Reading Time: About 8–10 minutes
Age Group: 5–10 years
Long ago, in a beautiful village, there stood a huge castle with the most wonderful garden anyone had ever seen.
The garden belonged to a giant.
Every afternoon, children came to play there after school.
They ran through the soft green grass and climbed the peach trees.
Bright flowers bloomed in every corner.
Birds sang cheerful songs all day long.
The children laughed and played together happily.
“This is the best place in the whole world!” they said.
But one day, the giant came home.
He had been away for many years visiting his friend.
When he returned, he saw the children playing in his garden.
The giant became angry.
“What are you doing here?” he shouted in a loud voice.
“This is MY garden!”
The children became frightened.
They quickly ran away.
The giant folded his arms and said,
“No one is allowed in my garden except me.”
The next day, the giant built a tall stone wall all around the garden.
Then he placed a sign on the gate.
It said:
TRESPASSERS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED.
The giant felt very pleased with himself.
Now he had the garden all to himself.
But something strange happened.
Spring arrived everywhere in the village.
Flowers opened.
Birds sang.
Trees grew fresh green leaves.
Yet inside the giant’s garden, it stayed cold.
Winter refused to leave.
Snow covered the grass.
Frost painted silver patterns on the trees.
The north wind blew loudly through the empty garden.
The giant looked outside and wondered.
“Why is spring not coming?”
Days passed.
Then weeks passed.
Still, no spring came.
Only snow and ice remained.
The giant felt lonely.
He missed hearing the children laugh.
One morning, the giant woke up to beautiful music.
It sounded like birds singing.
He sat up in surprise.
“What is that lovely sound?” he asked.
He looked out the window.
Something amazing had happened.
A small hole had appeared in the wall.
Through the hole, children had quietly entered the garden.
Each child sat beneath a tree.
And wherever the children played, spring had returned.
The trees bloomed with pink and white flowers.
Birds flew from branch to branch.
The sun shone warmly.
The giant smiled.
Then he noticed something sad.
In one corner of the garden stood a tiny little boy.
The boy was so small that he could not climb into the tree.
The tree wanted to bloom but stayed covered in frost.
The little boy looked up sadly.
The giant’s heart suddenly softened.
He realized something important.
“How selfish I have been,” he whispered.
“Spring stayed away because I kept the children out.”
The giant quietly walked outside.
The children saw him and became scared.
They ran away.
As soon as they left, winter returned to every tree.
But the tiny boy stayed.
He had not seen the giant coming.
The giant gently picked up the boy.
He lifted him into the tree.
Immediately, the tree burst into flowers.
Birds sang.
The little boy smiled.
Then he kissed the giant on the cheek.
The giant felt happier than he had ever felt before.
He turned to the children and called out,
“Please come back!”
The children slowly returned.
The giant took a giant hammer and knocked down the wall.
Crash!
The wall fell.
The garden became open once again.
From that day on, the children played there every afternoon.
The giant joined them.
He laughed and watched them play.
He became kind and cheerful.
Soon, people walking past would say,
“Look! The giant’s garden is the most beautiful place in the village.”
But the giant looked every day for the tiny boy.
He wanted to thank him.
Yet the little boy never returned.
Years passed.
The giant grew old.
He could no longer run and play.
Instead, he sat in a large chair and watched the children happily.
One winter morning, the giant looked out the window.
To his surprise, he saw the tiny boy standing beneath a tree.
The tree was covered in beautiful white blossoms.
The giant hurried outside.
When he reached the boy, he noticed marks on the boy’s hands and feet.
The giant became worried.
“Who hurt you?” he asked.
The boy smiled softly.
“These are marks of love,” the boy said.
Then the boy looked at the giant kindly.
“You let the children play in your garden.”
“You learned to share.”
“Today, you will come with me to my beautiful garden.”
The giant smiled peacefully.
That afternoon, the children came to play.
They found the giant resting quietly beneath the flowering tree.
His face looked peaceful and happy.
The garden was full of blossoms.
And everyone remembered the giant as someone who learned that kindness makes life beautiful.
The children never forgot him.
And they always kept the garden open for everyone.
The End.
The Selfish Giant – Moral of the Story
- Sharing brings happiness to everyone.
- Kindness can change hearts.
- Friendship and love make life brighter.
- Being selfish may leave us lonely, but caring for others brings joy.
The Selfish Giant – Questions About the Story
- Why did the giant chase the children away?
- What happened to the garden after the wall was built?
- Why did spring return?
- How did the giant help the little boy?
- What lesson did the giant learn?
- What would you do if you had a magical garden?
Vocabulary Words From the The Selfish Giant Story
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Giant | A very large person in stories |
| Garden | A place where flowers and plants grow |
| Selfish | Caring only about yourself |
| Frost | Thin ice that forms in cold weather |
| Bloom | When flowers open |
| Whisper | To speak very quietly |
| Cheerful | Happy and full of joy |
| Blossoms | Beautiful flowers growing on trees |
| Peaceful | Calm and quiet |
| Kindness | Being caring and helpful to others |
Story Theme: Friendship • Sharing • Kindness • Growing Through Love
For more stories go to: Bedtime Stories