ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Vooks Storybooks Nature Story for Kids: The Boy Who Grew A Forest
Once upon a time, in India, there was a big river island where a young boy lived. This boy loved trees very much. Trees gave shade, food, and homes to many animals. But every year, when the rain came, the river would flood and wash away the trees, leaving behind empty sandbars.
The boy saw animals losing their homes and felt sad. He worried that if the animals couldn’t live without trees, people might struggle too. He talked to the elders in his village, and they told him that the only way to help was to plant new trees. They gave him 20 bamboo saplings to start with.
With determination, the boy paddled his canoe down the muddy river to a large sandbar. He hoped that bamboo could grow there, even though the land was barren and sandy. He planted one bamboo, then another, and another. Every day, he watered them by hand, even when he was tired.
The boy knew he needed to make the soil richer for more plants to grow. He carried cow dung, earthworms, and seeds from nearby villages to help the plants. As the years went by, the boy grew older, and so did the forest. It expanded to 10 acres, then 20, and finally 40 acres!
With the forest growing, animals started to come back. Buffalo, rhinos, snakes, gibbons, birds, and elephants all found a home in the new forest. The boy, now a man, was happy to see the forest full of life.
Not everyone was happy about the forest. Villagers were scared when tigers arrived, so the man planted more grasses to keep the tigers in the forest. Elephants sometimes wandered into farms, so he planted fruit trees to feed them. Some people wanted to cut down the forest, but the man always planted new trees to replace them.
Today, on that river island, there is a huge forest called Molai, named after the man, Jadav Payeng, who never stopped planting and caring for it. His story teaches us that by growing plants, we can help the Earth survive.
If you love stories, there are many books that can take you on adventures. You can read them anywhere—on a car ride, on a plane, or even on a train. Ask your guardian to help you find some books, and you’ll discover a world full of stories and fun!
Thanks for reading! Keep exploring and learning with more stories.
Plant Your Own Mini-Forest: Gather some seeds or small plants with the help of an adult. Find a small patch of soil in your garden or use pots if you don’t have a garden. Plant the seeds or plants and take care of them by watering them regularly. Observe how they grow over time and note any changes you see. Discuss with your classmates or family how your mini-forest is similar to the forest that Jadav Payeng created.
Animal Homes Observation: Take a walk in a nearby park or garden and look for different animals and insects. Notice where they live and what kind of plants or trees they are near. Draw a picture of one animal and its home. Think about how the forest in the story provided homes for many animals and how important it is to protect these habitats.
Story Time and Discussion: With a friend or family member, read another story about nature or someone who helped the environment. After reading, talk about what you learned and how it relates to Jadav Payeng’s story. What actions can you take to help the environment in your own community?
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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The Boy Who Grew a Forest
[Applause]
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The true story of Jadav Payeng.
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The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is now. – Proverb
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In India, on a large river island among farms and families hard at work, there lived a boy who loved trees.
[Music]
Trees meant shade, food, and shelter for many, but each rainy season, floodwaters swallowed more and more of the beautiful tree-covered land.
[Music]
The boy’s precious island was shrinking, eroding away with the rushing river, leaving empty sandbars behind.
[Music]
The boy witnessed animals stranded on those sandbars, their homes destroyed. He feared that if animals withered without trees, people would too.
The boy shared his fears with the village. The elders explained that the only way to help animals was to create new homes for them.
[Music]
They gifted the boy with 20 bamboo saplings.
[Music]
Alone, he canoed down the muddy river, wishing he could cover all the land with trees.
[Music]
A large sandbar nearby was a place to start. The land was too barren for animals, and the shores too sandy for leafy trees. Would bamboo grow? The boy hoped.
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Determined, he began to plant—one shaft, two, then three.
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Every day, he watered the saplings by hand, sweat trickling down his face and chest. He built a watering system to help and lugged heavy buckets from the river. His arms grew tired, his back sore.
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Still, each day he tended to the plants, and over time, the bamboo patch grew into a healthy thicket. The boy was proud of his work, but he worried it wouldn’t be enough to stop the swelling river or to provide shelter for animals. If he wanted more plants to grow, he would have to create richer soil.
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The boy carried cow dung, earthworms, termites, and ants that bit him on the journey to the new home.
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He brought seeds from neighboring villages, over trails, through brush, down the river. Each day he planted.
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As years passed and the boy grew, so did a forest—10 acres, 20 acres, then 40.
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Wildlife returned for the first time in many years—buffalo, one-horned rhinos, snakes, gibbons, migratory birds, and elephants.
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The man’s forest teemed with life and diversity.
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Not everyone was happy.
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Fears swept over the villages when tigers arrived, so the man planted more grasses to attract small animals that would keep the tigers happy in the forest. Elephants wandered into neighboring farms to feast on the crops, so the man planted more fruiting trees to help feed the hungry elephants.
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Some wanted to harvest the forest to build homes, but the man was there to plant anew.
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Others tried to hunt the animals for their horns and fur, but the man was there to protect.
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Few thought the forest would last, but the man believed in its strength.
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Now, in India, on a large river island among wildlife and trees as tall as buildings, there lives a man who has planted a forest.
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The forest is called Molai, after a man named Jadav Payeng, who never stopped planting, pruning, and protecting.
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Only by growing plants will the Earth survive.
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If you don’t have books, then what are you waiting for? Look, says Kid’s Safe. It has storybooks that are brought to life, and it’s fun! I like to read books about fantasy and love. I tell other kids to get books because they’re full of stories and laughter. I’ll read it on the go—in a car, on a plane, even on a train. I’ve never been on a train, but don’t worry! Ask your guardian to download books now; you’ll be glad you did.
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Thanks for watching! For more stories, try the Vox app for free today.
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This version removes any unnecessary or distracting elements while maintaining the essence of the original transcript.
