Short Stories for Kids - The Magic Paint Brush
Once upon a time, in a tiny village named Chirukkur, there lived a family of a father, mother and son. They owned a small farm. They had to work very hard to make ends meet. After school, the boy Raghu used to help out in the farm too. He would plant seeds or pluck fruits and vegetables.
One evening, as Raghu was plucking some papayas he saw a red color paintbrush lying on the muddy puddle next to the papaya tree. He was so happy with his luck. He had some paints from before, he did not have a brush, now he could paint. He took the brush, washed it and kept it on the shelf.
On the next Sunday, when he had some free time to spare, he took the brush and started painting the picture of a hen. As soon as he was done, lo behold, the hen became real and appeared in front of him. Raghu was so shocked he fell out of his chair. Next, he painted a chocolate, even that became real and he gobbled it up. He realized how he had been blessed with this paintbrush.
He showed this to his mom and dad. They were happy too. He painted them a bullock cart so that they could work easily on the farm. He painted a few eggs for the neighbor who did not have much to eat.
Word of Raghu’s magic paintbrush spread far and wide. Many people came to him seeking help. Raghu did what he could. He painted for the needy, a wheel chair for a differently abled man, a schoolbag for a poor kid and so on.
Some days later, a wicked gangster Veeru heard about the magic paintbrush and he wanted for himself. Veeru came with his gang of thieves and stole the paintbrush from Raghu and locked Raghu up in a lock up.
Veeru painted a stack of gold coins, but they didn’t materialize. He realized that it worked only for Raghu. He got Raghu out of the lock up and asked him to pain gold.
Raghu was not only a humble and hard working boy, he was also a clever one. Raghu painted a mountain of gold on an island surrounded by the sea. Veeru got super angry and said, “ Hey, how will I reach the island?”
Raghu smiled and painted a ship. Veeru and his gang boarded the ship. When they were in the middle of the ocean, Raghu painted a storm and capsized the boat and managed to destroy the gangster and his gang of thieves.
Word of Raghu’s bravery spread around and no one ever really bothered him again. Raghu was very happy with this and he continued to help the poor and needy with his gift.
Moral of the Story
You may build a conversation with the kid based on this story. You could ask her as to why she thinks the paint brush works only for Raghu? You could talk about how Raghu used his wits to save himself that day.
These short stories are intended as conversation starters with kids. Our Posters and Flash Cards are great conversation builders too. Do take a look.
