EducationLanguage Learning

Simple Stories in English

Camilla Given

Learning English is easier with stories! These simple stories repeat common words and phrases to make English learning effective and enjoyable. You can find transcripts of each episode at smalltownspanishteacher.com.

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#68
September 7 · 13 min
The Daring Little Kitten
Send us Fan Mail You might remember a brave little kitten from one of my earlier stories. That brave little kitten is back with a new adventure in a new construction site. Jack is a little cat. In a previous episode, Jack got separated from his family in a construction site. He was a shy, scared cat, but that experience made him brave and daring. Now Jack goes out of his way to explore the world around him. But he still prefers a good construction site. This simple story is told in the past tense and focuses on the words screwdriver, hammer, wrench, wall, and carpet. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/09/07/simple-stories-in-english-the-daring-little-kitten/ I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher or donating to Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo or PayPal.
#67
July 31 · 13 min
The Three Little Pigs
Send us Fan Mail The story of the three little pigs is one of the first many kids learn. This story of hard work, personal responsibility, and delayed gratification never gets old. This simple story is told in the past tense and focuses on the words pigs, wolf, blew, ran, scared, built, and strong. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/07/31/simple-stories-in-english-the-three-little-pigs/ I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher or donating to Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo or PayPal.
#66
July 19 · 15 min
Maradona and the Hand of God
Send us Fan Mail Every four years the FIFA World Cup attracts a world-wide audience. And every FIFA World Cup also attracts controversy. Forty years ago, in 1986, the games in Mexico had their fair share of controversy, as well as amazing moments, surrounding Diego Maradona. Maradona is one of the greatest footballers, or soccer players, of all time. He started playing professionally just before his 16th birthday. He was already a popular player when he arrived at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. However, it would be his performance here, especially in the quarterfinal game against England, that would cement his name in history? This simple story is told in the past tense and focuses on the words soccer, game, ball, goal, referee, won, and controversy. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/07/19/simple-stories-in-english-maradona-and-the-hand-of-god/ I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher or donating to Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo or PayPal.
S3 · E12
June 2 · 14 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 12
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 12! Zunzuncito is reaching the end of his journey. He crossed the grand lake, passed through the land of giants, and arrived at the valley of snails. Now he just needs to suck the nectar and he will be big. Because being big will make him happy, right? This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include wish, snail, and couldn’t. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/06/02/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-12/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
S3 · E11
April 26 · 9 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 11
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 11! Zunzuncito is getting closer to the magic flower that will grant his wish to be big. He crossed the grand lake and passed through the land of giants. Only one place remains: the valley of snails. Zunzuncito feels so close and yet so far from his goal. He is feeling impatient. This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include snails, eyes, tongue, and hungry. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/04/26/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-11/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
S3 · E10
April 20 · 11 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 10
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 10! After crossing the grand lake, Zunzuncito and Monty must pass through the land of giants. The land of giants is fascinating, until Zunzuncito sees something horrible: animals in cages. Seeing the animals in cages makes him think of being trapped in the spiderweb. He has to do something, but what can a tiny bird do? This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include cage, lock, beak, break, and open. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/04/20/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-10/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
S3 · E9
April 12 · 11 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 9
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 9! Zunzuncito and Monty fell into the grand lake. Thankfully, a turtle came to save them. Once they cross the grand lake, they will reach the second leg of their journey: pass through the land of giants. To the tiny hummingbird and frog, though, everything is a giant! Will they find the land they seek and pass through it safely? This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include land, turtle, skin, and cage. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/04/12/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-9/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
S3 · E8
March 22 · 11 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 8
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 8! Zunzuncito and Monty have a three-part journey: cross the grand lake, pass through the land of giants, and arrive in the valley of snails. They have found the grand lake, but now they need to cross it. Zunzuncito can easily fly over the lake, but it is filled with big fish that want to eat the small Monty. How will they make it across? This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include lake, fish, fly, scared, turtle, and don’t move!. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/03/16/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-8/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
S3 · E7
March 9 · 11 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 7
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 6! Zunzuncito is on a mission to find the magic flower that will grant his wish to be big. He spoke with the wise snake Majá and now he knows where he must go, but how will he get there? Thankfully, he has a small sidekick, the tiny frog Monty, to help him out. This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include lake, fish, fly, swim, and right. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/03/09/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-7/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
S3 · E6
March 2 · 11 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 6
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 6! Zunzuncito is a tiny hummingbird. His friend, Monty, is an even smaller frog. The two animals are searching for a magic flower. Zunzuncito hopes that the magic flower will grant his wish to be big. Majá is a Cuban boa. According to Monty, she knows everything. There is just one problem - Zunzuncito is incredibly afraid of snakes and Majá is the biggest snake on the island of Cuba. This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include scared, forest, lake, snails, near and far. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/03/02/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-6/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
S3 · E5
February 23 · 9 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 5
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 5! Zunzuncito is done dealing with the small life. He wants to be big. Luckily, his new frog friend Monty knows about a special magic flower that might be able to grant his wish. He just doesn’t know where it is. So, the hummingbird and frog head to the woods in search of the all-knowing Majá. On the way, Zunzuncito learns a few things about his small amphibious friend. This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include frog, forest, trees, ground, jump and fly. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/02/23/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-5/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
S3 · E4
February 16 · 10 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 4
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 4! It’s not easy being the smallest bird in the world. You have to deal with bigger bully birds, bees that don’t want to share and spiders that want to suck your blood. Zunzuncito is tired of being small. Perhaps if he is big and strong he can save himself from these sticky situations. After all, the animal that saved him from the spiderweb must be big and strong, right? This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include bird, small, trapped, big, and small. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/02/16/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-4/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
S3 · E3
February 9 · 9 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 3
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 3! Zunzuncito, a tiny bee hummingbird, just wants to suck delicious nectar from beautiful flowers. But he is not the only one hunting for food. After being chased away from flowers by a group of bees, Zunzuncito is now trapped in a spiderweb. There are many large spiders in Cuba and some of them do suck the blood of little birds caught in their webs. How will Zunzuncito escape? This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include bird, spiderweb, spider, cries, scared, and stuck. Zunzuncito’s Adventure is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats : https://a.co/d/jlljj4V You can find a transcript of the introduction and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/01/14/zunzuncitos-adventure/ You can find a transcript of Chapter 1 and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/01/22/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-1/ You can find a transcript of Chapter 2 and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/01/28/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-2/ You can find a transcript of this episode (Chapter 3) and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/02/09/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-3/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
S3 · E2
January 28 · 9 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 2
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 2! Zunzuncito, one of the tiniest hummingbirds in the world, flits from flower to flower in search of delicious nectar. However, some flowers are occupied. They are occupied by larger hummingbirds and insects. In this second chapter of “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”, our tiny bee hummingbird finds himself in a battle with his namesake bees. This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include bird, hummingbird, wings, flies (verb), flowers, bees, and stingers. Zunzuncito’s Adventure is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats : https://a.co/d/jlljj4V You can find a transcript of the introduction and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/01/14/zunzuncitos-adventure/ You can find a transcript of Chapter 1 and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/01/22/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-1/ You can find a transcript of this episode (Chapter 2) and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/01/28/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-2/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
S3 · E1
January 22 · 8 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 1
Send us Fan Mail Chapter 1: The Smallest Hummingbird Zunzuncito is one of the tiniest hummingbirds in the world. Some might think he spends all his time happily sucking nectar from flowers, and they are not wrong. However, sometimes insects and even other hummingbirds get in between Zunzuncito and his dinner. This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include bird, hummingbird, wings, flies (verb) and flowers. Zunzuncito’s Adventure is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats : https://a.co/d/jlljj4V You can find a transcript of the introduction and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/01/14/zunzuncitos-adventure/ You can find a transcript of this episode (Chapter 1) and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/01/22/simple-stories-in-english-zunzuncitos-adventure-chapter-1/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
January 14 · 7 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Intro
Send us Fan Mail The island nation of Cuba is full of amazing animals. One of the most fascinating is the tiny bee hummingbird, also called the zunzuncito. I was inspired by this little hummingbird and, with some motivation from my students, I wrote a short novel called “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. For this third season of Simple Stories in English, I will be sharing a chapter from the novel each week. This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include bird, hummingbird, frog, and flower. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story and read along at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/01/14/zunzuncitos-adventure/ Zunzuncito’s Adventure is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats : https://a.co/d/jlljj4V Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support. I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider donating to @Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo, PayPal, or Buy Me A Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher .
S2 · E15
Nov 24, 2025 · 15 min
My Trip to the Galapagos Islands
Send us Fan Mail I love to travel and today I am sharing one of my favorite travel stories. When I went to Ecuador twelve years ago, I had the opportunity to snorkel twice with blowfish, sea turtles and sea lions. The first day was amazing, but the second was a little scary . Today’s story is mostly in the first-person plural (pronoun “we”) and the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: boat, snorkel, tortoise/turtle, shark, and sea lion. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2025/11/24/simple-stories-in-english-my-trip-to-the-galapagos-islands/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support! I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher or donating to Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo or PayPal.
S2 · E14
Oct 26, 2025 · 13 min
My Mental Health
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. I believe that mental health matters. I usually feel like I have a good grasp of my own mental health, but there are days I want to ignore the world and all my responsibilities in it. I have many activities that help boost my mental health and today I would like to share a few. This story is in the first person and mostly the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: I feel, health, lift weights, and happiness. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2025/10/26/simple-stories-in-english-my-mental-health/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support! I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher or donating to Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo or PayPal.
S2 · E13
Oct 13, 2025 · 12 min
My Language Journey
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. I teach Spanish, but I am not a native Spanish speaker. Learning Spanish was not easy for me. I struggled a lot. But I am very grateful to be bilingual. Today I would like to share my language journey and why I chose to learn Spanish. This story is in the first person and the past tense. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2025/10/13/simple-stories-in-english-my-language-journey/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support! I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher or donating to Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo or PayPal.
S2 · E12
Sep 18, 2025 · 14 min
Life on Stage
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. I love the theater. I love acting and singing and being in front of an audience. I haven’t been on a stage in years, but I have wonderful memories from my time in the theater and I use my experience now to tell stories. Continuing with this season of personal stories, this episode explores my short-lived life on stage. This story is in the first person and the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: skit, play, stage, and theater. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2025/09/18/simple-stories-in-english-life-on-stage/ Thank you for listening, and a HUGE thank you for your support! I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. If you would like to help me in that endeavor, consider buying me a taco at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SpanishTeacher or donating to Small Town Spanish Teacher on Venmo or PayPal.

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