Full Text: The Elves and the Shoemaker
One story, four ways to read it
Every story comes in its original version plus several simplified reading levels, so it grows with your child.
The original text is the full story with rich vocabulary and descriptive language, ideal for reading aloud together and for kids who are ready for longer sentences.
The simplified levels retell the same story in shorter, simpler sentences matched to your child's stage. Ages 2-6 uses a few short sentences per scene, perfect for first time readers. Ages 4-8 adds simple dialogue and everyday vocabulary for kids beginning to follow along. Ages 6-10 keeps the language accessible while bringing back more of the story's detail, a natural bridge to the original.
Start at the level where your child is comfortable, and move up when they're ready. Hearing the same story told in richer language each time is one of the best ways to build vocabulary in any language.
Original Text: The Elves and the Shoemaker
Once upon a time, there lived a shoemaker. He was honest and hard-working, but he was very poor. Times were bad and he grew poorer and poorer.
At last, he only had enough leather to make one pair of shoes, so one night, he cut out the leather.
“Now,” he said, “I am all ready to begin work in the morning. I will get up early and make these shoes.”
Then he said his prayers, went to bed and slept in peace.
In the morning, he got up early to begin his work. How surprised he was to find the shoes lying finished on the table! He looked carefully at them, but there was not a bad stitch in the work. Who had done it? He could not even guess.
Soon, a man came in to buy some shoes. The pair was so well made that he bought it for a good price. With this money, the shoemaker got leather to make two pairs of shoes.
That night, he cut them out. But he did not have to make them the next day. The work was done for him in the night.
He sold these two pairs of shoes and bought leather for four pairs. These he cut out that night and found finished the next morning.
So it went on. The work which he began one day, he found finished the next. He had only to buy leather and cut out the shoes.
One winter night, the shoemaker cut out several pairs of shoes. Then, instead of going to bed, he said to his wife:
“My dear, I would like to find out who helps us every night. Suppose we sit up and watch.”
His wife agreed. So they left the candle burning. They hid themselves in a corner of the room. As the clock struck twelve, there came into the room two little elves. They sat down on the shoemaker's table and began to work. They sewed so well and so fast that the shoes were soon finished. Then they skipped down and away they went.
The next morning the wife said,
“Honey, these little men have helped us so much and I would like to do something for them. They must be cold, running about with very thin shirts. I will make them some clothes and knit them some stockings. Please make each elf a pair of shoes.”
“That I will and gladly, too,” said her husband.
So they set to work and made the clothes and shoes. That night, they did not put any work on the table. Instead, they laid the gifts there. Then they hid to see what the little men would do.
At midnight, the elves came in. They jumped up on the table, expecting to find leather cut out for them to make into shoes. There was nothing but the beautiful little clothes. The elves looked at them in wonder. They felt the soft cloth and put their hands in the little pockets.
At last, they dressed themselves, and jumped and danced for joy. Over stools and chairs they went, singing:
“Who will wonder at our glee?
Happy little men are we,
Well-dressed now, as you may see.”
At last, they danced out of the room and they never came back. However, the shoemaker who had been kind to those who had helped him was never again poor. As long as he lived, he and his wife lived well from making shoes.
