The Birthday Present

Author: Vinaykumar Kasju

Illustrator: Devendra Pandey

Translator: Alisha Berger

“Mama, please buy me a bicycle! I can reach school faster than the rabbit if I have a bicycle. And I'll beat everyone on the exam, too!” Maya told her mother.

“Okay dear, I will buy you a bicycle on your birthday," her mother said. “But where can I get a bicycle for a tortoise? Do you know?”

Maya had seen humans travel as fast as birds on their bicycles. But, try as she might, she couldn't remember ever having seen a bicycle made for a tortoise. But surely there was one!

“I will ask my friends at school tomorrow," Maya said. "And I'll let you know!”

Maya lived in Kachuwo village near the Fewa lake. She was a very hard-working tortoise.

She never missed school, but she was always late for school because her school was so far from her house. Everybody called her Tiny Turtle Late-Late.

Nobody likes being called names. Maya didn't like it, either.

Maya would have liked to reach school before her friends did, but her legs were short!

No matter how fast she ran, she would always be late for her English class. And what was why she did not get good marks in English.

Today, also she reached school late. “May I come in, Teacher?” she asked as she stood at the door.

"It's Tiny Turtle Late-Late!" the class laughed. The teacher looked angry, but allowed her to enter the classroom.

At the end of the class, the teacher made Maya stand in front of the class.

“Maya, you are always late!" the teacher said. "You were late yesterday, and you were today. If you do not come to class on time, you will not be allowed to enter the classroom. Is that clear?”

Maya almost burst into tears. "But I'm not late on purpose! My house is across the lake. So no matter how I try to be on time, I cannot. What can I do teacher? My legs are short. I want to be on time for school and study well.”

Maya’s class laughed at her. Her teacher asked them to stop. She said to Maya, “You are right. But when you come late to class, it disrupts everyone. Let's discuss this matter with the principal.”

Maya stopped her teacher.“Please do not do that! My mother has promised to buy me a bicycle on my birthday. I can then be on time for school.”

Big Cat asked, “But when is your birthday, Maya?”

Maya did not know when her birthday was. Maya hesitated.

The teacher went to the wall. She checked the calendar and said, “Maya, your birthday is tomorrow!”

Maya said happily, “Is it really tomorrow, Teacher? Maybe mother had forgotten.”

Maya turned towards her class. “But my mother does not know where to buy a bicycle for a tortoise. Do any of you know?”

Even her teacher did not know where to get a bicycle for tortoise! She said, “Maya, since your birthday is tomorrow, we will try to find out where you can get a bicycle. Then we will come to your house and tell your mother. Do not forget to treat us with selroti * tomorrow. Okay?”

*A doughnut like sweet

Maya was so happy about the plan!

She wanted to get home as soon as possible. She couldn't wait to her mother about her birthday the next day, and about her whole class coming to her house.

“Mother!" Maya called from the door. "It’s my birthday tomorrow! My class is coming to our house!"

Mother was cooking selroti in the kitchen.

Mother came out of the house to greet her daughter. “Of course I remember your birthday! But it seems like my daughter had forgotten.”

“So you must already have found my bicycle!" Maya cheers.

Mother sat down sadly.

“I asked others where I can get a tortoise bicycle for you, but nobody knows. I don’t know where to find one. But we will keep trying. We find it one day.”

Maya was not sad. “My teacher has said she will help us! Don’t worry mother.” Then Maya and her mother cooked selroti, malpua , and other sweets for the next day.

Early the next morning, Maya's mother wished her happy birthday.

Then Maya went to the lake and took a bath.

She met some ducklings at the lake. They  wished her a happy birthday, too. One duckling gave Maya a shiny shell. Maya thanked the duckling and told them about the bicycle. The ducklings were surprised. ‘Can you really find a tortoise bicycle?” They asked.

Maya's class had arrived by the time she reached home. “Happy Birthday Maya,” they sang and clapped.

Mother served Maya and her friends yummy dishes to eat. Before they began to eat, Maya’s teacher said, “Maybe we should first gave Maya her birthday gift?”

Maya’s class gave her a package wrapped with a red ribbon. Maya wondered what could be inside the box! “Maybe it’s a box of sweets or a toy,” she thought.

Maya’s teacher said, “We reached Pokhara city in search of a bicycle, but we couldn't find one. At last, this is what we saw.”

Maya opened the box. The box contained something that Maya had never imagined. It was a pair of shoes with wheels! “You can now wear this and reach school on time," her class cheered. "Hooray!”

Maya's eyes filled with tears of happiness. “I am so grateful to all my class and my teacher! With these wheel shoes on, I will always be at school on time. I am going to do so well on the upcoming exams!”

Everybody clapped. Maya’s mother cheered as well. She said, “Perhaps I can buy Maya a computer on her next birthday.”

Everybody began to eat and enjoy the sweets. Meanwhile, Maya took her wheel-shoes and began to dream of the next morning.

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:The Birthday Presentis translated byAlisha Berger. The © for this translation lies with Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Based on Original story:'जन्मदिन को उपहार', byVinaykumar Kasju. © Room to Read , 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.

Other Credits:

This story 'The Birthday Present' has been published on StoryWeaver by Room to Read.

Images Attributions:

Cover page:Tortoise at her birthday, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 2:Baby tortoise talking to her mother, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 3:Mother talking to baby tortoise, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 4:Tortoise dreams of a cycle, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 5:Baby tortoise going to school, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 6:Bunny walking faster than tortoise, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 7:Tortoise entering the class, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 8:Teacher scolding student, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 9:Student giving an excuse to the teacher, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 10:Class laughing at student, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. 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:Baby tortoise talking to her classmates, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 12:Teacher pointing to the calendar, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 13:Tortoise talking to the whole class, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 14:Teacher talking to student, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 15:Students leaving the class, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 16:Tortoise comes home from school, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 17:Mother greets kid from school, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 18:Kid telling stories to her mother, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 19:Mother and daughter talking, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 20:Mother and daughter cooking, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 21:Tortoise goes for a bath, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 22:Tortoise and ducks, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. 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 23:Friends at a birthday party, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 24:tortoise serving at her party, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 25:Tortoise guessing the gift, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 26:Tortoise gets rollerskates, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 27:Tortoise overwhelmed by birthday gift, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 28:Tortoise wearing her roller skates, byDevendra Pandey© Room to Read, 2006. 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/

The Birthday Present (English)

Maya the Tortoise tries everyday to get to school in time, but ends up being late. She needs a bicycle. But where ever will she find a bicycle for a tortoise? Read on to see what she receives as a birthday present.

This is a Level 3 book for children who are ready to read on their own.

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