There was a lot of hustle and bustle in the elves’ workshop. Santa Claus and his elves only had a few days left to get everything ready for Christmas. On the workbenches, they were screwing, planing, sanding, and painting in the most beautiful colors. Nutcrackers, colorful spinning tops, rocking horses, toy cars, tractors, and doll […]
Large, soft snowflakes fell silently from the sky as Harper and Dylan played with their wooden train set in their warm living room. It was a tradition that the old train set was put up every year at the beginning of winter and ran leisurely through the living room at Christmas. But this year, Dylan,
“Is that a sheep or a cat?” wondered Sam, the little brown bear, as he watched the fluffy clouds rushing past the mountain peak, constantly changing shape to resemble different animals. As he watched the cloud formations, he lay comfortably in the grass on a mountain meadow, plucking a few daisies while lost in thought.
Autumn was well on its way. Leaves rustled on the paths everywhere, and every time the wind swept through the garden, leaves in the most colorful hues swirled through the air. Leo the cat lay comfortably on his warm windowsill and watched with amusement as a shriveled apple fell from the gnarled apple tree and
A few tourists struggled through the mud in the Wadden Sea. They had set off immediately after the water had slowly receded towards the horizon. “Typical beginner’s mistake,” smiled Abigail the sheep, who was eating a few juicy blades of grass on the dyke. She often watched the mudflat walkers with great amusement. Sometimes the
“It’s about time we did some organizing in the basement,” grumbled Leo’s father. ‘I can hardly get to my workbench anymore.’ He pushed his way through the many boxes, cartons, and sacks that were scattered all over the basement. Just as he got his leg stuck in an old wicker basket and almost tripped, he
In the depths of the ocean lived a large, old octopus named Tortella. With her long, strong arms, she could glide effortlessly through the water and reach any hiding place in the depths of the sea, no matter how remote. Tortella was not bothered by the darkness in the deep sea. She was a good
“Did you see that too?” called Paul to his best friend. With a flurry of wing movements, he indicated to Tim that he should fly slower so that he could have a better conversation. Arriving at the same height, Tim looked curiously at his best friend. The two sparrows flew past the roofs of the
In a secluded bay lived a mermaid called Esmelda. She was beautiful and kind. However, the inhabitants of the bay rarely saw her. But the mere knowledge of her presence reassured them. Rumor had it that the young mermaid would live forever and that she had lived in the coral and rocks of this strait
Early one morning, Richard the Meerkat was making his way to the river where all the animals liked to cool off before the water evaporated in the summer. He jumped from one boulder to the next, chatted to a few antelopes and then looked for a nice spot to watch the sunrise. He found a
Jeffrey the Seagull went to the beach to look for shells and lugworms in the bright sunshine. There were always many in this area. To find them, however, you needed good eyes, some skill and a lot of experience. In addition to lugworms, the Wadden Sea also had small and large crabs, shrimp, as well
Emma was sitting at the kitchen table with her little brother. They were working on a gift for her best friend from kindergarten. It was going to be a small elephant made of papier-mâché. To start, she glued wet newspaper to an inflated balloon. “Quite a mess,” she heard Mama mutter from the living room.
“It’s so dreary out there!” Leo thought as he sat on his warm windowsill. “The sun is hardly ever out. I thought my family had said it was going to be Easter soon but I must have misheard them because it has been snowing the last few days. There’s nothing exciting to look at.” The
Nelly the Elephant liked nothing better than hearing the stories from her favorite book. She kept it with her in a small backpack strapped to her back at all times in case she found someone who had time to read to her. In Nelly’s elephant herd, many aunts and cousins took care of all the
This mindfulness story is (also) dedicated to our adult readers. A little mouse lived in a tiny house, which she lovingly furnished with little things. Usually, her alarm clock went off early in the morning because she had a lot of things to do. But she hoped that this day would be different. The little
Autumn arrived quickly. The leaves changed color and fell gently to the ground with the breeze. “It’s time to go foraging again,” the little field hamster thought to himself. Careful not to be seen, he nimbly scurried out of his burrow and across the field. Until recently, tall grass and bushy corn stalks had been
Usually, Leo didn’t mind bad weather. But this time it was really getting to him. It had been raining nonstop for days. This meant there were no birds to watch from the windowsill, even though he kept his eye on the birdhouse he had built himself. It also meant there was no one tending to
Rustling could be heard throughout the forest this time of year. The autumn leaves fell softly to the ground and sometimes single, brightly colored leaves floated up towards the sky. “Do you hear those wonderful songs too?” whispered Bruce the Bear when he spotted Matthew the Raccoon behind a tree. Matthew nodded and they both
The first snow of the year fell gently to the ground, covering the tree branches with a fine layer that looked like powdered sugar. Winston, a Dachshund with a talent for solving mysteries, lay on his cushion in front of the fireplace, enjoying the warmth of the crackling fire. Out of the corner of his
A family of rabbits hopped across fields and meadows looking for a nice place to set up their new home. They were expecting their family to grow in the spring and their old burrow was much too small for them all. They discovered an old, abandoned shed at the edge of a field. It was
As the snow melted and winter came to an end, the most exciting time of the year was just around the corner. For bunnies who wanted to become Easter Bunnies, Easter was the most important celebration of all. They had a lot to learn leading up to the big day. A few weeks before Easter
The story of Panda Li consists of six parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 (this page) | Part 6 Word spread like wildfire that Li the Panda was planning a trip back to the island where a major hurricane had stranded him several years ago. Some were
The story of Panda Li consists of six parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 (this page) | Part 5 | Part 6 Patricia the Turtle, the oldest inhabitant of the island where Li had been stranded some years ago, now welcomed her unexpected guests warmly. Li’s brothers, who had come
Jacob and his wife, Harper, lived with many animals on a big farm near a clearing in the woods. The farm had a wide green meadow where the cows enjoyed eating fresh grass every day. For the cool nights in winter, the farmer had built them a cozy barn filled with hay so they could
Warning: in the spirit of Halloween, this story is quite spooky. On a tall and barren hill stood a very old, very deserted, and very gloomy knight’s castle. The forest that extended from its north side was eerie and full of dark secrets too. Those that lived in the other part of the forest avoided
Listen to the audiobook for kids: Each day at dusk, Perry the Raccoon made his way through the city streets. He was very familiar with this neighborhood. He knew exactly which front yards had the best fruit trees and which backyards had the most leftovers from people’s barbecues. The other animals in town knew Perry
A large flock of carrier pigeons lived on a small, rocky island in the middle of the rough Atlantic Ocean. They delivered important mail to the inhabitants of the surrounding islands. One of the pigeons was named Betty. She liked to fool around and was easily distracted. When the pigeons made their daily flight over
Listen to the audiobook for kids: Cooper was a small, clumsy dog. He was also very curious and smart. Wherever something exciting happened, he made sure he was there. His short legs sometimes held him back, but what he lacked in height, he made up for in courage. Cooper lived with his family on a
It was nearly Christmas and Leo’s family was expecting a lot of guests. This meant there was extra hustle and bustle in the house while the family prepared for the holidays. Leo was not feeling well at all. He had a cold and was especially in need of cuddles but no one had the time.
Leo the Cat had been waiting for this day for a long time. “Meow! Finally, some alone time at home again!” As nice as the holidays had been, at some point, a cat needs some peace. Especially if they have a plan in mind. Leo had a plan and was looking forward to today’s project.
What a terrible noise! They’re disrupting my tranquil afternoon, again!” Leo thought, closing his eyes and covering his ears with his paws. “Can’t an old cat enjoy his favorite place to nap in peace?” With some difficulty, Leo stood up. He stretched and yawned on the windowsill where he liked to snooze. Recently, Leo’s family
In general, Leo was a happy cat. Sometimes he did get a little bored. But he loved his family very much and fortunately they gave him a lot of freedom. He especially liked to lounge on the windowsill, letting the sun’s early morning rays warm him. He was there now, snoozing comfortably and purring softly.
“There must be somewhere up here I can make myself comfortable,” Leo thought, sniffing every corner of the attic. The place wasn’t particularly tidy. The attic was considered the junk room of the house. It was where anything that was no longer needed could be found. Old dressers, dusty lampshades, worn-out suitcases and abandoned travel
One cool morning in April, Abigail happily grazed in the pasture with her siblings. It was beautiful here. They lived where others vacationed. Once summer would arrive, they would be able look out over the sea and watch the many tourists swimming, going for walks, or struggling with their coolers and umbrellas. “Look, it’s them
Actually, the day started really well for Leo the cat. He lounged neatly on his beloved windowsill and yawned relaxed. The first rays of sunlight illuminated the large room and announced a beautiful spring day. “High time for a delicious breakfast,” Leo decided enthusiastically. He stretched and strolled leisurely into the kitchen. People were still
Listen to the audiobook for kids: One hot afternoon, Jasper the Lion, Richard the Meerkat, and Susan the Zebra were lounging on a hill under a shady tree. From here, they had a great view of the African savannah. Since the rainy season was almost over, and the bushes and trees hung full of green
One morning, the little squirrel named Timmy was awakened in his cozy hiding place. He was asleep when suddenly a tiny snowflake landed on the tip of his nose. Timmy shook his bushy fur, blinked his dark beady eyes at the sky, and thought, “If the first snow is falling now, then it will be
One Sunday, Leo the Cat’s family was having friends over for a visit. Leo enjoyed it very much when guests came to their house because they would always play and cuddle with him. Leo would be the center of attention the whole time. If he was lucky, someone would hold him and rub his ears
