World Book Day

World Book Day is designated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a "worldwide celebration of books and reading", and is marked in over 100 countries.It is a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and most importantly it's a celebration of reading. It's the biggest event of its kind.

Reading  is more important to children’s success.The main aim of World Book Day is to encourage children of all ages to explore the pleasure of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own.The date for World Book Day 2013 is Thursday 7 March. 

Watch Tony Robinson's invitation to the Biggest Book Show

World Book Day is a partnership of publishers, booksellers and interested parties who work together to promote books and reading for the personal enrichment and enjoyment of all.

List of Short Stories to Read for Free

World Book Day Special Free Books!

Start Reading from today.Short stories for you to download for free from Booktrust. (To download these stories, click on the title and save to your desktop/device).

> Naomi Alderman 'Jewfish' 
> Naomi Alderman 'Other People's Gods' shortlisted for the 2009 BBC National Short Story Award> Trezza Azzopardi 'Sticks and Stones'

> Richard Beard 'Guidelines for Measures to Cope with Disgraceful and Other Events' shortlisted for the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award
> John Burnside 'Something Like Happy'
> Kate Clanchy 'The Not Dead and the Saved' shortlisted for the 2009 BBC National Short Story Award
> David Constantine 'Tea at the Midland' winner of the 2010 BBC National Short Story Award> Linda Cracknell 'The Lost Son'

> Anne Donovan 'But' originally published by Artlink and Scottish Book Trust
> Anne Donovan 'Sleepers'
> Aminatta Forna 'Hayward's Heath' shortlisted for the 2010 BBC National Short Story Award> Jane Gardam 'The People on Privilege Hill' shortlisted for the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award

> Niven Govinden 'We Are Always At Your Service' originally broadcast on BBC Radio 3's The Verb

> Dominic Green 'The Clockwork Atom Bomb' originally published in Interzone 198
> Romesh Gunesekera 'The Library' originally published in Underwords: The Hidden City (MAIA press)
> Sarah Hall 'Butcher's Perfume' shortlisted for the 2010 BBC National Short Story Award

> Peter Hobbs 'Deep Blue Sea' from I Could Ride All Day In My Cool Blue Train (Faber)
> Nicholas Hogg 'How the Tiger Lost Its Stripes' editor's choice 2009 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest

> Tove Jansson 'Snow' from A Winter Book (Sort Of Books)
> Adam Kamiński 'The Girl from the Train' translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones

> Jackie Kay 'My Daughter, the Fox' originally published in Endangered Species
> Etgar Keret 'Magic & Childhood: three tales of innocence from Israel' 
> James Lasdun 'It's Beginning to Hurt' winner of the National Short Story Prize 2006

 > Alison MacLeod 'The Will Writer' originally published in Fifteen Modern Tales of Attraction (Penguin)
> Alison MacLeod 'Coupling' originally published in Fifteen Modern Tales of Attraction (Penguin)
> Jon McGregor 'If It Keeps On Raining' shortlisted for the 2010 BBC National Short Story Award
> Sara Maitland 'Moss Witch' shortlisted for the 2009 BBC National Short Story Award

> Katherine Mansfield 'The Daughters of the Late Colonel'

> Patrick Ness 'The New World' exclusive short story from his tenure as Booktrust writer in residence
> Courttia Newland 'Smile Mannequin, Smile' originally published in Music for the Off-Key (Peepal Tree Press)
> Rebecca O'Connor 'St. John of the Miraculous Lake'

> Helen Oyeyemi 'My Daughter, The Racist' shortlisted for the 2010 BBC National Short Story Award> Ian Rankin 'An Afternoon'
> Janes Rogers 'Hitting Trees With Sticks' shortlisted for the 2009 BBC National Short Story Award> Lionel Shriver 'Exchange Rates' shortlisted for the 2009 BBC National Short Story Award> Erin Soros 'Surge' shortlisted for the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award
> Adam Thorpe 'The Names' shortlisted for the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award
> Ricardo Waale 'A Special Day' translated by Christina MacSweeney
> John Waddington-Feather 'The High Master and Little Billy Clough' 
> Jack Wallsten 'Something Light' originally published in Aesthetica Magazine
> Clare Wigfall 'The Numbers' winner the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award
> Clare Wigfall 'Before Their Very Eyes' written as part of her online residency
> Gerard Woodward 'A Tray of Ice Cubes'

> Evie Wyld 'The Whales' exclusive short story from her tenure as Booktrust writer in residence

   Happy Reading!

Ideas Aswatha and her hundred percent successful straight hair story

Aswatha was a young cheerful girl.Nothing can go out of  notice from her eyes.She is a good observer and listener.She was noticeable in school for her beautiful curly hair and friendly loving smile.

She loves going to school earlier in time to spend more time with her friends.One day in the school,she was standing with her friends in the corridor near to the playground.

A pretty girl with long straight hair walked opposite to them.She was admired by everyone including Aswatha.

Aswatha's eyes popped opened at the sight of the lovely long straight hair.The upbeat thoughts about curly hair turned negative in her mind.

She went home and asked  her mom about the curly hair which she has.

In return,her mother inquired. Aswatha narrated the whole incident happened in the school.

To reduce her anxiety, Aswatha's mother explained her about the different types of hair.She added that some people have straight hair and some curly and other group have both curly and straight hair mixed.The type of hair depends on the shape of our hair follicle and  genes she said.

Finally Aswatha's mother convinced her by saying that Aswatha's father and herself have curly hair and that's the reason for her curly hair saying she ended the conversation.

Aswatha can't control her desire for straight hair.She cried and asked her mother to straighten her hair.

Her mother responded her sweetly telling that she is looking very cute with the curly hair.She got cooled after hearing the praise of words of her mother.

But mom I m not going to give up my desire.I still remember your powerful words - "Try,try until you reach your desires".So please allow me to try,she insisted her mother to give permission to straighten the hair.

Since she don't want to disappoint her daughter she agreed.She asked Aswatha not to do things which will hurt.She reminded her to keep in mind that, "God always gives the best to us" and left the place telling her to be careful.

Now Aswatha started thinking about the ways to straighten her hair.

*She thought cutting the curly edges of her hair.

*Exposing her curly edges to fire using match sticks

*Toasting her hair

*Ironing her hair

*Setting out to parlour

The chemical products and the fire may hurt and damage her hair.

Being an obedient girl, Aswatha strictly followed her mother's words.She dropped all her risky ideas and cracked her mind for some cool ideas.

One day after having a hair bath,she brushed her hair in wet.

To her surprise,all the curly edges looked straight when she brushed the hair in wet.

But her happiness ended in a short period.

As soon as the hair got dried up,her hair again turned up curly.

Being a young sportive girl,She thought that fifty percent she had found the way to fulfill her desire.

Later one fine day after thinking for hours and days together,the young chic came with a solution which she believed it to be perfect.

She wants her hair to be wet for all the time to keep her hair straight.

She sprayed the water in her hair and tried to keep it wet whenever it get dried.

Then she made jaggery solution  by heating water and jaggery.

Similar way she prepared sugar solution by heating sugar and water.

Both preparation gave her shiny sticky solution.She decided to use both the ideas seperately.

Since wetting the hair is getting dried up,this time Aswatha tried a way little bit different.

First she washed her hair.Then she heated the caster oil and applied in her hair. Quickly,she brushed  her hair in the heat moisture of the sticky oil.Her hair looked healthy,shiny and straight.

To be more sure and to stop turning her hair curly,

she applied over it the above mentioned jaggery solution.

And another day she applied the sugar solution over it following the same procedure.

She keep on finding new ideas with improvement in her results.

Finally if you wants to know more about Ideas Aswatha and her hundred percent successful straight hair story click here.

Sleepless Night :Stories for Kids

There was an old Iranian who was intensely proud of two things – his long, white beard that reached down to his chest, and his ability to sleep the moment his head touched the pillow. One day, his 3-year-old grandson asked him how he arranged his beard when he slept: did it go under the blanket or did it remain above it? The old man had never paid attention to this detail, and he confessed he didn’t remember whether his beard remained above or went under the blanket. He promised to find out. It was very cold that night. The old man got into bed and pulled the blanket over himself. Then he suddenly remembered his grandson’s question. Long White Beard Old Man He became acutely conscious that his beard was under the blanket. He lifted it from under the blanket, and placed it above it. This made him feel that something was not quite right. So he tucked the beard under the blanket again. But he soon felt it would be better if it were out. In and out went the beard; first under the blanket, then above it, then under once again. The old man spent a sleepless night. The next morning the first thing he did was cut his beard to chin level, to the great joy of his daughter who, for several months, had been urging him to do just that.

Cooking the Khichdi : Kids stories

Birbal Stories It was winter. The ponds were all frozen. At the court, Akbar asked Birbal, "Tell me Birbal! Will a man do anything for money?" Birbal replied, 'Yes'. The emperor ordered him to prove it. The next day Birbal came to the court along with a poor brahmin who merely had a penny left with him. His family was starving. Birbal told the king that the brahmin was ready to do anything for the sake of money. The king ordered the brahmin to be inside the frozen pond all through the night without any attire if he needed money. The poor brahmin had no choice. The whole night he was inside the pond, shivering. He returned to the durbar the next day to receive his reward. The king asked "Tell me Oh poor brahmin! How could you withstand the extreme temperature all through the night?" The innocent brahmin replied "I could see a faintly glowing light a kilometre away and I withstood with that ray of light." Akbar refused to pay the brahmin his reward saying that he had got warmth from the light and withstood the cold and that was cheating. The poor brahmin could not argue with him and so returned disappointed and bare-handed. Birbal tried to explain to the king but the king was in no mood to listen to him. Thereafter, Birbal stopped coming to the durbar and sent a messenger to the king saying that he would come to the court only after cooking his khichdi. As Birbal did not turn up even after 5 days, the king himself went to Birbal's house to see what he was doing. Birbal had lit the fire and kept the pot of uncooked khichdi one metre away from it. Akbar questioned him "How will the khichdi get cooked with the fire one metre away? What is wrong with you Birbal?" Birbal replied "Oh my great King of Hindustan! When it was possible for a person to receive warmth from a light that was a kilometre away, then it is possible for this khichdi, which is just a metre away from the source of heat, to get cooked." Akbar understood his mistake. He called the poor brahmin and rewarded him 2000 gold coins.

Women are more devotional than men

Lord Krishna and Kuchela(Sudama) story


It was her maternal love that prompted her to send her husband Kuchela  to the Lord so that her children might get a full meal. She had faith in the Lord. Kuchela hesitated and argued that Krishna might not recognise him or remember him or invite him in or accept his homage. She urged him to give up all doubt and proceed at least as far as the gate of the palace of Krishna. She was certain that Krishna would call him in, if he took at least that little trouble. Kuchela was so nervous that he could be persuaded to go only up to the gate.

Once it was decided that Kuchela would go, she took from the place where she had hidden it for a rainy day, a quantity of paddy, just a handfull; she put it in boiling water, took it out, dried it and, then, frying it over the fire, she pounded it with a pestle to prepare the "beaten rice" that Kuchela said was Krishna's favourite food, while at school. That was tied to a corner of the cloth worn over the body and he moved on, his fear increasing at every step. Such fear should be absent in the genuine bhakta. He must approach the Lord as of right and earn the grace that is his due.

Of course, the Lord showers his mercy on the aartha and arthaarthi, as well as on the jijnaasu(seeker of wisdom) and the jñâni (spiritually wise man). The aartha is the person who is ill and suffering; the arthaarthi is the poverty-stricken who seeks prosperity and fortune.

Lord Krishna

So, he called him in, with overwhelming joy, and reminded him of the happy days at school which they had spent together at the guru's feet, and even while Kuchela was squirming to hide the commonplace offering tied to the corner of his tattered cloth, Krishna sought out the stuff and began eating it with great relish. Bhakti had made it very tasty to the Lord.

It is related that Rukminî devi held His hand when He took the third handful and the reason given usually by commentators is that she was afraid all the riches of the Lord would go over to Kuchela if a few more handfuls were taken in by the Lord! What a silly idea! As if the riches of the Lord are exhaustible, as if He would care if bhaktas carried all of it away, as if the Mother of the universe is stingy in Her gifts, this can never be true! The real cause for Her holding the hand of Krishna was: She claimed Her share of the offering of the devoted heart; She wanted a portion for Herself; it was Her right to have a share.

Kuchela left Dvârakâ rather disappointed, because he was not given any donation or promise of adonation. He was sad, when he remembered his family and the starving children. He was lost in grief and so, he passed his own house without noticing that it had undergone a great change and had become a huge big mansion overnight. His wife, who saw him, called him back and related how suddenly, happiness had been showered upon them by Krishna's grace.

Double the Price

An individual took a watch, which was out of order to a watch-repairer. The watch-repairer said that the watch was very old and that it would cost a lot of money to repair the watch.

He said that repair would cost at least two times the original price of the watch. The owner said that he would like the watch to be repaired even if it costs so much. The watch repairer thought that, since the owner was insisting on this old and worn-out watch being repaired, the watch was probably a lucky one.


He replaced the old parts by new parts, repaired the watch and gave it back to the owner. When asked to pay the price of repair, the owner gave two slaps to the watch repairer. The persons standing by handed him over to the police and when the police asked him to explain why he beat the watch repairer, he said that he was asked to pay for the repair of the watch twice the price he paid originally when he acquired the watch and since he did not purchase it but got it by giving one slap to a person, he gave two slaps to the watch repairer.

Double the Price

What do women really want?

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom..

The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.



The question was: *What do women really want? *



Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man. And to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.



He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men, and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.

Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer. But the price would be high as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.



The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but first he would have to agree to her price.



The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table, and Arthur's closest friend! Young Arthur was horrified.

She was hunch-backed and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc.



He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.. He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden.



But Lancelot, having learnt of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life. And the reservation of the Round Table. Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered.



Arthur's question thus: 'What a woman really wants?'

She said, 'A woman wants to be in charge of her own life.'



Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth, and that Arthur's life would be spared. And so it was. The neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom. And Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.



The honeymoon hour approached and, Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him.

The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was sitting by the bed.


The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened. The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth become her horrible and deformed self only half the time, and be the beautiful maiden the other half.



'Which would you prefer?' She asked him. 'Beautiful during the day ....

or at night?'

Lancelot pondered the predicament.

During the day he could have a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch!

Or,

Would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day?

But by night a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous moments with?



(If you are a man reading this...) What would YOUR choice be?

(If you are a woman reading this...) What would YOUR MAN'S choice be?

And Lancelot's choice is given below...

BUT... please make YOUR choice first before you scroll down below...

OKAY?



Knowing the answer the witch gave to Arthur for his question, Sir Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself.

Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time..

Because, he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.

Now... what is the moral to this story?



. The moral is...

1) There is 'witch' in every woman, no matter how beautiful she is !

2) If you don't let a woman have her own way, things are going to get ugly !



So, be careful how you treat a woman and always remember: * IT IS EITHER ' HER WAY ' OR IT IS ' NO WAY ' !! :)

A Cool Story about Life

The Story of Four Wives 


Once upon a time there was a King who had four wives. He loved his 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved his 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the King is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.

He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confident and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times.

Life

The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, "I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone."

Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care for you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and give me company?" "No way!", replied the 4th wife, and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.

The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and give me company?" "No! ", replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!" His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!", replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave." Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated.

Then a voice called out: "I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect. Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!"

Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives: Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.

Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others.

Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout Eternity.