The Money Jar (A1 Reading Story)

A1 · BEGINNER Reading practice · ~1,250 words · 8-min read

This is a short, easy story for beginners about work and money. The sentences are simple. First, read the eight key words. Then read the story. At the end, there is a small quiz to check what you understand.

The story

1 · Omar and the market

Omar is nineteen years old. He lives in a small town with his mother and his little sister, Nadia. Their flat is small, but it is warm and happy.

Every morning, Omar walks to the big market. The market is a place with many small shops outside. The walk is long — one hour. There is a bus, but the bus costs money. Omar does not take the bus. He wants to save his money. To save means to keep your money and not spend it now.

The market opens at seven o’clock. There are many stalls. A stall is one big table, and people sell things from it. There is a fish stall. There is a bread stall. There is a flower stall with red and yellow flowers. And there is a fruit and vegetable stall. That is where Omar works.

Omar’s boss is Mr Bell. Mr Bell is old. He has white hair and a big laugh. He is kind to Omar. He knows every person in the market, and every person knows him.

Omar likes the market in the morning. It is full of colours and sounds. The fish man shouts, “Fresh fish! Fresh fish!” The bread stall smells warm and sweet. Music plays from a small radio. For Omar, the market is like a second home.

Omar works hard. He carries heavy boxes. He puts the apples in a long line. He puts the oranges in a big pyramid. He talks to the customers. “Good morning! The bananas are very good today!”

Omar is good at one more thing: he can count fast. To count means to say numbers — one, two, three. A customer buys three apples, two lemons, and one melon, and Omar knows the price in one second. Mr Bell always says, “Omar, your head is a calculator!”

Every Friday is pay day. Pay is the money you get for your work. Mr Bell gives Omar a small envelope. “Your pay, Omar. Thank you for your good work.” It is not a lot of money. But it is Omar’s money, and he is happy.

2 · The money jar

At home, on a shelf in the kitchen, there is a big glass jar. This jar is very important to Omar.

Every Friday, Omar opens his envelope. He gives some money to his mother, for food and for the flat. Then he puts the rest of the money in the jar. Coin by coin. Note by note.

Why? Because Omar has a dream. In the town, there is a small shop with bicycles. In the window, there is a beautiful blue bicycle. It costs ninety pounds.

Saving money is not easy. Omar’s friends go to the cinema on Saturday. Omar does not go. His friends buy new trainers. Omar does not. He looks at his old shoes and thinks, “They are fine. The jar comes first.”

“With a bicycle,” Omar tells Nadia, “I do not walk one hour to the market. I ride fifteen minutes. I can sleep more. I can come home early and help Mum.”

Every Sunday evening, Omar and Nadia count the money in the jar. Nadia loves this job. She makes little towers with the coins.

This Sunday, they count everything. “Seventy-four pounds!” says Nadia.

“Seventy-four,” says Omar with a big smile. “Only sixteen more. Four more Fridays, and the blue bicycle is mine.”

3 · The wallet

On Tuesday, the market is very busy. It is cold, and everybody wants hot soup, so everybody buys vegetables. Omar works fast all morning. Apples, potatoes, onions, carrots.

In the afternoon, the market is quiet. Omar takes a brush and cleans under the stall. And there, on the ground, under a box, he sees something small and brown.

It is a wallet. A wallet is a small case for money and cards.

Omar picks it up. He opens it. His eyes go big. There is a lot of money inside — maybe two hundred pounds! There is also a small photo of an old woman with a kind face.

Omar’s heart beats fast. He thinks: “Two hundred pounds. With this money, I can buy the blue bicycle today. Today! And nobody sees me.”

He looks at the wallet for a long moment. Then he hears his mother’s voice in his head. His mother always says: “Omar, be honest. An honest person does not take things from other people. Money comes and goes. A good name stays.”

Omar closes the wallet. He walks to Mr Bell. “Mr Bell, look. There is a wallet under our stall. There is a lot of money in it. And there is this photo.”

Mr Bell looks at the photo and smiles. “I know this face! This is Mrs Rose. She has the flower stall. She is here every day for thirty years.”

They go to the flower stall, but it is closed. Mrs Rose is not there.

“She is at home now,” says Mr Bell. “Come early tomorrow, Omar. And keep the wallet safe tonight. I trust you.”

That night, at home, Omar puts the wallet on the kitchen shelf, next to the money jar. He tells his mother everything. His mother listens. Then she puts her hand on his face and says, “You are a good son, Omar. Tomorrow, that poor woman is going to be very happy.”

Omar looks at the wallet and the jar, side by side, for a long time. One is his money. One is not. Then he goes to bed.

4 · A surprise

The next morning, Omar is at the market at half past six. Mrs Rose is at her flower stall. Her eyes are red. She looks very tired and very sad.

“Mrs Rose?” says Omar. “Is this your wallet?”

Mrs Rose looks at the wallet. Then she starts to cry — but she is smiling too. “My wallet! Oh, thank you, thank you! This money is for my flower stall. I pay for my new flowers this week. Without this money, I have a very big problem.”

She opens the wallet and takes out twenty pounds. “This is for you, young man.”

“No, thank you,” says Omar. “It is your money.”

“Please,” says Mrs Rose. “You are honest. In this world, that is not a small thing. Please take it.”

Omar takes the twenty pounds. His face is red, but his heart is warm.

On Sunday evening, Omar and Nadia count the jar again. Seventy-four pounds, plus his pay from Friday, plus twenty pounds from Mrs Rose. “Ninety-four pounds!” shouts Nadia. “More than ninety! Omar, the bicycle!”

On Monday, Omar and Nadia go to the bicycle shop. Omar gives the man ninety pounds from the jar. The man gives Omar the beautiful blue bicycle. Nadia rings the little bell all the way home.

On Tuesday morning, Omar rides to work. Fifteen minutes! The wind is cold, and the sun is coming up, and Omar laughs out loud on the road.

At the market, Mrs Rose gives him a red flower. “For your mother,” she says.

Then Mr Bell calls him. “Omar, come here. Listen. You work hard. You count fast. And now everybody in the market knows you are honest.” He puts his hand on Omar’s shoulder. “I am old now, and my stall needs a young man. I have a big question for you.”

Omar waits. What is Mr Bell’s big question?

Check your understanding

Read each question. Think about your answer. Then click “Show answer” to check.

Words to remember

Here are the key words again, in new sentences. Say each one out loud.

• market — On Saturday, we buy fruit and fish at the market.
• stall — The flower stall has red roses today.
• pay — I get my pay every Friday.
• save — I save ten pounds every week for my holiday.
• jar — There are many coins in the glass jar.
• count — Please count the apples. How many are there?
• wallet — My money and my bus card are in my wallet.
• honest — She is honest. She always tells the truth.

Talk about it · Write about it

Talk about it: Do you save money? What do you want to buy? Imagine you find a wallet with a lot of money. What do you do?

Write about it: Write 5 simple sentences about a market or shop near you. What is there? Use there is and there are.

🎉 Well done — you read a whole story in English! That is a big step. And did you notice? You now know the eight new words too.

But wait — Mr Bell has a big question for Omar. What does the old man want to ask? You will find out in the next story…

Next story: Read another easy A1 story →

About this story: This is an original A1 graded reader (~1,250 words). It uses simple, controlled vocabulary and the present simple tense, so beginners can understand about 98% of the words. Any harder word is explained before the story and used again inside it.

Khamis Maiouf

My name is Khamis Maiouf. I am the creator of the English Teacher Site, dedicated to providing valuable resources and insights for students around the world. With a passion for education and a commitment to helping students enhance their skills, I aim to make English teaching more effective and enjoyable for both educators and students.