PRESCHOOL Core Knowledge Language Arts

Big Book
Classic Tales

i
 Classic Tales
Big Book

PRESCHOOL
Core Knowledge Language Arts®
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

You are free:

to Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work
to Remix — to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:

Attribution — You must attribute the work in the
following manner:
This work is based on an original work of the Core
Knowledge® Foundation made available through
licensing under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. This
does not in any way imply that the Core Knowledge
Foundation endorses this work.
Noncommercial — You may not use this work for
commercial purposes.
Share Alike — If you alter, transform, or build upon this
work, you may distribute the resulting work only under
the same or similar license to this one.

With the understanding that:

For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to
others the license terms of this work. The best way to
do this is with a link to this web page:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Copyright © 2014 Core Knowledge Foundation

www.coreknowledge.org

All Rights Reserved.

Core Knowledge Language Arts, Listening & Learning,

and Tell It Again! are trademarks of the Core Knowledge
Foundation.

Trademarks and trade names are shown in this book strictly

for illustrative and educational purposes and are the property
of their respective owners. References herein should not
be regarded as affecting the validity of said trademarks and
trade names.
 Classic Tales
Big Book

Table of Contents
The Lion and the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The City Mouse and the Country Mouse . . 9
Goldilocks and the Three Bears . . . . . . . . . . 19
The Gingerbread Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
The Shoemaker and the Elves . . . . . . . . . . . 45
The Little Red Hen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Thumbelina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
How Turtle Cracked His Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Why Flies Buzz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
The Three Little Pigs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

v
The Lion and
the Mouse

A Fable by Aesop
Illustrated by Gail McIntosh

1
2
One day a little mouse was
scampering about. The mouse
accidently ran across the paw
of a sleeping lion.

3
 The angry lion awoke and captured
the mouse in his great, big, furry paws.

4
The lion was just about to eat the
mouse when the tiny creature cried
out, “Please set me free. One day I
will return your kindness.”

So the lion
released
the mouse.

5
 A little while later, the mouse heard what
sounded like angry roars. The mouse
followed the sounds and discovered the
lion trapped in a net made of ropes.

Though frightened, the mouse was

determined to keep his promise.
6
Using his sharp teeth,
the mouse made a
hole in the net. And
so the great lion was
set free by the little
mouse.

The moral of this story is:

Friends who are little in size
can still be great friends.
7
8
The City Mouse
and the
Country Mouse

A Fable by Aesop
Illustrated by Gail McIntosh

9
10
One beautiful summer’s day, the
City Mouse went to visit his cousin
the Country Mouse.

11
 The Country Mouse had
a humble home. He ate plain
food like corn and peas. The
City Mouse was not impressed.
No, Sir!

12
“Cousin, come with me to
the wonderful city,” said the
City Mouse. The Country
Mouse agreed, and they
set off together.

“Oh my!” said the Country

Mouse when he saw his
cousin’s grand home.

13
 “A feast awaits us!” said the City Mouse
proudly. The cousins secretly began to
eat wonderful, delicious foods like ham
and chocolate cake.
14
Suddenly, they heard
noises. A cat with sharp
claws appeared.

Just in time, the mice

escaped inside a small
hole in the wall.

15
 The Country Mouse decided that
the city was not for him. He made
his way back to his simple home
where he was safe and happy.

16
The moral of the story is:
There’s no place like home.

17
18
 Goldilocks and
the Three Bears

Retold by Rosie McCormick

Illustrated by Gail McIntosh

19
20
One morning, Papa Bear made some
steaming-hot porridge for his family.
He poured his porridge into a big bowl.
He poured Mama Bear’s porridge into
a middle-sized bowl.

Finally, he poured Baby Bear’s porridge

into a tiny bowl. While the porridge
cooled, the Three Bears went for a walk
in the forest.
21
 That very same morning, a little girl named
Goldilocks had also gone for a walk in the
forest. However, Goldilocks lost her way
and came upon the Bears’ cozy cottage.

22
Goldilocks was hungry. She stepped
inside the cozy cottage. There, she
found the three bowls of porridge.

Goldilocks tasted the porridge in

the big bowl—too hot! She tasted the
porridge in the middle-sized bowl—too
cold! Then she tasted the porridge in
the tiny bowl. It was just right, so she
gobbled it all up.

23
 Goldilocks began to feel
tired. She looked around
and saw three chairs.
She tried sitting in the big
chair. It was too hard.
Ouch!

She tried sitting in

the middle-sized
chair. It was too
soft. Plop!

24
She sat down in the tiny chair. It was
just right. But, suddenly the chair broke
and Goldilocks fell to the floor! Crash!

25
 Goldilocks went upstairs
and found three beds.

She was still tired, so she tried the

big bed. It was too smooth. She
tried the middle-sized bed. It was
too lumpy. She tried the tiny bed.
It was just right. Goldilocks fell
fast asleep.

26
While Goldilocks was sleeping, the
Bears returned home. They saw that
someone had been eating their
porridge. They saw that someone
had been sitting in their chairs.

Baby Bear said, “Someone has been

sitting in my chair—and has broken it
all to pieces!”

27
 The Bears went upstairs and discovered
that someone had been sleeping in their
beds. Baby Bear said, “Someone has been
sleeping in my bed—and here she is!”

Goldilocks was startled when

she woke up and saw the Bears.
28
Goldilocks ran out of the cozy cottage
as fast as she could. The Three Bears
never saw or heard from her again.

29
30
 The
Gingerbread
Man

Retold by Rosie McCormick

Illustrated by Gail McIntosh

31
32
One day, a little old woman
decided to make a delicious
gingerbread man cookie.

33
 She put the cookie dough on a cookie
sheet and baked it in the oven. To her
surprise, when she opened the oven,
the Gingerbread Man jumped out!

34
The Gingerbread Man ran out of
the house. The little old woman
and her husband ran as fast as they
could, but they could not catch the
Gingerbread Man.

35
 A cow grazing in a field sniffed the
air. The smell of ginger made the cow
want to eat the Gingerbread Man. The
cow could not catch the Gingerbread
Man either.

36
A cat sleeping in the warm
sunshine thought that the
Gingerbread Man would
make a tasty treat. Not
even the cat could catch
the Gingerbread Man.

37
 Then the Gingerbread Man
met a clever fox.

The fox pretended that he was not

hungry and therefore did not want
to catch the Gingerbread Man.

38
The clever fox said that he would be
happy to help the Gingerbread Man
cross the river.

39
 As they were crossing
the river, the fox said,
“The water is getting
deeper. You should ride
on my head.”

Moments later the fox said,

“Now you should ride on my nose.”

40
Before the Gingerbread Man
could even say, “Thank you for
your kindness,” the fox ate him—
every last bite.

41
 Chomp! Smack! The
clever fox licked his lips
as he crossed to the
other side of the river.

42
43
44
The Shoemaker
and the Elves

Retold by Rosie McCormick

Illustrated by Barbara L. Gibson

45
46
Once there was a poor shoemaker
and his wife.
“We only have enough leather left
to make one pair of shoes,” said the
worried shoemaker to his wife.

47
 That night, the shoemaker left the leather
on his workbench and went to bed.
He decided he would make his last pair
of shoes in the morning.

48
When the shoemaker woke
up, he was shocked to find a
beautiful pair of shoes on his
workbench.

He puzzled and puzzled

over who could have made
such beautiful shoes.

49
 Later that day, a customer came into the
workshop and admired the shoes. They fit
his feet so perfectly that he paid double
the money for them!

50
“We now have enough money
to buy dinner and to buy leather
for two more pairs of shoes,” the
shoemaker said happily.

That evening he cut leather

for two pairs of shoes and
left it on his workbench.

51
 Amazingly, the next morning, there
were four pairs of new, fancy shoes.
The shoemaker and his wife sold all
four and made more money.

“I must discover who is making these

shoes,” said the shoemaker to his wife.
So, they decided to stay awake and
watch the workbench all night.

52
That evening, two tiny elves in
tattered clothes tip-toed into the
workshop. They began to sew
the leather into beautiful shoes.

53
 “Those poor elves must be freezing
in their ragged clothes,” said the
wife to the shoemaker.

So, they decided to sew new clothes and

shoes for the poor little elves. That evening,
they left the gifts on the workbench for the
elves to find.

54
When the elves returned, they discovered
the beautiful clothes and shoes. They were
so happy with their new clothes that they
danced out of the workshop and were
never seen again.

From that day forward, the

shoemaker and his wife lived
a happy life with plenty to eat.

55
56
 The Little
Red Hen

Retold by Rosie McCormick

Illustrated by Gail McIntosh

57
58
There once was a little red hen who
lived with her friends on a farm. She
was not a lazy hen. She worked harder
than all of the other animals.

59
 The Little Red Hen wanted to plant
some grains of wheat. She asked
for help, but her friends refused.

So she planted
the grains herself.

60
In the summertime, the wonderful golden
wheat was ready to be harvested. Once
again, with no one to help her, the Little
Red Hen did all the work.

61
 The Little Red Hen
had to grind the wheat
into flour.

As usual, her friends did not want to

do any hard work. So the Little Red
Hen ground the flour herself.

62
The Little Red Hen used the flour
to make bread dough. With no
one to help her, she kneaded
the dough all by herself.

63
 The Little Red Hen’s friends had
completely abandoned her. So she
baked the bread all by herself.

When the smell of freshly baked bread

rose up into the air, the Little Red Hen’s
friends appeared.

64
They were willing to help eat the bread,
but the Little Red Hen ate it all by herself.
She had done all the work!
65
66
Thumbelina

by Hans Christian Andersen

Retold by Rosie McCormick
Illustrated by Gail McIntosh

67
68
Once upon a time, there was a woman
who was very sad because she did not
have any children. One day, she planted
a magical seed. That night, the seed grew
into a flowering plant.

69
 “What a beautiful flower,” said the
woman as she kissed the petals. At
that moment, the flower opened.
Inside the flower sat a tiny girl.

70
The girl was no bigger
than a thumb. The woman
named her Thumbelina.

At night, Thumbelina slept

in a polished walnut shell.

71
 One night, a mother toad came
and took Thumbelina away.

The mother toad

wanted Thumbelina
to marry her son.

72
The mother toad and her son placed
Thumbelina on a water lily leaf in the river.
Then they set off to plan the wedding.

Thumbelina was very sad.

She began to cry.

73
 A fish heard Thumbelina’s sobs. It
nibbled on the stem of the lily pad
until the leaf broke free. Thumbelina
floated down the river.
74
Summer disappeared, and winter
came. Thumbelina was cold.

A field mouse took pity on her.

“My dear, you must come home
with me,” the field mouse said.

75
 Thumbelina spent the rest of the
winter in the mouse’s snug burrow.
They became good friends.

76
In a burrow nearby lived Mr. Mole.
He liked to visit in the evening and
hear Thumbelina sing.

77
 One evening, while visiting Mr. Mole,
Thumbelina found a swallow. The bird
was cold and hurt.

Thumbelina cared for the swallow

and brought him food every day.

78
Mr. Mole had fallen in
love with Thumbelina. He
wanted to marry her.

Thumbelina did not want to

marry Mr. Mole. Once again,
she was very unhappy.

79
 One day, the swallow that
Thumbelina had cared for
came to help her escape.

Together, they
flew south to
warmer lands.

80
In a new land filled with flowers,
Thumbelina met a king. He was
tiny, too!
81
 Thumbelina became the queen. She
and the king lived happily ever after.

82
83
84
How Turtle
Cracked
His Shell

by Joseph Bruchac
Retold by Rosie McCormick
Illustrated by Gail McIntosh
and Barbara Gibson

85
86
One autumn day, Turtle was talking
with the birds. They said, “Winter is
coming. Soon it’s going to be very
cold here. We’re getting ready to fly
south where it is warm.”

87
 “Can I come with you?” asked
Turtle. At first, the birds said, “No!”
Turtle pleaded, “There must be
some way I can go with you!”
Finally, the birds agreed.

88
“Use your mouth to hold on
tightly to this stick,” the birds
explained. Turtle did just that.

Then the two big birds grabbed

the ends of the stick. Soon
they were all high in the sky—
including Turtle.

89
 Turtle had never been so high off the
ground before. He could look down and
see how small everything looked. He
wondered how far they had come, and
how far they had to go.
90
Turtle tried to get the birds’ attention.
He rolled his eyes at them, but they
did not notice. He waved his legs too.

Frustrated, Turtle opened his mouth to

speak. At that moment he let go of the
stick and began to fall! He fell down from
the sky and hit the ground hard.
91
 Turtle’s body ached. He ached
so much he did not notice that
his shell had cracked all over. He
crawled into a pond and swam
down to the bottom.

There he dug a hole in the mud

and slept all winter long.

92
 In the spring, Turtle woke
up. He was very proud of
the cracks on his shell.

Ever since then, every turtle’s shell

looks like it has cracks all over it.

93
94
Why Flies Buzz

Retold by Rosie McCormick

Illustrated by Gail McIntosh

95
96
One bright, sunny day, a man and his wife
went into the jungle to gather food. When
they reached a coconut tree, the man
took out his knife. The man climbed up the
tree to cut down some delicious coconuts.

97
 As the man
reached for a
coconut, a black
fly flitted around
his face. He tried
to swat the fly,
and dropped his
knife. “Watch out,
Wife!” he cried.

98
The wife jumped out of the
way. As she jumped, she
kicked a crocodile that was
sleeping beneath the tree.

The angry crocodile’s tail

went—swack! swack! swack!

99
 Nearby, a jungle bird was
looking for bugs to eat. As
the crocodile’s tail came
down, the bird squawked—
scree! scree! scree!

The bird soared to a branch

in a tree and landed right next
to a monkey. The monkey was
peeling a juicy mango.

100
The monkey, startled by the bird,
dropped his mango. It fell on the
head of a hippo—splat! splat! splat!
101
 The hippo thought he was being
attacked by hunters. He tried to
escape—stomp! stomp! stomp!

As he did, he trampled
on a bushfowl’s nest. The
nest was full of eggs.

102
“My eggs are all broken!” wailed the
bushfowl. She began to cry—sob! sob!
sob! And there she stayed, beside her
nest, for many days and nights.

She did not awaken the sun with her

familiar call—kark! kark! kark! So the
sky remained dark for several days.

103
 The jungle animals were
worried. They went to talk
to the wise lion.

The lion gathered all the

animals together to find
out what had happened.

104
Everyone blamed each other.

The last to speak was the man.

He said, “Wise Lion, I dropped
my knife because a black fly
was annoying me.”

105
 “Aha!” said the lion. “Then it is the black
fly’s fault!” said the lion. But the black fly
answered back. “Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!”
said the fly.

“Have you nothing else to say?” asked the

lion. The fly ignored the lion and continued
saying “buzz! Buzz! Buzz!”

106
The lion was angry with the fly and
decided to punish him. “Black Fly!” he
bellowed. “Since you refuse to answer,
I shall take away your power to talk.”

The fly tried to speak, but all he could

say was, “Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!” To this day,
flies all around the world can only say,
“Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!”

107
 The bushfowl was satisfied. The fly
that had caused all the trouble had
been punished. And so she agreed
to once again call the sun to begin
the day.

108
109
110
The Three
Little Pigs

Retold by Rosie McCormick

Illustrated by Gail McIntosh

111
112
Once upon a time, there were three little
pigs. They lived with their mother. One
day, Mama Pig said, “You are all grown
now. It is time for you to go out into the
world and live on your own.”

113
 The pigs said good-bye
and went on their way.

The First Little Pig decided to build

a house made out of straw. Before
long, he was finished. He had time
to relax in the shade.

114
The Second Little Pig built a
house made out of sticks. He
worked hard, but he still had
time to relax in the shade.

115
 The Third Little Pig decided to build
a house made out of bricks. He
worked very, very hard.

It took him a long time to finish

building his house. He did not have
time to rest in the shade.

116
Soon after, a big, bad wolf
came along. He saw the
First Little Pig napping in the
shade.

‘That little pig would make

a tasty bite to eat,’ thought
the Big Bad Wolf to himself.

117
 The little pig saw the wolf coming
and ran inside his straw house. The
wolf said, “Little pig, little pig, let me
come in.” The little pig replied, “Not
by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin.”

118
“Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow
your house down,” said the Big Bad Wolf.
And that is what he did! As the straw blew
everywhere, the First Little Pig ran away.

119
 The Big Bad Wolf soon came across the
Second Little Pig home made of sticks. The
Big Bad Wolf knocked on the door and
asked to come in.

“Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin,”

said the Second Little Pig. “Then I’ll huff,
and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house
down,” replied the wolf.

120
The two little pigs ran to their brother’s
brick house. Right behind them was
the wolf! Once again the wolf asked
to come inside. “Not by the hair of my
chinny-chin-chin,” replied the Third
Little Pig.

The wolf did not give up.

He climbed up onto the roof.
He jumped down the chimney. 121
And he fell right into a pot
of water that was heating
on the fire. That water
was so hot that the
wolf jumped out
and ran away.

The Three Little Pigs lived

happily ever after.
122
 CORE KNOWLEDGE LANGUAGE ARTS
SERIES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
E. D. Hirsch, Jr.

PRESIDENT
Linda Bevilacqua

EDITORIAL STAFF DESIGN AND GRAPHICS STAFF

Carolyn Gosse, Senior Editor - Preschool Scott Ritchie, Creative Director
Khara Turnbull, Materials Development Manager
Kim Berrall
Michelle L. Warner, Senior Editor - Listening & Learning
Michael Donegan
Mick Anderson Liza Greene
Robin Blackshire Matt Leech
Maggie Buchanan Bridget Moriarty
Paula Coyner Lauren Pack
Sue Fulton
Sara Hunt CONSULTING PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Erin Kist ScribeConcepts.com
Robin Luecke
Rosie McCormick ADDITIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES
Cynthia Peng Ang Blanchette
Liz Pettit Dorrit Green
Ellen Sadler Carolyn Pinkerton
Deborah Samley
Diane Auger Smith
Sarah Zelinke

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
These materials are the result of the work, advice, and encouragement of numerous individuals over many years. Some of those singled out here already
know the depth of our gratitude; others may be surprised to find themselves thanked publicly for help they gave quietly and generously for the sake of
the enterprise alone. To helpers named and unnamed we are deeply grateful.

CONTRIBUTORS TO EARLIER VERSIONS OF THESE MATERIALS

Susan B. Albaugh, Kazuko Ashizawa, Nancy Braier, Kathryn M. Cummings, Michelle De Groot, Diana Espinal, Mary E. Forbes, Michael L. Ford,
Ted Hirsch, Danielle Knecht, James K. Lee, Diane Henry Leipzig, Martha G. Mack, Liana Mahoney, Isabel McLean, Steve Morrison, Juliane K. Munson,
Elizabeth B. Rasmussen, Laura Tortorelli, Rachael L. Shaw, Sivan B. Sherman, Miriam E. Vidaver, Catherine S. Whittington, Jeannette A. Williams

We would like to extend special recognition to Program Directors Matthew Davis and Souzanne Wright who were instrumental to the early
development of this program.

SCHOOLS
We are truly grateful to the teachers, students, and administrators of the following schools for their willingness to field test these materials and for
their invaluable advice: Capitol View Elementary, Challenge Foundation Academy (IN), Community Academy Public Charter School, Lake Lure Classical
Academy, Lepanto Elementary School, New Holland Core Knowledge Academy, Paramount School of Excellence, Pioneer Challenge Foundation
Academy, New York City PS 26R (The Carteret School), PS 30X (Wilton School), PS 50X (Clara Barton School), PS 96Q, PS 102X (Joseph O. Loretan),
PS 104Q (The Bays Water), PS 214K (Michael Friedsam), PS 223Q (Lyndon B. Johnson School), PS 308K (Clara Cardwell), PS 333Q (Goldie Maple Academy),
Sequoyah Elementary School, South Shore Charter Public School, Spartanburg Charter School, Steed Elementary School, Thomas Jefferson Classical
Academy, Three Oaks Elementary, West Manor Elementary.

And a special thanks to the CKLA Pilot Coordinators Anita Henderson, Yasmin Lugo-Hernandez, and Susan Smith, whose suggestions and day-to-day
support to teachers using these materials in their classrooms was critical.

123
 CREDITS
Every effort has been taken to trace and acknowledge copyrights. The editors tender their apologies for any accidental infringement where
copyright has proved untraceable. They would be pleased to insert the appropriate acknowledgment in any subsequent edition of this
publication. Trademarks and trade names are shown in this publication for illustrative purposes only and are the property of their respective
owners. The references to trademarks and trade names given herein do not affect their validity.

WRITERS

How Turtle Cracked His Shell adapted by Rosie McCormick from How
the Turtle Flew South for the Winter by Joseph Bruchac courtesy of
Fulcrum Publishing, Inc.

All other stories adapted and retold by Rosie McCormick, Linda

Bevilacqua, and Susan Hitchcock

IMAGES
Barbara L. Gibson Big Book Page 13; 45; 47; 48; 49; 50; 51; 52;
53; 54; 55; 85; 88; 93; 107;

Gail McIntosh Big Book Page 1; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 9; 11; 12; 14; 15;

16; 17; 19; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29;
31; 33; 34; 35; 36; 37; 38; 39; 40; 41; 42; 57;
59; 60; 61; 62; 63; 64; 65; 67; 69; 70; 71; 72;
73; 74; 75; 76; 77; 78; 79; 80; 81; 82; 87; 89;
90; 91; 92; 95’, 97’, 98’, 99’, 100’, 101’, 102’, 103’,
104’, 105’, 106; 108’, 111’, 113’, 114’, 115’, 116’,
117’, 118’, 119’, 120’, 121’, 122

Shutterstock Cover; Title Page:

Regarding the Shutterstock items listed above,
please note: “No person or entity shall falsely
represent, expressly or by way of reasonable
implication, that the content herein was created
by that person or entity, or any person other than
the copyright holder(s) of that content.”

124
125
Classic Tales
Big Book

PRESCHOOL

The Core Knowledge Foundation

www.coreknowledge.org
 This book is shared online by Free Kids Books at https://www.freekidsbooks.org in terms of the creative commons license provided by the
publisher or author.

Want to find more books like this?

Totally

Really?

https://www.freekidsbooks.org
Simply great free books -
Preschool, early grades, picture books, learning to read,
early chapter books, middle grade, young adult, OER textbooks
Pratham, Book Dash, Mustardseed, Open Equal Free, and many more!
Always Free – Always will be!

Legal Note: This book is in CREATIVE COMMONS - Awesome!! That means you can share,
reuse it, and in some cases republish it, but only in accordance with the terms of the applicable
license (not all CCs are equal!), attribution must be provided, and any resulting work must be
released in the same manner.
Please reach out and contact us if you want more information:
https://www.freekidsbooks.org/about Image Attribution: Sanjay Sarkar CC-BY-SA
This page is added for identification.