Young or Old?

Author: Mukesh Malviya

Illustrator: Shailja Jain Chougule

Translator: Shannon David

"May I ride your bicycle?" I asked Didi.

"No," Didi said. "You’re too young to ride a bike."

"Didi, can you start the water pump for me?" I asked.

"No," Didi replied. "You’re old

enough to do it yourself."

"Ma, may I help you cut the vegetables?" I asked.

"No," Ma said. "You’re too young to use a knife."

"Ma, can you please feed me my lunch?" I asked.

"No," Ma said. "You’re old enough

to feed yourself."

"May I help paint

the wall?" I asked.

"No," Pa said. "You’re too young for this."

"Can you please help me

put my shoes on? " I asked Ma.

"No," Ma said. "You’re old enough

to put your shoes on yourself."

I was confused.  I thought to myself,

Am I too old, or too young?

One day, I found Ma's earring under the bed.

"I’ve been looking for this

for ages!" Ma said.

Everyone celebrated. "You're so grown-up!" they said.

But I'm still confused.

Am I too old or too young?

This book was made possible by Pratham Books' StoryWeaver platform. Content under Creative Commons licenses can be downloaded, translated and can even be used to create new stories provided you give appropriate credit, and indicate if changes were made. To know more about this, and the full terms of use and attribution, please visit the following link .

Story Attribution:

This story:Young or Old?is translated byShannon David. The © for this translation lies with Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Based on Original story:'बड़ा या छोटा?', byMukesh Malviya. © Room to Read , 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.

Other Credits:

This story 'Young or Old?' has been published on StoryWeaver by Room to Read.

Images Attributions:

Cover page:A boy wonders at his reflection, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 2:A boy asks a girl who is cycling, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 3:A boy looks sadly at a passing bicycle, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 4:A boy talks to a girl while pointing at a handpump, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 5:A boy dangles on a handpump, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 6:Hands of a woman cutting vegetables, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 7:A boy sits with a woman as she prepares food, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 8:A boy talks to a woman as a girl sitting next to him eats food, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 9:A boy sulks, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 10:A boy and a cat play with a bucket of blue paint, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Disclaimer:https://www.storyweaver.org.in/terms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved. This book is CC-BY-4.0 licensed. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. For full terms of use and attribution, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This book was made possible by Pratham Books' StoryWeaver platform. Content under Creative Commons licenses can be downloaded, translated and can even be used to create new stories provided you give appropriate credit, and indicate if changes were made. To know more about this, and the full terms of use and attribution, please visit the following link .

Images Attributions:

Page 11:A man paints a wall as a boy looks on, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 12:A boy holds up his shoes to a man reading the newspaper, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 13:A boy walks leaving his shoes behind, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 14:A boy looks into the mirror at his reflection, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 15:A boy searches under the bed, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 16:A boy finds an earring underneath a bed, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 17:A single earring, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 18:A woman cradles a boy while holding up an earring, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 19:A boy is held by a man and a woman, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 20:A boy scratches his head in puzzlement, byShailja Jain Chougule© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Disclaimer:https://www.storyweaver.org.in/terms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved. This book is CC-BY-4.0 licensed. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. For full terms of use and attribution, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Young or Old? (English)

A little boy is old enough to tie his shoes, but too young to help his father paint the house. He is old enough to feed himself, but too young to help his mother cook. Is he too young, or too old?

This is a Level 1 book for children who are eager to begin reading.

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