The Boo in the Shoe: Learn English - Story for Children
English |
06m 23s
Boos are playful creatures. Meera stumbles upon Puzzle, the Boo, stuck inside her shoe.
The Boo in the Shoe
By Kuzhali Manickavel
Have you ever seen Boos?
They are playful creatures
you think you see
under your bed at night.
Some look like orange zebras,
others like flying snails.
They can tease
or make you sneeze -
they can even make
chocolates appear
in empty pockets!
Puzzle, the Boo
looked a bit
like an elephant,
only he was purple
most of the time
and the size of a mouse.
Meera stumbled upon him
one morning by accident.
There he was,
sniffing and moaning,
his backside
firmly wedged inside her shoe.
“I must be dreaming,”
she thought.
She poked him
to see what would happen.
“Ouch!” howled Puzzle.
“Oh! I’m very sorry,”
she apologized.
“I’m stuck!” he bawled.
In fact, he had been
stuck there all night
and had given up hope
of ever getting free.
Meera examined him closely.
“Let me see if I can help,”
she said,
pulling him by the legs.
She pushed him from behind.
She even banged the shoe
against the floor.
“I could put you in soapy water,”
she suggested.
No,
Puzzle was scared of bubbles.
“What if I poured oil on you?”
she asked.
Puzzle began to squeak and sob.
He certainly didn’t want oil
poured on him!
“I know how to stop you
from crying!”
Meera shouted merrily.
She started to tickle Puzzle.
Boos are very ticklish,
and soon
he was squirming and giggling.
The more Meera tickled him,
the more he squirmed
until suddenly...
“Look! You’re unstuck!”
cried Meera excitedly,
clapping her hands.
Puzzle blinked.
He wiggled his legs.
He wiggled his tail.
Then he wiggled his whole body,
just to make sure.
“Yay! I’m free!”
he trumpeted as he bounced
around the room.
He bounced onto her hand
and smiled.
“What would you like before I go?
Chocolates?
Shall I make your
school disappear?”
“Do you have to go?”
asked Meera sadly.
“I wish you could stay.
We could be friends!”
Boos didn’t have human friends.
“That’s a great idea!”
he squeaked.
“Just say
‘Puzzle the Boo,
I want to see you’
and I’ll come!”
“Promise?”
she asked.
“I promise!”
winked Puzzle.
The school bus honked loudly.
“Okay, we’ll play after school.
See you later!”
she said
as she rushed outside.
After school,
Meera went to the garden.
She shut her eyes
and murmured
the magic words.
There was a humming sound,
and Puzzle appeared in a flash!
They laughed and played
until sunset.
And from that day on,
Meera and Puzzle
became best friends.
Author: Kuzhali Manickavel
Illustrations: Emanuele Scanziani
Music: Holger Jetter
Animation: Alfrin Multimedia