Chapter 1: Six friends

There lived six little children: Clever, Fat, Noisy, Naughty, Slow and Funny. They were all eight years old.
Clever was a nice little girl. She was short and thin. She had long dark hair and big brown eyes. She liked reading and she was very clever.
Fat was a nice little boy. He was short and fat. He had short fair hair and grey eyes. He liked eating very much.
Noisy was a nice little girl. She was tall and slim. She had long fair hair and big blue eyes. She liked talking and she was very noisy.
Naughty was a nice little boy. He was tall and thin. He had short curly brown hair and big blue eyes. He liked riding a bike and he was very naughty.
Slow was a nice little girl. She was short and plump. She had long curly dark hair and brown eyes. She liked wearing beautiful clothes but she was very slow.
Funny was a nice little boy. He was tall and thin, he had short fair hair and dark eyes. He liked walking and he was very funny.
They were in the same form and they were friends.

Chapter 2: Birthday present

It was Sunday and it was Fat's birthday. In the morning his mum and dad came into his room. "Wake up, dear! Happy birthday to you!" they said. "Here is your present!"
Fat opened his eyes and saw a bike. It was very beautiful. It was red and blue and had very big wheels.
"Oh, thank you very much!" cried Fat. "Can I go to the yard and cycle?"
"Yes, you can ," his parents said, "but come home at noon. Your friends are coming at three o'clock. You must tidy your room, lay the table and cook pizza."
"OK, mummy!" said Fat. "Don't worry! I know I must do it."
Fat's mum looked at him and said, "Oh, dear, look out of the window! It's sunny and warm. Take off your trousers, jumper and trainers. Put on some shorts, a T-shirt and sandals."
Fat took off the warm clothes and put on his yellow shorts, a red T-shirt and green sandals.
"Oh, I look cute!" he said when he looked in the mirror. And he went downstairs with his bike.

Chapter 3: In the yard

In the yard he saw his friends Funny and Naughty. They were on the playground.
"Hi!" cried Fat.
"Oh, Fat, we are glad to see you. Happy birthday! Why do you look like traffic lights?" laughed Naughty.
"I don't. I look cute!" said Fat.
"What have you got?" asked Naughty.
"I have got a bike. It's my birthday present!"
"Oh, great! Can I ride it?" asked Naughty.
"Oh, Naughty, but I want to ride it myself!" said Fat.
"OK," said Naughty.
So Fat climbed upon his bike and started cycling. There was a small gate in the fence of the yard. Fat wanted to ride through the gate. But the gate was too small for him. So his bike went through and Fat got stuck in the gate.
"Help me, help me!" cried Fat. "Catch my bike!" Funny and Naughty ran to catch the bike. It wasn't easy but at last they did it. They climbed upon the bike and came back to Fat.
"Oh, now help me, please! I can't hang here like this! I must be at home at noon!" cried Fat.
Funny and Naughty ran up to him. "Oh, you look so funny!" laughed Funny.
"Don't laugh! Please, get me down!" cried Fat. Funny and Naughty first pulled him then pushed him, but nothing helped.
"Run to my mum!" cried Fat. So Funny and Naughty ran to Fat's mum very fast. They told her all the story. She took a bottle of olive oil and ran to her poor son.
When she came up to him she opened the bottle and poured the oil down on Fat.
"What are you doing?" shouted Fat.
"I'm helping you, dear," answered his mum.
"Oh, I'm falling!" cried Fat and fell down on the grass.

Chapter 4: Fat’s birthday party

So Fat went home with his mum and his bike. Mum put him in the bath tub and washed with a lot of soap. When he was clean, it was half past two.
"Oh, dear!" cried Fat's mum. "Your friends are coming soon and we are not ready!"
So Fat went to tidy his room and his mum went to cook pizza and lay the table. At ten past three two of Fat's friends came. They were Funny and Naughty.
"Happy birthday to you!" said Naughty and gave Fat a big bottle of olive oil. The boys laughed, but Fat was angry, he wanted to cry, but his friends said, "Don't be angry. It's a joke! Best wishes on your ninth birthday!" And they gave Fat a big box. When Fat opened it, he saw a CD, a book about animals and a big jar of jam.
"Thank you, friends!" said Fat and smiled. They sat down to watch a cartoon. Soon came Noisy and Clever. They gave Fat a big cake, an apple pie and a box of chocolates. Fat was happy.
It was half past four but Slow wasn't there.
"Where is Slow?" asked Fat.
"We don't know," answered the children. "Let's phone her!"
And they phoned Slow. But she wasn't at home. So the children sat down at the table. They ate and drank, talked and watched films and cartoons. Then they danced and sang, and Clever played the piano. After that, they listened to new CDs. It was a very merry birthday party!

Chapter 5: Slow is coming

I put on the first dress from twelve till half past twelve. But I looked fat in it. I took it off from half past twelve till one o'clock. Then I tried a second dress. But it was too long and covered my beautiful shoes. The third was red and I haven't got red shoes. The fourth was old and too short.
So at four o'clock I started putting on this fifth dress and I was ready at half past four. I took my present for you and went downstairs. At quarter to five I was in the yard. It was raining and I walked very slowly. I didn't want to make my beautiful shoes, socks and dress dirty. And here I am!
It was quarter to seven when Slow came in.
"You are late!" said Fat.
"Yes, I'm terribly sorry!" said Slow.
"But you look beautiful!" said Fat.
"Thank you," said Slow. "It is the fifth dress.
Slow gave Fat her present. It was a jar of honey, a kilo of strawberries and an interesting book with a lot of pictures. Fat thanked her and they went into the room.

Chapter 6: Good friend

It was Monday morning. Fat was in bed. His mum came to wake him up. Fat could hear her but he couldn't get up. He had a terrible stomachache.
"Oh, no! It is your birthday party! You ate too many sweets yesterday!" cried his mother. She phoned Fat's teacher.
"Mrs Smart, my son is ill. He can't go to school. He has got a terrible stomachache!"
"I see," said Mrs Smart. "I hope he feels better soon. I think it's his birthday party."
So Fat didn't go to school. He stayed in bed. In the afternoon his friend Naughty visited him.
"How are you, Fat?" asked Naughty. "You look awful!"
"I'm not well. My stomach hurts," answered Fat.
"I see," said Naughty. "So you mustn't eat your jam, honey and sweets."
"No, I mustn't," answered Fat. "And it's awful! I like sweets, cakes, pies and chocolates so much! "
"I can help you," said Naughty. "I can eat them up."
"But..." Fat started, but stopped. "OK. Eat them up. I am too fat, and I have a stomachache."
So Naughty sat down at the table and started eating. Fat closed his eyes, he didn't want to see that.
First Naughty ate all the cakes and slices of the pie, then all the sweets and chocolates.
Fat opened his eyes. "Thank you," he said. "You are a very good friend. I hope your stomach is stronger than mine."
On Tuesday Fat went to school, but Naughty wasn't there. After school Fat visited his friend. Naughty was in bed. He had a terrible toothache.

Chapter 7: Catching butterflies

It was summer now. The children were happy. There was a big field near their town. They went to the field to catch butterflies.
"Wow! Look! What a beautiful butterfly!" cried Noisy. "I think I can catch it!" Noisy ran after the butterfly. She ran and shouted, "Oh, how fast it is flying! What beautiful spots it has!"
"Noisy, be quiet!" said Clever. "Don't shout all the time! The butterfly can hear you." "Nonsense," said Noisy. "First, I can't be quiet because I'm noisy. Second, the butterfly can hear me but it can't understand that I want to catch it!"
"Why?" asked the children.
"Because it doesn't speak English!"
"No, it doesn't speak English but it can understand English!" said Clever. "It is an English butterfly. My dog is English, too. She doesn't speak English but she understands it very well."
"Oh, really?" asked Noisy. "Then I must learn French or Spanish! I hope our butterflies can't understand these languages!"

Chapter 8: Dogs and cats

Fat had a cat. His name was Fluffy. Fat loved him very much. He went with Fluffy to the park every day. They usually walked in the park in the afternoon.
It was Thursday. It was time to go to the park but Fat didn't go.
"Fat, it's time to go for a walk with Fluffy," his mother said.
"I can't, mum. I'm still doing my homework. I have got a lot of homework today," said Fat.
"OK, go later," said his mum.
It was seven o'clock in the evening when Fat's homework was ready. He took Fluffy in his arms and off they went. They came to the park and sat down on the grass. Suddenly Fat saw Clever. She was with her dog, Dolly.
"Hey, Clever!" shouted Fat. "Come here! Let's play together!"
Now Clever saw Fat. But at the same time Clever's dog saw Fat's cat. Dolly was very angry. She didn't like cats. In fact, she hated cats. So she barked and ran to Fluffy. Fluffy wasn't silly. In fact, he was a very clever cat. He ran fast to the nearest tree and climbed it up.
Now Fluffy sat in the tree and Dolly jumped and barked under the tree. Clever and Fat were under the tree too. They didn't know what to do.
"Take away your dog!" cried Fat.
"I can't!" cried Clever. "She is stronger than me! Do it yourself, please, or climb up the tree and take your cat down."
"I can't," said Fat. "Your dog is very angry and she is barking. She can bite me! I'm afraid!"

Chapter 9: Great idea

At that moment they saw Funny.
"Hey, Funny, help us!" Clever and Fat shouted. Funny saw Dolly and Fluffy.
"Oh, I see," he said. "Your pets are not good friends. But what can I do?"
"Get another cat," said Clever.
"OK," said Funny and ran away.
Soon he came back. He had a cat in his arms. "Show the cat to Dolly," commanded Clever. "And put it on the grass next to her."
Funny showed the cat to Dolly and put it on the grass. Dolly looked at the cat for a moment and ran after it. And Clever ran after Dolly. But the cat wasn't sillier than Fluffy. It ran up to a tree and climbed it up very fast.
"Thank you, Funny!" said Fat. Now he wasn't afraid. He climbed up the tree and took Fluffy down. But poor Clever was under another tree now.
"Oh, no!" she said. "That doesn't help!"
"I can run to your parents," said Funny.
"But they are at work now," said Clever.
"I know what to do!" said Funny. "Clever, your house is near the park on the left. I can catch another cat, show it to Dolly and put it on the grass on the left of this tree. I can do it again and again and we can get to your house soon."
"That's a great idea!" smiled Fat. "I'm sorry, friends, but I must go." And he went away very fast.
When the twelfth cat was in a twelfth tree, Clever and Funny were opposite Clever's house. Clever saw her mum through an open window.
"Oh, mummy, you are back! Come here!" shouted Clever. Clever's mother ran out and took Dolly away.
Clever told her all the story. "Poor children," laughed. Clever's mother. "Now let's have tea with sweets and forget cats!"

Chapter 10: Noisy neighbours

On Friday Clever and Slow went to Noisy. When they came in, they could hear a terrible noise in one of the rooms upstairs. They went there and saw Noisy. "What are you doing?" asked the girls.
"I'm asking my neighbours to be quiet," answered Noisy.
"Why must they be quiet?" asked the girls.
"Because my little brother is sleeping!" answered Noisy.
"Are your neighbours making a noise?" asked Clever.
"No, they aren't yet. But I'm telling them that my brother is sleeping and that they mustn't make a noise!
With these words Noisy shouted out of the window, "Mrs Stout! Can you hear me? My little brother is sleeping. Please, don't make a noise till three o'clock," and then, "Mr Dickson! Can you hear me? My little brother is sleeping! Please, be quiet till three o'clock!"
"How many neighbours have you got?" asked Slow.
"A lot! And they don't always hear me from the first time," answered Noisy.
"I see," said Clever. "Don't you see, Noisy, that it's you who is making the noise? I think you should walk to your neighbours. You shouldn't shout at them when your brother is sleeping!"
"And I don't think he is," said Slow.

Chapter 11: In the country

On Saturday all the children went to the country together with their parents. The weather was sunny and hot.
When they came to the place, the children went to the field to play, and their parents started working in the garden.
When the children came up to the field, Funny cried, "Oh, look at those big white dogs in the field! And they are eating grass! How funny!" Clever looked at him and smiled, "Is it the first time you are in the country?" she asked.
"They are not dogs. Those animals are goats!" said Clever.
"Oh, goats! Now I know what they are like. I can make a poem about them. Listen!
Those big goats
Have got white coats
They're eating the grass
And looking at us!"
"Well done!" said Clever. "But I think they aren't looking at us."
"And Naughty is looking at you!" said Slow. Naughty was red, "I'm not looking at her. I'm listening to her," he said.
"Let's go to the river," said Clever.
"But I haven't got my swim suit on," said Noisy. "And I haven't got my swimming trunks," said Funny.
"The water in the river is too cold. But we can see horses and cows there. They usually go there to drink water. "
When the children came to the river, Clever said sadly, "Oh, I can't see any cows or horses. I can only see a sheep."
"Oh, a ship!" cried Funny. "We can sail on it. It's better than cows and horses!"
"Funny, look, it's not a ship! It's a she-ep!"

Chapter 12: At the zoo

In August the children and their parents came back to town. It was very boring in town after the merry summer in the countryside. So on Sunday the children went to the Zoo.
"Oh, look, there is a cheetah in the cage over there!" cried Funny.
"Yes, I can see it. It's the fastest animal on the land," said Clever.
"But it's not the strongest. I think, lion is stronger," said Noisy.
"But it's slower," said Slow.
"But it's not the slowest animal," smiled Fat.
"Who is the slowest?" asked Noisy.
"Slow is the slowest!" laughed Naughty and looked at Slow.
"I'm not the slowest! The snail is slower than me," said Slow.
"Yes, but it has got only one leg, and you have got two!" said Naughty.
"Yes, but it's better to have one leg, then it's not right or left. And I always mix them up when I put on my shoes. So it's easier for the snail. It can't mix up its legs!" said Slow.
Naughty smiled at Slow. "That's a pity the snail hasn't got any shoes," he laughed.
"Oh, I can see a panda over there!" cried
Funny. "What is it eating?"
"It's eating bamboo leaves, " said Clever.
"Are they sweet?" asked Fat.
"Do you want to try them?" asked Naughty.
"Yes, I do. Please, ask the panda for a leaf or two for me!" said Fat and smiled.
"Don't be greedy. You are much fatter than this poor panda," answered Naughty.

Chapter 13: Python

Suddenly Slow screamed.
"What's the matter?" asked Clever.
"Look! There is a long snake in a tree!" Slow looked afraid. All the children looked at the tree.
"Don't worry. It's a python. It is sleeping. It is beautiful!" said Clever.
"Or handsome, if it is he," said Naughty.
Noisy looked at them and said, "But why is it here? What is it doing here in the tree? Whose is it? Where is it from?"
"I think it lives here in the Zoo," said Clever. "I hope somebody is taking him for a walk."
The children looked around and saw two women.
"The python is theirs!" shouted Fat.
Clever came up to the women, pointed to the python and asked, "Is it yours?" The women looked up, screamed and ran away very fast.
"Oops, it's not theirs. But why did they run away?" asked Funny.
"I think they ran to find the zookeeper," answered Slow. "So we must guard the python till the zookeeper comes." So the children sat down on the grass, took out their sandwiches and started their lunch.

Chapter 14: Lunch for python

Slow looked at the python and said, "I think the poor python is very hungry. Let's give it a piece of ham!"
"Oh, yes, a great idea!" cried the children.
"But how can we do that? It's very high in the tree!"
"I can climb up the tree and give it the food," said Fat.
"Can you?" asked the children. "You are very brave!" Fat was very proud. He put his food on the grass, took a big piece of ham out of his sandwich and started climbing up the tree. But it was difficult to do it with the piece of ham in his hand. So Fat said, "Take the ham and throw it back to me when I'm up." He climbed and climbed and climbed. Now he was high in the tree. But the python was on a thin branch, at the very end of it. So Fat started climbing up that branch. Suddenly there was an æ,vful noise and all the three of them fell down on the grass: the python, the branch and Fat.
"Are you OK?" asked Funny.
"Yes," said Fat. "I only hit my leg."
"All is well that ends well," said Clever. "The python is here and the ham is here. Now we can feed it easily." The python opened its eyes, smelled the ham, ate it up and closed its eyes again.
"What a nice python," said Slow. "It's so cute and quiet! I think we should give it some water to drink."