Category: Simple Stories in English Season 1

Season 1, episode 19

Today’s story connects to episode 9. Perhaps you will remember “Miguel’s Little Lie”. Miguel wanted to go to a rock concert with his friend Wes, but, due to his lying, ended up going to a classical music concert with his mom and sister. Little did he know how much that concert would change his life. He thought rock music was the only sound worth listening to, but after hearing violins, flutes, trumpets, and tubas, he has a new appreciation for instruments. I hope you enjoy “Miguel’s Music.”

MIGUEL’S MUSIC

Miguel is a 12 year-old boy. He is usually honest, but one day he tells a lie to his mom. The lie is that he is going to his friend Wes’s house to spend the night, but in reality, Wes and Miguel are going to a Green Day concert. Miguel’s mom discovers the lie when Wes mentions a concert. Then Wes tells another lie when he says that the concert is of his sister playing the violin with the orchestra. What a stupid lie!

Now Miguel is going with his mother, his sister Maggie, and his friend Wes to a classical music concert. Miguel is not excited to listen to classical music. He prefers rock music. He thinks that rock music is very cool and that classical music is boring. Miguel doesn’t want to be at an orchestra concert with his mom and sister, he wants to be at the Green Day concert with Wes.

Maggie is very excited to listen to classical music. Maggie plays the piano and she loves classical music. Maggie practices the piano for one hour every day. She is very good.

Miguel looks at the stage. There are a lot of chairs, some very big drums, and other big instruments like a harp and a xylophone. The people in the orchestra enter the stage and the audience applauds. Some people go to the drums and tall instruments. Other people carry their instruments and sit on the chairs.

A person plays a note on the violin. The rest of the orchestra plays notes on their instruments.

“What are they doing?” Miguel asks Maggie.

“They are tuning their instruments. Tuning instruments is necessary so they don’t play in different tones,” Maggie responds.

Miguel looks at the instruments. He recognizes some instruments. He recognizes the trumpet and the trombone. He recognizes the clarinet and the flute. He recognizes the violin. But there are other instruments that he doesn’t recognize. There is a variety of drums that he doesn’t recognize. There are big violins that he doesn’t recognize. And there are brass instruments that he doesn’t recognize. 

“What are those instruments?” Miguel asks Maggie, indicating a circular brass instrument.

“It is a French Horn. And the other tall brass instrument is a tuba,” Maggie responds.

“What are the big violins?”

“They are not violins. They are violas. The bigger ones are cellos, and the really big ones are basses,” Maggie responds patiently.

The orchestra director enters the stage and everyone applauds. Then the orchestra plays their first song. Wes closes his eyes and sleeps. Miguel usually sleeps when he hears classical music, but this time is different. Miguel is very interested in the different instruments. He is fascinated by the musicians that play fast and slow, loud and soft.

Miguel is moved by the music. His emotions connect with the music. When the music is sad, Miguel feels sad. When the music is happy, Miguel feels happy. Miguel discovers that he likes classical music.

After the concert, Miguel thinks that the instruments are cool. Miguel wants to play a musical instrument. Miguel wants to make music, not just listen to it. Miguel observes while Maggie plays the piano. Miguel thinks that it is not complicated to play the piano, Maggie only moves her fingers on the piano keys.

Miguel sits at the piano and moves his fingers on the piano keys. Miguel’s fingers don’t produce music like Maggie. Miguel realizes that playing the piano is a little complicated.

Miguel decides that he doesn’t want to play the piano, he wants to play another instrument. So Miguel visits with the music teacher in his school. The music teacher is called Mr. Esteban. Mr. Esteban is an expert in music and musical instruments.

“I want to play an instrument,” Miguel declares to Mr. Esteban.

Mr. Esteban is excited. He likes teaching music and always wants more students in band. Mr. Esteban puts several instruments on a table. There is a flute, a clarinete, a trumpet, a trombone, and a saxophone.

Mr. Esteban passes the instruments to Miguel. He gives a little instruction and Miguel tries to play the instrument to see which he prefers. They start with the flute.

Miguel blows and blows, but he doesn’t make a sound on the flute. His lips need to have a specific form, but it is very complicated for Miguel.

Then Miguel tries the clarinet. Mr. Esteban explains that his lips need a specific position to play the clarinet. Miguel makes the correct formation and blows. The sound that the clarinet makes is horrible. It is a big “squawk!”

Miguel tries to play the trumpet and the trombone. They aren’t bad. Miguel likes the trumpet because it is not complicated. It only has three valves. Miguel likes the trombone because he likes moving the slide to produce notes.

Miguel thinks that the saxophone is the coolest. Sometimes Miguel sees the saxophone in rock bands. Miguel wants to play the saxophone. It is a little complicated, but Miguel forms his lips and blows air in the saxophone. It produces a sound and the sound is not horrible! Mr. Esteban teaches him how to move his fingers to change notes on the saxophone. Miguel moves his fingers and produces three notes. It is very cool!

Miguel wants to be an expert on the saxophone immediately, but Mr. Esteban explains that professional musicians practice for years and years. Miguel needs to be patient and he needs to practice every day.

Miguel practices and practices and practices. He doesn’t just practice the saxophone. Miguel learns to play the guitar and the accordion. Now Miguel plays instruments in three bands. He plays the saxophone in a jazz band. He plays the accordion in a polka band. And he plays the guitar in a rock band.

The End.

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I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn and I like to keep it ad free. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Season 1, episode 15

Mothers often need to have patience as children learn and grow. Nadia is mother to Luisa and Perla. Luisa loves her family and she loves to help. But sometimes her help causes problems for her mother. All is well, though, with Luisa hugs her mom and tells her, “I love you, mom.”

This simple story is told in the past tense and focuses on the words “listened”, “ran”, “wanted”, “said”, “responded”, “surprised”, “pretty”, and “love”.

I LOVE YOU, MOM

Luisa is 4 years old. Her sister Perla is only one. Luisa and Perla live with their mom Nadia and their dad Max.

Luisa likes her family a lot. She loves her mom, her dad and her little sister. She likes to read stories with them. She likes to play with them and watch movies with them. She especially likes to help them in the house.

Luisa helps in the house a lot. When her mom and dad talk, Luisa listens. For example, one day Nadia mentioned that Perla needed a bath. So Luisa decided to help. Luisa went to the bathroom and grabbed a towel and soap. Luisa filled a bucket with water. Then Luisa walked with the towel, soap, and water to Perla’s room. Luisa put the towel in the bucket of water with the soap. Then Luisa washed Perla. When Luisa finished, she called her mom.

Nadia listened to Luisa and ran to the bedroom. When she entered Perla’s room, she was very surprised and a little angry. Perla’s room was a disaster! There was water and soap all over the floor.

“Why is it a mess here?” Nadia yelled at Perla. “Why is there water and soap on the floor?”

Luisa looked at the disaster and ran to her mom. She hugged Nadia and then she said, “I love you mom. I just want to help.”

Nadia sighed. “I love you too, Luisa,” Nadia responded. “Now let’s clean this up.”

Another time Nadia mentioned that the family was going to an important event. She said that they were going to have elegant clothes and that they had to be very pretty. Luisa was very excited. She loved elegant clothes. Perla also had an elegant dress, although small.

The day of the event, Luisa observed her mom. Nadia was putting on makeup. Luisa thought that she also needed makeup to be pretty. So Luisa took her mom’s makeup. She went to Perla’s room. Luisa painted her lips and cheeks red. Then she put makeup on Perla. She thought they were very pretty and called her mom.

Nadia listened to Luisa and ran to the room. When she entered Perla’s room she was very surprised and a little angry. Luisa had used her favorite makeup and it was destroyed. Then she looked at Luisa with her big, red smile and Perla with her rosy cheeks. Luisa ran to her mom.

“Look mom, we are pretty like you!” Luisa said. Then she hugged her mom and said, “I love you, mom.”

Nadia sighed. “Yes, dear. We are very pretty,” Nadia responded.

Luisa wanted to do something special for her mom’s birthday. So in the morning she decided to prepare breakfast for her mom. Her mom likes to eat eggs. So Luisa grabbed two eggs. One egg fell and broke on the floor. Luisa broke the other egg in the pan. Then Luisa decided to prepare pancakes for her mom’s special day. She opened a lot of boxes and combined the ingredients.

Max, Luisa’s dad, heard the noise in the kitchen. He walked to the kitchen to investigate. When he entered the kitchen he was very surprised and a little angry. The kitchen was a disaster!

Luisa looked at her dad’s angry face and began to cry. “I just wanted to prepare a special breakfast for mom,” Luisa cried.

So Max helped Luisa prepare eggs and pancakes for Nadia. Max and Luisa walked to Nadia’s bedroom. Nadia looked at the delicious breakfast and she was surprised. Luisa ran to her mom and hugged her.

“I love you, mom,” Luisa said. “Happy birthday!”.

“Thank you, Luisa!” Nadia exclaimed and then she ate all the pancakes while Max and Luisa cleaned the kitchen.

One day Luisa was watching a television show. On the show, a boy made a panting for his mom. Luisa decided that she also wanted to make a painting for her mom. So Luisa grabbed paintbrushes and paint. Luisa worked on the painting for a long time. She painted and painted with red, blue, yellow, and purple.

Nadia was with Perla. She didn’t see Luisa. She didn’t hear Luisa. Nadia was worried. She decided to investigate. She wanted to see if Luisa was okay. When Nadia entered Luisa’s room, she was very surprised and a little angry.

Luisa was painting on the wall of her bedroom. Luisa painted three girls on the wall. One girl was tall, one girl was short, and the third girl was very small. The girls were in a red heart. Luisa looked at her mom. Then Luisa ran to her mom and hugged her.

“It’s you, me, and Perla. I love you, mom,” Luisa said.

Nadia sighed. “I love you too, Luisa. This is a very pretty painting. In the future, let’s paint on paper and not on the wall.”

The end.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn and I like to keep it ad free. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Season 1, episode 14

We all get bored. Georgie has a room full of things, but he still gets bored. When he tells people he is bored, they just send him away to do something else. Will he just stay bored forever? Or will he find something to entertain the day away? Listen in to find out in “I’m Bored!”

This simple story is told in the present tense and focuses on the words “thinks”, “grabs”, “takes”, and “What’s wrong?”.

I’M BORED!

Georgie is 6 years old. He lives with his mom, dad, sister and grandma. At home, Georgie has a big bedroom. in the bedroom there are a lot of things. There are books to read and color. There are teddy bears and dinosaurs. There are toy cars and trucks. there are blocks and balls. Georgie has a lot of things, but today, it is not enough.

Today is Saturday. Georgie doesn’t have school. Georgie doesn’t have work. After eating breakfast, Georgie sighs loudly.

“What’s wrong, dear?” his mother asks.

“I’m bored, mom,” Georgie responds.

“Bored?” his mom reacts in surprise. “Well, read a book.”

Georgie walks to his bedroom and looks at all the books. He selects a comic book. Georgie reads the book. It is interesting, but today it is not enough. Georgie closes the book and walks to his dad. Georgie’s dad is washing the dishes. Georgie sighs loudly.

“What’s wrong, dear?” his dad asks.

“I’m bored, dad,” Georgie responds.

“Bored?” his dad reacts with surprise. “Well, read a book.”

“I already read a book,” Georgie says. 

“Well, watch a show on the TV with your grandma,” his dad recommends.

Georgie walks to the living room. His grandma is sitting on the couch and she’s watching a show on the TV. The TV program is her favorite soap opera. The soap opera is super dramatic and intense. Georgie doesn’t like the soap opera very much. Georgie sighs loudly.

“What’s wrong, Georgie?” his grandma asks.

“I’m bored, grandma,” Georgie responds.

“Bored?” his grandma reacts in surprise. “This telenovela is very intense and interesting! If you don’t want to watch my telenovela, play with your sister.”
Georgie goes to his sister’s room. His sister’s name is Brisa. Brisa has a group of dolls and teddy bears. She is playing with the dolls when she sees Georgie.

“Can I play with you, Brisa?” Georgie asks.

“Yes,” Brisa responds, “but you have to listen to me and you can’t attack my dolls!”

Georgie grabs a teddy bear and a dinosaur from his bedroom. He plays with Brisa for a few minutes, but he is bored! Brisa and her dolls drink tea and talk about girl stuff. Ugh! Georgie sighs loudly.

“What’s wrong?” Brisa asks Georgie.

“I’m bored, Brisa,” Georgie responds.

“Bored?” Brisa reacts in surprise. “You are at the exclusive tea party of princess Adela (the name of her favorite doll) and you are bored?!”

“Yes.”

“Well! Play in your room. Good-bye!” Brisa exclaims.

Georgie walks to his bedroom and looks at his stuff. He sees a book. The drawings are nice, but Georgie is still bored. He looks at the balls. He throws a ball against the wall, but it isn’t enough. Georgie is still bored. He looks at the blocks. He builds a tower, but it isn’t enough. Georgie is still bored. He looks at the cars. He pushes the cars on an imaginary street, but it isn’t enough. Georgie is still bored.

Georgie sits in the middle of his dormitory with all his stuff. Georgie is bored. He thinks and thinks and thinks. Then Georgie has an idea.

Georgie takes the blocks and builds a small city of blocks. Georgie takes his cars and puts them on the street of the little city. Then Georgie goes to his parents’ bedroom. He opens the closet and grabs the camera and tripod. Georgie returns to his bedroom with the camera and tripod. Georgie positions the camera and the tripod.

Georgie grabs a teddy bear and a dinosaur. He puts the dinosaur on the street of the little city with the cars. Then Georgie takes a picture. Then he moves the dinosaur a little and takes another picture. Georgie continues moving the dinosaur and the cars little by little. With each movement, he takes a picture. After a lot of pictures, he puts the teddy bear in the street of the little city too.

After 30 minutes, Brisa enters Georgie’s bedroom and sighs loudly. “I’m bored,” Brisa says. Then she sees Georgie’s activity. She grabs some small dolls and puts the dolls on the street with the cars and the dinosaur. She helps Georgie move the toys and take pictures.

After 20 more minutes, Georgie’s dad enters the bedroom and sighs loudly. “I’m bored,” his dad says. Then he sees Georgie’s activity. His dad takes a position with the camera. Georgie and Brisa move the toys and their dad takes the pictures.

After ten more minutes, Georgie’s mom enters the bedroom and sighs loudly. “I’m bored,” his mom says. Then she sees Georgie’s activity. His mom helps move the toys with Georgie and Brisa.

The whole family works together for two hours. They move the toys and take pictures. Then the dad grabs his computer. He puts the photos on the computer and connects all the photos to make a movie. The mom then takes the computer. She puts in music and sound effects.

Then the family goes to the living room to watch their movie. The grandma is in the living room. She is sitting on the couch and she sighs loudly. “I’m bored,” grandma says.

Georgie smiles. The family sits on the couch with the grandma and watches the movie on the computer. It is a fantastic movie about a dinosaur that attacks a small city. The dinosaur grabs and throws cars. The people in the city yell and the dolls run. Then an enormous bear attacks the dinosaur and defends the city.

The movie is fantastic and Georgie is happy. He decides that sometimes it is good to be bored because boredom leads to creativity.

The end.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn and I like to keep it ad free. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Season 1, episode 12

Paula enjoys living in the mountains with her dog Bobo and her one hundred and fifty cows. But sometimes her cows wander off and need help getting out of some sticky situations. Paula counts her cows and when they are missing, she looks for them. Paula will do anything to help her cows if they get stuck. She will pull, cut and even sing to help them. Will she be able to help them all?

This simple story is told in the present tense and focuses on the words “needs”, “is missing”, “look for”, “stuck”, “hears”, and “runs”.

THE LOST COWS

There is a woman. Her name is Paula. Paula is a strong, solitary woman. She is not very sociable. Paula doesn’t have many friends because she lives far from civilization. Paula is a rancher. She lives on a ranch in the mountains. Paula has a lot of cows on the ranch. She takes care of the cows. She feeds them. She talks to them. She sings to them. The cows just say, “Moo.”

Paula also has a dog. Paula’s dog is named Bobo. Bobo is a white and black dog. Bobo has a lot of energy. He likes running in the mountains. He likes running after the cows. Paula takes care of her dog. She feeds him. She talks to him. She sings to him. Bobo the dog just says “bow wow.”

Paula and Bobo walk with the cows in the mountains. Paula likes walking with the cows in the mountains. But there is a problem. Sometimes the cows get lost in the trees and Paula doesn’t know where they are.

So Paula counts the cows. She counts the cows in the morning and in the afternoon. She counts the cows to check that all the cows are present.

Paula has 150 cows. In the morning, she walks with her 150 cows to the woods. The cows eat the green grass and are very happy. Paula and Bobo walk in the flowers and breathe the fresh air and are very happy.

In the afternoon it is time to return to the ranch. So Paula counts her cows. she should have 150 cows, but she only counts 147 cows. She is missing three cows! Where are the cows? The cows are lost!

Paula and Bobo look for the three cows. They look in the trees and they look in the green grass. Bobo hears a noise and barks, “bow wow.” Then Bobo runs to the noise. Paula runs after Bobo. Then Paula hears the noise “moo.”

It’s a cow! Paula and Bobo run to the cow. They find the cow in a puddle of mud. The mud is brown and thick. The cow can’t move very well. the cow is stuck in the mud. The cow doesn’t move from the mud.

Paula wants to help the cow. She takes a rope and forms a lasso. Paula throws the lasso over the cow. Then Paula pulls. She pulls and pulls the rope. The cow moves a little. Paula pulls more. Bobo grabs the rope and pulls. Finally the cow is free from the mud! Paula, Bobo, and the cow walk to the group.

Paula counts the cows again. Now she has 148 cows. She is missing two cows! Where are the cows? The cows are lost!

Paula and Bobo look for the two cows. They look in the bushes and they look in the green grass. Bobo hears a noise and barks, “bow wow.” Then Bobo runs to the noise. Paula runs after Bobo. Then Paula hears the noise too, “moo.”

It’s a cow! Paula and Bobo run to the cow. They find the cow in a tree. The branches of the tree trap the cow. The cow can’t move very well. The cow is trapped in the tree. The cow doesn’t move from the tree.

Paula wants two help the cow. She takes a knife. Paula uses the knife and cuts the branches of the tree. She cuts and cuts the tree. The cow moves a little. Paula cuts more. Bobo grabs and moves the branches. Finally the cow is free from the tree! Paula, Bobo, and the cow walk to the group.

Paula counts the cows again. Now she has 149 cows. She is missing one cows! Where is the cow? The cow is lost!

Paula and Bobo look for the cow. They look in the bushes and trees. They look in the green grass and in the mud. Bobo hears a noise and barks, “bow wow.” Then Bobo runs to the noise. Paula runs after Bobo. Then Paula hears the noise too, “moo.”

It’s a cow! Paula and Bobo run to the cow. They find the cow in the grass. The cow is perfectly fine. The cow is not stuck in the mud or trapped in a tree. But there is a problem. he cow doesn’t move. Paula touches the cow, but it doesn’t move. Paula pulls the cow, but it doesn’t move. Paula pushes the cow, but it doesn’t move. Bobo barks at the cow, but it doesn’t move.

“What is your problem, cow?” Paula says.

“Mooooo!” the cow responds.

“Bow wow!” Bobo barks.

Paula observes the cow, then Paula understands. Paula wants to help the cow. She touches the cow softly. Paula sings softly to the cow. After a few minutes, the cow moves a little and Paula is happy.

Paula looks at the green grass behind the cow. In the green grass there is a small baby, a calf. The calf looks at Paula with big eyes and says, “moo.”

The calf stands up and walks to its mom. Paula, Bobo, the cow, and the calf walk to the group. Paula counts the cows again. Now she has 151 cows. She isn’t missing a cow, she has an extra cow!

The end.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn and I like to keep it ad free. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Season 1, episode 11

Luis enjoys his life as a rancher. He likes taking care of animals. Being on a ranch requires boots. Luis has a special friend that he wants to spend time with on the ranch, but she does not have boots, so Luis decides to get her some. Luis goes all over town, including the shoe store, the bank and the gas station as he tries to buy the perfect boots. Will he be able to get what he wants?

This simple story is told in the present tense and focuses on the words “needs”, “asks”, “goes”, “has”, numbers and many descriptions of people.

THE BOOTS

There is a boy. The boy’s name is Luis. Luis is sixteen years old. Luis is tall, dark, and handsome. Luis lives in Wyoming. Luis lives on a ranch in Wyoming. Luis is a rancher. Luis likes living and working on the ranch. He likes working with the animals on the ranch. But there is a problem. The animals on the ranch produce a lot of manure, or poop. So Luis wears boots. He always wears boots. He likes boots.

Luis has a special friend. His special friend is named Sally. Sally is pretty with long red hair. She isn’t tall or short, she is average. Luis likes to spend time with Sally. He thinks Sally is perfect, with one exception. Sally doesn’t have boots. Sally always wears sandals or cute shoes. She doesn’t want animal manure on her cute shoes, so Sally doesn’t visit the ranch.

Luis likes Sally a lot and he wants to spend more time with her on the ranch. So Luis decides to buy boots for Sally in the city. Luis has an old blue truck. Luis goes to the city in his truck. He goes to the shoe store in the city. The shoe store sells shoes, sandals, and boots.

Luis enters the shoe store. In the shoe store there is a man. The man is short, fat, and very nice. The man works in the shoe store.

“Hello. How may I help you?” the man says.

“I am looking for boots,” Luis responds.

“I have a lot of boots,” the man says.

Luis looks at the boots. There are brown boots, red boots, blue boots, pink boots, and purple boots. Luis likes the purple boots because purple is Sally’s favorite color.

“How much are the purple boots?” Luis asks the man.

“They cost $259 (two-hundred fifty-nine dollars), sir,” the man answers.

Luis is surprised. The boots cost a lot of money. Luis doesn’t have enough money and he doesn’t have his credit card. Luis needs to go to the bank.

Luis gets in his truck. Luis goes to the bank in his old truck. The bank has a lot of money services. The bank cashes checks, sends money to other people, and gives loans. It is also possible to take money out of an account.

Luis enters the bank. In the bank, Luis sees a woman. She is tall and dark. The woman works in the bank.

“Hello, how my I help you?” she says.

“I need money,” Luis answers.

“I have money,” the woman says. Luis gives his bank account information to the woman and the woman looks at Luis’s money on the computer. Luis has enough money in the bank.

“How much money do you need?” the woman asks.

“I need $259 (two-hundred fifty-nine dollars), please,” Luis answers.

The woman counts out $259 (two-hundred fifty-nine dollars) and gives it to Luis. Luis takes the money and says, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” the woman responds.

Luis runs to his truck. Now he has the money and he needs to return to the shoe store to buy the purple boots. Luis goes to the shoe store in his old truck.

After five minutes, the truck stops. It stops in the middle of the street! Luis looks at the controls and sees the problem. The truck is out of gas! Now Luis has two problems: he needs to buy the boots for Sally, but he also needs to buy gas for his truck.

Luis pushes the truck to the gas station. Luis decides that he needs gas more than boots. In the gas station, Luis sees a man. The man is skinny and of average height. The man works in the gas station.

“Hello, sir. How may I help you?” the man asks Luis.

“I need gas,” Luis answers.

“I have gas,” the man says. The man fills the truck’s tank. The truck uses a lot of gas. When he is done, Luis asks, “How much is it?”

“$65 (Sixty-five dollars),” the man answers.

Luis counts $65 (sixty-five dollars) from the money he got at the bank. Luis is sad. Now he doesn’t have enough money for the purple boots for Sally and he doesn’t have time to return to the bank. Luis decides to go to the shoe store. Maybe there are other boots that cost less money.

“Hello! Are you going to buy the purple boots?” the man who works in the shoe store says when Luis enters.

“I don’t have enough money for the purple boots,” Luis answers. Luis counts his money. He originally had $259. The gasoline cost $65. So Luis now has $194 (one hundred ninety-four dollars).

“Do you have boots that cost $194?” Luis asks.

The man looks at the boots. The red boots are only $194! So Luis buys the red boots for Sally.

Luis prepares a fantastic night for Sally. Luis likes Sally a lot. Luis wants to go to an elegant restaurant and he wants to give the boots to Sally in a romantic moment. Then, he wants to walk with Sally in the ranch.

Luis goes to Sally’s house in his old truck. Sally lives in an enormous house in the city. In the truck Luis talks a lot. Sally doesn’t say anything. Sally just listens.

In the elegant restaurant, Luis eats steak and potatoes. Sally eats a salad with chicken. Luis talks a lot. Sally doesn’t say anything. Sally just eats and listens.

After eating, Luis prepares a romantic moment. He wants everything to be perfect when he gives Sally the boots. Luis looks at Sally and says, “Sally, I think you are fantastic. I want to spend more time with you. I want to walk a lot in the ranch with you, so I bought you these boots.”

Luis passes the boots to Sally. Sally doesn’t accept the boots. She looks at the boots with disgust. Finally Sally speaks.

“Luis, I don’t like ranches, I don’t like boots, I don’t like walking in animal poop, I don’t like your old truck, and I don’t like the color red. Good-bye.” 

Luis is very surprised and sad. Sally takes a taxi to her house and Luis walks to his truck alone. When he is walking, Luis has an idea.

Luis decides to visit the house of one of Sally’s friends. Luis goes to Hilda’s house. Hilda is very nice. She lives on a ranch too. She doesn’t have problems with animal poop or old trucks. Luis knocks on the door and looks at Hilda.

Hilda opens the door and Luis says, “Hello, Hilda. I bought you some boots!”

“I love red!” Hilda says with a smile. “Do you want to walk on he ranch with me?”

The end.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn and I like to keep it ad free. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Season 1, episode 10

When things get lost, the logical solution is to look for them. Sometimes we are so busy looking that we don’t see what is right under our noses. Lourdes is busy. She tries to make time for her son’s problems, but sometimes her own problems get in the way, such as when she needs some ginger for her cake.

This story is told in the present tense and has multiple repetitions of “Did you look?” and “I looked” as well as places around the house. 

THE BUSY MOM

There is a woman. Her name is Lourdes. Lourdes is a nice and patient woman. She is also a hard working woman. Lourdes works a lot. She works at home. She has a cooking blog. She prepares food recipes, cooks the food, takes photos of the food, and write articles about the whole process for her blog. Lourdes works practically all the time in her home. She is always busy.

Lourdes lives with her husband and her son. Lourdes’s husband is named Bill. Bill works too, but Bill does not work from home. He works in a chocolate factory. Bill works in the factory from nine (9) in the morning until five (5) in the afternoon.

Lourdes and Bill’s son is named Kevin. Kevin is fourteen (14) years old. Kevin does not have a job. Kevin likes to play video games.

One day Lourdes is working. She is working on a new recipe for gingerbread cake. Lourdes is in the living room. She is busy. She is reading an old book of recipes when Keven enters. Lourdes is busy, but she takes a moment to talk to her son.

“Mom, I have a problem,” Kevin says.

“What’s wrong?” Lourdes asks.

“I can’t find my new video game. I looked through the whole house. I don’t know where it is,” Kevin says.

“Did you look in your bedroom?” Lourdes asks.

“Yes, I looked in my bedroom. It’s not there,” Keven responds.

“Did you look in your backpack?” Lourdes asks.

“Yes, I looked in my backpack. It’s not there,” Keven replies.

“Did you look in the car?” Lourdes asks.

“No, no I did not look in the car,” Kevin replies.

“Well, maybe it’s in the car. Look in the car,” Lourdes tells her son. So Kevin goes to the car to look for his new video game and Lourdes continues reading the book of recipes. After a while, Lourdes moves from the living room to the kitchen to make the gingerbread cake. 

Lourdes is in the kitchen. She is busy. She is preparing the ingredients for the gingerbread cake when Kevin enters with another problem. Lourdes is busy, but she takes a moment to talk to her son.

“Mom, I have a problem,” Kevin says.

“What’s wrong?” Lourdes asks.

“The car is locked and I can’t find the keys. I looked all over the whole house. I don’t know where they are,” Kevin replies.

“Did you look in the entryway?” Lourdes asks.

“Yes, I looked in the entryway. They’re not there,” Keven replies.

“Did you look in the living room?” Lourdes asks.

“Yes, I looked in the living room,” Keven replies.

“Did you look in the kitchen?” Lourdes asks.

“No, no I did not look in the kitchen,” Kevin responds.

“Well, maybe they are in the kitchen. Look in the kitchen,” Lourdes told her son. Kevin looks a little and finds the keys.

Kevin leaves the kitchen and looks for his video game in the car. Lourdes has a lot of work. She is busy. She continues to prepare the ingredients for the gingerbread cake. She has eggs, butter, sugar, and flour. But there is a problem. She doesn’t have ginger! Lourdes looks all over the kitchen, but she doesn’t know where the ginger is. It is not possible to make a gingerbread cake without ginger!

“Mom, I have a problem,” Kevin says.

Usually when Lourdes is busy she makes time for her son. But in this moment, Lourdes doesn’t have time.

“I’m busy, dear. I don’t have time for another problem right now,” Lourdes responds.

“What’s wrong?” Kevin asks.

“I can’t find the ginger. I don’t know where it is,” Lourdes responds.

“Did you look in the cupboard?” Kevin asks.

“Yes, I looked in the cupboard,” Lourdes responds.

“Did you look in the pantry?” Kevin asks.

“Yes, I looked in the pantry,” Lourdes replies.

“Did you look in the fridge?” Kevin asks.

“No,” Lourdes says, “who puts ginger in the fridge? I think we don’t have any more ginger. I think I need to go to the store to buy more ginger.”

Lourdes needs to go to the store so she grabs her purse and grabs her wallet. The store is a bit far, so Lourdes needs to drive there. To go to the store, Lourdes needs the car keys.

“Mom, I have a problem,” Kevin repeats.

“I’m busy, dear,” Lourdes says. “I don’t have time now. I am looking for the car keys. I don’t know where they are.”

“Yes, well, mom…,” Kevin says.

“Just a minute. I am going to look for them in my bedroom,” Lourdes interrupts. She goes to her bedroom and looks for the keys, but they are not there.

“Well, mom,” Kevin says.

“Just a minute. I am going to look for them in the sofa,” Lourdes interrupts. She looks for the keys in the sofa, but they are not there.

“Mom!” Kevin yells.

“Just a minute,” Lourdes responds. “I am busy. I am looking for the keys. I don’t know where they are.”

“But I know where the keys are!” Kevin yells at his mom.

Lourdes stops and looks at Kevin. “You know where the keys are?,” Lourdes asks.

“Yes,” Kevin responds. “They are in the car.”

“Ah, perfect. Let’s go to the supermarket for the ginger,” Lourdes responds.

“But mom, there is a problem,” Kevin explains. “The keys are in the car, but the car is locked.”

“Oh,” Lourdes says and she thinks for a moment. “Ah! It’s okay, son. I have extra keys in my purse here,” Lourdes says. She opens her purse and grabs the extra keys. “Now let’s go. I am very busy today.”

The end.

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Season 1, episode 9

Miguel just wants to go to a concert, but his mom says no, even when he begs. So, Miguel and his friend come up with a plan that involves just a little lie. Miguel typically tells the truth, so lying is not easy for him. Will he be able to maintain the lie? Or will he cave under pressure?

This short, simple story is told in the present tense and focuses on the words “lie”, “says”, “sees”, “music”, and “concert”.

MIGUEL’S LITTLE LIE

Miguel is a boy. Miguel is twelve (12) years old. Miguel is short and chubby. Miguel is typically honest and good. Miguel lives with his mother and his sister Maggie. Miguel likes music a lot. He especially likes rock music. He likes the music of Nirvana, Green Day and Mago de Oz. Miguel listens to music in his bedroom. He imagines that he plays with the band on the guitar or the drum. Miguel dances and sings with the rock music.

One day Miguel sees that Green Day is going to have a concert in his city. Miguel is very excited. He loves Green Day. Miguel wants to go to the concert so Miguel talks to his mom.

Miguel’s mom is not excited. She thinks that Miguel is too young to go to a rock concert. Miguel’s mom says that he can’t go to the concert. Miguel begs his mom.

“Please, mom,” Miguel begs. “All my friends are going to the concert.”

“And if all your friends jump off a mountain, you will also jump off the mountain?” Miguel’s mom asks.

“But mom, it’s not fair!” Miguel says.

“Life isn’t fair, son,” Miguel’s mom responds.

Miguel is very sad. He wants to go to the concert. Miguel decides to talk to his sister Maggie. Maggie is sixteen (16) years old. She is intelligent and sophisticated. But Maggie does not want to help Miguel. She does not want to go to a rock concert. Maggie prefers classical music.

“Please, sis. Let’s go to the concert,” Miguel begs. “I will was the dishes for a month.”

“No,” Maggie responds. “Rock music is terrible. I don’t like the drum and guitar. I prefer the violin. Do you want to go to the symphony concert?”

“No,” Miguel responds. Miguel does not like classical music. He sleeps when he hears his sister’s music. He prefers rock music because he thinks it is more energetic. Miguel talks to his friend about his problem. His friend’s name is Wes. Wes has an idea.

“It’s all good, friend. You simply need to stay that you’re spending the night at my house. Your mom will think that you’re at my house, but really we’ll be at the concert!”

“But, it’s a lie,” says Miguel.

“It’s not a big lie,” says Wes, “it’s a little lie.”

Miguel thinks that Wes’s idea is a good idea. It is not a big lie, it is a little lie. So, Miguel talks to his mom and asks for permission to spend the night at Wes’s house. Miguel’s mom thinks that it’s okay. Wes is a good kid from a good family. Miguel is excited and a little nervous. Typically, Miguel is honest. Typically, Miguel tells the truth. But in this moment, he is not honest. He does not tell the truth, he tells a lie. Miguel is not going to spend the night at Wes’s house. He is going to spend the night at the Green Day concert.

Maggie sees Miguel’s face and she understands that there is a problem because Miguel appears nervous.

“Miguel,” says Maggie, “what is your problem?”

“Nothing!” Miguel shouts quickly.

Now Miguel is very nervous. Miguel does not make eye contact with Maggie. Maggie thinks that Miguel is telling a lie. She thinks that he is not being honest. But Maggie doesn’t care, so she goes to her room to listen to classical music and Miguel goes to his room to prepare for the concert.

After a short time, Miguel’s mom enters his bedroom.

“Hello, son,” his mom says. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, mom, I’m ready,” Miguel responds.

Miguel does not make eye contact with his mother. Miguel looks at his feet.

“Do you have your pijamas?” his mom asks.

“Yes, I have my pijamas,” Miguel says. He is very nervous and trembles a little.

“Do you have your toothbrush?” his mom asks.

“Y-yes, I h-have my t-toothbrush,” Miguel responds. He is nervous and stutters a little.

“Do you have your clothes for tomorrow?” his mother asks.

“Uh, um, uh, yeah, yes. I h-have my c-clothes for tomorrow,” Miguel responds. He is super nervous. He does not make eye contact. He trembles and stutters. And there is water on his face because Miguel is sweating a lot.

Miguel’s mother sees the sweat on Miguel’s face. She sees that Miguel trembles. She thinks that maybe Miguel is sick.

“Miguel, are you okay?” His mother asks.

“Y-yes, yes, yes. I’m perfectly good. I just want to go to Wes’s house,” Miguel responds.

Miguel is not honest. Miguel tells a lie to his mother. In this moment, a person knocks on the door. It’s Wes. Miguel just needs to maintain the lie for a few minutes more. Miguel opens the door and looks at his friend.

“Good-by mom, bye Maggie. I’m going with Wes,” Miguel shouts to his family.

“Yes, friend. Let’s go the to concert!” Wes says. Miguel looks at Wes in horror.

Miguel’s mom looks at Wes and Miguel. Miguel and Wes’s eys are big.

“What concert?” his mom asks.

“Uh, uh, my sister has a concert today,” Wes responds. Wes’s response is not the truth, it is a lie. His sister does not have a concert. Wes is not being honest.

“Your sister plays with the symphony?” Maggie asks.

“Uh, yeah. She plays the violin,” Miguel says. Miguel’s response is not the truth, it is another lie. Wes’s sister does not play the violin.

“Perfect! I will go to the concert with you,” Maggie says to the boys.

“Me too!” Miguel’s mom says. “I love classical music. The symphony is excellent.”

So Miguel goes to a concert. He goes to a concert of classical music with Wes, Maggie, and his mom. And he does not go to Green Day.

The end.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn and I like to keep it ad free. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.