Master teacher Karla Bickel loved to create and tell imaginative stories.
Her stories are available here free of charge for you to hear, read, dramatize, and illustrate.
Karla's radio program began with this introduction: "Ladies and
gentlemen, boys and girls, in our circus tent we have in the story
ring Charity Clown with a story for the young and young at heart."
Stories by Topic
Holidays
Karla's love for holidays is evident in these stories.
- The Doll Who Didn't Want to be a Christmas Present
The toys who were left on the shelves stood or sat up straight and smiled their most appealing smiles. "We don't have much time left..."
- Surprise Christmas Birthday Party
Every single child in town had received an invitation to the surprise party. All the gifts had been made or bought, and wrapped.
- Candy Village
The village was nestled in tufts of soft white cotton that speckled with red, green silver, and gold sparkles. The small houses and shops were built from all kinds of scrumptious confections.
- Silent Harp
The small room was dimly lit. Layers of dust clung to the little harp.
- Lamb Cake
"Angie, you've signed only sixteen invitations. I thought there were twenty-six in your class."
- Easter Lights
Every spring Ethan's family would be in a flurry of activity preparing for Easter. They would decorate the house and yard with Easter egg trees, lambs, rabbits, chick and ducks.
- Lost Valentine
"It's done! All I have to do is sign my name."
- Valentine Without a Heart
The valentine cards had just been made and were standing on the assembly line waiting to be packed. They all caught sight of themselves in a mirror and they started to brag.
- Hungry Thanksgiving Eyes
Granny Goodies had been working energetically. Every year at this time for weeks before Thanksgiving, she baked delicious cookies shaped like turkeys and praying paws.
School & Learning
Children learn in many ways and places.
- Hide or Seek
"Come on, kids," called Mrs. Catnip, "It's time to go." "Ready, Mom, Katy said.
- The Reading Machine
"Step right up! Don't be shy. As you can see in the story ring today we have an enormous box, whose contents will amaze you!"
- The Kite Who Was Afraid to Fly
"Come on, Blue. Let's go!" "No thanks. You guys go ahead." "Aw, come on, Blue, please try."
- Fenwick Football
He had been made from the finest leather, shaped to soar through the air, but his head rested in his hands and his arm rested on his knee. He had been sitting on the bench on the sideline for almost the entire game.
- Mail Boxes
With her eyes closed she could still tell where she was. Her nose recognized the scents of crayons, erasers, lead pencils, felt markers, paper, chalk dust, and wood desks.
- Safe Pockets
Polly had been in the best place in the whole world her whole life. It was a warm, soft and cuddly place.
- The Modern Lamb
Eweness Lamb lived in a beautiful meadow. She had lived there for only a few seasons.
- Graduation Day
The sun made the water in the fish pond sparkle. The school of fish swam in a line through the middle of the pond.
- Finishing for Jesus
When I was a little girl clown, I pleaded and begged my mother to let me take piano lessons. At first she said I was too young and wouldn't be able to handle it.
Getting Along
How wonderful it is when people treat others right.
- How to Bake Bread
The mixing spoon and the bread bowl in the cupboard clattered as they stretched and yawned. The apron in the drawer turned over, closed her eyes, and nestled among the soft towels, sighing loudly and contentedly.
- Blarry Bullfrog
Blarry Bullfrog hopped farther than any other bullfrog in the creek. Also, it was true that he swam the creek and river faster than any minnow, perch, or trout.
- The Doll Contest
All the dolls were dressed in their finest clothes. They had all been scrubbed and their hair was washed and scrubbed and arranged with ribbons and bows.
- Canning Fruit for Winter
Laurel and her mother sat at the kitchen table and peeled the peaches and pears. After a while her mom got up and stirred the cherries and apple sauce.
- Aunt Mary's Dress
She was the oldest of fourteen children. It was the beginning of the 20th century, before computers, television, telephones and horseless carriages ran the world..
- Gossip Goats
The gossip goats lived on a high hill covered with dried up grass. Thus they had nothing to eat but the trash and garbage left outside the crooked old shacks on the hill.
- Singing Star
Today was the day. All the kids in town, from preschoolers to teenagers, jumped out of bed as soon as the sun rose.
- Luther Lighthouse
Luther was a young lighthouse. He had been standing for only twenty years.
- The Snow Family Diet
Everyone in the Snow family was flabby and bloated. They had not stuffed themselves with too much snow or bird seed cakes. Instead, they had filled themselves with something much more fattening...
Circus
Clowns are more like people than many of us realize.
- Heartprints of a Clown
Once, not very long ago, there was a little clown. She had big brown, wide-open eyes, that drank in all the beauty and wonder of the world God had made and put her in.
- Better Than a Circus
Since my family was part of the circus, we had to move a lot. In fact, to be exact we moved once a week or every two weeks, whenever the circus had to go to a new town.
- Charity Starts at Home
Have you ever noticed that it is often easier to get along with people you don't know very well than with people in your own family and friends you have known for a long time? Since I am a clown, you might think that it would not be hard to get along with a bunch of fun-loving clowns.
- Circus Runaway
Dan's mom and dad were so strict. "Do this! Do that! Eat this! Don't eat that!"
- One Big Mistake, One Big Miracle
One Big Mistake never did anything right. When he was supposed to laugh, he would cry, and when he was supposed to cry, he would laugh.
- Curly Cute's Collection
Everyone oohed and ahhed over how sweet and adorable he was. He had little red cheeks and a little red button nose.
- Teacher's Remarkable Secret
There was something different about their teacher. Exactly what it was they couldn't quite figure out.
God
The Lord is love, and He proves it in Jesus.
- The Rich Toymaker
The little village was cradled in one corner of the valley of life and death.
- The Animals' Debate
The hunters argued as they sat around the campfire. The jungle animals stood and perched at the edge of the clearing, as they listened intently.
- Little Who's-It
"Who am I? Who am I?" Many of the forest animals encircled him under tall fir trees.
- A Flower's Lifetime
Ever since she had been born into this world a few days earlier, the small flower had been cramped. Her petals were swirled snugly around into a little bud.
- Tug of Love War
The forest animals were at the Picnic of Life. They were having a great time playing, laughing, and eating.
- Thank You Mountain
It was a beautiful mountain. Many trees grew on its strong shoulders.
- The Greatest Butterfly
Once there was a tree that was the loveliest of all the trees in the forest. However this tree was unique in another way--it was populated by jumping beans.
- The Visitor
He heard someone knocking at the door.
- The Gold and Chocolate Merry-Go-Round
Imagine yourself standing before a giant merry-go-round. It is made of glistening gold, with sparkling star-like stones.
Family & Seasons
Every season is ripe with stories.
- Stories in the Flames
"Hurry, everyone, the fire's ready." Children scurried from all corners of the big house to sit in front of the blazing fireplace.
- Daffodil Valley
They put bag lunches their mother had made into their backpacks along with water canteens. There were four children, ages six to ten, and their teenage sister and her friends followed a little ways behind to keep an eye on them.
- Summer Vacation
The school bell echoed throughout the forest. The door to the tree school was thrown open.
- Summer Job
Button Nose and Buttercup, who were twin bear cubs, woke early. They got up and had a quick breakfast.
- Century Treehouse
The giant oak tree had lived over one hundred years. The children's parents and grandparents had played in it.
- The Wise Worker
He dressed simply in a blue shirt and brown deerskin pants and jacket, which made him look like much like a Native American or a pioneer of long ago.
- The Road
Our family spent months trying to decide where to go on our vacation. It was a difficult decision, since we were seven different people with different ideas, likes, and dislikes.
- Kaleidoscope Leaves
The trees were ablaze with red, yellow, and orange leaves. Against blue skies and white clouds, the trees were an eye's taste of Heaven.
- Old Fashioned Wooden Sled
It was a work of art, fashioned with love by their father.
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