Short Stories in English for Beginners – Free PDF

A new school, a rainy vacation, a baby brother, and a genie with a problem of his own. These four short stories in English for beginners use clear language and everyday dialogue to tell complete stories about friendship, family, and helping others.

Reading level: approximately A2, as an editorial estimate. The stories are especially suitable for younger English learners who can already read simple sentences. Read one story at a time, then try the questions before opening the answers.

Story 1: Day 1 in the USA

Jake opens his school bag for the third time. His notebook is inside. His pencils are inside. The small photo of his old class in Mexico is inside, too.

Everything is ready, but Jake does not feel ready.

His family has moved to the USA, and today is his first day at his new school. At breakfast, his little sister, Lily, talks about the birds outside the kitchen window. Jake moves his spoon around his bowl.

“What if I don’t understand the teacher?” he asks.

His father puts down his cup. “Then you can ask her to say it again.”

“What if I don’t know how?”

They practice a sentence together: “Can you say that again, please?” Jake says it twice, then once more on the walk to school.

At the entrance, a teacher smiles at him.

“You must be Jake. I’m Ms. Johnson. Welcome.”

She takes him to a classroom and shows him a seat beside a boy with curly hair.

“Hi, I’m Noah,” the boy says. “Do you like soccer?”

Jake understands that question. “Yes. Very much.”

“Good. We need another player at lunch.”

The morning goes quickly. Jake writes his name on a worksheet and reads a short paragraph. Sometimes he understands. Sometimes the words seem to move too fast.

During math, Ms. Johnson explains an activity. Everyone opens a book. Jake looks at the two books on his desk. Which one does he need?

He watches Noah, but Noah is looking for a pencil.

Jake feels his face grow warm. He almost chooses a book without asking. Then he remembers breakfast.

He raises his hand.

“Can you say that again, please?”

“Of course,” Ms. Johnson says. She holds up the blue book and repeats the instructions slowly.

Jake opens the right book. The first question is about numbers. He knows how to answer it.

At lunch, Noah introduces him to Emma and two other students. They talk about food, and Jake tells them about the tacos his father makes on Sundays.

Then they go outside to play soccer. Noah passes the ball to Jake. Jake runs, kicks, and sends it straight into the goal.

“Nice shot!” Noah shouts.

Jake does not need anyone to explain the smiles.

After school, he walks home with his father. Near their house, Mr. Smith waves from his garden and introduces his son, Alex.

“Maybe you two can play this weekend,” Mr. Smith says.

“Soccer?” Jake asks.

Alex nods.

At home, Lily runs to the door. “Did you make a friend?”

Jake puts his bag down. “Yes. And I know what to say when I need help.”

That evening, he places the photo of his old class beside his bed. Then he puts his blue schoolbook in his bag. Tomorrow, he will know which one to open.

Words to Know

• Entrance: the place where you go into a building. We meet at the school entrance.
• Worksheet: a page of questions or activities. I write my answers on the worksheet.
• Instructions: words that explain what to do. Read the instructions before you start.
• Raises: lifts something up. Emma raises her hand to ask a question.
• Goal: the space players try to send the ball into. The ball goes into the goal.

Reading Questions

1. What does Jake keep in his bag to remind him of Mexico?
2. What sentence does he practice with his father?
3. Why does Jake need help during math?
4. How does Noah help Jake feel welcome?
5. What suggests that Jake feels more comfortable at the end?

Click to see the answers: Day 1 in the USA

1. A small photo of his old class.
2. “Can you say that again, please?”
3. He does not know which book to open because he does not understand the instructions.
4. Noah talks to him, invites him to play soccer, and introduces him to other students.
5. Suggested answer: He tells Lily he has a friend and knows how to ask for help. He also gets his blue book ready for the next day.

Your turn: Write two useful sentences you could say when you need help in English.

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Story 2: Summer Vacation in the USA

Emma brings a list to her grandparents’ house in Miami. At the top, she writes “Our Florida Vacation.” Under it are five things: the beach, a boat trip, a theme park, the zoo, and fireworks.

Her younger brother, Jack, adds one more.

“Ice cream,” he says. “That is important.”

Their grandfather laughs and carries their bags inside.

On the first morning, the family goes to the beach. Emma and Jack build a sandcastle with four towers. They collect shells for the windows and use a small stick for the flag.

Then a wave reaches the front wall.

“We need another wall!” Jack cries.

They work quickly, pushing sand into place. The next wave takes one tower, but the rest of the castle stays.

“Three towers are enough,” Emma says.

After a swim with their parents, they buy ice cream. Emma chooses chocolate, and Jack chooses vanilla. Back at the house, Emma puts a tick beside “the beach” on her list.

But the next morning, rain hits the bedroom window.

Their father checks his phone. “The boat trip is canceled because of the weather.”

Emma looks at her list. “But today is our boat day.”

“I know,” he says. “We can try again later in the week.”

Jack sits on the floor with his toy boat. Emma watches the rain. She does not want to spend a vacation day inside.

Then Grandma comes to the door.

“I need two cooks,” she says. “One to stir and one to taste.”

“I can taste,” Jack says immediately.

In the kitchen, Grandma shows them how to make small banana pancakes. Emma pours the batter into the pan while Grandma helps her. The first pancake looks more like a shoe than a circle.

“That one is mine,” Grandpa says.

After lunch, he brings out a box of old photos. In one picture, Emma’s mother stands on the same beach they visited yesterday. She is about Emma’s age, and she is holding an enormous yellow bucket.

“Mom! Your bucket is bigger than you!” Emma says.

Her mother laughs. “I had very big plans for my sandcastle.”

The rain stops later in the week. They take their boat trip, and Emma sees dolphins beside the boat. They also visit a theme park and a zoo. On their last evening, they watch fireworks with their grandparents.

Before bed, Emma checks her list. Then she writes something new at the bottom: “Pancakes and old photos.”

“You forgot that one before we came,” Jack says.

“I didn’t know about it before we came.”

She folds the list and puts it in her bag. Beside it is a copy of the photo of her mother and the enormous yellow bucket.

Words to Know

• Tower: a tall, narrow part of a building or castle. Our sandcastle has two towers.
• Canceled: stopped from happening as planned. The picnic is canceled because of rain.
• Stir: move a spoon around to mix something. Stir the soup slowly.
• Batter: a mixture used to make pancakes or cakes. Dad puts some batter in the pan.
• Enormous: very big. There is an enormous tree near the house.

Reading Questions

1. What does Jack add to Emma’s vacation list?
2. Why is the boat trip canceled at first?
3. What do Emma and Jack make with Grandma?
4. Who is in the old beach photo?
5. Why does Emma add “Pancakes and old photos” to her list?

Click to see the answers: Summer Vacation in the USA

1. Ice cream.
2. Because of the weather.
3. Small banana pancakes.
4. Emma’s mother when she was about Emma’s age.
5. Suggested answer: The rainy day became a special part of her vacation, even though she did not plan it.

Your turn: Describe a time when your plans changed. What did you do instead?

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Story 3: A New Baby Brother

James draws a picture of two boys playing soccer. One boy is tall. The other is very small. Above them, he writes, “Welcome, Henry.”

“Do you think he will like it?” he asks his father.

“I think we can put it beside his bed,” Dad says.

They are getting ready to visit the hospital. James’s baby brother was born that morning.

At the hospital, Henry is asleep in their mother’s arms. James stands close to the bed and looks at his tiny hands.

“Can he play yet?”

Mom smiles. “Not soccer. But you can talk to him.”

James sits in a chair. Dad helps him hold Henry and stays beside them.

“Hello,” James says softly. “I’m your big brother. I have a ball at home.”

Henry opens his mouth, makes a small sound, and goes back to sleep.

A few days later, Mom and Henry come home. At first, James wants to help with everything. He brings clean diapers and chooses a yellow shirt for the baby.

But life feels different now. Visitors ask about Henry. Mom often needs to feed him. Sometimes Dad stops a game with James because the baby is crying.

One afternoon, James builds a long train track across the living room.

“Dad, come and see!”

“In a minute,” Dad says. He is carrying Henry around the room.

James waits. Then he pushes a train so hard that it falls off the track.

Dad looks over. “What happened?”

“Nothing.”

But when Dad sits beside him, James’s eyes fill with tears.

“Everyone wants Henry now.”

Dad puts Henry safely in his crib and returns.

“Henry needs a lot of help,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean you matter less. I’m sorry I kept you waiting.”

“I like him,” James says. “I just miss playing with you.”

They make a plan. After dinner, Dad and James will have time for their train track while Mom stays with Henry.

That evening, they build a station from empty boxes. James is showing Dad where the trains stop when Henry begins to cry.

Mom brings him to the doorway. “We’re just passing through.”

James picks up his toy train.

“This is the quiet train,” he tells Henry. “It goes shhh, shhh, shhh.”

Henry stops crying for a moment and looks toward the sound.

“He’s listening,” James whispers.

In the months that follow, Henry begins to smile at him. Later, when Henry learns to crawl, James rolls a soft ball across the floor. Henry follows it, then pushes it back by accident.

James laughs. “Good pass!”

The picture from the hospital still hangs beside Henry’s bed. They are not ready for soccer yet, but their first game has begun.

Words to Know

• Tiny: very small. The baby has tiny fingers.
• Diapers: soft coverings babies wear before they can use a toilet. We keep clean diapers in the bag.
• Track: the path a train moves along. The toy train falls off its track.
• Crib: a small bed with high sides for a baby. The baby sleeps in a crib.
• Crawl: move on hands and knees. The baby crawls toward the ball.

British English: Diapers are usually called nappies, and a baby’s crib is usually called a cot.

Reading Questions

1. What does James draw before visiting the hospital?
2. Why does James become upset while playing with his train track?
3. What plan do James and Dad make?
4. What makes Henry stop crying for a moment?
5. How does the ending connect to James’s picture?

Click to see the answers: A New Baby Brother

1. Two boys playing soccer, with the words “Welcome, Henry.”
2. He feels that everyone is giving Henry attention, and he misses playing with Dad.
3. They will play with the train track after dinner while Mom stays with Henry.
4. James makes a soft “shhh” sound with his toy train.
5. Suggested answer: The picture shows the brothers playing soccer. At the end, they begin playing with a soft ball together, even though Henry is not ready for soccer.

Your turn: What could you say to someone who feels left out? Write two kind sentences.

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Story 4: The Boy, the Lamb, and the Sad Genie

Luke is walking beside the forest when he hears a small cry.

Behind a bush stands a white lamb. A red ribbon hangs around its neck. Its wool is caught on a branch, and it cannot move away.

“Wait,” Luke says. “I’ll help you.”

He carefully moves the branch. The lamb steps forward and presses its nose against his hand.

Then a blue cloud rises from an old bottle beneath the bush.

Luke jumps back. A genie appears above the bottle. He is tall, blue, and very unhappy.

“Three wishes,” the genie says with a sigh. “Gold? A palace? A crown?”

Luke looks at the lamb. Then he looks at the genie.

“Why are you sad?”

The genie lowers his hands. “People ask for more and more. I give them wonderful things, but they soon want something else.”

“What do you want?” Luke asks.

For a moment, the genie says nothing.

“No one has ever asked me that.”

The lamb begins to eat a leaf from Luke’s sleeve. The genie gives a small laugh.

“I like animals,” he says.

“Then help me find this one’s home.”

They follow a path toward the village. The genie makes a little blue cloud above the lamb to keep it cool in the sun.

Near the first house, they find a puppy beside a gate. It has a collar, but no one is nearby.

“A little girl lives down the road,” the genie says. “Perhaps she would like a puppy.”

“Maybe,” Luke replies. “But this puppy may already have a family.”

They knock on the door. A woman opens it and calls, “Pip!” The puppy runs straight into her arms.

“The gate was open,” she says. “Thank you for bringing him back.”

The genie watches her hug the puppy. His smile is small, but it stays.

Farther along the road, they meet a farmer beside a horse. A wheel on his cart is broken.

“Can you fix wheels?” Luke asks.

“I can make a palace from sand,” the genie says. “I think I can manage a wheel.”

He waves one finger. The wheel is whole again.

The farmer thanks them. Then he notices the lamb.

“A red ribbon! That looks like Daisy’s lamb. Her farm is just over the hill.”

They find Daisy standing at her gate with a worried face.

“Snowy!” she calls.

The lamb runs toward her. Daisy kneels in the grass and puts her arms around it.

“Would you like some bread and cheese?” she asks Luke. Then she looks up at the genie. “Do genies eat?”

“This one does,” he says.

They sit beside the farmhouse while Snowy rests nearby. The genie is laughing now, telling Daisy about the puppy and the broken wheel.

“You still have three wishes,” he tells Luke.

Luke thinks for a moment. “Will you come back tomorrow? We can see if anyone else needs help.”

“You don’t need a wish for that,” the genie says. “You only need to ask.”

When Luke leaves, the genie walks beside him. The old bottle stays empty beneath the bush.

Words to Know

• Lamb: a young sheep. The lamb stays close to its mother.
• Ribbon: a narrow strip of cloth used for decoration. She ties a red ribbon around the box.
• Genie: a magical being in stories that can grant wishes. A genie comes out of the bottle.
• Sigh: a long breath that can show sadness or tiredness. He gives a sigh and closes his book.
• Collar: a band worn around an animal’s neck. The dog has a blue collar.

Reading Questions

1. Why can’t the lamb move away at the beginning?
2. Why is the genie unhappy?
3. Why doesn’t Luke give the puppy to the girl down the road?
4. How does the farmer help them find the lamb’s owner?
5. What changes for the genie by the end of the story?

Click to see the answers: The Boy, the Lamb, and the Sad Genie

1. Its wool is caught on a branch.
2. People keep asking for more things and do not stay happy with what he gives them.
3. The puppy may already have a family, so Luke wants to find its owner.
4. He recognizes the red ribbon and tells them where Daisy’s farm is.
5. Suggested answer: He enjoys helping animals and people, makes a friend, and has a reason to come back the next day. He is laughing instead of sighing.

Your turn: Write three sentences about Luke and the genie’s next day. Who do they help, and how?

A Simple Reading Activity

Choose your favorite story and complete these four sentences:

1. The main character is…
2. At first, the problem is…
3. The character tries to…
4. At the end…

Use your notes to tell the story to a partner without reading every sentence again. You can use different words as long as the main events stay the same.

Download Short Stories PDF

The PDF below contains English short stories with reading exercises.

Download the Original Beginner Stories (PDF)

Continue Reading in English

For another everyday topic, try our simple present stories about daily routines. After reading, write three sentences about your own school day or working day.