Short Story about a Poor Family in English for Kids

The short story about a poor family revolves around a destitute man and his unfulfilled dreams. We all have to remember that ‘work is worship’ and simply dreaming about achieving our goals is not something. The tale of the poor man conveys the importance of ‘walking the talk,’ and learning the importance of being practical in our lives.

Young kids will learn invaluable life lessons from this short story as it clearly illustrates the significance of hardwork and dedication, and not simply imagining things inside our head. Short stories like this are a treasure trove of knowledge for children, and parents and teachers should encourage young kids to develop the habit of reading.

Origin of the Short Story About a Poor Family 

Although the short story about the poor man has no specific origin, we can say that its core is the famous proverb – ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ The proverb was first quoted in Algernon Sidney’s work, and we can find its variants in the Holy Bible and the Quran. It is a motto emphasizing the importance of self-agency and initiation in being successful and the poor family story moral serves as an antithesis to this proverb.

Poor Family Story Summary 

The story begins with a man who is frail, hungry, and extremely poor. He was also very lonely, without any family of his own. The man had no job, and he begged for money and food. Every day, after asking for morsels and pennies from pedestrians on the street, the man would go back to his hut and keep all of his day’s earnings inside an earthen pot hung beside his bed.

One day, the man was tired of begging all day, and decided to sleep early. During his deep slumber, he began dreaming. In his dreams, he was a wealthy man with bountiful riches. He also saw that he was no longer lonely, and had a beautiful wife, and they had many children. The man dreamt that he possessed the best-in-class luxuries, there was no scarcity of food in his house, and rather the dining table was filled with scrumptious-looking delicacies. The man continued to dream and saw that his children were playing and jumping around his big mansion, and he also began to join them.

While he was playing with his children in the dream, the poor began to move his legs fervently and the earthen pot beside his bed fell and broke. The man woke up with a startle, and realized that all his riches were a mere dream. Then, he looked down to see his night’s food being splattered across the floor. The poor man’s face fell, and he again went back to sleep, feeling hungry and miserable.

A Poor Man Struggling to Achieve His Dreams

Moral of the Story

The poor family story moral is that building castles in the air is not enough. We have to work hard, and make the most of a situation. The poor man took recourse to beg to get by with his life. He did not try to get out of his comfort zone, and seek jobs or look for opportunities that would give him a dignified life. However, he kept on daydreaming about being, which backfired, and all his food for the night got spilled. So, we have to remember that although daydreaming and having larger-than-life goals is by no means bad, there has to be a balance between idealism and practicality for us to fulfill those goals.

Note to Parents

It goes without saying that short stories are excellent to nourish the mind and intellect of children. Through stories, children learn the veritable importance of being righteous in life. For example, the short story about a poor family helps kids learn the significance of working hard to fulfill their dreams. Likewise, they also get a hint of social problems like poverty, unemployment, etc. Thus, teachers and parents should encourage children to inculcate the habit of reading.