INTRODUCTION

Welcome to our enchanting collection of traditional stories! As partners in the Dyslexia Friendly Schools KA210SCH Erasmus+ project, we’ve come together from Bulgaria, Turkey, Romania, and Spain to celebrate the rich tapestry of our cultural heritage.In these pages, you’ll find tales that have been passed down through generations.These narratives are more than words; they are bridges connecting us to our past, our values, and our shared humanity.But why “dyslexia-friendly”? Because we believe that everyone deserves to experience the magic of storytelling. Our stories are crafted with care, using clear fonts, spacious layouts, and visual cues to support dyslexic readers. 

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The project “Dyslexia friendly Schools” is co-financed by the European Union. The opinions and viewpoints expressed in this publication are solely those of its authors: SDRUZHENIE "ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA", I.E.S. JUAN GOYTISOLO, ŞEHITLER-ALI RIZA ÇEVIK ORTAOKULU and ASOCIATIA STEM4RO and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE). Neither the European Union nor the SEPIE National Agency can be held responsible for them.

         IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO                                (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN

        PEDRI AND THE WOLF

 IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO                                (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN illustration

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN

Some people don’t take anything seriously. People like Pedri, the son of José, a peasant who, quite unlike his son, took everything seriously. Pedri lied a lot, and the neighbors never new if he was lying or telling the truth,

His father, José, was desperate. One day, he had a brilliant idea.

“Pedri” – he said to his son – “from now on you will take the seep out of to graze every day, and you’ll be in charge of warning the villagers if the wolf comes”.

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN illustration

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN 

The next day Pedri took his flock of sheep to the valley. He had never seen a wolf in his life, but he trusted that when he saw a strange and fierce animal, he would know it was a wolf.

Despite wanting to become a good shepherd, he soon was bored and decided to prank the towns people. He climbed up to the highest branches of a willow tree.

Once there he started to shout: “The wolf! The wolf is coming!”.

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN illustration

                     IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN 

Pedri’s warning soon spread throughout the town streets. The town was quite small, so the shouting could be heard everywhere.

Everyone grabbed their weapons and ran together towards the valley. Exhausted, sweating and nervous, they reached the foot of the tree which Pedri had climbed before. They asked him: “Where’s the wolf?”

But Pedri started to laugh histerically. “What wolf?”.

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN illustration

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN 

People were so angry that Pedri stayed alone for several days. He eventually grew bored again, and decided it would be a great idea to prank people again.

Everyone decided to go again, just in case. José, Pedri’s father, ran fastest of all, hoping it would be true this time.

When they found it all was a lie, they were really upset. José was the angriest of them all.

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN illustration

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN 

A few days passed, and the town newspaper wrote an article about it in order to increase the sales. The frontpage included the headline “Danger!” and a big picture of Pedri.

The villagers, who were good-hearted people, blamed themselves and became determined not to fall for it next time.

Even Pedri realized he had gone too far, and promised not to prank them again.

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN illustration

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN 

The following day Pedri returned with the flock of sheep to the valley.

While he was getting ready to take a nap under the willow, he heard something.

The sight of a wolf showing its jaws and claws terrorized him. He climbed the tree and started to shout: - “The wolf is here! The wolf is here!”.

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN illustration

IES  JUAN GOYTISOLO (CARBONERAS)  SPAIN 

However, the townspeople did not believe him this time, and didn’t go to help him.

The sheep ran away, the ducks flew away, and Pedri couldn’t climb any higher.

The wolf circled round and around the tree, and managed to bit Pedri’s staff, and finally left.

Pedri managed to gather all his sheep, one by one, and went back to the town. This time, it had been no joke. That served him as a lesson, and he of course lost all desire to get himself into trouble again.

Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye 

          Keloğlan and the Sultan’s Daughter

Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye Illustration

            Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye 

Keloğlan, the bald boy, was born without hair. His mother would put him to sleep every night saying, “My bald boy, my clever boy whose hair fell out from his intelligence.” 

Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye Illustration

The entire village was very impressed with Keloğlan’s ability to come up with solutions for every situation. Whenever they were in trouble, they would say, “Hmm, the only one who can solve this is Keloğlan.”

                           Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye

  Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye 

Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye 

One day, the town crier set out in the evening to announce news from the palace, and the sound of his drum echoed everywhere: “Boom boom boom. Hear ye, hear ye, the Sultan has organized a competition among suitors to marry his daughter.” Boom boom boom.

          Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye Illustration

Keloğlan ran to his elderly mother and said, “Mother, prepare my bundle and clothes, I will join the competition.”

                                   Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye

                           Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye Illustration

Although his mother was not very willing, she kept her thoughts to herself and did what Keloğlan asked. The next morning, Keloğlan set out early.

                      Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye

                          Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye Illustration

 When he arrived at the Sultan’s  palace, he saw that many prominent and wealthy people had entered the competition. 

                             Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye

The Sultan’s daughter was so beautiful that Keloğlan fell madly in love. The Sultan’s loud voice brought him back to reality. The Sultan said, “I will ask you three questions. Whoever can answer them will earn the right to marry my daughter.” Many suitors were surprised as they thought the competition would involve horse riding, sword fighting, or javelin throwing. But Keloğlan was confident.

                                   Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye 

                    Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye Illustration

                           Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye

The Sultan asked, “How many stars are there in the sky?” There was a long silence. The Sultan, breaking the silence, turned to Keloğlan and said, “You, the hairless one, answer.” Despite being caught off guard, Keloğlan quickly replied, “There are as many stars in the sky as there are hairs on your head. You would know the number better.”

                                Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye Illustration

The Sultan looked at his viziers, who were very pleased with this answer and approved it, saying, “That’s correct, my Sultan.” The Sultan’s daughter was impressed by this young, clever man. The Sultan, however, was internally furious and chose a more difficult question, “Tell me then, where is the center of the world?”

                        Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye

                               Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye Illustration

For Keloğlan, the answer was quite simple. With a mischievous smile, he said, “It is under my feet. You can measure it if you like.” The viziers were filled with fear; what if the Sultan said, “Measure it”? They quickly approved the answer in unison, “That’s correct, my Sultan, it is under his feet.”

                        Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye

                          Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye Illustration

The Sultan’s cheeks turned red with anger, while his daughter was enchanted by Keloğlan’s ability to answer every difficult question. The Sultan, knowing he couldn’t go back on his word, realized he had to ask the most difficult question. He thought of such a cunning question that he couldn’t help but smile and twirl his mustache, “Alright, you answered two questions.Let’s see if you can answer this: How can you turn the world upside down with two fingers?”

                          Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye

 Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye Illustration

The Sultan, knowing such a thing was impossible, began to walk around comfortably. The viziers looked at each other in confusion, while Keloğlan scratched his bald head. When the sunlight reflected off a mirror and hit his eyes, a brilliant idea came to him. He quickly walked over to a lady in the crowd and asked for her mirror.

                       Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye

                             Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Turkiye Illustration

Standing before the Sultan, he said, “With your permission,” and held the mirror above the Sultan’s head with two fingers, saying, “Look, the world is now upside down for you.” The viziers and the crowd burst into applause, and the Sultan’s daughter was very excited. The Sultan, having no choice but to keep his promise, had to give his daughter to Keloğlan.

                   Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye

                           Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye Illustration

When the news of the wedding reached his mother in the village, she joyfully set out for the wedding, saying, “My bald boy, my clever boy, you even won the Sultan’s daughter.” Keloğlan and the Sultan’s daughter got married in a wonderful wedding and lived happily ever after.

                          Şehitler Secondary School Manisa Türkiye

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA

The Golden Girl

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA (RUSE) 

 SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA

Once upon a time there lived a man and a woman. They had a little daughter, pretty as a flower. They lived happily together, but the mother fell ill and soon died.

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA

Soon the man married another woman who also had a daughter.

The new wife hated her stepdaughter and made her do the hardest work, while her own daughter was doing nothing.

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA

One evening the stepmother said "I don't want your daughter around. If you don't get her out of here, I will leave!". The man was very sad as he loved his girl a lot, but his wife's constant nagging finally forced him to agree.

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA

The woman baked a round bread, gave it to her husband and sent him away with his daughter. The man took the girl into the forest, rolled the bread and told his daughter to bring it. She run and chased it for a long time, but when she caught it and came back, her father was no there.

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA (RUSE)  BULGARIA illustration

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA (RUSE)  BULGARIA

The girl called her father many times, but nobody answered. Then the girl started to cry and walked among trees without knowing the direction.

Suddenly, in the dark, she saw a light in an window of a small wooden house, and walked towards it. 

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA

A voice came from the house: "Who is crying? If you are a girl, come into!" And the girl entered the house. It belonged to a strange old woman, who looked pretty much like a witch - was ugly but with warm and smiling brown eyes. She offered the girl some food and sent her to sleep.

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA

In the morning the girl got up earlier than the sorceress, put the house in order, swept the floor, and cooked porridge for breakfast. When the old woman got up, she looked around and smiled, but said nothing.

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA

"I need to go to do some work, but you will need to take care of the house and look after my pets - a bunch of snakes and lizards. But don't be afraid of them, they are all very kind", said the woman and left.

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA

The girl boiled some porridge, let it cool and fed the animals. And when the old woman returned, the snakes and lizards showed off the beautiful necklaces the girl had made for them.

The old woman said nothing, just smiled. 

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA

A river flowed near the house. After the lunch the sorceress said "Let's go to the river and sit on the bank." And she added, "I can fall asleep, but you watch the river. When the water runs red, do not wake me, nor when it is blue. But when the water turns yellow, wake me up at once!"

And the old woman fell asleep.

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA

The girl was watching the river carefully and as soon as the water turned yellow, she woke up the sorceress. 

She quickly caught the girl by the hair, plunged her into the river and said "Hold what you can!" The girl caught whatever she could, and when the woman pulled her out of the water, she found it was a chest.

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration

After that the sorceress accompanied the girl to the end of the forest and showed her the way to her home.

SDRUZHENIE ASOCIACIA DYSLEXIA - BULGARIA illustration