eslreading.org 1

There once was a poor shoemaker. He

worked hard very hard every day but he did

not sell many shoes.

Life was very hard for the shoemaker

and his wife. They had no money and very

little food.

One night the shoemaker told his

wife. ‘I only have enough leather to make

one more pair of shoes.’

‘But we only have one loaf of bread

left. What are we going to eat?’

‘I don’t know, said the shoemaker

sadly.

He put his last piece of leather on his

workbench.

‘Tomorrow I’ll get up early,’ he told

his wife. ‘I’ll make my last pair of shoes.’

Then he went to bed.

A beautiful pair of shoes

The next morning the shoemaker got

up early. He had one slice of bread for

breakfast.

Then he went to his workbench and

looked for his piece of leather.

But it was not there. In its place was

a beautiful pair of shoes.

The shoemaker called his wife. She

came into the room. ‘Where did these shoes

come from?’ he asked her.

The shoemaker’s wife picked up the

shoes. ‘They’re beautiful,’ she said. ‘When

did you make them? Did you get up in the

night?’

‘No,’ said the shoemaker. ‘I didn’t

make those shoes. I never left my bed.’

‘So what happened?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘I want those shoes.’

I want those shoes!

That morning a pretty lady came into the

shoemaker’s shop. ‘What beautiful shoes!’

she said. ‘Can I buy them?’

‘I don’t know,’ said the shoemaker.

‘You see –‘

The young lady wanted the shoes

very much. And she was very rich. ‘I’ll pay

you fifty dollars,’ she said.

‘But – ‘

The Elves and the Shoemaker

‘One hundred dollars!’ said the lady.

‘I want those shoes!’

‘Okay,’ said the shoemaker.

‘This money will pay the rent for our little

house,’ said the shoemaker’s wife.

‘And I can buy some more leather,’

said the shoemaker.

The shoemaker bought some more

leather. That night he put the leather on the

table.

‘Tomorrow, I’ll get up early,’ he told

his wife. ‘I’ll make some more shoes.’

Then he went to bed.

‘Did you make them?’

More Beautiful Shoes

The next morning he got up early. He had

two slices of bread for breakfast. Then he

went to his workbench.

His piece of leather was not there. In

its place were two beautiful pair of shoes.’

The shoemaker called his wife. She

came into the room.

‘Oh what beautiful shoes!’ she said.

‘Did you make them?’

‘No,’ said the shoemaker.

‘Then where did they come from?’

‘I don’t know,’ said the shoemaker.

‘But tonight we’re going to find out.’

‘They’re Elves’

That night the shoemaker and his wife

did not go to bed. They hid behind the

workbench and waited. At midnight the

door opened and a group of tiny people

came into the room.

‘They’re elves!’ whispered the

shoemaker.

‘But they look so poor!’ said the

shoemaker’s wife. ‘Look at their old clothes!

And they don’t have shoes.’

The elves talked in very low voices.

‘I’m so cold!’ said one.

‘And my feet hurt!’ said another.

‘But we must help the shoemaker!

We don’t want his shop to close.’

Two elves climbed onto the table.

That night they make ten pairs of shoes for

the shoemaker. Then they run out of the

door.

‘Quick!’ the elves cried. ‘We must go

before the shoemaker gets up.’

‘We love the shoemaker’

The elves left the room. ‘The elves have no

warm clothes,’ said the shoemaker to his

wife. ‘We must try and help them.’

The next day the shoemaker made

some tiny shoes for the elves. He made

them warm clothes, too. That night he left

the shoes and the clothes on the table.

The elves found the shoes and the

clothes. They danced for joy and sang a

song.

‘We love the shoemaker,’ they sang.

‘And he loves us.’

For learning activities and more reading materials for young learners http://

younglearners.eslreading.org