20 Best Moral stories in English pdf with moral

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moral stories Collection – There is a large selection of short moral stories for kids online. They range from the classics like The Boy Who Cried Wolf, to somber ones talking about greed. To help you out, we’ve gathered a selection of the most 20 popular stories. story in english, story in hindi, story for kids, english story, moral story, stories short, english story pdf.

The Tale of the Magic Box

Once upon a time, in a faraway land there lived a farmer with his two sons. He worked hard and looked after his farm, his cattle, and orchard regularly. He did not take a break and toiled with his laborers throughout the year. It was little wonder that he had fields finest in the village. His cattle and sheep were the best in the village. Choicest fruits and vegetables grew in his garden and orchard.

During the monthly fair, where all village folks met to sell their wares, his was the best of the lot. His neighbors envied and said, “There goes Manohar, his sons are fortunate to have him as a father. They are going to inherit all this when he dies”.

Manohar had two sons. The elder one was Ravi and the younger Hari. However, Manohar what could do with his farm, his land and his cattle, he could not do with his sons. They were not interested in following their father’s footsteps. Ravi was a warrior and was more interested in arms and fighting, while Hari liked music and the fiddle.

Manohar secretly wished, “I wish I had a son who loved farms more than arms and one who liked cattle better than fiddle”. He worried about what will happen to his lands, but decided he had to go with what he had, and hoped for the best.

One day, he asked his sons, “What is it that you want to do in life?”

Ravi was quick to reply, “I want to join the army. I want to serve the country and make you proud”.

Hari seemed not so sure about what he wanted to do. “Well, I like music, and I may become a musician, but think I will have to practice harder”.

Okay” the farmer said. “Ravi, you go and join the army, and fulfill your wish”.

Then he turned to Hari. “You too can work towards your dream but meantime, help me with my work as well”.

So Ravi left and Hari stayed back with his father, occasionally helping him in his daily chores but mostly dreaming about his musical future.

Life went on but one day Manohar fell ill and there was nothing that anybody could do to help him. On his deathbed, he called Hari and told him, “Take good care of everything son, remember you are looking after your brothers share too, give it back to him intact, when he return from his duty”.

Those were his last words, and Manohar died leaving everything he had in Hari’s care.

Hari kept his father’s words close to his heart, and started on his life as a farmer. Nevertheless, as time went on, he began falling back to his old, carefree ways. He thought, “The lands have given good crops till now, the cattle and sheep has grown and prospered well, and trees have never stopped giving sweetest fruits, so why worry?

There are laborers to look after them who have been doing this for long so they will continue to do so”. He began enjoying his newfound status as master and followed his wishes more vigorously.

However, hoping for things to take care of themselves was too much to ask. Once left by themselves, laborers stopped giving their best, which meant crops weren’t looked after, cattle was unattended, fruits ripened and fell down from the tree, but never reached markets on time.

Thieves stole his cattle while pests and small birds made merry on the unmanned farms. The guards themselves turned to stealing as they found the opportunity too tempting.

Hari was oblivious to everything, lost in his world and music. The money his father left was getting him through the days and there was no shortage of friends and well-wishers while that lasted. But all things if not growing, have to come to an end. One night, it finally dawned upon Hari, when his father came to him in a dream.

“Remember my last words, son, remember to give your brother his share, or more if possible” was all he said. Hari was relieved his father did not scold him for being careless, but once out of bed; he went to take stock of his brother’s share. That soon turned to panic, as he learned about the real situation. The farm was nowhere near what it was, when his brother left, and he had nothing, no money or accounts to show him.

He thought, “What will he think? He may even send me to jail. And no one can blame him for that also”. Panic turning to fear, he approached his friends and well-wishers from the village. But they laughed him off, and said “He hasn’t come back till now, maybe he won’t ever, why worry, enjoy”.

But Hari wasn’t sure of that. He did not want his brother dead and he wanted him to come back. The thought of showing him the real situation made him panic, and he was running around in the village. His neighbours and others were having a good laugh at him, “We warned you so many times. You did not look after your farm, and you always dismissed us, so now suffer!” Nobody came forward to help him and they were all happy at his misery, and he couldn’t blame them also for his own wrong doings.

There was one shepherd boy in the crowd, who was considered a simpleton by everybody. But only he gave something which seemed like a solution to Hari. The boy said, “Master, why don’t you go to the old lady on the mountains, who can do magic. Who knows she may bring your lost fortunes back through magic”.

For once, Hari took serious notice of the shepherd boy and climbed up the mountain. The old woman lived in a cave like house, too old to even move around, but her ears seem alright, she listened to his whole story. ”Please help me, old woman, bring my fortunes back, I will ever be grateful” Hari pleaded.

The old woman took time to think, then went inside, and when she came back she had a small box in her hand, with a tiny hole on top. The box was locked and welded with brass strips. She handed the box to Hari and said, “Everyday, before sunrise, shake one grain of magic dust on all corners of your land, and watch the magic happening”.

Hari’s relief was beyond words. He took the magic box, thanked the old woman and quickly left for home. Next day he woke up, earlier than he had ever done and went with the box to the fields and started the routine as the lady said. But while doing it, he noticed the crops were half uncut in the fields. He also noticed the cut ones had not been taken inside or properly dried, and his laborers were sleeping comfortably.

Beginning to get angry, Hari woke them up and sent them off to fields, with instructions to do their job properly. He repeated the same routine in the cattle sheds and orchards, Hari had to shout them off the beds, and chase them to start on their duties. Laborers were shocked and whispered to each other, “The Master in the field? Now God saves us!”

This routine was repeated every day. Hari went on shaking his magic dust in fields, and his laborers had to keep up with him. Every day, he found items that were left unattended and made sure it was taken care of. He was waiting for the magic to happen, but unknowingly he was making it happen. Within time, his farm, orchards and cattle began to prosper and seemed well on the way to the state when his father was alive.

Unfortunately, his brother never came returned. He may have been killed in the war, but the good times came back for Hari. He got married to a good girl and had two sons. Time passed and while on his deathbed, he asked his sons to open the magic box he believed in so much which brought his good days back. The lock was opened and inside there was nothing except some sand and a note which said, “The magic is in the master’s eye and what your property needs is your attention”.

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The Clever Jackal And The Foolish Donkey – Moral story for child

This is a short bedtime story of an aged lion who had a clever jackal for a servant. The jackal was also a bit old and he was only happy to be the lion’s servant. Whenever the lion killed an animal, he would first have his fill and leave the rest for the wily jackal.

It so happened that one day the lion was very hungry and attacked a huge king elephant. The tusker got angry and injured the lion so bad that he could barely walk. Since the lion could not hunt, both, the jackal were starving. The lion asked the jackal to use his wile to try and trap some animal.

The lion told the jackal, Use your wile and bring me an unsuspecting animal that I could kill without much effort. Otherwise we would die starving.”

The clever jackal thought for a while and came up with an idea. He slowly got up to search for an unsuspecting animal. He came across many animals, but it was obvious that his master, the lion, would be unable to kill them. They were either too fast and some of them were even stronger than his master, in his present condition.

Finally, he saw a donkey grazing by the side of the river. The river was almost arid and the grass was mostly dry. It was evident the donkey was hungry.

The wily jackal was thrilled. He thought, “This jack is precisely the animal that I need.”

He quietly walked toward the donkey and greeted him. He said, “Dear Sir, you look tired and worried. Is there anything wrong? Can I help you in any way?”

The donkey replied, “I am hungry and have not eaten for a few days.”

The wily jackal quickly sympathized with him and said, “Oh, that’s terrible. Why don’t you come with me to the forest? The grass is green and there is a river next to my cave. You also don’t have to worry about any wild animals, because my cave is far from where the wild animals live. Besides, the smaller animals that live besides the river are very friendly.”

The foolish donkey thought for a while and looked a bit apprehensive.

The wily jackal cautiously said, “Your master will not find our place. There are also many animals of your kind living there. There are she-donkeys (jenny’s) there, who haven’t seen a male donkey (jack).”

The lovesick jack immediately said, “Come on, I have heard enough. Lead me to your place and let me meet my new friends.”

Together they left for the hungry lion’s den. The lion saw them approaching and was happy that he had a clever jackal for a servant. As a result, the moment they reached close to the den, the hungry lion leaped at the donkey. The lion, out of haste missed his target, landed on some rocks, and further hurt himself. The terrified donkey took to his heels.

The jackal was angry and swore at the lion, “Impatient fool, couldn’t he have waited a bit longer?”

However, the lion replied regretfully, “I was so hungry that I got desperate. I did not expect that you would return so quickly. I apologize.”

The jackal shouted at the lion, “You couldn’t kill a foolish donkey. How did you ever think of attacking a king elephant?”

“Not to worry, I will bring him back, but be prepared this time”, said the wily jackal.

The lion was shocked, and said, “How are you going to bring him back? He would have reached his home by now.”

The jackal said, “Leave that to me and don’t act hasty.” He then left in search of the donkey.

He found him, next to the river drinking. He was still breathing hard as he left the place so fast.

He said, “You are nothing but a scheming, wily jackal. If I had not bent down, I would have been dead by now.”

The clever jackal; started laughing so hard.

“What are you laughing at? Asked the donkey.

The jackal curbed his laughter and said, “My dear sir, that was a she-donkey. She has been lovesick for some time now. She could not believe, when she saw you walking up the hill, and wanted you for herself. She sprang to hug you, but you fled.”

I told her that you were a shy person and she should not have acted in haste. The foolish donkey could not believe what he just heard.

“Come on, let’s not waste any time. They are all waiting for you,” said the wily jackal.

Alright, if you say so. Lead the way, brother jackal, said the donkey.

The lion was shocked to see the clever jackal and the foolish donkey return. However, this time, the lion did not make any mistake. He waited until the donkey reached his cave and quickly finished him.

The lion then went to freshen up before his meal and asked the jackal to keep watch. The clever jackal was ravenous and had other plans. He quickly ate the heart and ears of the donkey, before the lion returned.

The lion returned and was furious to note that the best parts were missing. He shouted at the jackal, “Where are the other parts. Who ate them, while I was away?”

The jackal remained calm and said, “Do you thing that this foolish donkey had these parts. If he had them, do you think he would have ever returned?”

The lion did not bother to further question the clever jackal, as he was ravenous, and quickly began eating.

Moral: If you can hold your head in the face of disasters, then you would be able to defeat them.

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Do Not Come to A Conclusion Hastily

Minu, the seven-year-old girl went to the market with her grandmother. Minu purchased a fruit basket at the market. The basket had all varieties of fruits, but it had only one fruit of each variety. However, there were two apples. Minu loved apples and so she was happy!

Minu reached home. She said she got two apples in the fruit basket. Minu’s mom said, she is a lucky girl. Minu asked her mom, ‘Mommy, I’m tired and hungry. Can I eat some apples now?’

Mommy told, ‘Yes sweetheart! Please. I’ll just wash the apples and give it to you’

She washed the apples and gave two apples to Minu. The apples were somewhat big and Minu could not eat two full apples.

Realizing the apples were too big for her, Minu’s mother asked her, ‘Minu, can you please give me one apple? I’m hungry too!’

Minu replied, ‘But momma, I’m hungry and I love apples. Why don’t you eat some other fruit?’

Mother replied, ‘Minu, even I too love apples the most. See, the fruit basket surprisingly had two apples. So, why don’t you give me one apple? Moreover, these apples are big, and you cannot eat both apples. You will waste it. Please darling, can you give me an apple?’

Minu thought for a while. She bites one apple and also bites the other one quickly!

Minu’s momma was smiling and her smile froze, on seeing what Minu did! She could not tolerate what had happened. Minu had always listened to her mother’s word. Her attitude shocked her mother very much.

Then, Minu with a beautiful smile on her face gave one apple to her mother. ‘Mommy, please take this apple. This is the sweeter one!’ Minu’s mother was extremely shocked and felt ashamed of what she thought about her daughter.

Moral: Don’t come to a conclusion without analyzing! Think, and make the right decision.

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The Tale of The Clever Peasant

Once upon a time in a village in Ukraine, there lived a rich landlord. He owned many farms, fields and forests. He owned so much land, that the peasants of the village treated him as their chief.

The chief however was an arrogant and petty minded man, with very little regard for the peasants and poor men who depended on him. He was greedy, very proud of his wealth and considered the peasants, poor and filthy, who smelt like dung. He would never entertain any peasant in his mansion, nor let any poor farmer come near him.

The poor farmers and peasants considered themselves fortunate, if they got a glimpse of him or had to visit the granary at his mansion to deliver goods.

One night, after a hard days’ work, three poor peasants were sitting around the fire and discussing their day’s work.

The first peasants proudly said, “I saw the chief today. He rode by as I was working in the field.”

While the second one said, “Well, that’s nothing. I went to his granary to drop two sacks of potatoes and onions, and he was standing at the door of the mansion.”

A third peasant, who was drinking and listening to all this incessant chatter, laughed and said, “So, what’s so great about this? Anyone can see him, if he passes by.” Then he boasted and said, “If I want, I can go and have a meal with him at his table.”

The other peasants laughed at him and thought he was crazy as he was the poorest among them. “You must be drunk,” they said in unison.

“His servants and security guards will kick you out,” said the first peasant.

They then called the poor peasant a liar and started making fun of him.

The poor peasant got up and said, “I am not a liar and if you want, I can prove it to you.”

“Well, alright,” they said. “If you can prove what you have just claimed, we will give you four sacks of wheat and four oxen,” said the other peasants.

“Consider the challenge as accepted,” said the poor farmer.

“Wait, there is a catch,” they said. “If you don’t, you will have to work for us, free, for one whole year,” they added.

“Well, well, get the items ready, for tomorrow, I shall dine with the chief,” said the poor peasant.

The next day, the poor peasant walked up to the chief’s mansion. The security stopped him at the gate, and threatened him, if he did not leave immediately.

The poor peasant said, “Please wait, I have some important and good news for your master, that I have to personally convey to him.”

“That is impossible. Tell us and we shall tell the chief,” said the guards.

“I am sorry, it’s for the chief’s ears only,” said the peasant.

After some time, one of the guards went and reported the incident to his master, the chief.

The chief was sitting at his dining table and was about to have lunch. Hearing the incident, the chief became very curious. He thought that the poor peasant was bringing him some information that would make him even richer. So he asked the guards to let the poor peasant in.

The poor peasant was let in and the chief looked at him as if he was dirt. He then asked, “what is it the good and important news that you have for me?”

The peasant looked around and said, “I am sorry, it is for your ears only, so we must talk in private.”

The chief got more curious. He dismissed his servants and asked them to lock the door behind them.

Once he was alone, the poor peasant asked the chief, ”What would be the price of a slab of gold as large as a horse’s head?”

The chief became more curious. He assumed that the peasant must have found some buried treasure, and did not want to disclose it to anybody. Since he was the chief, the poor chap must have come for protection. Otherwise, why would this stinking peasant come all this way to ask about this.

The poor farmer then said, “If you cannot tell me, I shall go elsewhere. Besides, my wife is waiting with my lunch.”

Hearing this, the chief politely asked him to stay on for lunch, and saw to that the poor farmer was treated to an excellent six-course meal, with his most expensive vodka.

After a fine meal, the peasant relaxed for a while, while the chief asked him, “Now go home and bring me that piece of gold and I shall give you a horse for it.”

The peasant feigned surprise and asked, “Which gold, my lord?”

“The one you spoke about,” said the chief.

“Well, I don’t have it. We were talking about it at home, and my friends felt that you would be the best person to ask. And hence, I came to you,” said the poor peasant.

The chief flew into a rage and thundered, “Get out of my house, you blithering idiot.”

And the poor peasant walked out of the chief’s mansion with a smile on his face, for he knew that he had won the bet with his friends.

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Also Read – “Cinderella” Best Classic English Stories

The Rainbow maker short stories for kids

“THE children stood under an archway. Behind them was the blue sky; in front of them the clear, still lake that wandered and wound about the garden; above their heads the leaves of a tree whispered and told strange stories to the breeze.

“Poor tree! It is sighing for the blossoms the wind has carried away, they said to each other, and they looked back at the garden. And, poor flowers, too, they said,

all your bright colours are gone, and your petals lie scattered on the ground; to-morrow they will be dead.

Ah, no, the flowers sighed, the rainbow-maker will gather them up, and once more they will see the sun. Before the children could answer, a tall fair maiden came down the pathway.

They could see her plainly in the twilight. Her eyes were dim with gathering tears, but on her lips there was a smile that came and went and flickered round her mouth.

All down her back hung her pale golden hair; round her neck was a kerchief of many colours ; her dress was soft and white, and her snowy apron was gathered up in one hand. She looked neither to the right nor to the left.

She did not utter a single word; and the children could hear no sound of her footstep, no rustling from her dress.

She stooped, and picking up the fading petals, looked at them tenderly for a moment, while the tears fell slowly down her cheeks ; but the smile hovered round her mouth; for she knew that they would shine again in the sight of their beloved sun. When her apron was quite full, she turned round and left the garden.

Hand-in-hand the children followed. She went slowly on by the side of the lake, far, far away across the meadows and up the farthest hill, until at last she found her home behind a cloud just opposite the sun.

There she sat all through the summer days making rainbows. When the children had watched her for a long long time, they went softly back to their own home. The rainbowmaker had not even seen them.

Mother, they said one day, we know now where the colours go from the flowers. See, they are there, and as they spoke they thought of the maiden sitting silently at work in her cloud-home.

They knew that she was weeping at sending forth her most beautiful one, and yet smiling as she watched the soft archway she had made. “See, they are all there, dear mother, the children repeated, looking at the falling rain and the shining sun, and pointing to the rainbow that spanned the river.

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Also Read – Jackal and Tiger

The swallows – english stories for kids

There were some children in the north looking at the swallows flying south. “Why are they going away?” the little one asked.

“The summer is over, the elder sister answered, ”and if they stayed here they would be starved and die of cold, and so, when the summer goes, they journey south.

“Our mother and sisters are in the south, the little one said, as they looked after the birds. “Dear little swallows, tell mother that we are watching for her!” But they were already flying over the sea.

The chilly winds tried to follow, but the swallows flew so swiftly they were not overtaken; they went on, with the summer always before them. They were tired many a time; once they stayed to rest upon the French coast, and once, in the Bay of Biscay, they clung to the rigging of a ship all through the night, but in the morning they went on again.

Far away in the south, two English children were looking from the turret window of an old castle.

“Here are the swallows, they said; perhaps they have come from England. Dear swallows, have you brought us a message? they asked.

It was very cold, we had no time for messages; and we must not lose the track of summer, the swallows twittered, and they flew on till they reached the African shore.

“Poor little swallows, said the English children, as they watched the ship come into port that was to take them back to their own land ; they have to chase the summer and the sun, but we do not mind whether it is summer or winter, for if we only keep our hearts warm, the rest does not matter.

It is very good of the swallows to come to us, the elder sister said, in the next spring, when she heard their first soft twitter beneath the eaves, for the summer is in many places, and we are so far from the south.

Yes, it is very good of them to come, the children answered; “dear little swallows, perhaps they love us!”

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The sisters

The little sisters went into the room to play at ball.

We must be careful not to wake the white cat, the tall one said, softly.

“Or to spoil the roses, the fat one whispered; but throw high, dear sister, or we shall never hit the ceiling.

You dear children, thought the white cat, why do you come to play here at all? Only just round the corner are the shady trees, and the birds singing on the branches, and the sunshine is flecking the pathway. Who knows but what, out there, your ball might touch the sky? Here you will only disturb me, and perhaps spoil the roses; and at best you can but hit the ceiling!

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