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A series of best-loved classic fairytales, myths and legends from all over the world retold with all the magic of the original for young learners of English.
Engaging stories with beautiful full-colour illustrations, specially written to appeal to young learners of English, introduce high-frequency words in order to promote fluency from an early age.
Each story is carefully graded and language is presented both as lexical groups and language functions.
Accompanying interactive whiteboard-compatible CD-ROM/Audio CDs include a complete reading of the story, chants, games and a link to the Young Readers website.
All materials use an open-type font which has been devised to help children with reading difficulties.
View the Helbling Readers Catalogue
It is Billy’s first day at school. He is happy and he wants to play with the other children. But when Billy asks if he can play, each child answers him in a different language. Billy is sad, he can’t play with anyone. Then, Lorenzo becomes Billy’s friend and soon everyone is playing together
It’s Christmas Eve and Mother Bunny is busy getting everything ready for Christmas. The bunnies aren’t helping so she sends them out to play. Barney, the baby bunny, can’t play any of the games. But on Christmas Day Mother Bunny has a special present for him and all her other children.
It is summer and it is very hot. The tree on top of the hill is very thirsty. Its leaves are brown and there is no water to drink. Then the tree sees Cloudbreak, a little bird. Can Cloudbreak help the tree to find some water?
Henry Harris can’t say the letter ‘H’. He hates haitches more than he hates homework or horrible Hannah Hunter who laughs at him. Then one day something happens to Henry’s best friend, Harry. What happens when Henry helps Harry?
A baby whale is stranded on a beach after an oil spill. It is hot and the whale can’t breathe. Lots of people come to look but no-one knows what to do until Rawiri arrives. Rawiri has got a plan. Is his plan good enough to save the whale?
It is a lovely day in the jungle. The grass is green and the sky is blue. The animals are all happy together. But... what is that? Now the sky is orange and there is smoke. Oh, no! There is a terrible fire. Can the little birds stop the fire? And who can help them?
Ehud and Elisa like flying kites. One windy day Ehud’s kite goes up and he can’t see it. Ehud is sad. Then it comes down in Elisa’s garden. Elisa gives Ehud his kite and he is happy. But then Ehud and Elisa look at their fathers. Their fathers aren’t friends. They are sad. Can the children think of a way to make everyone happy?
Sam loves visiting his grandad in the country and playing in the sunflower fields. One day, Sam’s grandad gives Sam some sunflower seeds. Sam plants his seeds and he waters them carefully. But the seeds do not grow. Can Grandad help his seeds to grow?
Mum, Dad, Emily and Baby are all out and Fat Cat is sleeping in peace. Bang! Suddenly there is a noise in the kitchen. There is a thief in the house and Fat Cat is the only one who can stop him! What is Fat Cat’s plan? And can he save Mum’s jewellery?
It is a cold hard winter and there are not enough nuts and seeds for the animals in the forest. They are all weak and hungry... all except Chippy and his family. They have got lots of food for the winter. But something terrible happens and Chippy soon learns that sharing is best.
Anna is very happy. It is a beautiful day. A perfect day for the beach. But Nina is not happy. She is on a boat, far from the beach. This is the story of two little girls, and how a place can mean very different things to different people.
Today is the little girl’s birthday. She closes her eyes and blows out the candles on her birthday cake and makes a wish. Suddenly lots of strange things start happening but Mum and Dad can’t see them. Can the little girl convince her parents that she is not silly? And what happens when the sun goes down?
All the mothers are afraid of Skater Boy. He’s the fastest kid in town. But all the children love Skater Boy because he’s the fastest kid in town. One day, while the mothers are planning to catch Skater Boy something terrible happens. Baby climbs and climbs to the top of the climbing frame. And Skater Boy is the only one who can save him.
It’s a lovely sunny day in Loony Town. The sky is blue and Kate and Charlie are playing in the park. But when Kate looks up she sees a fish flying in the sky. Then the mice start chasing the cats and the cats start chasing the dogs. The world is upside down! Now Kate and Charlie must put everything back in its place again.
Bad King Minos of Crete has a terrible monster, called the Minotaur. When the Minotaur is hungry King Minos asks King Aegeus to send him seven young men and seven young women for his monster to eat. Then, one day, King Aegeus’ son Theseus decides to go to Crete and kill the Minotaur. What happens when Theseus arrives in Crete? And can he kill the terrible monster?
The hare can do lots of things. He can jump and run. He’s fast. The tortoise can’t run. He’s slow. One day the fast hare and the slow tortoise have a race. The hare runs fast, he can’t see the tortoise. And he’s tired... surely there is time for the hare to have a rest. What happens when the hare falls asleep? And can the tortoise be the winner?
It’s morning in the jungle and Leopard is hungry and his favourite breakfast is monkeys. But Leopard falls into a well and only Baby Monkey can help him. Can Baby Monkey pull Leopard out of the well? And is Leopard really monkey’s friend? Find out in this classic African folk tale of how a clever little animal can trick a big fierce one.
One day the fisherman catches a magic fish. When he tells his wife, she asks the fish for a nice house. Then she wants a castle. And then she wants to become queen. What happens when the fisherman’s wife keeps asking for more things? Does the fish listen to the fisherman’s wife?
When Beauty’s father picks a rose for his daughter the owner of the rosebush, a terrible beast, is very angry. In payment for the rose, Beauty must leave her family and go to live in the beast’s castle. In time Beauty and the beast become friends. Then one day Beauty’s father falls ill and she returns home to look after him. Does she return to the beast?
Pat’s best friend is a little goldfish called Ermy. One day they go to the beach. They are happy, they like the sea. Then a big wave comes and takes Ermy away. Away from the beach, and away from her best friend Pat. What happens next? Can Pat and Ermy find each other once more?
‘Dad, I don’t love you anymore.’ ‘You don’t love me?’ asks Dad. ‘You don’t let me put jam in the fish tank. And you don’t let me sleep in the dog bed.’ Poor Dad. No one loves him anymore. Does he have to go to the Dad shop? Find out in this charming story about love.
Freddy the frog is very happy. He likes his life and the pond and he likes Francesca, the prettiest frog in the woods. One Friday evening Freddy is waiting for Francesca when he hears a strange sound. It’s Princess Priscilla and she is not very happy. But then Princess Priscilla has an idea and Freddy’s life changes forever... or does it?
Moony lives on the moon. Every day is the same: he cleans his home, he waters his garden, then he goes for a walk. Moony is bored. He wants to hear noise and see people. He wants to go to Earth.
One day, Alex the astronaut arrives and agrees to take Moony home with him. What happens when Moony arrives on Earth? What surprises does he find? And what does Moony decide to do: stay on Earth or go back to the moon?
A long time ago there was a girl called Lola. Lola lived with her family in the Selk’nam tribe, in a beautiful land near the end of the world. One day when Lola is with the Yamana tribe in the south of the land, a big ship arrives. Who is on the ship? And how will they change Lola’s land forever?
Big Goat, Middle Goat and Little Goat are hungry. And there’s lots of grass on the hill on the other side of the bridge. But there’s a mean and nasty troll under the bridge. How can the three goats cross the bridge and eat the grass? Find out in this classic story.
Today Little Red Riding Hood is visiting her grandmother in the forest. In the forest there is a woodcutter and… there’s a big, bad wolf. Be careful, Little Red Riding Hood! What happens when she arrives at Grandmother’s house? And can the woodcutter arrive in time to save the little girl and her grandmother?
Long ago in Japan, an old man and woman find a baby boy in a peach. They call him Momotaro, which means ‘peach boy’ in Japanese. The years pass and Momotaro grows up. One day he takes his sword and goes off to fight the ogres who are taking the people’s treasure. Who can help Momotaro find the ogres’ island? And what happens when he arrives there? Find out in one of the most famous Japanese folktales.
Lusmore lives in a small village in Ireland. He has a big hump on his back and people laugh at him and say bad things. Lusmore is sad. One evening Lusmore is coming home from the market when he hears the fairies singing. What happens when Lusmore joins them? And how do the fairies change Lusmore’s life forever?
When the Selfish Giant sees the children in his garden, he is angry and he builds a high wall. Now the children have nowhere to play. Spring comes, but in the Giant’s garden it is still winter. One morning the Giant wakes up and he has a wonderful surprise. What does the Giant see in his garden that morning? And how does it change him forever?
Andy loves the summer, the days are long and he can play in the sun with his friends. Andy likes the winter too. But in the winter the days are short and the nights are long. Andy doesn’t like nights. He doesn’t like the dark. Then one day Andy has an idea. What’s Andy’s idea and how can it help him to sleep at night?
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