The Boy and the River Stones – Reading Comprehension

A boy collects stones from the river to build a wall, discovering that small acts add up.

Printable worksheet

The Boy and the River Stones

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Read the story, then answer the questions.

0The Boy and the River StonesA fable
Every morning, Kai walked to the river and carried home one smooth stone. His neighbours asked, “What good is one stone?”
He said nothing and kept on. Spring turned to summer, summer to autumn. Slowly his pile grew.
When the winter floods came, the river burst its banks. Water rushed toward the village. Kai and his neighbours piled the stones into a wall at the lowest point of the road.
The wall held. The village stayed dry. “One stone,” Kai told them, “is no good. But a thousand days of one stone is a wall.”
1What did Kai bring home each morning?
2Why did neighbours question him? A They thought one stone was useless B They wanted the stones C They were jealous
3How did the stones help in winter?
4Which word best describes Kai? A persistent B careless C greedy
5Explain the moral in your own words.

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Answer key — Sheet A (5 answers)

A fable about persistence. Ask the child to explain how the wall is a metaphor.