Introduction to The Shadow Story
The shadow had been authored by Laura E. Richards. The shadow story is one of the short stories that was initially published in the story collections named “The Pig Brother and Other Fables” in the 1800s. The story revolves around a young boy and an angel. The story depicts the joy and happiness of life.
Reading stories from an early age can help kids in their overall development. Needless to say, reading a work of literature widens one's vocabulary but apart from it, this can also help develop creative skills among kids. Here, we provide a simplified version of the shadow story that kids can easily understand and enjoy.
Shadow of kids on Ground
The Shadow Story
Once upon a time, in a small village surrounded by trees, rivers, and mountains, lived a boy. The little boy was chirpy and happy, one morning as he woke up early he went outside to play. As the boy was playing he saw a shadow. He looked at the shadow and observed its dark, grey, colourless appearance.
The shadow made the little boy very sad. He soon started crying. Listening to the cries of the young boy an angel came to the village. He asked the boy, “Why are you crying?”.
The little kid replied, sobbing, that he found the world so dark and grey. He then pointed at the shadow and asked “why must I stay in a world that is so colourless and sad. The colourless shadow is what ails me.”.
Little kid crying
Hearing this the angel asked, “Do you hear the birds chirping every morning? Do you hear the sound of the river flowing?”.
“Yes,” the kid replied. The kid then said that as he could not see the birds, all he could see was the dark shadow in front of him. And if birds saw the shadow they too would be sad.
The Angel made the kid sit at his feet, facing the rising sun.
"Take a look!" exclaimed the Angel.
The child wiped his tears and glanced around. The fields were green and yellow and gleaming with dewdrops, and the other kids were running around, laughing and yelling. His village looked beautiful.
The angel then told the little boy to admire the view.
The little boy told the angel that the shadow is gone. The angel then explained that the shadow is behind the boy. The angel then advised the kid to play along with other kids and enjoy the sunlight and not to worry about the shadow as there were beautiful things all around.
Little Boy and Other kids Playing in the Ground
About the Author
Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards was a novelist from the United States. Richards was born and raised in Massachusetts. She published almost 90 books, many of which were beautiful didactic stories aimed towards youth. In 1917, she and her co-author sister, Maud Howe Elliott, won the Pulitzer Prize for the biography of her mother, Julia Ward Howe, who is well known for writing The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Eletelephony, Richards' literary nonsense poetry, continues to enthrall readers. It was adapted and aired on Sesame Street, a long-running children's show.
Moral of the Story
Like other kids’ stories, the shadow story depicts the beauty of life. The main lesson that can be learned from the story is to appreciate the beauty of life. Even though when we feel like the situations are tough and we can not bear the hardships of life, there is always a good and positive thing that we can focus on. The angel in the shadow story also helps the little boy to see the birds and kids playing in the village.
Conclusion
The shadow story is a fable that best depicts the moral of focusing on the good. The children's stories are a good way to teach moral lessons to the kids. Kids can relate to the characters of the story which can help kids to imbibe the moral values mentioned in the story. Reading these stories is a fun way to spend time together with kids. Stories not only provide kids with moral lessons but also help in boosting their creative skills. To conclude, it is needless to say that the shadow story is a fascinating story that can help children to appreciate the good things in life.
FAQs on The Shadow Story for Kids
1. What happened to the kid at the end of the shadow story?
The little boy was able to look past the shadows, he then discovered the beautifully coloured green fields, he saw other kids playing and running around the fields. The angel helped the kid to find the beautiful world around him. At the end of the story, the kid learned to appreciate the good things in life.
2. Why was the boy crying?
The little boy was sad as he saw the dark grey coloured shadow in front of him. Looking at the shadow the boy wondered whether life is colourless and dark as the shadow. He wondered if there is no beauty in life. This made the boy disheartened and he started crying. The boy was later able to look into the beautiful kids and fields with the help of an angel and he learned to appreciate the goodness of nature.
