Dinosaur Dig

The Mummy

The Clever Monkey

The Greedy Hippo

Why Anansi has thin legs

The Magic Paintbrush

Dinosaur Dig

01 Dinosaur Dig
It was Sonia’s birthday. She had a new game. ‘Dinosaur Dig!’ said Sonia. ‘Fantastic! This is just what I wanted!’ Sonia decided to try her new game. She switched on the computer, put the game in and looked at the screen. A strange icon appeared. Sonia clicked on the icon. FLASH! ‘Where am I?’ said Sonia. ‘You’re in Dinosaur Dig,’ said the boy next to her. ‘We have to find old dinosaur bones.’ ‘Here’s one!’ said Sonia. She picked up a golden bone that was hidden under a bush. ‘No!’ shouted the boy. ‘You mustn’t pick the golden ones up! Now watch out for the dinosaur!’ Suddenly they heard a noise behind them. The ground began to shake. They heard a dinosaur roar. ‘RUN!’ Sonia and the boy ran fast through the bushes, but the dinosaur was getting closer. Sonia and the boy hid behind a bush. ‘What will happen if the dinosaur catches us?’ asked Sonia. ‘Well, the game is over! But I’ve got three lives left. How many have you got?’ ‘Only one!’ ‘ROAR!’ The dinosaur was there! ‘Look!’ shouted Sonia. There was the same icon that she saw on her computer. Sonia touched the icon. FLASH! Sonia was at home, sitting at her computer. She looked at the game. Bye, bye, dino,’ she said. ‘Hmmm. Maybe I’ll play a different game.’

The Mummy

02 The mummy
Basma and Hossam are on holiday with their parents. They’ve come to see the Pyramids near Cairo. There are lots of things to see. Basma and Hossam are lost. ‘Look, there’s a door in the pyramid.’ ‘What’s this strange writing?’ ‘What’s on the door?’ ‘The door’s opening!’ Basma and Hossam go through the door into a long, dark tunnel. There are colourful pictures on the walls. ‘Who are you?’ ‘I am the goddess Isis. Who enters the tomb with the secret password?’ ‘We are Basma and Hossam.’ ‘You may pass.’ In the tunnel, the children see another picture. This is the goddess Bastet, the cat. ‘Miaow! You may pass!’ ‘I am Thoth. I am the god of writing. You broke the code to enter the tomb. You may pass.’ Basma and Hossam go into a small, dark room. There is something in the middle – a tomb. ‘Let’s have a look. Maybe there’s treasure!’ ‘Roar!’ ‘Aaagh! A mummy!’ The mummy is chasing Basma and Hossam. No! Basma and Hossam are chasing the mummy. The mummy runs back into the pyramid and along the tunnel. Basma and Hossam bang the door. ‘Wow, what an escape! Now, let’s find everyone.’

The Clever Monkey

03 The Clever Monkey
Once upon a time, there was a clever monkey. He lived on a beautiful island, in an apple tree. One day, a crocodile swam to the island. ‘I’m hungry,’ he said. So the monkey threw a red apple to the crocodile. The crocodile munched and munched. The next day, the crocodile came back. ‘Please, may I have two apples?’ he asked. He ate one and gave one to his wife. The crocodile went to see the monkey every day, to listen to his tales and eat his apples. He wanted to be clever, just like the monkey. The crocodile’s wife had an idea. ‘Why don’t you eat his heart? Then you’ll be clever, just like him!’ The next day, he said to the monkey, ‘Come to my house! We’ll have lunch together, to thank you for the apples.’ But when he arrived, the crocodile snapped and said, ‘Monkey! I want to eat your heart, so I can be as clever as you!’ The clever monkey thought quickly and said, ‘But... I haven’t got my heart here. It’s on the island, in the apple tree.’ They all went back to the island. ‘Wait here, and I will get my heart,’ said the monkey. The monkey quickly climbed the tree and sat at the top. ‘Oh, Crocodile. You are greedy. Of course you can’t have my heart. And now, you can’t have my apples!’ And the clever monkey laughed and laughed!

The Greedy Hippo

04 The greedy hippo
There was a greedy hippo. He ate everything in sight. From cheese to peas, chips and cake, he always had a bite. Now Hippo he was selfish. He ate everybody’s food. He ate the cat’s, the dog’s, the cow’s. He was very, very rude. One morning after breakfast, he jumped into the lake. One big splash and he was stuck. That was a big mistake. The hippo he sank deeper, then began to shout. ‘Help, please help, I’m sinking. Won’t someone pull me out?’ The animals all pulled and pulled, as hard as they were able. Out he popped, ran past them all and ate everything on their table. The animals were angry, and thought they’d play a trick. They made a pie from fish and soap to make old Hippo sick. ‘Here you are, we’ve made a pie, especially for you.’ ‘Thanks,’ he said, ‘I’ll eat it now. I’ve nothing else to do.’ First a nibble, then a bite, then a great big swallow. He then went back into the lake, the place he loved to wallow. But something wasn’t right, thought Hippo, ‘I feel quite odd inside.’ Now he had a tummy ache as the cooks looked on with pride. Hippo learned his lesson. It was the end of all their troubles. He was last seen leaving town, blowing fishy bubbles.

Why Anansi has thin legs

05 Why Anansi has thin legs!
This is Anansi the spider. He’s got eight legs, a big head and a very fat body. Anansi loves eating. Rabbit is Anansi’s friend. He is cooking greens in his pot. ‘Mmmm! I can smell greens!’ ‘They are not ready yet. Why don’t you stay and wait?’ ‘No, I can’t stay, but I’ve got an idea. Pull the web when the greens are ready and I’ll come running!’ ‘OK, Anansi!’ ‘Mmmm! I can smell beans!’ ‘Come and eat our beans with us. They are almost ready.’ ‘No, I can’t, but I’ve got an idea! Pull the web when the beans are ready and I’ll come running!’ ‘OK, Anansi!’ ‘Mmmm! I can smell sweet potatoes – with honey!’ ‘Yes, that’s right. Come and eat my food with me.’ ‘No, I can’t, but I’ve got an idea! Pull the web when the sweet potatoes are ready and I’ll come running!’ ‘OK, Anansi!’ When Anansi arrives at the river all his eight legs are tied with webs. All the food is ready and the animals pull the webs. Anansi falls over and his legs get thinner and thinner. ‘Maybe that wasn’t a good idea after all. Look at my thin legs! Oh well, maybe there’s some food at home.’

The Magic Paintbrush

06 he magic paintbrush
Rose loved drawing. She was very poor and didn’t have pens or pencils. She drew pictures in the sand with sticks. One day, an old woman saw Rose and said, ‘Hello! Here’s a paintbrush and some paper for you.’ ‘Thank you!’ smiled Rose. She was so happy. ‘Hmmm, what can I paint?’ she thought. She looked around and saw a duck on the pond. ‘I know! I’ll paint a duck!’ So she did. Suddenly, the duck flew off the paper and onto the pond. ‘Wow!’ she said. ‘A magic paintbrush!’ Rose was a very kind girl and she painted pictures for everyone in her village. She painted a cow for the farmer, pencils for the teacher and toys for all the children. The king heard about the magic paintbrush and sent a soldier to find Rose. ‘Come with me,’ said the soldier. ‘The king wants you to paint some money for him.’ ‘But he’s already rich,’ said Rose. ‘I only paint to help poor people.’ But the nasty soldier took Rose to the king. ‘Paint me a tree with lots of money on it,’ he shouted. Rose was brave and said, ‘No!’ So the king sent her to prison. But Rose painted a key for the door and a horse to help her escape. The king chased after her. So she painted a big hole, and splat! The king fell in. Today, Rose only uses her magic paintbrush to help people who really, really need help.