The Selfish Giant

Every day the children used to go and play in the giant’s garden. It was a beautiful garden with flowers which danced and sparkled

through the tall green grass beneath the blossoms and fruit trees.

One day the giant returned. “What are you doing here?” he shouted in a very gruff voice.

My garden is my own garden and nobody will play in it but me!”

The children ran away and the giant built a high wall around the garden with a sign.

HE WAS A VERY SELFISH GIANT!

Now the children had nowhere to play.

“How happy we were !” They sighed to one

another as the wandered around the high wall of

the giant’s garden.

The Spring returned, and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds.

Only in the giant’s garden it was still winter…

Without the children’s laughter the trees forgot to blossom and the trees stood silent with frost.

Only the snow, wind and hail were happy and decided to stay in the

garden all year round.

But the Spring never came, nor the Summer.

The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant's garden she gave none. 'He is too selfish,' she said.

One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely music. It was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it

seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world.

Then he noticed that the north wind and hail were quiet and the air was filled with a sweet perfume.

Then he saw the most wonderful sight… Through a little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of the trees.

And the treeswere so glad tohave the childrenback again thatthey had coveredthemselves withblossoms, and thebirds twitteredhappily.

Only in onecorner it wasstill Winter. Init was a littleboy. He was sosmall that hecould not reachup to thebranches ofthe tree, andhe waswandering allround it, cryingbitterly.

The Giant's heartmelted as he lookedout. 'How selfish Ihave been!' he said.

Now I know why theSpring would not comehere. I will put thatpoor little boy on thetop of the tree, andthen I will knock downthe wall, and mygarden shall be thechildren's playgroundfor ever and ever.

He crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became Winter again.

And the Giant stole up behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into the tree.

And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds came and sang on it, and the little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them round the Giant'sneck, and kissed him.

And the children came running back, and with them came the Spring. 'It is your garden now, little children,' said the Giant, and he took a great axe

and knocked down the wall.

And when the people were gong to market at twelve o'clock they found the Giant playing with the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen. And the giant was never selfish again.

Bye, Bye, Bye

February 2012