Theme: “My favorite fairy-tale”. Several short children's fairy tales with morals A fairy tale in English

Which are useful to read for both adults and children. These stories are very educational and each one has a moral at the end. For those who find it difficult to translate even such simple texts, a translation is presented. Most likely, you have already heard similar fairy tales in Russian, so it will be easier for you to understand their meaning.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

In a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great effort an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling away?" “I am helping to lay up food for the winter,” said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.” "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; “we have got plenty of food at present.”

But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing, every day, corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.
Then the Grasshopper knew..

MORAL: Work today and you can reap the benefits tomorrow.

Ant and grasshopper

On a field on a sunny day, a grasshopper was jumping, chirping and singing to his heart's content. An ant passed by, dragging with great effort an ear of corn to its home.

“Why don’t you come up to me and chat,” said the grasshopper, “instead of being so tense?” “I help make supplies for the winter,” said the ant, “I advise you to do the same.” “Why worry about winter? - said the grasshopper, “We have a lot of food at the moment.”

But the ant did its job and continued its hard work. When winter came, the grasshopper was literally starving to death, seeing the ants distributing the corn and grain every day from their stores that they had collected in the summer.
Then the grasshopper understood...

Morality: Work hard today and you can reap the rewards tomorrow.

The Lion and the Mouse

Once when a Lion was asleep, a little Mouse began running up and down upon him. This soon wokened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him and opened his big jaws to swallow him.

"Pardon, O King!" cried the little Mouse, “Forgive me this time.” I shall never repeat it and I shall never forget your kindness. And who knows, but I may be able to do you a good turn one of these days?”

The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go.

Sometime later a few hunters captured the King and tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on.

Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, ran up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse, very happy to help the Lion.

MORAL: Little friends may prove great friends.

Lion and mouse

One day, when the lion fell asleep, a little mouse began to run around him. He soon awakened the lion, who caught him in his huge paw and opened his jaw to swallow him.

“Forgive me, oh king! - the mouse sobbed, - Forgive me this time. This will never happen again, and I will never forget your kindness. And who knows, maybe one day I will also be able to do something good for you.”

The lion was so amused by the idea that the mouse could somehow help him that he raised his paw and let him go.

A few days later, hunters caught the king and tied him to a tree while they looked for a cart in which to place him.

Just then it happened that a little mouse was running past, he saw the predicament in which the lion was, ran up to him and quickly gnawed the ropes that tied the king of beasts. "Was I wrong?" - said the mouse, happy that he had helped the lion.

Morality: Little friends can turn out to be wonderful friends.

The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs

Once upon a time, a man and his wife had the good fortune to have a goose which laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough.

They imagined that if the bird must be able to lay golden eggs, its insides must be made of gold. And they thought that if they could get all that precious metal at once, they would get mighty rich very soon. So the man and his wife decided to kill the bird.

However, upon cutting the goose open, they were shocked to find that its innards were like that of any other goose!

MORAL: Think before you act.

The goose who laid golden eggs

Once upon a time, a man and his wife were lucky enough to have a goose that laid a golden egg every day. Despite such great luck, they soon began to think that they could not get rich quickly enough.

They imagined that if a bird could lay golden eggs, then its insides must also be made of gold. And they thought that if they could get all this precious metal at once, then very soon they would become extremely rich. So the man and his wife decided to kill the bird.

However, when they opened the goose, they were very shocked to find that its insides were the same as any other goose.

Morality: Think before you act.

If you liked these stories, then you can read another interesting one. Don't forget to offer stories like these to your children who are learning English. They will love this unobtrusive way to learn a new language.

Here is a 45-minute collection of fairy tales with subtitles.

Learning English in childhood is not only a complex and quite labor-intensive process, but also a process subject to change. Today, experts insist on a comprehensive presentation of linguistic aspects, selecting the best points from various methods, manuals and techniques. In the modern variety of educational materials, fairy tales in English for children still remain relevant.

A fairy tale is a whole linguistic layer, including not only the lexical and grammatical, but also the cultural aspect. Reading and analyzing genre texts fairy tale, you can fully understand not only the linguistic features, but also the English traditions and subtleties of mentality. That is why fairy tales in English can be offered for study not only to schoolchildren and preschoolers, but also to adult students.

English fairy tales: interest, outlook, benefit

The inclusion of fairy tales in the curriculum remains relevant for most modern methods. Their use is absolutely justified due to the following advantages:

Engagement and motivation. Children are more interested in studying material presented in the form of a fairy tale, thanks to which they themselves strive to read and understand the text.
Erudition and horizons. By reading English children's fairy tales, the child simultaneously studies the characteristics and traditions of other peoples and countries, learns to distinguish and feel the nuances of different languages, which allows him to develop linguistic inclinations and replenish his knowledge.
Studying several aspects of language at once. Fairy tales for children in English allow you to master grammar and vocabulary in an unobtrusive form, study tense forms and sentence construction, and expand your vocabulary.
Development of perseverance and concentration. Children are ready to spend much more time studying and translating an interesting story than on a boring text that requires the same processing.

Russian fairy tales translated into English: is it worth using?

The answer here is clear: of course, it’s worth it. And first of all, due to stronger motivation: many children are incredibly interested in reading Russian folk tales familiar to them from childhood in English. In addition, the inclusion of Russian texts translated into English helps to effectively develop the following skills:

Language intuition. By reading famous Russian fairy tales in English, children more easily grasp the meaning and grasp the meaning of unfamiliar words and expressions.
Lexicon. When, while reading, a child intuitively understands English words and expressions, he remembers them much faster - the secret lies in deep cognitive interest.
Erudition. Translating a fairy tale from Russian into English helps you take a fresh look at familiar phenomena and traditions, and feel the difference in the formation of idioms and phraseological units in different languages.

Russian fairy tales in English can be offered for study in two versions: immediately with translation for beginners or in an already translated version without the original for children with more advanced language training.

An example of a Russian fairy tale with translation

Fox and Crane

Once upon a time, the Fox and the Crane were close friends. One day the Fox invited the Crane to dinner and said to him:

Come, my friend! Come, dear! I will treat you from the bottom of my heart!

The Crane came to the Fox for lunch. The fox prepared semolina porridge and spread it on the plate. He serves it on the table and treats the guest.

Help yourself to a delicious lunch, kumanek. I prepared this myself!

The crane tapped and tapped with its beak, knocking and knocking, but couldn’t pick up a single crumb of food. And the Fox licked the plate until she had eaten all the porridge.

When the porridge was over, the Fox said:

Don't be offended, my friend. There is nothing more to treat you with.

And thank you for that, dear,” answers the Crane. - Now it’s your turn to come visit me.

The next day the Fox came, and the Crane prepared okroshka, poured it into a tall jug with a narrow neck, and served it to the Fox:

Treat yourself to a delicious lunch, dear godfather. Really, I have nothing more to offer you.

The fox circles around the jug, licks it and sniffs it, but couldn’t even get a drop of the soup. My head won't fit into the jug.

Meanwhile, the Crane swallowed all the soup with its long beak. When he had eaten everything, he said to the Fox:

Don't be offended, dear. There is nothing more to treat you with.

The fox was very angry, because she wanted to eat for the week ahead. And so she left, slurping unsaltedly.

As it comes back, so will it respond! And since then, the Fox and the Crane are no longer friends.

The Fox and The Crane

It was long, long ago when the Fox and the Crane were close friends. One fine day the Fox invited the Crane to dinner with her and said to him:

“Come, buddy! Come, my dear! I’ll treat you heartily!”

And so the Crane came to the Fox for the dinner party. The Fox had cooked semolina for the dinner and smeared it over the plate. Then she served it and treated her guest.

“Help yourself to tasty dinner, my dear godfather. That was me who cooked it!”

The Crane went peck-peck with his beak, knocked and knocked but couldn’t pick even a bit of fare. The Fox kept licking the cereal until she had eaten it all.

When there's no cereal at all, the Fox said,

“Don’t feel offended, buddy. There’s nothing more to treat you.”

“And thanks hereon, dear,” the Crane said, “now it’s your turn to visit me.”

Next day the Fox came, and the Crane made okroshka and poured in into a tall pitcher with a narrow neck and treated the fox.

“Help yourself to tasty dinner, my dear godmother. Honestly, there’s nothing more to entertain you.”

The Fox spinned around the pitcher and licked it and sniffed it but couldn’t extract even a drop of the soup. Her head wouldn't fit the pitcher at all.

Meanwhile the Crane sucked the soup with his long bill. When everything had been eaten, he said to the Fox,

“Don’t feel offended, dear. There’s nothing more to treat you.”

The Fox got very angry as she hoped to be full up for the whole week along. So she left empty-handed.

And that was a tit for tat! So, the Fox and the Crane hadn’t been friends anymore since then.

Choosing fairy tales for effective learning English

When choosing English fairy tales for children for classes, you need to focus on the following criteria:

Age-appropriate complexity of texts. Today they are usually divided into several groups - adapted fairy tales in English for beginners with translation, fairy tales of elementary, intermediate and advanced levels of complexity. When choosing a text, it is necessary to take into account both the age and level of preparation of students.
Moderate volume. A long text of a fairy tale can frighten children; too short one can seem light and boring to an older student. The golden mean in volume is no less important.

Today, in addition to ordinary fairy tales presented in the form of texts, it is recommended to include animated storytellers in the language teaching program, watch videos and listen to audio fairy tales. A variety of genre material not only increases interest in English, but also helps to develop all language skills at once - reading, writing, speaking and listening comprehension.

Teaching English through fairy tales: important nuances

Fairy tales for children in English can be both an effective means of learning the language and an additional and interesting, but not always useful, load. In order for learning to follow the first scenario, when offering a fairy tale, you should follow a few simple rules:

There's no rush. A child can read a fairy tale as long as he needs to understand the content. To do this, it is important to create a calm environment that promotes concentration.
Mandatory removal of barriers. If the text of the fairy tale talks about realities that have no analogues in the native country, or there are any idioms or sayings, it is extremely important to explain their meaning in detail. This approach promotes better understanding and memorization, as well as deepening into the language environment.
Indispensable repetition. English fairy tales should be reread at least once - this helps not only to understand the content more deeply, but also to pay attention to the nuances of grammar.
Monitoring understanding of content. Guiding questions about the plot of the fairy tale, the translation of new words and expressions are the best way to make sure that children have really mastered the text.
Mandatory analysis of what you read. In addition to leading questions, it is equally important to discuss the moral of the fairy tale, the author’s, and people’s message. Through dialogue, children learn to express their opinions and develop English speech.

Another important aspect in the study of fairy tales is the variety of material. You should not use only fairy tales and children's stories in English with translation: video fairy tales, authentic texts, and audio recordings will help keep students' interest longer.

Examples of fairy tales for English lessons

The list of English folk tales is very wide, and finding texts suitable for study in it is not so difficult. Below are short tales with translations and possible questions for monitoring and analyzing the story read.

Fairy tale No. 1

The Ant and the Grasshopper

One summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about in the field, singing and chirping to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, carrying with great effort an ear of corn he was taking to his home.

"Why not come and have a chat with me," the Grasshopper said, "instead of fussing all day long?" “I am busy saving up food for the winter,” the Ant said, “and that would be better for you to do the same.” "Why bother about cold?" the Grasshopper answered; “we have got a lot of food at present.”

But the Ant went on its supply. When the winter came the Grasshopper got very cold and hungry while it kept watching the ants replete with corn and grain from the stores they had collected and saved in the summer.

Then the Grasshopper understood…

Ant and Grasshopper

One summer day, the Grasshopper was jumping around the field, singing songs and having fun with all his heart. An Ant walked by, laboriously dragging an ear of corn to his home.

Why not come and chat with me, asked the Grasshopper, - instead of fussing around all day?

“I’m preparing supplies for the winter,” answered the Ant. - And I advise you to do the same.

Why worry about cold weather? - answered the Grasshopper. - After all, now we have so much food.

However, the ant continued to stockpile. And when winter came, the frozen, hungry Grasshopper watched as the ants were fed thanks to the grain from the storehouses that they had been collecting all summer.

And only then did the Grasshopper understand everything...

Questions:

Fairy tale No. 2

The Lion and the Mouse

Once a Lion decided to have a rest. While he’d been asleep a little Mouse started to run up and down upon him. The Lion woke up because of that, put his huge paw upon the Mouse and opened his awful mouth to swallow him.

“I beg your pardon, my King!” the little Mouse cried, “Forgive me please.” I shall never do it again and I shall never forget how kind you were to me. And who knows, maybe one day I’ll do you a favor in turn?”

The Lion found the idea of the Mouse being able to help him so funny, that he let him go.

Sometime later the Lion was captured by hunters. They tied him to a tree and they went away for a while searching for a wagon to carry him on.

Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and the Lion in trouble. At once he ran up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that tied the King. "Wasn't I really right?" the little Mouse said, being very proud of his role of the Lion’s saviour.

Lion and Mouse

One day Leo decided to rest. While he was sleeping, the little Mouse began to run back and forth across him. This woke the Lion, he grabbed the Mouse with his huge paw and opened his terrible mouth to swallow him.

Forgive me, my King! - shouted the Mouse. Please forgive me! I will never do that again and I will never forget how kind you were to me. And who knows, maybe someday I will do you a favor in return?

The idea that the Mouse could help him seemed so funny to Lev that he let him go.

A little later, the Lion was caught by hunters. They tied him to a tree and walked away briefly to find a wagon to take him away.

Just at this time, the Mouse ran past and saw the Lion in trouble. He immediately rushed towards him and quickly chewed through the ropes entangling the King of Beasts.

Well, was I wrong? - asked the Mouse, proud that he became the savior of the Lion.

Questions:

Fairy tale No. 3

The golden goose

Once upon a time there lived a man and his wife who were happy to own a goose that laid a golden egg daily. In spite of their luck, however, they soon stopped being satisfied with their fortune and wanted even more.

They imagined that if the goose can lay golden eggs, it must be made of gold inside. So they thought that if they could get all that precious metal at once, they would get very rich immediately. Then the couple decided to kill the bird.

However, when they cut the goose open, they were shocked to find that its innards were just like any other goose has got!

golden goose

Once upon a time there lived a husband and wife who were lucky enough to have a goose that laid golden eggs every day. Despite this luck, one day they felt dissatisfied with their condition and wanted more.

They imagined that if a goose could lay golden eggs, then it was made of gold inside. And if you get all the precious metal at once, you can immediately become very rich. And then the couple decided to kill the bird.

However, when they cut the bird open, they were horrified to see that its insides were exactly the same as those of any other goose!

Once upon a time there was a boy whose name was Jack. He lived with a dog, a cat, a donkey and a cockerel. Jack liked to watch cartoons on TV very much and very often he forgot to feed his pets. So they were sad.

When the dog was hungry he came up to Jack and said: "Bow-wow, I`m hungry, I want some meat." Jack answered: "Go away. I want to watch cartoons."

When the cat was hungry he came up to Jack and said: "Meow, I'm hungry, I want some milk." Jack answered: "Go away. I want to watch cartoons."

When the cock was hungry he came up to Jack and said: "Cock-a-doodle-doo, I`m hungry, I want some corn." Jack answered: "Go away. I want to watch cartoons."

When the donkey was hungry he came up to Jack and said: "Hee-haw, I`m hungry, I want some grass." Jack answered: "Go away. I want to watch cartoons."

One day there was a great storm at night. There roof was on fire. The dog, the cat, the cock and the donkey got up and ran to Jack's room. The dog began to bark, the cat began to mew, the donkey began to bray and the cockerel sat on Jack`s head and said: "Cock-a-doodle-doo! Get up quickly, get up quickly!"

Jack got up, opened the door and they ran out. The heavy rain stopped the fire. Everybody was happy and Jack was happy too.

He never forgets to feed his pets now. They don`t have a TV-set any more but live friendly and happily together.

Translation:

Once upon a time there lived a boy named Jack. A dog, a cat, a donkey and a cockerel lived with him. Jack loved watching cartoons on TV and often forgot to feed his pets. That's why they were sad.

When the dog was hungry, she came up to Jack and said: "Woof, woof. I'm hungry, I want meat." Jack replied: "Go away. I want to watch cartoons."

When the cat was hungry, she came up to Jack and said: “Meow, meow. I’m hungry, I want milk.” Jack replied: "Go away. I want to watch cartoons."

When the cockerel was hungry, he came up to Jack and said: "Ku-ka-re-ku. I'm hungry, I want grains." Jack replied: "Go away. I want to watch cartoons."

When the donkey was hungry, he came up to Jack and said: “E-ah. I’m hungry, I want some grass.” Jack replied: "Go away. I want to watch cartoons."

One night there was a strong thunderstorm. The roof of the house caught fire. The dog, cat, cockerel and donkey ran into Jack's room. The dog began to bark, the cat began to meow, the donkey began to bray, and the cockerel sat on Jack’s head and said: “Ku-ka-re-ku! Wake up quickly, wake up quickly!”

Jack woke up, opened the door, and they all ran out into the street. Heavy rain put out the fire. Everyone was happy and Jack was happy too.

Now he never forgets to feed his pets. They no longer have a TV, but they live together and happily.

Konovalova Ksenia

Kids happily explore the world around them, absorbing everything that happens in it. Take advantage of this sincere curiosity and add English to your child's environment by reading stories in English for children with him. Short English fairy tales will give the child the opportunity to become familiar with the sound of the language, learn new words and phrases, and learn to read and understand English. In today's material you will find light and interesting children's stories in English with translation of the text into Russian, as well as useful recommendations for conducting such activities.

Before inviting your child to read in English, you need to carefully consider your lesson plan and select suitable materials.

Children just starting to learn a foreign language are recommended to take adapted literature in English for children. These tales have been revised and simplified to a minimum: the text is written in short sentences, with frequently repeated words and bright supporting pictures.

Don’t forget that a fairy tale for children in English must have a translation. This way, both you and your baby will feel more confident, knowing that you can always check the correct meaning of words.

To attract fidgets to read or listen to fairy tales, use gaming methods and your unlimited imagination. The main thing is to constantly interact with your child and not let him get bored. Look through beautiful pictures with your baby and play questions and answers ( who/what is this?), read the characters’ lines in different voices, learn new vocabulary together and try to build small dialogues.

It is not necessary to study stories for children and stories in English only in text format. Combine all possible methods of learning a language: listen to audio versions of fairy tales recorded by native speakers, or get distracted by watching colorful and dynamic videos with the text of a fairy tale.

Having mastered all the above tips, let’s move on to putting them into practice. Below are short stories in English with parallel Russian translation.

Fairy tales and stories in English for children

The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs

Luck smiled on them! But soon the husband and wife began to think that they would not become wealthy rich people for a long time.

So the husband and wife decided to kill the bird. However, when cutting up the goose, they were very surprised: from the inside it was exactly the same as all the birds like it!

The crocodile (Crocodile)

One day, a baby crocodile counted all his shiny scales, and there were a thousand of them. There were many more of them than he had previously thought.

Before going to bed, the crocodile wished that 40 scales would fall on his pillow. But this did not happen. They did not fall out even after three weeks.

The crocodile woke up, and lo and behold! There were 40 shiny scales on the pillow. He distributed them to 20 crocodiles: each with 2 scales. Since then, everyone has become friends with the kind baby crocodile.

The boy who cried “Wolf!” (The boy who cried "Wolf!")

He had a joke that he often played on people. The boy ran down and shouted very loudly: Wolf! Wolf!Helpsomeone for me!There's a wolf here!

One dayit was a great daywonderfulwarmdayboysleptundertree.All of a suddenHeheardstrangesound.The boy woke up and saw a large gray animal. It was a wolf.

But this time no one came to save the boy. Because no one will believe a liar, even if he suddenly decides to tell the truth. When the boy did not return home at night, people went looking for him. But they never managed to find the boy.

We hope that the following stories and fairy tales in English for children were useful to you. Good luck and see you again!

I love fairy-tales very much. They take me to the world of magic and adventure, fairies and glorious princesses. I think I like all of them but my favorite one is “Cinderella”. This beautiful story was written by Charles Perrault in 1697. When I was a baby my parents often read it to me before going to bed. Now I can read it myself and there are also cartoons and movies named “Cinderella”.

Once upon a time there was a sweet little girl whose name was Cinderella. She had a very kind and gentle heart. Her mother died, so she lived with a wicked stepmother and her terrible ugly daughters. Poor girl was very unhappy because they made her work hard all days long.

But one day Cinderella’s fairy godmother made her dream come true: she helped the girl to go to a royal ball. Godmother turned a pumpkin into a magical coach, six mice – into six horses and the girl’s old dress – into a fabulous gown. At the ball the Prince fell in love with Cinderella and danced with her all the evening, but the beautiful girl had to leave the ball and come back home before midnight. So she ran down the steps of the palace and lost her tiny shoe. That lucky shoe helped the Prince to find Cinderella in his kingdom.

And, of course, my favorite fairy-tale, like all others, has a happy ending. The Prince married Cinderella and they lived happily ever after... And I think that this wonderful story will live in my heart forever because it reminds me that our dreams always come true.

Translation

I really love fairy tales. They take me to the world of magic, adventure, fairy fairies and delightful princesses. I think I like all fairy tales, but my favorite is Cinderella. This beautiful story was written by Charles Perrault in 1697. When I was a small child, my parents often read it to me before bed. Now I can read it myself, and there are still cartoons and movies called “Cinderella.”

Once upon a time there lived a sweet little girl whose name was Cinderella. She had a very kind and gentle heart. Her mother died and so she lived with her evil stepmother and her terrible ugly daughters. The poor girl was very unhappy because they forced her to work hard all day long.

But one day, Cinderella’s fairy godmother fulfilled her dream: she helped the girl get to the royal ceremony. The godmother turned a pumpkin into a magic carriage, six mice into six horses, and the girl’s old dress into a wonderful dress. At the ball, the prince fell in love with Cinderella and danced with her all evening, but the beautiful girl had to leave the ball and come home before midnight. So, she ran down the steps of the palace and lost her tiny shoe. This lucky shoe helped the prince find Cinderella in his kingdom.

And, of course, my favorite fairy tale, like all others, has a happy ending. The prince married Cinderella and they lived happily ever after... And it seems to me that this beautiful story will live in my heart forever, because it reminds me that our dreams always come true.