eslreading.org 1 There once was a poor shoemaker. He worked hard very hard every day but he did not sell many shoes. Life was very hard for the shoemaker and his wife. They had no money and very little food. One night the shoemaker told his wife. ‘I only have enough leather to make one more pair of shoes.’ ‘But we only have one loaf of bread left. What are we going to eat?’ ‘I don’t know, said the shoemaker sadly. He put his last piece of leather on his workbench. ‘Tomorrow I’ll get up early,’ he told his wife. ‘I’ll make my last pair of shoes.’ Then he went to bed. A beautiful pair of shoes The next morning the shoemaker got up early. He had one slice of bread for breakfast. Then he went to his workbench and looked for his piece of leather. But it was not there. In its place was a beautiful pair of shoes. The shoemaker called his wife. She came into the room. ‘Where did these shoes come from?’ he asked her. The shoemaker’s wife picked up the shoes. ‘They’re beautiful,’ she said. ‘When did you make them? Did you get up in the night?’ ‘No,’ said the shoemaker. ‘I didn’t make those shoes. I never left my bed.’ ‘So what happened?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘I want those shoes.’ I want those shoes! That morning a pretty lady came into the shoemaker’s shop. ‘What beautiful shoes!’ she said. ‘Can I buy them?’ ‘I don’t know,’ said the shoemaker. ‘You see –‘ The young lady wanted the shoes very much. And she was very rich. ‘I’ll pay you fifty dollars,’ she said. ‘But – ‘ The Elves and the Shoemaker
The Elves and the Shoemaker is a classic Grimm brothers' fairy tale. This two page adaptation has been shortened and simplified for English language learners.
Link to activities here: http://englishforyounglearners.org/stories/elves/elvesandshoemaker.html
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Transcript
eslreading.org 1
There once was a poor shoemaker. He
worked hard very hard every day but he did
not sell many shoes.
Life was very hard for the shoemaker
and his wife. They had no money and very
little food.
One night the shoemaker told his
wife. ‘I only have enough leather to make
one more pair of shoes.’
‘But we only have one loaf of bread
left. What are we going to eat?’
‘I don’t know, said the shoemaker
sadly.
He put his last piece of leather on his
workbench.
‘Tomorrow I’ll get up early,’ he told
his wife. ‘I’ll make my last pair of shoes.’
Then he went to bed.
A beautiful pair of shoes
The next morning the shoemaker got
up early. He had one slice of bread for
breakfast.
Then he went to his workbench and
looked for his piece of leather.
But it was not there. In its place was
a beautiful pair of shoes.
The shoemaker called his wife. She
came into the room. ‘Where did these shoes
come from?’ he asked her.
The shoemaker’s wife picked up the
shoes. ‘They’re beautiful,’ she said. ‘When
did you make them? Did you get up in the
night?’
‘No,’ said the shoemaker. ‘I didn’t
make those shoes. I never left my bed.’
‘So what happened?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘I want those shoes.’
I want those shoes!
That morning a pretty lady came into the
shoemaker’s shop. ‘What beautiful shoes!’
she said. ‘Can I buy them?’
‘I don’t know,’ said the shoemaker.
‘You see –‘
The young lady wanted the shoes
very much. And she was very rich. ‘I’ll pay
you fifty dollars,’ she said.
‘But – ‘
The Elves and the Shoemaker
‘One hundred dollars!’ said the lady.
‘I want those shoes!’
‘Okay,’ said the shoemaker.
‘This money will pay the rent for our little
house,’ said the shoemaker’s wife.
‘And I can buy some more leather,’
said the shoemaker.
The shoemaker bought some more
leather. That night he put the leather on the
table.
‘Tomorrow, I’ll get up early,’ he told
his wife. ‘I’ll make some more shoes.’
Then he went to bed.
‘Did you make them?’
More Beautiful Shoes
The next morning he got up early. He had
two slices of bread for breakfast. Then he
went to his workbench.
His piece of leather was not there. In
its place were two beautiful pair of shoes.’
The shoemaker called his wife. She
came into the room.
‘Oh what beautiful shoes!’ she said.
‘Did you make them?’
‘No,’ said the shoemaker.
‘Then where did they come from?’
‘I don’t know,’ said the shoemaker.
‘But tonight we’re going to find out.’
‘They’re Elves’
That night the shoemaker and his wife
did not go to bed. They hid behind the
workbench and waited. At midnight the
door opened and a group of tiny people
came into the room.
‘They’re elves!’ whispered the
shoemaker.
‘But they look so poor!’ said the
shoemaker’s wife. ‘Look at their old clothes!
And they don’t have shoes.’
The elves talked in very low voices.
‘I’m so cold!’ said one.
‘And my feet hurt!’ said another.
‘But we must help the shoemaker!
We don’t want his shop to close.’
Two elves climbed onto the table.
That night they make ten pairs of shoes for
the shoemaker. Then they run out of the
door.
‘Quick!’ the elves cried. ‘We must go
before the shoemaker gets up.’
‘We love the shoemaker’
The elves left the room. ‘The elves have no
warm clothes,’ said the shoemaker to his
wife. ‘We must try and help them.’
The next day the shoemaker made
some tiny shoes for the elves. He made
them warm clothes, too. That night he left
the shoes and the clothes on the table.
The elves found the shoes and the
clothes. They danced for joy and sang a
song.
‘We love the shoemaker,’ they sang.
‘And he loves us.’
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