kidstorytale

  A Beautiful Mind  by Sylvia Nasar This biography of esteemed mathematician John Nash was both a finalist for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize and the basis for the award-winning film of the same name. Nasar thoroughly explores Nash’s prestigious career, from his beginnings at MIT to his work at the RAND Corporation — as well the internal battle he waged against schizophrenia, a disorder that nearly derailed his life.

  Cinderella The story of Cinderella tells of a kindhearted young woman who was treated cruelly by her stepmother and sisters, but, never the less, kept a humble attitude. One day, the king decided to throw a ball and invited all the young maidens in the kingdom. While Cinderella’s sisters made her help them get ready for the ball, not once did they ask her if she would like to go with them. Once they left, her Fairy Godmother appeared and helped Cinderella go to the ball with a bit of magic that would only last until midnight. At the ball, Cinderella caught the eye of the prince, as she was the most beautiful girl there, and they danced all night. When midnight came, Cinderella had to leave the ball, and in her hurry, one of her glass slippers fell off her feet. The prince found this slipper and vowed to marry the girl who the slipper belonged to. The prince went from house to house, looking for the girl who’s foot fit the slipper, and he reached Cinderella’s house. Though Cinderella’

  The Devotion of Surdas Surdas was one of the greatest devotees of Lord Krishna. He loved Krishna so much that he wrote over a lakh of devotional songs in his honor. Surdas was a blind man, according to the story, who once took away Radha’s anklet when she was following him. When asked to return it, he refused, stating that he could not confirm her identity as he was blind. At this point, Krishna blessed him with sight, after which Surdas begged Krishna to take his sight away again. When asked why, he said that he had seen Krishna, and there was nothing else he wanted to see again. Moral Lesson: This story will teach your child to love unconditionally and exhibit devotion towards the things he/she cares about.

  The Dedication of Ekalavya Ekalavya was a young boy living with his tribe, deep in the forest. His aim in life was to become the finest archer the world had ever seen. However, when he asked to become Drona’s student, he was refused, due to the low status of his birth. Despite this, Ekalavya created a statue of Drona and practiced archery before it, until he became incredibly skilled. However, when Drona encountered him and learned of his accomplishments, he was afraid that a tribal boy would surpass his best student, Arjuna. He demanded that Ekalavya sacrifice his own right thumb as payment for learning under his name. Without questioning Drona, Ekalavya immediately cut off his right thumb and gave it to him, and was, therefore, unable to become the best archer in the world. Moral Lesson: Your child will learn about hard work, respect and dedication, especially for teachers and instructors.