The story of the Three Bears

Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house, in a wood. One of them was a Little Wee Bear and one was a Middle-Sized Bear and the other was a Great Big Bear. They had each a bowl for their soup: a little bowl for the Little Wee Bear and a Middle-Sized bowl for the Middle-Sized Bear and a great bowl for the Great Big Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in: a little chair for the Little Wee Bear and a middle-sized chair for the Middle-Sized Bear and a great chair for the Great Big Bear. And they had each a bed to sleep in: a little bed for the Little Wee Bear and a middle-sized bed for the Middle-Sized Bear and a great bed for the Great Big Bear.
One day, after they had made the soup for their meal, and poured it into their bowls, they walked out into the wood while the soup was cooling. And while they were away a little girl called Goldilocks passed by the house, and looked in at the window. She saw nobody inside. The door was not fastened, because the bears were good bears, and would do nobody any harm and never suspected that anybody would harm them. So Goldilocks opened the door and went in.
How pleased she was when she saw the soup in the bowls. If she had been a well-brought-up little girl she would have waited until the bears came home, and then, perhaps, they would have asked her to lunch. But she was an impudent, rude little girl, and so she set about helping herself. First she tasted the soup of the Great Big Bear, and that was too hot for her. Next she tasted the soup of the Middle-Sized bear, but that was too cold for her. And then she went to the soup of the Little Wee Bear, and tasted it, and that was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right, and she liked it so well that she ate it all up!
Then Goldilocks, who was tired because had been catching butterflies, sat down in the chair of the Great Big Bear, but that was too hard for her. And then she sat down in the chair of the Middle-Sized Bear, and that was too soft for her. But when she sat down in the chair of the Little Wee Bear, that was neither too hard, nor too soft, but just right. So she seated herself in it, until the bottom of the chair came out, and down she came, plump upon the ground. And that made her very cross, because she was a bad-tempered little girl.
Now, being decided to rest, Goldilocks went upstairs into the bedroom in which the three bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed of the Great Big Bear, but that was too high at the head for her. And next she lay down upon the bed of the Middle-Sized Bear, and that was too high at the foot for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little Wee Bear, and that was neither too high at the head, nor at the foot, but just right. So she covered herself up comfortably, and lay there until she fell asleep.
By this time the three bears came back home.
“Somebody has been at my soup!”, said the Great Big Bear. Then the Middle-Sized Bear looked at his soup and saw the spoon was standing in it too.
“Somebody has been at my soup!”, said the Middle-Sized Bear in his middle-sized voice. Then the Little Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the soup-bowl, but the soup was all gone!
“Somebody has been at my soup, and has eaten it all up!” said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.
The three bears, seeing that someone had entered their house, began to look for them.
“Somebody has been sitting in my chair!”, said the Great Big Bear in his great, rough, gruff voice.
“Somebody has been sitting in my chair!”, said the Middle-Sized Bear in his middle-sized voice.
“Somebody has been sitting in my chair, and has sat the bottom through!”, said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.
Then the three bears thought they had better make further search in case it was a burglar, so they went upstairs into their bedroom. Now Goldilocks had pulled the pillow of the great big bear out of its place.
“Somebody has been lying in my bed!”, said the Great Big Bear in his great, rough, gruff voice. And Goldilocks had pulled the bolster of the Middle-Sized Bear out of its place.
“Somebody has been lying in my bed!”, said the Middle-Sized Bear in his middle-sized voice. But when the Little Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there was the bolster in its place! And the pillow was in its place upon the bolster! And upon the pillow? There was Goldilocks’ yellow head.
“Somebody has been lying in my bed – and here she is still!”, said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.
Now Goldilocks had heard in her sleep the great, rough voice of the great big bear, but she was so fast asleep. And she had heard the middle-sized voice of the middle-sized bear, but it was only as if she had heard someone speaking in a dream. But when she heard the little wee voice of the little wee bear, it was so harp, and so shrill, that it woke her up at once.
When she saw the three bears on one side of the bed, she tumbled herself out at the other, and ran to the window. Now the window was open, because the bears, like good, tidy bears they were, always opened their bedroom window when they got up in the morning. So naughty, frightened little Goldilocks jumped, and Goldilocks run and run and run as far and fast as she could and the bears didn’t see her again.

Little Red Riding Hood

Long, long time ago, in a little village at the edge of a forest, there lived a little girl with her mother and her father. This little girl was the sweetest, kindest child there ever was. She was always dressed in a pretty red cloak and hood that her mother had made for her, so that everyone began calling her Little Red Riding Hood.

One day Little Red Riding Hood's mother called her and said, "Daughter, your grandmother is very ill. Please take her this pot of butter and some custard that I have made". "Very well, mum", said Little Red Riding Hood, and ran to get her little basket for the custard and the butter. "Be careful", said her mother, kissing her. "Don't stray from the path, don't stop on the way, and don't speak to any strangers".

Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother lived all by herself in a little cottage on the other side of the forest. Little Red Riding Hood had been through the forest alone many times, and knew her way. So she wasn't frightened at all. She skipped merrily along the forest path, enjoying the bright sunshine, the blue sky and the birds singing in the trees.

But suddenly, whom should she meet but a wolf. "Hello, little girl", said the wolf in his nicest voice. "Where are you going this bright spring day?"

Little Red Riding Hood was feeling so happy and cheerful that she forgot all that her mother had said to her about not speaking to strangers. She smiled at the wolf and replied in her politest voice, "Hello to you as well, Mr. Wolf. I am going to see my Grandma, who lives on the other side of this forest. She isn't feeling very well today, so I am taking her some custard and a pot of butter. Maybe that will cher her up".

"Oh dear", said the wolf, still in his nicest voice. "How very sad your grandma isn't feeling too well" I shall go and visit her as well. I am sure she will feel much better if I do!"

"Oh thank you, Mr Wolf", said Red Ridding Hood. "That is so kind and thoughtful of you".

"Well, let's hurry then", said the wolf. "You go this way, and I'll go the other way, and let's see who reaches your grandma first!" So saying the wolf vanished into the forest. He ran as fast as he could and took all the shortcuts he knew so as to reach Grandma's little cottage before Red Riding Hood.

He arrived at the cottage, huffing and panting, but very pleased that he had beaten Little Red Riding Hood to it.

The wolf knocked at the door of Grandma's cottage with a gentle tap-tap.

"Who is it?" called grandma from within.

"It's Little Red Riding Hood", said the wolf, making his voice sound as much like a little girl's as he could.

"Dear Little Red Riding Hood", said grandma. "I'm too weak to open the door. Lift the latch and come in".

The wolf did as grandma said and walked into the little cottage. There was grandma, feeling quite weak and ill, lying in bed under a pile of blankets. The wolf jumped on to the bed, and goobled up grandma in a single swallow! He knew that Little Red Riding Hood would be arriving soon, so he wasted no time, but put on grandma's clothes and the frilly little lace cap that she always wore to bed. He covered himself as much as he could with the blankets, and lay on grandma's bed, pretending to be grandma.

Now Little Red Riding Hood was walking as fast as she could through the forest, when all at once she saw a clump of golden daffodils growing under a tree a little way into the forest. "Oh how beautiful", said Red Riding Hood to herself. "I am sure grandma would love to have some. Maybe I should pick her a bunch!" Little Red Riding Hood forgot all that her mother had said about not stopping or leaving the path. She ran into the forest and began gathering a great big bunch of daffodils for grandma.

By the time Red Riding Hood finished picking the flowers and found her way back to the path again, it was quite late. "Oh dear", said Red Riding Hood. "I completely forgot all about that kind Mr. Wolf racing me to grandma's cottage! I'm sure he has already been and gone! I do hope he cheered grandma up, though". Little Red Riding Hood began walking faster and faster, and very soon she came to her grandma's little cottage.

"Grandma, open the door!" called Red Riding Hood, knocking on the door. "It's Little Red Riding Hood!"

The wolf answered just as grandma had done.

"Dear Little Red Riding Hood", said the wolf. "I'm too weak to open the door. Lift the latch and come in".

Little Red Riding Hood did as the wolf asked and walked into the cottage. She walked up to the bed to give her grandma a hug.

"Why grandma", said Little Red Riding Hood in surprise, "you look different today. You must be really ill!".

The wolf pretended to get a coughing fit just then, to show Red Riding Hood how very ill her grandma was.

"You poor dear!" said Red Riding Hood straightening the blankets and fluffing up the pillows. "But grandma, you do look strange! What big ears you have!"

"Only to hear you better with, my dear", said the wolf.

"And what big eyes you have grandma!" continued Red riding Hood in surprise.

"Only to see you better with, my dear" said the wolf.

"What a big nose you have grandma!" said Red Riding Hood.

"Only to smell you better with, my dear", said the wolf.

"What big teeth you have grandma!", said Red Riding Hood.

"That's only to EAT YOU BETTER WITH!" said the wolf. he jumped out from under the blankets and gobbled up Little Red Riding Hood, red cape and all, in a single swallow.

Now the wolf felt relly sleepy after such a large meal. He decided to take a nap in grandma's warm, comfortable cottage. He made a comfortable place for himself on the bed, and was soon fast asleep, snoring loudly and contentedly.

Just then a woodcutter passed by. He heard the sound of the wolf's snoring through the open windows of the cottage. The woodcutter knew this wolf, and did not trust him at all.

So very quietly, so as not to wake the wolf, the woodcutter opened the cottage door and went in. "Ah", thought the woodcutter. "Judging by the size of the wolf's tummy, he has just had a large meal, and I wonder who he has eaten this time!"

The woodcutter picked up a pair of grandma's scissors lying on the table, and deftly cut open the sleeping wolf's tummy. Out climbed Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, breathless and squased and VERY glad to be out of the wolf's tummy. "Oh! Thank you for saving us!" said Little Red Riding Hood to the woodcutter. "It was so dark and smelly inside the wolf's tummy!"

"Hurry!" said the woodcutter. "Let's not waste any time. The wolf could wake up any moment. " The woodcutter and Red Riding Hood then gathered up some stones, the biggest they could find, and put them inside the wolf's tummy. Then grandma took out her sewing kit, and threading a needle with some strong brown cotton, sewed up the wolf's tummy quickly.

In a little while the wolf woke up. "Oh dear", he thought. "I must be getting old! I can't even eat a little girl and her grandma without feeling as though my tummy was full of stones!" The wolf gave a great big belch and staggered out of the door. "I don't think I'll ever eat humans again. They don't agree with me!" And that was the last that anyone ever saw of him.

Little Red riding Hood gave her grandma the custard and the pot of butter her mother had sent, and a huge big hug from herself. Grandma was well and strong very soon. As for Little Red Riding Hood herself, she never forgot her mother's advice again!

The snowman

It was nearly Christmas. Katie woke up and found that the world was white and magical.

"Snow!", shouted, "snow for Christmas!".

She ran outside and danced in the snow.

Her brother Eddie came out too. They made a big round snowball and a small one.

They put them together and made a huge snowman.

On Christmas Eve they looked at the snowman.

He waved at them. He was alive!

"Hello", he said, "it's Christmas. Would you like a present?"

"Yes, please!"

The snowman waved his arms.

Silver crystal snowfakes filled the sky. It was so beautiful!

"We must give you a present too", said Katie.

They gave the snowman a carrot for a nose, a scarf for his neck, and a hat for his head.

"Happy Christmas!" they said.

The snow stopped and the sun came out. The snowman started to melt.

"Goodbye", he said. "Build me again next year!"

Las ventajas de leer cuentos

Los cuentos son una inagotable fuente de sabiduría y es la manera más sencilla de mostrarla a los niños. Con ello el niño no solo se divierte, sino que desarrolla su imaginación y despierta su curiosidad, lo que hace al niño más creativo. Además es un magnífico material para que el niño pueda ampliar su lenguaje.

Así mismo, los cuentos tienen una finalidad moral, que inculcan al niño valores tan importantes y efímeros hoy en día como la importancia del trabajo bien hecho (Los tres cerditos), la constancia y la modestia (La tortuga y la liebre), la importancia de no mentir (El lobo y el pastorcillo), por nombrar algunos ejemplos. Todos los cuentos tienen su moraleja.

Tienen un argumento lógico que une diferentes partes en la historia haciéndola mucho más fáciles de ser recordadas. De esta manera, nuestra memoria va almacenando justamente ese hilo argumental por que es el nexo de toda la historia. Pero lo que mejor queda grabado en nuestra memoria es la moraleja, precisamente por que es el mejor resumen del cuento.

Así pues los cuentos ofrecen múltiples ventajas incluso para aprender un nuevo idioma. Leyendo cuentos en otro idioma, no solo adquieres todas las ventajas expuestas anteriormente sino que amplías tus conocimentos de vocabulario en ese idioma. Una de las cosas que tienen los cuentos es que hacen posible aprender y afianzar el significado de nuevas palabras, ya que repiten palabras continuamente que dan énfasis al cuento, por lo tanto se aprenden con mucha más facilidad.

Además permite al niño comenzar a abrir una nueva dimensión en el aprendizaje de un idioma que no es el suyo. Mediante la lectura del cuento, siguiendo el hilo de la historia y despertando la curiosidad de éste, el niño comienza a asimilar las palabras y los conceptos sin necesidad de traducirlos previamente a su idioma, lo cual es realmente importante para adquirir fluidez con la nueva lengua.

Espero que disfrutéis con este blog y que os sea provechoso