Vikas Stories for Children

Yellow Book
Navneet Publications (India) Limited
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,CONTENTS

1. JUNO AND THE MONKEY5

2. THE REAL MOTHER7
3. THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING9
4. THE LION AND THE HARE10
5. THE DONKEY AND HIS BRAIN12
6. THE SALT VENDOR AND HIS DONKEY14
7. THE KING AND THE SPIDER16
8. THE MONGOOSE AND THE CHILD18
9. THE HORSE AND THE MAN20
10. THE LARK AND THE FARMER22
11. BUNTY AND THE BOTTLE OF TOFFEES24
12. THE EMPEROR AND THE FORTUNE-TELLER26
13. KING SOLOMON AND THE QUEEN OF SHEBA28
14. THE POOR MAN AND the RICH MAN30
15. HOW MANY CROWS ARE THERE IN THE CITY?32
16. THE PIPER AND THE VILLAGERS34
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 1.JUNO AND THE MONKEY.

Once Juno, the Queen of gods, announced, "I will give a precious prize to the animal who
has the most beautiful baby."
So all the animals gathered at one place. They had their babies with them. juno went to all
the animals one by one. When she saw a flat-nosed baby of a monkey, she remarked, "
What an ugly baby! This baby can never get a prize at any rate."

The monkey's mother was deeply hurt by Juno's insulting comment. She held her baby
close to her heart and whispered into the bay's ear, "Don't bother, my dear child. I love
you most dearly. To me you are the most precious prize. I don't want any other prize. May
God give you a long life."
MOTHER"s LOVE HAS NO EQUAL.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 2.THE REAL MOTHER.

Once two women had a quarrel over a small baby. Each claimed that she was the mother
of the child. They were brought before a judge.
The judge listened to both the women. It was really a difficult case to decide. The judge
was confused.
After thinking deeply, the judge found out the solution. He ordered one of his men, "cut
the child into two parts. Let each woman have one part."
On hearing the judge's order, one of the women screamed out loudly and said, "Mercy,
Your Lordship. Let that woman have the baby. let the poor thing live. I give up my claim
to it." The other woman remained quiet.
The wise judge recognized the real mother. He gave the baby to the woman who was
ready to give up her claim. HE sent the other woman to jail.
TRUTH ALWAYS TRIUMPHS.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 3.THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING.

One day a wolf found a sheepskin. HE covered himself with the sheepskin and got into a
flock of sheep in a pen after sunset. At night I will run away a fat sheep and eat it."
All went well till the shepherd shut his sheep in the pen and left. The wolf waited
patiently for the night to advance and grow darker. But then an unexpected thing
happened. One of the
servants of the shepherd entered the pen. his master had sent him to bring a fat sheep for
supper. As luck would have it, the servant picked up the wolf dressed in the sheepskin.

That night the shepherd and his guest had the wolf for supper.
AN EVIL DESIGN HAS AN EVIL END.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 4.THE LION AND THE HARE.

Animals of a jungle had agreed to send one animal everyday to the lion's den for his food.
one day it was very clever. He worked out a plan to kill the wicked lion.
He went to the den much later that the lion's mealtime. So the Lion was very angry with
him.
"Why have you come so late?" he asked.
"Sir," said the hare as politely as he could, "I got late because another lion chased me. I
could get away from him with much difficulty."
"Another lion? In this jungle?" asked the lion.
"Yes, Sir. I know where he lives. Come with me and I will show him to you, ' said the
hare.
The lion got ready to go with the hare. The hare took him to a well and said, " Here he
lives. Please come and see inside."
The lion looked into the well and saw his own reflection. He mistook the reflection for
another lion and roared angrily at it. Then he saw that the lion in the water was also
roaring at him. now he could not control his temper and jumped into the well. That was
the end of him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 5.
THE DONKEY AND HIS BRAIN.

A lion, the King of the forest, had a fox as hi minister.

Everyday, the lion hunted and killed an animal for his food. the fox got a share it as a
reward for serving as the minister.

One day the lion fell sick. He could not go out for hunting. so he said to the fox, "Today I
can't go out for hunting. But I am very hungry. Please go and bring me some animal for
my food.."
The fox said to himself, " No animal will come to the lion willingly. What shall I do
now/" He thought and thought." the donkey is a stupid animal. i can fool him and bring
him here.'
The donkey was very much pleased to here this. So he went with the fox to the lion's den.
The hungry lion sprang upon the donkey and killed him. then he said to the fox," I am
going to the river to drink water. You shall sit here and take care of this kill."
So the lion went to the river. now, the fox himself was very hungry. He hurriedly ate the
brain of the donkey before the lion returned form the river.
The lion came after sometime. he looked at her donkey and asked, "Where is the brain of
this animal?"
The fox smiled and said, "Sir, if the donkey had brains, he would not have come here.
Donkeys are brainless animals."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 6.THE SALT VENDOR AND HIS DONKEY.

A salt vendor had a donkey. Every morning he loaded the donkey with bags of salt. Then
the master and the animal went to customers who lived in surrounding villages.
On the way the vendor and the donkey had to cross several streams and small rivers. one
morning the donkey accidently tumbled in water while crossing a river. A lot of the salt in
the bags got dissolved in the water. So the burden on the donkey's back became much
lighter. the vendor returned home with his animal. That day was a rest day for the donkey.
Next day they went out on their usual trip. the donkey took a dip in the first stream on the
way. again the burden became light and the trip for the day was cancelled.
the master was very angry with the donkey. he was sure that the second day's dip of the
donkey was intentional. So he gave him hard blows with his stick. he said, " If the stupid
animal of mine becomes so clever, it will be all up with me. i must teach him a lesson.
so the next day he loaded the donkey with bales of cotton. When the donkey took a dip
in water, the cotton. When the donkey took a dip in water, the cotton absorbed water and
became many times heavier. The donkey had to struggle very hard to come out of the
water.
From that day onwards, the donkey gave up the trick of dipping in a stream.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 7.
THE KING AND THE SPIDER.

A defeated King took shelter in a cave in a jungle. His enemies were looking for him.
They wanted to kill him.
The King had fought bravely. But his army was small. the large army of his enemy
defeated his small army. he had a run away to save his life. He was very sad at heart. his
courage had left him.
one day the King was lying idly in the cave. A little spider drew his attention. it was
trying hard to weave a web across the ceiling. As it was crawling up the wall, the thread
of the web broke and it fell down to the ground. This happened several times. but it did
not give up. It tried again and again. At last it climbed up the ceiling successfully and
completed the web.
the king thought, "This tiny creature did not give up. How could I give up? I am a King. I
must try again." And he decided to fight his enemy once again.
The King went out of the jungle and met his faithful followers. he collected the brave
men of his kingdom and raised a strong army. He fought against his enemy with all his
might. At last he won the battle. He got back his kingdom. he always remembered the
spider who had taught him a lesson.
SUCCESS COMES TO THOSE WHO FIGHT HARD AGAINST FAILURES.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 8.THE MONGOOSE AND THE CHILD

C
reature and creature lived in a large country house with their little son Ganesh. They kept
a mongoose as pet. Ganesh and the mongoose were very fond of each other. they became
good playmates.
One day Shankar was at his farm. Parvati had gone out for some work. Ganesh was fast
asleep in his cradle. The mongoose was sitting by the cradle to protect Ganesh from any

harm. Suddenly it saw a serpent creeping towards Ganesh. It jumped up and caught the
neck. There was fierce fight between the mongoose and the serpent. At last the mongoose
killed the serpent.
After some time, the mongoose saw Parvati coming towards the house. It ran to the
entrance to greet its mistress. Parvati saw the marks of blood on the mouth and paws of
the pet. She feared that it had killed her beloved son. Wild with anger, she picked up a
stick from the verandah. She rained heavy lows on the poor animals and killed it.
then she ran into the inner room. She was very happy to find Ganesh safe and sound. She
also saw the dead serpent. Now she realized her mistake. She had killed the innocent and
faithful animal who had saved the life of her son. her sorrow knew no bounds. But it was
no use crying over spilt milk.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 9.THE HORSE AND THE MAN

Once a horse went to a man and said, " Please help me. A tiger has come in the jungle
and he wants to kill me."
The man said, " Don't worry, my friend. The tiger can cause you no harm. I will protect
you from the tiger."
The horse said, "Thank you."the man said, " But then you should do what I tell you to do.
"
The horse said," What do you want me to do?"
The man said, but then you should do what I tell you to do."
The horse said, "What do you want me to do?"
The man said , " you must allow me to put a saddle on your back and bridle in your
mouth."
The horse said," Please do whatever you like. But you must protect me from the tiger."
The man saddled the horse. He put a bridle in his mouth. Then he pointed the horse and
drove it to his stable.
the man said to the horse, " You can stay safely here in my stable. Whenever I take you
out of the stable, I will ride on your back. the tiger can cause you no harm when I am
with you." The man then shut the stable door and walked away.
When the horse was alone in the stable, he thought, " I am safe here. But i am not free
any more. I have purchased my safety but have lost my freedom. It is a bad bargain. but I
am helpless now."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 10. THE LARK AND THE FARMER.

A Lark had her nest in a cornfield. she lived in the nest with her young ones. It was a safe
shelter for them till the corn was ripe and ready for cutting.
One day, the mother lark said to her young ones," Now the corn is ready for cutting. We
must find shelter elsewhere."
The next day they heard the farmer saying, " Tomorrow I will call my relatives and cut
the corn."
The young larks said, " Mother, hurry up. We must leave before
the sunrise tomorrow. The farmer is going to cut the crop tomorrow."
Mother lark said, " Don't be afraid. he won't be able to start cutting tomorrow."
The farmer came the following day. None of his relatives came to help him. So he went
back without cutting the corn. He said, " Tomorrow I will call my neighbour and we will
surely cut the corn."
Again the young ones asked their mother to leave the field. And the mother said, " Not
yet."
Next day, as thought by the mother Lark, the neighbours did not come t0 help the farmer.
now the farmer said, "It's no use depending on others. Tomorrow I will cut the corn
myself.<
Then the mother lark said, " Now we must go at once. The farmer will surely cut the corn
himself."
SELF-HELP IS THE BEST HELP.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 11.BUNTY AND THE BOTTLE OF TOFFEES.

On a New Year Day, Bunty went with his mother to a rich lady's house. the rich lady was
his mother's friend. the two ladies embraced and wished " a Happy New Year" to each
other. Bunty bowed to the lady and received her blessings.

The lady put a bottle of toffees before Bunty and said, " Bunty, have as many toffees as
you please." Bunty's eyes gleamed with joy. He put his hand into the bottle and filled his
fist with as many toffees as his fist could hold.
Now, the first filled with the toffees was much bigger than the narrow mouth of the
bottle. So Bunty could not take out his hand from the bottle even though he tried hard.
He pushed and the bottle with his free hand. He turned the bottle right and left. Bunty's
wrestling with the bottle amused the two ladies.
After some time, his mother said, " Bunty, don't act silly. Just open your fist and let a few
toffees go. If you do so, you can easily pull out your hand." Bunty followed her advice
and pulled out his hand.
DON'T TRY TO GRAB TOO MUCH AT A TIME.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 12.THE EMPEROR AND THE FORTUNE-TELLER

Once an Emperor invited a reputed fortune-teller to his court. The fortune-teller was
known for making correct predictions. The Emperor welcomed him with great respect
and offered him a seat.
Then the Emperor gave him his horoscope and tell me what the future has in store for
me."
The fortune-teller studied the horoscope very carefully. Then he said, " Your Majesty, I
will tell you the bare facts which your stars tell me. Please do remember that i don't tell
imaginary tales."
The Emperor said, " I understand what you mean. Please tell me your findings without
any fear."
The fortune-teller, to begin with, told the Emperor all the goods things that the future had
in store for him. The Emperor felt very happy to hear about those goods things.
But, when the fortune-teller began to tell the Emperor about his misfortunes, the Emperor
felt very sorry. At one stage he felt very much offended and he shouted at the fortuneteller, " Say no more of your nonsensical stuff. Just tell me what you stars say about the
time of your death."
The clever fortune-teller knew what the Emperor had in his mind. So he said, "Your
Majesty, I am going to die just one day earlier than you."

The Emperor,in a fit of anger, was about to give an order for putting the fortune-teller to
death. But, when he heard the fortune-teller's prediction about his own death, he changed
his mind. he recalled his good senses ad admired the fortune-teller's witty reply. He gave
him rich royal gifts and sent away respectfully.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 13.
THE EMPEROR AND THE FORTUNE-TELLER

King Solomon was famous for his wisdom. the Queen of Sheba wanted to test him. One
day she went to the King with two garlands. One of there garlands was made of real
flowers. The other one was made of paper flowers. But both the garlands looked exactly
alike. She held one garland in each of her hands and stood in front of the King. She said,
"O wise king, tell me, without moving from your seat, which one of these tell, without
moving from your seat, which one of these two garlands is made of real flowers."
The King looked at each of the two garlands very carefully. they very much alike. he
could not tell one from the other. When his eyes failed to guide him, the wise King used
his brain to sove the problem. A bright idea came to his mind. He ordered one of his
servants to open the window overlooking the garden. The servants open the window.
Soon bees came in from the garden and began hovering around the garland in the Queen's
right hand.
The King smiled and said, " the bees of my garden tell me that the garland in your right
hand is made of real flowers."
the Queen bowed down with respect and said, ' o King, your answer is right. you are,
indeed, a very wise man."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 14.THE POOR MAN AND THE RICH MAN

A poor cobbier and a rich businessman were neighbours. the cobbler's house was also his
workshop. He sang merrily while he mended shoes. he never felt it necessary to shut and
bolt the door and windows of his house. At night he would say his prayers and go to bed.
He enjoyed sound sleep all through the night.
The rich man always saw the merry cobbler. he saw that there was nothing that worried
his poor neighbour. But the rich man was full of worries himself. He could neither sing

nor smile. he always shut and bolted each and every door and window of his house at
night. He could never sleep peacefully. He always worried about the safety of his wealth.
One day the rich man called the cobbler to his house. he gave him five thousand rupees
and said, "I don't need this money. Please keep it with you. It's yours."
At first the cobbler was happy to receive the money. but soon the big amount of money
distributed the carefree and peaceful life. for the first time he closed and bolted the door
and windows of his house. he woke up several times during the night to make sure that
the money was safe.
The very next morning the cobbler went to his rich neighbour's house. with folded hands,
he said to the rich man, "Sir, please take back your money so that my merry songs and
sound sleep can come back to me."
WEALTH DOES NOT ALWAYS BRING HAPPINESS.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 15.HOW MANY CROWS ARE THERE IN THE CITY?

Emperor Akbar often put questions and riddles to his courtiers. he did this to test their
wits, wisdom and knowledge. once he asked a very strange question to the courtiers.
The question was: "How many crows are there in this city?"
He glanced at all the courtiers, one by one. One by one they stood up ad bowed down
their heads silently. None of them could offer an answer to the Emperor's question: "how
any crows are there in this city?"
Just then, Birbal, the wisest of all the courtiers, entered the court. he saw the courtiers
with their heads bent down. He, at once understood that they had failed to solve some
riddle put to them by the Emperor.
Birbal humbly bowed before the Emperor in the courtly manner and took his seat. The
emperor asked him, "Birbal, how many crows are there in this city?"
Readywitted Birbal stood up and promptly replied, " Your Majesty, there are fifty
thousand three hundred and seventy-eight crows in this city."
"How can you be so cocksure, Birbal?" asked the emperor in a great astonishment.
Birbal replied," Please have them counted, your Majesty. if there's are more than fifty
thousand three hundred and seventy- eight crows, it simply means that some crows have
come from elsewhere to visit their friends and relatives in this city. if there are less, it

means that some crows from this city have gone to visit their friends and relatives
elsewhere."
Pleased with Birbal's wits, Emperor Akbar exclaimed, ' bravo! bravo, you are matchless
indeed!"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LESSON 16.THE PIPER AND THE VILLAGERS

There were thousand of rats everywhere in a village. They were in homes, in shops, in
godowns and in fields. They ate a lot of corn and other eatables. they destroyed furniture,
clothes and papers. the villagers suffered heavy losses because of the rats. they wanted to
get rid of the rats at any cost.
One day a piper came to the village and said, "I will destroy all the rats in the village. But
you must pay me five thousand rupees as my fee for destroying the rats."
The villagers agreed to pay him five thousand rupees. Then the piper played a very sweet
tune on his pipe . All the rats in the homes, in the shops, in the godowns and in the fields
heard the sweet music and streamed out the streets. They danced to the tune of the music.
The piper walked towards the river and they followed him. The piper stepped into the
river water. the rats, too, jumped into the river and were all drowned.
The piper came back to the villagers and asked for five thousand rupees. the villagers
refused to pay.
The piper said, "you are cheats. Now I am going to play another tune on the pipe and you
will have to pay me ten thousand rupees."
When the piper played another tune, much sweeter than the earlier one, the children of
the villagers rushed out onto the streets and began to dance vigorously. The music and the
dance went on and on and on.
The villagers could stop neither the piper nor the children. at last the villagers feared that
over-exertion would kill their children. They felt sorry for being dishonest with the piper.
"Here is your ten thousand rupees. Please take the money and stop the music," they
requested the piper.
The piper stopped the music, took the money and went on his way. the children went
back to their parents.
PENALTY FOR DISHONESTY IS ALWAYS HEAVY.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,