The Little Fir Tree: NCERT Class 4 English Story (Marigold Unit 2)

etmantra24 Jun 20207 min read

The little fir tree is not happy with its sharp, needle-like leaves. When a magician offers it wishes, it tries new leaves again and again. This gentle story teaches children to value what they already have.

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From the NCERT English book Marigold for Class 4, unit 2. NCERT’s newer Class 4 book is Santoor, but many schools still teach Marigold.

Watch: The Little Fir Tree

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

Telling a story in order: first, next, then, at last
Making wishes with “I wish I had”
New words: shelter, reward, grant, harm
Valuing what you already have

What the story is about

A magician is walking home when heavy rain begins. He runs to shelter under a pretty little fir tree and stays dry. To thank the tree, he offers to grant it four wishes. The tree is sad because its leaves are like needles and no birds build nests in it.

First the tree wishes for green leaves like its friends, but a goat comes and eats them all. Next it wishes for gold leaves, but a man steals them. Then it wishes for glass leaves, which shine in the sun, but at night the wind blows and they all break.

At last the tree understands that its old needle-like leaves were best. Goats do not eat them, no one can steal them and the wind cannot harm them. It wishes for them back, and the next morning it is happier than ever.

New words, with Hindi meanings

magician: a person who can do magic (हिंदी: जादूगर)
shelter: a place that keeps you safe from rain or danger (हिंदी: आसरा)
reward: something given to thank someone (हिंदी: इनाम)
grant: to give what someone asks for (हिंदी: पूरी करना)
needles: thin, sharp, pointed things; here, the fir tree's leaves (हिंदी: सुइयाँ)
stole: took something that was not his (हिंदी: चुरा लिया)
shone: gave out bright light (हिंदी: चमके)
harm: hurt or damage (हिंदी: नुकसान)

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.

Why did the magician want to give the fir tree a reward?
What happened to the green leaves, the gold leaves and the glass leaves?
Why did the tree finally want its needle-like leaves back?
Is there something you have that you did not like before but now value? What is it?

Answers for parents

The tree gave him shelter from the heavy rain, so he did not get wet.
A goat ate the green leaves, a man stole the gold leaves, and the wind broke the glass leaves.
Goats do not eat needle-like leaves, no one can steal them, and the wind cannot harm them.
For example: I did not like my old raincoat, but now I like it because it keeps me dry.

Grammar corner: Making wishes with “I wish I had”

We say “I wish I had” when we want something we do not have. After it, we name the thing we want. The fir tree uses this again and again as it asks for new leaves.

I wish I had an umbrella in this rain.
The goat said, “I wish I had more leaves to eat.”
I wish I had a bird's nest in my garden.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: A man ___ the gold leaves.
Put the leaves in story order: glass leaves, green leaves, gold leaves.
Make a sentence that begins with “I wish I had”.

Answers: 1. stole · 2. green leaves, gold leaves, glass leaves · 3. Sample: I wish I had a bicycle to ride to school.

Try this

Act out the story with four or five people: the magician, the tree, the goat, the man and the wind. Then ask your child to draw the tree four times, once with each kind of leaves, and write one line under each picture saying what happened.

Tip for parents

Tell the story once in Hindi, then ask, “पेड़ को आख़िर में कौन-से पत्ते सबसे अच्छे लगे?” Let your child answer in any language, then help them say it in English: “It liked its needle-like leaves best.” Praise the effort, not just the right words.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of The Little Fir Tree?

Be happy with what you have. The tree tries green, gold and glass leaves, but finds that its own needle-like leaves are the best for it.

How many wishes did the magician give the fir tree?

Four. The tree used them for green leaves, gold leaves, glass leaves and, at last, its old needle-like leaves.

Which NCERT book has The Little Fir Tree?

It is Unit 2 of NCERT's older Marigold book for Class 4. The newer NCERT English books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

Learn every Class 4 chapter with CALP

Every chapter of Santoor, NCERT’s new book, with notes in English and Hindi, say-it-aloud practice with a score, grammar, speaking and writing practice. ₹1,299 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →