Funny Bunny: NCERT Class 2 English Story (Marigold Unit 5)

etmantra12 Jan 20217 min read

Funny Bunny is a lively, repeating story that small children love to join in with. Each time a new friend joins the walk to the king, your child can say the lines along. It also gently shows why we should check before we believe something.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 2, unit 5. NCERT’s newer Class 2 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: Funny Bunny

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

Talking about the future with “going to”
Joining in with repeated lines in a story
Animal names and fun rhyming names
Checking before believing, and being careful with strangers

What the story is about

One day a nut falls on Funny Bunny's head. He thinks the sky is going to fall, and he sets off to tell the king. On the way he meets Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Lucky Ducky and Goosey. Each friend hears the news, says “I'll come too”, and joins the group.

Then they meet a fox. He says he knows where the king lives and asks them to follow him. They all follow the fox, and that is the end of them. The story is funny and full of repetition, but it carries a lesson: do not panic, and do not trust a stranger just because he seems helpful.

New words, with Hindi meanings

ouch: a word we say when something hurts us suddenly (हिंदी: उई)
nut: a hard seed that grows on a tree (हिंदी: मेवा / गिरी)
sky: the space above us where we see the sun, clouds and stars (हिंदी: आसमान)
king: a man who rules a country (हिंदी: राजा)
met: saw someone and talked to them (past of meet) (हिंदी: मिला)
fox: a wild animal like a dog, with a bushy tail (हिंदी: लोमड़ी)
follow: go behind someone, the way they go (हिंदी: पीछे चलना)

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.

What fell on Funny Bunny's head?
What did Funny Bunny think was going to happen?
Who did Funny Bunny meet on the way to the king? Can you name them?
If something hit your head, how would you find out what it was before telling everyone?

Answers for parents

A nut fell on Funny Bunny's head.
He thought the sky was going to fall.
He met Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Lucky Ducky, Goosey and then a fox.
For example: I would look around on the ground and look up at the tree to see what fell.

Grammar corner: Talking about the future with “going to”

We use “going to” to say what will happen soon or what we plan to do. We put am, is or are before it: I am going to, it is going to, they are going to.

Funny Bunny is going to see the king.
The friends are going to walk together.
I am going to look up at the tree first.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: I am ___ to tell the king.
Match each friend to its animal: Henny Penny, Lucky Ducky, Goosey (duck / hen / goose).
Say aloud one thing you are going to do tomorrow, using “going to”.

Answers: 1. going · 2. Henny Penny → hen; Lucky Ducky → duck; Goosey → goose · 3. For example: I am going to play cricket tomorrow.

Try this

Act out the story together. One person is Funny Bunny and others are Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Lucky Ducky, Goosey and the fox. Walk around the room in a line, adding one friend each time and repeating “The sky is going to fall.” Then talk about what Funny Bunny should have done when the nut fell.

Tip for parents

Tell the story once in Hindi, then read it in English and let your child shout the repeated lines, like “I'll come too!”. Ask in Hindi: “बनी को क्या करना चाहिए था?” and let them answer in any language. Praise them for joining in, even with one word.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of Funny Bunny?

Do not panic or believe something before checking it, and do not follow a stranger just because he offers to help.

Who are the characters in Funny Bunny?

Funny Bunny, Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Lucky Ducky, Goosey and a fox. The king is spoken of but never appears.

Which book is Funny Bunny from?

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

Learn every Class 2 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 →