English / A2
Lazy Jack
Jack lived with his mother. They were poor, but Jack never worked. One day she said, “Find a job, or leave this house!”
On Tuesday, Jack worked for a farmer. The farmer gave him a penny. On the way home, Jack dropped it into a small river.
“Put your money in your pocket,” his mother said.
“I will next time,” said Jack.
On Wednesday, another farmer gave Jack a jar of milk for his work. Jack put it in his coat pocket. All the milk came out.
“Carry it on your head,” his mother said.
On Thursday, Jack got some soft cheese for his work. He carried it on his head. Some fell off, and the rest went into his hair.
“Carry it carefully in your hands,” said his mother.
On Friday, a baker gave him a large cat. Jack carried it in his hands. The cat scratched his hands and hurt him, so he let it go.
“Put a string round it and bring it behind you,” said his mother.
On Saturday, Jack got a large piece of meat. He pulled it home on a string. It became dirty, and they could not eat it.
“Carry it on your shoulders!” said his mother.
On Monday, Jack got a donkey for his work. He put it on his shoulders and walked home slowly.
A rich man’s daughter was looking out of a window. She could not hear or speak. She never laughed. Her doctors said, “She must laugh before she can speak.” Her father promised she could marry the person who made her laugh.
She saw Jack carrying the donkey, with its legs in the air. She started laughing. Suddenly, she could hear and speak!
Her father was very happy. Jack married his daughter. They lived in a large house, and Jack’s mother came to live with them.
English summary · includes the ending
Jack lives with his mother, who is tired of supporting him alone. She tells him to find work. His first payment is a penny, but he drops it into a stream. His mother says he should use his pocket.
Jack follows this advice the next day, when he is paid in milk. It spills. Each new instruction causes another problem: he carries soft cheese on his head, a cat in his hands, and meat on a string along the ground. Finally, told to use his shoulders, he carries home a donkey.
A rich man’s daughter sees this strange sight and laughs for the first time. In the tale, this restores her hearing and speech. Her delighted father keeps his promise and gives her hand in marriage to the person who made her laugh. Jack becomes wealthy, and his mother joins the couple in their large house.
Adapted for LEJRBÅL from Joseph Jacobs’s public-domain collection English Fairy Tales (source edition: 1890).
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