Podcast · Learning

Simple Stories in English

by Camilla Given · English · Learning

Learning English is easier with stories! These simple stories repeat common words and phrases to make English learning effective and enjoyable. You can find transcripts of each episode at smalltownspanishteacher.com.

New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 12 min
Latest: 12 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026 · 17 minNew

What Scares Me?

Send us Fan Mail I consider myself to be a strong person, but there are still many things that scare me. Most things that scare me are pretty typical, like horror movies, and the dark. Other things I don’t want to scare me, so I do my best to overcome them, such as heights or moving fast on skis. This simple story is told in the first person and present tense and focuses on the words scare, frighten, chills, darkness, wild, and heights. No matter where you are in your language journey, stor...

Play episodeWhatsApp Download

Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E69 · 12 Oct 2026 · 11 minNew
Greg the Python Hunter
Send us Fan Mail Every now and again I am sent a story by a listener. Today’s fascinating, true story comes from Sharon. The Florida Everglades is facing a big problem. Many of its native species are being killed off by Burmese pythons. However, a dog named Greg is helping to clear to Everglades of this stealthy predator, hunting down snakes invisible to the naked eye. This simple story is told in both the present and past tenses and focuses on the words python, swamp, shelter, and hunt. No...
E68 · 7 Sep 2026 · 14 min
The Daring Little Kitten
Send us Fan Mail You might remember a brave little kitten from one of my earlier stories. That brave little kitten is back with a new adventure in a new construction site. Jack is a little cat. In a previous episode, Jack got separated from his family in a construction site. He was a shy, scared cat, but that experience made him brave and daring. Now Jack goes out of his way to explore the world around him. But he still prefers a good construction site. This simple story is told in the past...
E67 · 31 Jul 2026 · 13 min
The Three Little Pigs
Send us Fan Mail The story of the three little pigs is one of the first many kids learn. This story of hard work, personal responsibility, and delayed gratification never gets old. This simple story is told in the past tense and focuses on the words pigs, wolf, blew, ran, scared, built, and strong. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your way. You can find a transcript of the story at https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2026/07/31/simple-stories-in-eng...
E66 · 19 Jul 2026 · 16 min
Maradona and the Hand of God
Send us Fan Mail Every four years the FIFA World Cup attracts a world-wide audience. And every FIFA World Cup also attracts controversy. Forty years ago, in 1986, the games in Mexico had their fair share of controversy, as well as amazing moments, surrounding Diego Maradona. Maradona is one of the greatest footballers, or soccer players, of all time. He started playing professionally just before his 16th birthday. He was already a popular player when he arrived at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico...
S3 · E12 · 2 Jun 2026 · 14 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 12
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 12! Zunzuncito is reaching the end of his journey. He crossed the grand lake, passed through the land of giants, and arrived at the valley of snails. Now he just needs to suck the nectar and he will be big. Because being big will make him happy, right? This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include wish, snail, and couldn’t. No matt...
S3 · E11 · 26 Apr 2026 · 10 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 11
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 11! Zunzuncito is getting closer to the magic flower that will grant his wish to be big. He crossed the grand lake and passed through the land of giants. Only one place remains: the valley of snails. Zunzuncito feels so close and yet so far from his goal. He is feeling impatient. This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include snails...
S3 · E10 · 20 Apr 2026 · 11 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 10
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 10! After crossing the grand lake, Zunzuncito and Monty must pass through the land of giants. The land of giants is fascinating, until Zunzuncito sees something horrible: animals in cages. Seeing the animals in cages makes him think of being trapped in the spiderweb. He has to do something, but what can a tiny bird do? This story is told in the the present tense. R...
S3 · E9 · 12 Apr 2026 · 11 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 9
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 9! Zunzuncito and Monty fell into the grand lake. Thankfully, a turtle came to save them. Once they cross the grand lake, they will reach the second leg of their journey: pass through the land of giants. To the tiny hummingbird and frog, though, everything is a giant! Will they find the land they seek and pass through it safely? This story is told in the the presen...
S3 · E8 · 22 Mar 2026 · 12 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 8
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 8! Zunzuncito and Monty have a three-part journey: cross the grand lake, pass through the land of giants, and arrive in the valley of snails. They have found the grand lake, but now they need to cross it. Zunzuncito can easily fly over the lake, but it is filled with big fish that want to eat the small Monty. How will they make it across? This story is told in the ...
S3 · E7 · 9 Mar 2026 · 11 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 7
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 6! Zunzuncito is on a mission to find the magic flower that will grant his wish to be big. He spoke with the wise snake Majá and now he knows where he must go, but how will he get there? Thankfully, he has a small sidekick, the tiny frog Monty, to help him out. This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include lake, fish, fly, swim, an...
S3 · E6 · 2 Mar 2026 · 11 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 6
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 6! Zunzuncito is a tiny hummingbird. His friend, Monty, is an even smaller frog. The two animals are searching for a magic flower. Zunzuncito hopes that the magic flower will grant his wish to be big. Majá is a Cuban boa. According to Monty, she knows everything. There is just one problem - Zunzuncito is incredibly afraid of snakes and Majá is the biggest snake on th...
S3 · E5 · 23 Feb 2026 · 10 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 5
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 5! Zunzuncito is done dealing with the small life. He wants to be big. Luckily, his new frog friend Monty knows about a special magic flower that might be able to grant his wish. He just doesn’t know where it is. So, the hummingbird and frog head to the woods in search of the all-knowing Majá. On the way, Zunzuncito learns a few things about his small amphibious frie...
S3 · E4 · 16 Feb 2026 · 10 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 4
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 4! It’s not easy being the smallest bird in the world. You have to deal with bigger bully birds, bees that don’t want to share and spiders that want to suck your blood. Zunzuncito is tired of being small. Perhaps if he is big and strong he can save himself from these sticky situations. After all, the animal that saved him from the spiderweb must be big and strong, ri...
S3 · E3 · 9 Feb 2026 · 10 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 3
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 3! Zunzuncito, a tiny bee hummingbird, just wants to suck delicious nectar from beautiful flowers. But he is not the only one hunting for food. After being chased away from flowers by a group of bees, Zunzuncito is now trapped in a spiderweb. There are many large spiders in Cuba and some of them do suck the blood of little birds caught in their webs. How will Zunzunc...
S3 · E2 · 28 Jan 2026 · 10 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 2
Send us Fan Mail In this third season, I am sharing chapters from my short novel “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. This week is chapter 2! Zunzuncito, one of the tiniest hummingbirds in the world, flits from flower to flower in search of delicious nectar. However, some flowers are occupied. They are occupied by larger hummingbirds and insects. In this second chapter of “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”, our tiny bee hummingbird finds himself in a battle with his namesake bees. This story is told in the the ...
S3 · E1 · 22 Jan 2026 · 8 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Chapter 1
Send us Fan Mail Chapter 1: The Smallest Hummingbird Zunzuncito is one of the tiniest hummingbirds in the world. Some might think he spends all his time happily sucking nectar from flowers, and they are not wrong. However, sometimes insects and even other hummingbirds get in between Zunzuncito and his dinner. This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include bird, hummingbird, wings, flies (verb) and flowers. Zunzuncito’s Adventure is available on Amazon in p...
S3 · 14 Jan 2026 · 8 min
Zunzuncito's Adventure Intro
Send us Fan Mail The island nation of Cuba is full of amazing animals. One of the most fascinating is the tiny bee hummingbird, also called the zunzuncito. I was inspired by this little hummingbird and, with some motivation from my students, I wrote a short novel called “Zunzuncito’s Adventure”. For this third season of Simple Stories in English, I will be sharing a chapter from the novel each week. This story is told in the the present tense. Repeated words and phrases include bird, h...
S2 · E15 · 24 Nov 2025 · 16 min
My Trip to the Galapagos Islands
Send us Fan Mail I love to travel and today I am sharing one of my favorite travel stories. When I went to Ecuador twelve years ago, I had the opportunity to snorkel twice with blowfish, sea turtles and sea lions. The first day was amazing, but the second was a little scary . Today’s story is mostly in the first-person plural (pronoun “we”) and the past tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: boat, snorkel, tortoise/turtle, shark, and sea lion. No matter where you are in your lan...
S2 · E14 · 26 Oct 2025 · 14 min
My Mental Health
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. I believe that mental health matters. I usually feel like I have a good grasp of my own mental health, but there are days I want to ignore the world and all my responsibilities in it. I have many activities that help boost my mental health and today I would like to share a few. This story is in the first person and mostly the present tense. Important vocabulary in the ...
S2 · E13 · 13 Oct 2025 · 13 min
My Language Journey
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. I teach Spanish, but I am not a native Spanish speaker. Learning Spanish was not easy for me. I struggled a lot. But I am very grateful to be bilingual. Today I would like to share my language journey and why I chose to learn Spanish. This story is in the first person and the past tense. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you on your wa...
S2 · E12 · 18 Sep 2025 · 15 min
Life on Stage
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. I love the theater. I love acting and singing and being in front of an audience. I haven’t been on a stage in years, but I have wonderful memories from my time in the theater and I use my experience now to tell stories. Continuing with this season of personal stories, this episode explores my short-lived life on stage. This story is in the first person and the past ten...
S2 · E11 · 17 Aug 2025 · 16 min
What Was My Childhood Like?
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. I have very fond memories of my childhood. I spent a lot of time outside with my friends and family, no matter the time of year. As a child I played, I ran, I rode bikes, I read, and I just had fun. Continuing with this season of personal stories, this episode explores the question: “what is my family like?”. This story is in the first person and the present tense. Imp...
S2 · E10 · 28 Jul 2025 · 12 min
What Is My Family Like?
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. I love my family. I have two wonderful sons that I adore. I also have many brothers and sisters who are very important to me, along with my own mom and dad. My extended family also has a special place in my heart. Continuing with this season of personal stories, this episode explores the question: “what is my family like?”. This story is in the first person and the pre...
S2 · E9 · 18 Jul 2025 · 12 min
Where Do I Go?
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. In today’s episode, I explain where I go. I go to some places frequently, like work and the store. Other places I go to when I have time. I hope you enjoy my answer to the question “Where do I go?”. This story is in the first person and the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: school, shopping, church, countries, and home. No matter where you are ...
S2 · E8 · 23 Jun 2025 · 14 min
Where Do I Live?
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. I love where I live. I have a beautiful house in a small town in western Colorado. I have lived in 3 houses in this town over the last 19 years and in this episode I will describe those houses. This story is in the first person and the present and past tenses. Important vocabulary in the story includes: house, neighbors, windows, dining room, basement, garage, and yard...
S2 · E7 · 4 Jun 2025 · 11 min
What Do I Eat?
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. Today’s story is all about food. Breakfast food, snacks, dessert. Get ready to hear about what I eat. I hope you don’t get too hungry as you enjoy my answer to the question “What Do I Eat?” This story is in the first person and the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: fruit, chocolate, breakfast, sweet, and I make. No matter where you are in your ...
S2 · E6 · 19 May 2025 · 10 min
What Do I Want?
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. I am lucky that I get to do many things that I enjoy and I have everything that I need right now. However, there are still some things that I want, someday. This story is in the first person and the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: things, activities, time, work, and want. No matter where you are in your language journey, stories will help you...
S2 · E5 · 29 Apr 2025 · 13 min
What Do I Do?
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. Many of my activities are related to daily necessities or work, but I do a lot of other things. I create, I explore, I exercise, and I listen to and make music. What do you do? This story is in the first person and the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: create, make, imagine, explore, photos, and exercise. No matter where you are in your languag...
S2 · E4 · 15 Apr 2025 · 12 min
How do I Feel?
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English! In this season, I will be telling you more about myself. Many of my activities are related to daily necessities or work, but I do a lot of other things. I create, I explore, I exercise, and I listen to and make music. What do you do? This story is in the first person and the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: create, make, imagine, explore, photos, and exercise. No matter where you are in your languag...

About Simple Stories in English

Simple Stories in English is a English learning podcast from Camilla Given. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Camilla Given
Language: English
Category: Learning
New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 12 min
Latest episode: 12 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1638217241

RSS feed Apple Podcasts

More English learning

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.