The Ugly Duckling

It was a beautiful summer, the wheat was yellow, the oats were green, and the hay was dry. From the old ruined house which nobody lived in, down to the edge of the canal, was a forest of great burdocks. It was under these burdocks that a duck had built herself a warm nest, and was sitting all day on six pretty eggs. Five of them were white, but the sixth, which was larger than the others, was of an ugly grey colour. The duck was always puzzled about that egg, and how it came to be so different from the rest.

She had looked at the eggs at least a hundred and fifty times, when, to her joy, she saw a tiny crack on two of them. Next morning she was rewarded by noticing cracks in the whole five eggs, and by midday two little yellow heads were poking out from the shells. This encouraged her so much that, after breaking the shells with her bill, so that the little creatures could get free of them, she sat steadily for a whole night upon the nest, and before the sun arose the five white eggs were empty. 

Toads and Diamonds

Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters. The elder was very disagreeable and arrogant, just like her mother and no one could stand her. 

The younger girl was kind and good, just like her father and her beauty was remarkable. But the mother loved only her elder daughter, because she had her likeness and disliked the other one, in spite of her beauty and goodness, treating her like a servent.

 Her mother used to send her twice a day to a spring a half mile away, to bring water into a pitcher. One day when she arrived at the spring an old woman appeared before her, begging for a drink. 

"I will gladly help you. Here is some water for you to quench your thirst" said the beautiful girl, handing her the pitcher, full of water, lifting it up so that she could drink more easily.

The Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings

Once upon a time there was a little White Rabbit with two beautiful long pink ears and two bright red eyes and four soft little feet- such a pretty little White Rabbit. But he wasn't happy!....

Just think, this little White Rabbit wanted to be somebody else instead of the nice little Rabbit that he was. When Mr. Bushy Tail, the gray squirrel, went by, the little White Rabbit would say to his Mummy, 
"Oh, Mummy, I wish I had a long gray tail like Mr.Bushy Tail's."