Adapted from the Hindu Baghavad Gita.This story is an ancient Hindu tale. It is important to tell the story interactively, as guided. The prompts and follow-up discussion questions will help you elicit children’s thoughtful responses to the tale. Here is a story from the Hindu tradition. A long,…

By Barb Pitman, in uu&me! Collected Stories, edited by Betsy Hill Williams (Boston: Skinner House, 2003). She was bewildered. Bewildered and ashamed. The other hands in the classroom were smooth with nails cleanly cut. Hands raised to answer the teacher’s question….

Adapted from “Charles Darwin” in Stories in Faith: Exploring Our Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources Through Wisdom Tales, (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2007). From the time he was a little boy, Charles Darwin was an explorer….

Charles Dickens was born in England in 1812, about 200 years ago. He first earned a living as an assistant in a lawyer’s office, then as a newspaper reporter. He was still a young man when he became famous for the funny essays he wrote from his own imagination. At first, no one knew who he was,…

Dorothea Dix lived in the 1800s. At a time when women had fewer choices than men did, Dorothea made extraordinary choices for herself. She did not grow up a Unitarian, but she chose to become one as an adult. Another choice she made was to work hard on behalf of other people. Dorothea made one of…

The full text of Charles Dickens’s 1838 novel, Oliver Twist, can be obtained online at The Literature Network ‘s website. The novel is copyright-free and in the public domain.Explain that Oliver Twist is a fictional character Charles Dickens created to tell a story. The story begins, just after…

By Mary Ann Moore, in Hide and Seek with God (Boston: Skinner House Books, 1994). Based on tales from Zen Buddhism and Hebrew scripture. Used with permission. Once there was a man who wanted to know what God was truly like….

By Lynn Ungar …

From Lighting Candles in the Dark: Stories of Courage and Love in Action (Philadelphia: Friends General Conference, 2001). Used by permission. A family had all heard a story recently in church that included a verse from the bible that read, “If your enemy is hungry, feed them.” It was a confusing…

Adapted from a story provided on the http://www.tolerance.org/lesson/juliette-hampton-morgan-white-woman-who… Tolerance website. Juliette Morgan was the only child of Frank and Lila Morgan of Montgomery, Alabama . Morgan attended the best schools and graduated near the top of her class in college…

A seven-year-old girl named Nancy asked her minister, “What prayer shall I say when I go to bed?” He wrote her back this answer. Dear Nancy, You may not have realized it, but when you asked me to suggest a bedtime prayer for you, you raised a very important question. It is a question which people…

Adapted from Hebrew scripture, Genesis 11:1-9.Tell the group this story comes from Hebrew scripture. In this bible story, God is a character that has a particular relationship with humans. Invite the children to be observant about that relationship as they hear the story….

Adapted from a June 6, 2004, sermon delivered at All Souls Church, Unitarian, Washington, DC. Used with permission. Tell the group this story, “The Day of Pentecost,” comes from Christian scripture. It is in the Book of Acts, 2:1-13. While God is mentioned in this story, the Holy Spirit is also…

By Elizabeth (Vernon) Kelley, published on the U.S. Peace Corps Coverdell World Wise Schools website. Used with permission.”I’ll have coffee,” I tell the waitress at a cafe during my first week in Bulgaria . She shakes her head from side to side. “OK, tea,” I say, thinking that maybe there’s…

“Teaching a Thief” is taken from Kindness, A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom by Sarah Conover and Valerie Wahl (Boston: Skinner House, 2010). Availavle from inSpirit: The UU Book and Gift Shop. All rights reserved. Bankei was a famous Zen teacher in Japan long ago. Students from all over came to his…

From What if Nobody Forgave? and Other Stories, by Kate Rhode, edited by Colleen McDonald (Boston: Skinner House, 2003). Used with permission….

From Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs (Boston: Skinner House, 2010). Khadija was a wealthy businesswoman who needed to hire someone she could depend on to do her trading and to care for her goods when her caravan reached Syria . After a brief search, she hired Muhammad ibn Adjullah, known throughout…

From uu & me! Collected Stories, edited by Betsy Hill Williams (Boston: Skinner House, 2003). Used with permission. A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on one end of a pole that he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it. At the end of the long walk from the…

From A Lamp in Every Corner (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2004). A Bright Star A long time ago, when railroad trains were still brand new and the United States had only twenty-four stars on its flag instead of fifty, there lived a boy whose name was Starr. That may seem like an odd…

From Our Seven Principles in Story and Verse: A Collection for Children and Adults by Kenneth W. Collier (Boston: Skinner House, 2007). Used with permission. It was the first day of the Festival of Purification….