Maharashtra Board Class 5 English Balbharti Unit Three Chapter 2 The Little Babul Tree PDF Download

The Little Babul Tree

Listen And Read Aloud With Me

In a grove of mango trees, there was one little babul tree.

The little tree was pretty, but it was not happy. One day it said,

"I do wish I had big leaves! All the other trees have big leaves. My thorns are sharp and stiff. Children do not like me."

Next day, when the little tree woke up, it had big leaves. It was just like the mango trees.

"Now I am happy," it said. But a goat came along and ate up all the big leaves.

"Oh, dear!" said the babul tree. "I wish I had gold leaves. Goats do not eat gold leaves."

Next day, when the little tree woke up, it had gold leaves.

"How happy I am!" it said. But a thief came along and stole all the gold leaves.

"Oh dear!" said the babul tree. "I wish I had glass leaves. Thieves do not steal glass leaves."

Teacher's Note

This story teaches us that we should be happy with what we have. Just like the babul tree wanted different leaves, sometimes we want things that are not good for us.

Exam Trick

Remember the order: The tree wanted big leaves, then gold leaves, then glass leaves. Each time something bad happened! So learn: wanting different things does not always make us happy.

Points to Remember

The babul tree was not happy with its thorns and small leaves.
It wished for big leaves, but a goat ate them.
It wished for gold leaves, but a thief stole them.
It wished for glass leaves, but wind broke them.
In the end, it was happiest with its own thorns and small leaves.

Next day, when the little tree woke up, it had glass leaves.

"How happy I am! See my leaves shine in the sun."

But a strong wind sprang up.

"Woo-oo!" said the wind. And it broke all the glass leaves.

"Oh, dear!" said the babul tree. "I wish I had my thorns and small leaves again. Goats do not eat them all up. Thieves do not steal them. The wind will do them no harm."

Then the tree went to sleep.

Next day, when it woke up, it had all its thorns and small green leaves again.

"Oh, I never was so happy!" said the little babul tree.

Teacher's Note

The babul tree learned an important lesson. It realized that what it had was the best for it. In India, many trees like neem and babul are very useful because of their strong thorns and small leaves.

Exam Trick

Remember: The babul tree went through big leaves, gold leaves, and glass leaves. But it was most happy when it got back its original thorns and small leaves. This teaches us that our real things are the best!

Points to Remember

The babul tree wished for glass leaves to shine in the sun.
A strong wind broke all the glass leaves.
The tree finally wished for its thorns and small leaves back.
It realized that its own leaves could not be eaten, stolen, or broken.
The tree became truly happy when it accepted itself.

Vocabulary Words

Grove means a small forest or group of trees close together.

Thorns are sharp pointed parts on plants that can hurt you.

Stole means took something that was not yours.

Sprang up means suddenly appeared or came quickly.

Read And Remember

One leaf becomes many leaves. One chief becomes many chiefs. One shelf becomes many shelves. One knife becomes many knives. One thief becomes many thieves. One wolf becomes many wolves. One life becomes many lives.

Teacher's Note

These are plural forms that change the spelling. In English, some words change completely when they become plural. Tell students to memorize these special words.

Exam Trick

Remember: leaf-leaves, thief-thieves, knife-knives. These three words change 'f' to 'ves'. Write them down on your hand and memorize them for the exam.

Points to Remember

Leaf becomes leaves when there are more than one.
Thief becomes thieves when there are many thieves.
Knife becomes knives when there are more than one.
Shelf, wolf, and life also change in the same way.
These are special words that do not follow normal plural rules.

Read The Following Sentences Carefully

Children Do Not Like Thorns

Children like flowers.

Activity (A)

Drop 'do not / does not' In The Following And Frame Meaningful Sentences

You may have to change the highlighted words.

Goats do not eat gold leaves. → Goats eat green leaves.

Thieves do not steal glass leaves. → (Your answer here)

She does not like grapes. → She likes (your answer here)

He does not play cricket. → (Your answer here)

A lion does not eat grass. → (Your answer here)

Teacher's Note

This exercise teaches students how to change negative sentences into positive ones. When you remove "do not" or "does not", the meaning becomes the opposite.

Exam Trick

Remember: Remove the words "do not" or "does not" and the sentence becomes positive. The word in yellow is the one you might need to change for the sentence to make sense.

Points to Remember

When you remove "do not", the sentence becomes positive.
Sometimes you need to change the highlighted word.
"Does not" is used for he, she, and it.
"Do not" is used for I, you, we, and they.
Read the sentence carefully to see if it makes sense.

Activity (B)

Now Use 'do not / does not' Appropriately In The Following And Frame Meaningful Sentences

I like mangoes. → I do not like figs.

You travel by bus. → (Your answer here)

He gets up at 7.30. → He does not get up at 6:30.

A rabbit has a short tail. → (Your answer here)

She uses a black pen. → (Your answer here)

Teacher's Note

In this exercise, students learn to add "do not" or "does not" to make sentences negative. This helps them understand when to use each form correctly.

Exam Trick

Remember: For he, she, it use "does not". For I, you, we, they use "do not". Count the letters to check: does = 4 letters, just like 'he' has 2 letters, add 2 = 4!

Points to Remember

Use "does not" for he, she, and it.
Use "do not" for I, you, we, and they.
Add "do not" or "does not" before the main verb.
The meaning becomes opposite when you add these words.
Always check if the sentence makes sense after you write it.

Complete The Following Sentences Using Your Ideas

I wish I had ________.

I wish I could ________.

(Your answer here)

(Your answer here)

(Your answer here)

(Your answer here)

(Your answer here)

(Your answer here)

Teacher's Note

Students can use this exercise to think about their own wishes and desires. Tell them to write real wishes that are possible and good for them, just like the babul tree learned.

Exam Trick

Remember: "I wish I had" needs a noun. "I wish I could" needs a verb. Example: "I wish I had a bicycle" and "I wish I could fly a kite". Use this pattern and you will get full marks.

Points to Remember

Write wishes that are possible and good for you.
"I wish I had" is followed by a noun or object.
"I wish I could" is followed by a verb or action.
Think of real things that will make you happy.
Complete at least four sentences with different wishes.

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