mr. Iron man; the fourth Mr. Not-Afraid-of-heat; the fifth Mr. long Legs; the sixth Mr. Big Feet; and the seventh Mr. Big Mouth.
Cerita Rakyat bahasa inggris

One day, the old man said to his seven sons, “It’s not very easy to move around where we live. In the west, there’s a high mountain and in the east, there’s a deep ocean. Please move both of them

. That will give us more room.”
Cerita Rakyat bahasa inggris

The seven sons started work. In a short time, they moved the mountain and the sea. There was level earth in their place.
Cerita Rakyat bahasa inggris

Their father was very pleased. “You’d better plant some grain,” he said.

Soon there were fields of corn where the mountain and sea had been. The old man and jis seven sons were very happy.
Cerita Rakyat bahasa inggris

When the king heard what happened, he sent one of his senior officers to seen the old man.

“The king wants this land,” he said. “You must give it to him or pay him two hundred taels of gold every year.”
Cerita Rakyat bahasa inggris

“It’s impossible for us to do that,” answered the old man.

“Don’t worry, father,” his sons said, “We’ll go to the capital and see the king.”

When the general in charge of the capital saw the seven brothers coming, he became afraid . “Close the gate!” he ordered his soldiers.
Cerita Rakyat bahasa inggris

“Open the gate at once!” called out Mr. Giant, “We have come to see the king.”

“How can you people see the king?” asked the general.

Mr. Giant pushed open the gate with his huge hand. He pushed so hard that the gate fell down.

The brother went in. they saw another gate in front of them.

The second brother Mr. Typhoon, said. “First brother, rest a while. I’ll open the gate.”

He blew hard and sneezed. The gate fell to the ground.

Now all the king’s officers were afraid to stop the seven brothers. So the seven brothers met the king.

“What do you want?” asked the king. “And why do you cause so much trouble?”

He ordered his generals to arrest the seven brothers.

“arrest me first,” said the third brothers. Mr. Iron man.

A general draw his sword and tried to arrest him. Mr. Iron Man seized his sword and broke it into small pieces.
Cerita Rakyat bahasa inggris

The king ordered the brothers to be attacked with fire balls. The fourth brother, Mr. Not-Afraid-of-heat, laughed. “Ha! Ha! Ha! I’ll put out the fire.” He caught the fire balls in his hands and threw them back.
Cerita Rakyat bahasa inggris

“They’re too cold! Make them hotter!”

The king ordered the brothers to be drowned in the sea.

The fifth brother, Mr. Long Legs, called out, “I was just thinking of taking a bath.” He walked into the sea but it only came up to his ankles. ”It’s not deep enough,” he said. “Anyway, since I’m already here. I’ll catch a few fish.” He started  to throw all kinds of big and small fish on the shore. They piled up behind him as high as a hill.
Cerita Rakyat bahasa inggris

“arrest him!” said the king, pointing to the sixth brother. Mr. Big Feet. The generals rushed at him but Mr. Big Feet took one step and moved himself one mile away.
Cerita Rakyat bahasa inggris

The seventh brother, Mr. Big Mouth, then decided to teach the king and his generals a good lesson.

He went to the shore, opened his mouth and swallowed up the sea. Then he returned to the palace and opened his mouth again. The water rushed out of his mouth, knocked down the walls, and swept away all the buildings. The king and his officers were carried away out to sea. They were last seen swimming in the direction of land but no one knows whether they ever came back.
Cerita Rakyat bahasa inggris

MaT Jambol and the turtle

Mat jambol and the turtle story

One day, while Mat Jambol was out fishing, a large wave smashed into boat. Mat Jambol hit his head against the side of the boat and fell into the water. When he awoke, he found himself being helped by two turtles The larger one held him up by swimming under him, and the smaller one bit him gently from time to time to keep him awake. Together, the turtles brought him
to the shore near his village.

When Mat Jambol told his friends what had happened none of them believed him. They thought he would come to his sense when his wound healed, but Mat Jambol just smiled to himself.

A few week later, a terrible storm came to the island. The wind blew, and it rained very hard for several days. During the storm. Mat Jambol stayed inside his house and repaired his nets. When the rain stopped. He went out to look at the sea. The beach was covered with turtles! There were turtles from one end of the beach to the other. They were very large and had strange makings on their grey shells.

A little boy came running up the beach to Mat Jambol. “Mat Jambol,” he said, “Loook at the turtles! What kind are they? What are they doing? Where did they come from?”

Mat Jambol smiled. “You ask so many questions,” he said. “these are leatherback turtles. They usually go to Dungun in Trengganu to lay their eggs, but perhaps, because of the storm, they have come here instead. Just think, they have come all the way from the Indian Ocean,”

Soon everyone in the village had come to watch the turtles lay their eggs. The turtle dug holes in the sand and laid their eggs in the holes.

“Why don’t we dance on the turtles for good luck?” said one village woman.

Mat Jambol laughed. “that’s just an old wives’ tale,” he said. “Besides, you might hurt the turtles.”

Soon the turtles had finished laying their eggs. They covered the eggs with sand then went back into the sea.

Mat Jambol called the little boy, “We must protect the turtles egg,” he said, “Tell the other children to help you look after them so that dogs and snakes don’t eat them.”

After that, the village children guarded the turtles’ eggs. And soon and the day came when the eggs began to hatch. Mat Jambol and the villagers helped the baby turtles out of their shells. They carefully put them in the water.

As the baby turtles swam away, Mat Jambol smiled. He was thinking of the two turtles which had saved his life

Juan and the bamboo shoots

Juan and the bamboo shoots story

Juan left home and went to another town. He lost his way and could not find his relative’s house. As it was past midday, a kind old man invited Juan into his house for lunch. There was a dish of young bamboo shoots on the table. Juan had never seen such food before. He tasted it. It was delicious. Soon Juan had finished it without leaving any for the old man.

“That was a very tasty dish,” Juan said. “What kind of food was it?”

“Oh, it’s only bamboo,” the old man replied. He was surprised Juan did not know what it was.

When Juan returned home, he ask his mother for his sharp bolo or knife.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

“I’m going to make some vegetable salad with bamboo,” Juan answered. He then pulled down the bamboo ladder from the front of the house. He cut it into small pieces. Then he asked his mother to fetch him a big pot of boiling water. He placed the pieces of bamboo in it and boiled them.

Although he boiled the bamboo pieces for hours and hours they never became soft enough to eat.

When his neighbours heard what had happened, they laughed at him and said how silly he was.

The king’s Kinka

The king’s Kinka story
(Favourite story from Thailand)

The kinka is a small lizard with a red ring around its neck. This story is about a kinka that lived in the king’s garden.

One day the king took a walk through his garden. He looked at the birds and the flowers. He looked at the trees. Suddenly he noticed a kinkas do when they are frightened.

“Look at this,” said the king. “this lizard is very clever. He knows how to behave before the king. He is certainly the most polite animal I have ever seen.”

The king called his gardener. “I want you to feed this kinka. Give him some meat each day. Here is a bag of gold coins to pay for the meat.”

And so, each day the gardener used two gold coins to buy meat for the kinka. The kinka grew fat and lazy. He no longer ran through  the garden.

One day the gardener was too busy to buy meat. Instead, he hung the two gold coins around the kinka’s neck. The kinka climbed to the top of the garden gate. Soon the king came along on his daily walk. He saw the kinka. This time the kinka did not nod its head because the coins around its neck were so heavy. It simply looked down on the king.

“What a proud kinka you are,” said the king. “You are too proud to be polite.”

After that the king refused to buy any special meat for the kinka. Like other animals, the kinka once again had to find its own food.

Sri Thanonchai story

Sri Thanonchai story

(Folktale from Thailand)

Sri Thanonchai was a very clever man. Some people thought he was too clever. Others thought he was just a fool. They all talked about him.
Folktale from Thailand

When the king heard about Sri Thanonchai, he was surprised. “I am a clever man myself,” said the king. “Surely this fellow cannot be more clever than I am.”
Folktale from Thailand 

The king decided to visit Sri Thanonchai. He put on old clothes and called for his elephant. He rode to Sri Thanonchai’s house near the river. Sri Thanonchai was sitting on the step.
Folktale from Thailand 

“That’s a nice elephant you have, mister,” he called out. “Why, thank you,” said the king. “In fact, it’s a palace elephant. I work there.”
Folktale from Thailand 

“Then you must be very clever.”

“Yes, I’m one of the king’s minister. I’m almost as clever as the king himself.”

“Oh, no one is as clever as the king,” said Sri Thanonchai.

“Some people say you are,” the king said. “So I have come to test you. If you are more clever than I am, perhaps you are as clever as the king.”
Folktale from Thailand 

“What kind of test did you have in mind?”

“Well,” said the king, “I don’t suppose that you’re clever enough to make me jump into the river.”

Sri Thanonchai thought about this, he looked at the river, and he looked the king. He scratched his head. “No,” he said.  “I’m not that clever. I can’t make you jump into the river.”
Folktale from Thailand 

“Then I win,” said the king.

Sri Thanonchai looked at the king. He looked at the river, and after a while he said, “Of course I am not clever enough to make you jump into the river. But it would be even more difficult to make you climb out. Only a very, very clever man could make you do that.”
Folktale from Thailand 

Hearing this, the king jumped into the river. “Are you clever enough to make me climb out?” he shouted.
Folktale from Thailand 

Sri Thanonchai laughed. “You can stay there for all I care,” he said. “I made you jump into the river. Surely you are clever enough to climb out.”
Folktale from Thailand 

The king swam to the shore. He climbed out of the water. “Sri Thanonchai,” he said, “You bare more clever than I am. You are the cleverest man in the kingdom.
Folktale from Thailand 

Legend - How the Philippines was made

How the Philippines was made story

Many thousands of years ago, a man and his wife lived in the Philippines, they were called Angngalo and Angngarab.

One morning, they went to
gather some shellfish. Inside one, they found a pearl. It was an unusual yellow colour and very large.

Angngalo gave it to Angngarab. “Oh!” she said, “I can find many more pearls than you!”

Soon they were quarrelling and shouting at each other. They ran along the seashore looking for shellfish. Before, they had a big pile in front of them. They pulled open the shells and looked in them for pearls.

“I’ve go more pearls than you!” shouted Angngalo.

“No, you haven’t!” answered Angngarab. “Anyway, my pearls are bigger than yours!”

Soon, they were fighting. They threw the shells and pearls at each other. (That is why there are so many shells and pearls in the Philippines) They rolled on the ground and stamped their feet.

There was aloud “Boom!” and “Crack!”. The mountains and hills began to split. The water in the rivers and lakes flooded the land.

They still continued fighting. Suddenly, there was a great storm, with thunder lighting. The land broke into several parts. Luzon was in the north, the Visayan Islands were in the middle, and Mindanao in the south.

Because of this, there are now over seven thousand islands in the Philippines.

The old man who like dragons

The old man who like dragons story

Once upon a time, there was an old man who said he liked-dragon. He even painted dragons on the doors and walls of his house.

The King of the dragon lived in the palace of the Queen Mother of the West. When he heard about
the old man, he decided to go and see him. After arriving at his house; he put his head through a window on one side and his tail through a window on the other.

“Old man, are you at home” he called out.

The old man did not answer, he was very frightened to see the dragon.

“don’t be afraid, old man,” the Dragon King said. “I won’t hurt you.”

But the old man opened the back door and ran out of the house.

“Ha! Ha! Ha! Now I know you do not like real dragons,” the Dragon King called after him. “You only like pictures of them.”

The fox and the tiger

Narrative text - The fox and the tiger story

One day a tiger caught a fox in the forest. Before the tiger could eat him up, the cunning fox cried out, “You cannot make a meal of me. Don’t you know that I am King of the forest? If you eat me up, all the other animals of the forest will be
very angry with you.”

The tiger did not believe him. “How can such a small animal be King of the Forest?” he asked himself.

“If you don’t believe me,” the fox said. “then take a walk with me in the forest. You can see for yourself whether or not the other animals are afraid of me.”

The tiger agreed to do so and they set off together, the fox walked in front and the tiger followed behind. When the other animals saw the tiger approaching, they ran off as they could. This was that the fox expected.

“See your self, Mr. Tiger,” he called out quickly. “All the other animals are afraid of me.”

“Yes, yes.” The tiger agreed. “You are quite right. You are really King of the Forest.”

He then let the fox go.