Chhotu: NCERT Class 1 English Story (Raindrops Chapter 5)

etmantra4 Feb 20206 min read

Chhotu is a baby mouse who loves to run around, just like many small children. His little adventure is exciting but safe, and it ends with a lesson every parent will like: listen to your mother.

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From the NCERT English book Raindrops for Class 1, chapter 5. NCERT’s newer Class 1 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Raindrops.

Watch: Chhotu

Play the video three or four times. The first time, just listen. Then point at the pictures, and from the third time, say the lines along with the video. Short, repeated listening is how CALP builds a child’s English.

What your child learns

Greetings: 'Good morning' and 'Hello'
Saying sorry and making a promise
Action words with -s: runs, picks, squeaks, falls
Retelling a short story in order

What the story is about

Chhotu is a baby mouse. He runs around everywhere. His mother calls him to come back and come down, but Chhotu does not listen.

Then a crow picks Chhotu up in its beak, and he squeaks in fear. A parrot comes by and says good morning. When the crow answers hello, Chhotu falls out of its beak into the soft grass. He runs straight home and tells his mother he is sorry. He promises never to run away again.

New words, with Hindi meanings

baby: a very young child or animal (हिंदी: बच्चा)
listen: to hear and pay attention (हिंदी: सुनना / बात मानना)
beak: the hard, pointed mouth of a bird (हिंदी: चोंच)
squeaks: makes a small, high sound, like a mouse (हिंदी: चूँ-चूँ करता है)
parrot: a green bird that can copy sounds (हिंदी: तोता)
soft: not hard; gentle to touch (हिंदी: मुलायम)
sorry: a word we say when we feel bad about what we did (हिंदी: माफ़ करना)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

Who is Chhotu?
What did the crow do to Chhotu?
How did Chhotu get free from the crow?
What did Chhotu say to his mother at the end? Have you ever said sorry to someone?

Answers for parents

Chhotu is a baby mouse.
The crow picked Chhotu up in its beak.
A parrot said good morning. When the crow said hello, Chhotu fell out of its beak into the soft grass.
He said sorry and promised never to run away again. For example: I said sorry to my sister when I broke her pencil.

Grammar corner: Action words with -s

This story tells what is happening now. When we talk about one person or animal, like Chhotu or the crow, we add -s to the action word: run becomes runs, pick becomes picks.

Chhotu runs to the tree.
The crow flies over the house.
Mother mouse looks for her baby.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: The parrot ___ 'Good morning'. (say / says)
Match the animal to its sound: mouse, crow, parrot → caw, squeak, talk
Say aloud how you greet your teacher in the morning.

Answers: 1. says · 2. mouse – squeak, crow – caw, parrot – talk · 3. For example: Good morning, ma'am.

Try this

Act out the story with three players: Chhotu, the crow and the parrot. The parrot says 'Good morning', the crow opens its mouth to answer, and Chhotu drops down onto a cushion. End with Chhotu saying sorry to his mother. A single parent can play two parts.

Tip for parents

Tell the story once in Hindi, using 'छोटू', 'कौआ' and 'तोता', then read it again in English. Ask, 'Chhotu ने माँ से क्या कहा?' and let your child answer 'sorry' in English. Any mix of Hindi and English is a good start; praise it.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of the story Chhotu?

Listen to your mother. Chhotu ran off without listening, got into trouble with a crow, and came home saying sorry.

Who are the characters in Chhotu?

Chhotu the baby mouse, his mother, a crow and a parrot.

Which book is the story Chhotu from?

It is from NCERT's older Raindrops book for Class 1 (Chapter 5). The newer NCERT books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

Learn every Class 1 lesson with CALP

Every lesson of Mridang, NCERT’s new book, with read-along videos, new words with Hindi meanings, and listen-and-say practice with a score, made for young children with a parent nearby. ₹999 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →