German Short Stories

Hoppel the bunny refuses to sleep and sneaks out to see the forest at night. A wise owl reminds him that bunnies need rest to play tomorrow. Hoppel decides his cozy bed is best and falls asleep.

Stachel the hedgehog loves hugs, but his spines poke everyone. Feeling lonely, he watches others cuddle. His friends knit him a soft wool scarf, wrap him up, and give him the biggest hug ever — no pokes.

Funki the dragon wakes up with hiccups that shoot out sparks and smoke, frightening the villagers. A brave girl named Lena climbs up, tries every remedy, and cures him with a big surprise “BOO!” They become best friends.

Gustav the snail enters the garden race and everyone laughs. The grasshopper lands in a puddle, the ladybug stops to snack and the ant gets lost, while Gustav keeps going slowly and steadily — and finishes first.

Paul can’t fall asleep even after counting a hundred sheep. The Sandman, a little old man with a bag of golden sand, visits and asks him to imagine waves on a warm beach, then sprinkles sand on his eyelids. Paul drifts off.

Mimi, a hungry orange cat, keeps stealing pretzels from Mr. Huber’s bakery. Instead of getting angry, he offers her a daily pretzel in exchange for keeping mice out of the flour cellar. She becomes the beloved “bakery cat.”

A little white cloud is afraid of thunder and hides whenever storms come. A big cloud explains that thunder announces the rain that plants and rivers need. Next storm, the little cloud stays and happily waters a field of poppies.

Emma makes a moon-and-stars lantern for the St. Martin’s Day lantern parade and learns how St. Martin shared his cloak. During the parade, her classmate Jonas’s candle goes out, and Emma helps him relight it. Two lights glow side by side.

Pablo the penguin is always cold, even in a hat, scarf and three pairs of socks. He sails south on an ice boat — which melts — to a sunny beach, but soon it’s far too hot. He returns home with a hot-water bottle and sleeps cozily with his family.

An old apple tree gives blossoms to the bees, shade to walkers and apples to the children. During a harsh winter, the birds, squirrels and children it helped keep it warm. The next spring it blooms more beautifully than ever.