The Karate Champion

An illustrated stories story from Wonder Books — free to read, with narration.

The Karate Champion — an illustrated stories story. 10 illustrated pages, free to read on Wonder Books.

The Karate Champion — book cover — Wonder Books
The Karate Champion — an illustrated stories story. 10 illustrated pages, free to read on Wonder Books.

Page 1

The Great Tree Academy swayed gently as Hugo, a new student, walked wide-eyed through its bustling halls. "Wow!" he exclaimed, craning his neck to see the leafy…
The Great Tree Academy swayed gently as Hugo, a new student, walked wide-eyed through its bustling halls. "Wow!" he exclaimed, craning his neck to see the leafy ceiling high above. Hassan, a seasoned student with a friendly grin, chuckled beside him. "Pretty amazing, right? Everything here moves with the seasons."

The Great Tree Academy swayed gently as Hugo, a new student, walked wide-eyed through its bustling halls. "Wow!" he exclaimed, craning his neck to see the leafy ceiling high above. Hassan, a seasoned student with a friendly grin, chuckled beside him. "Pretty amazing, right? Everything here moves with the seasons."

Page 2

"I heard the karate dojo is the coolest place here," Hugo said eagerly, adjusting his brand-new white gi. Hassan grinned.
"I heard the karate dojo is the coolest place here," Hugo said eagerly, adjusting his brand-new white gi. Hassan grinned. "It is, but getting on the team is tough! They use a special training dummy—an ancient puzzle no one can solve." He pointed down a hall where a few students were carrying wooden training swords. "Legend says it was created by the first treekeepers to test students, a thousand years ago."

"I heard the karate dojo is the coolest place here," Hugo said eagerly, adjusting his brand-new white gi. Hassan grinned. "It is, but getting on the team is tough! They use a special training dummy—an ancient puzzle no one can solve." He pointed down a hall where a few students were carrying wooden training swords. "Legend says it was created by the first treekeepers to test students, a thousand years ago."

Page 3

Hugo's eyes lit up. "A puzzle?" he asked. "I love puzzles! Let's go check it out!" Hassan hesitated. "Sakura's already on the team, and she's super serious…
Hugo's eyes lit up. "A puzzle?" he asked. "I love puzzles! Let's go check it out!" Hassan hesitated. "Sakura's already on the team, and she's super serious about it. If you mess with the training dummy, she'll be furious." Hugo puffed out his chest. "Well, as Leonardo da Vinci once said, 'I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply.' If we want to become karate champions, we have to start somewhere, right?"

Hugo's eyes lit up. "A puzzle?" he asked. "I love puzzles! Let's go check it out!" Hassan hesitated. "Sakura's already on the team, and she's super serious about it. If you mess with the training dummy, she'll be furious." Hugo puffed out his chest. "Well, as Leonardo da Vinci once said, 'I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply.' If we want to become karate champions, we have to start somewhere, right?"

Page 4

They found Sakura practicing her katas with intense focus. "Hey, Sakura," Hassan began tentatively. Sakura, with shoulder-length wavy copper-red hair pulled…
They found Sakura practicing her katas with intense focus. "Hey, Sakura," Hassan began tentatively. Sakura, with shoulder-length wavy copper-red hair pulled back in a ponytail, paused her movements. "Hassan, what do you want?" she asked, her voice sharp. "This is Hugo. He wants to join the team. He wants to practice on the puzzle dummy."

They found Sakura practicing her katas with intense focus. "Hey, Sakura," Hassan began tentatively. Sakura, with shoulder-length wavy copper-red hair pulled back in a ponytail, paused her movements. "Hassan, what do you want?" she asked, her voice sharp. "This is Hugo. He wants to join the team. He wants to practice on the puzzle dummy."

Page 5

Sakura frowned, her green eyes narrowed. "That dummy isn't a toy! It's designed to test your strength, balance, and focus. No one has ever solved it.
Sakura frowned, her green eyes narrowed. "That dummy isn't a toy! It's designed to test your strength, balance, and focus. No one has ever solved it. It's too dangerous." She turned back to the wooden dummy, a strange contraption of gears and levers. Hugo studied it closely. "It looks like the wood is petrified...almost like the rings are a code of some kind?"

Sakura frowned, her green eyes narrowed. "That dummy isn't a toy! It's designed to test your strength, balance, and focus. No one has ever solved it. It's too dangerous." She turned back to the wooden dummy, a strange contraption of gears and levers. Hugo studied it closely. "It looks like the wood is petrified...almost like the rings are a code of some kind?"

Page 6

"Petrified wood can tell us the age of a tree," Hassan whispered, remembering a lesson from Elder Willow. Sakura scoffed.
"Petrified wood can tell us the age of a tree," Hassan whispered, remembering a lesson from Elder Willow. Sakura scoffed. "Knowing how old it is won't help you punch it harder! This isn't a game, Hugo!" She delivered a swift kick to the dummy, and a section of it spun wildly out of control. "See? It's unstable! If you're not careful, you could get seriously hurt."

"Petrified wood can tell us the age of a tree," Hassan whispered, remembering a lesson from Elder Willow. Sakura scoffed. "Knowing how old it is won't help you punch it harder! This isn't a game, Hugo!" She delivered a swift kick to the dummy, and a section of it spun wildly out of control. "See? It's unstable! If you're not careful, you could get seriously hurt."

Page 7

"Maybe brute force isn't the answer," Hugo suggested, his eyes still fixed on the dummy's rings. "What if each ring represents a different technique?
"Maybe brute force isn't the answer," Hugo suggested, his eyes still fixed on the dummy's rings. "What if each ring represents a different technique? Maybe the order they appear in tells you what move to do?" Hassan, who always believed in hard work, furrowed his brow. "But Sakura is our best karate player--if she can't solve it, can you?"

"Maybe brute force isn't the answer," Hugo suggested, his eyes still fixed on the dummy's rings. "What if each ring represents a different technique? Maybe the order they appear in tells you what move to do?" Hassan, who always believed in hard work, furrowed his brow. "But Sakura is our best karate player--if she can't solve it, can you?"

Page 8

"Elder Willow mentioned that the rings in the tree's wood tell the story of the seasons," Hassan recalled. "What if we translate the order of the rings on the…
"Elder Willow mentioned that the rings in the tree's wood tell the story of the seasons," Hassan recalled. "What if we translate the order of the rings on the dummy into karate moves that match each season?" Hugo grinned. "Sakura, Summer is fiery and strong, Spring is gentle and flowing, Autumn is grounded and solid, and Winter is quick and precise, right? We know all the moves already, but no one put them in the proper order! Let's try it!

"Elder Willow mentioned that the rings in the tree's wood tell the story of the seasons," Hassan recalled. "What if we translate the order of the rings on the dummy into karate moves that match each season?" Hugo grinned. "Sakura, Summer is fiery and strong, Spring is gentle and flowing, Autumn is grounded and solid, and Winter is quick and precise, right? We know all the moves already, but no one put them in the proper order! Let's try it! Summer Punch, Spring Block, Autumn Stance, Winter Kick!" Sakura and Hassan exchanged looks as the dummy clicked into place.

Page 9

Sakura's eyes widened. "It worked! You solved it!" she exclaimed, a hint of awe in her voice. "All this time, I was so focused on power, I forgot to use my…
Sakura's eyes widened. "It worked! You solved it!" she exclaimed, a hint of awe in her voice. "All this time, I was so focused on power, I forgot to use my head!" Hugo smiled warmly. "Teamwork makes the dream work, right?" Hassan laughed. "And paying attention in Elder Willow's class!"

Sakura's eyes widened. "It worked! You solved it!" she exclaimed, a hint of awe in her voice. "All this time, I was so focused on power, I forgot to use my head!" Hugo smiled warmly. "Teamwork makes the dream work, right?" Hassan laughed. "And paying attention in Elder Willow's class!"

Page 10

Sakura, now smiling, put a hand on Hugo's shoulder. "I guess 'sometimes it is better to listen than to speak,' as my mom always tells me.
Sakura, now smiling, put a hand on Hugo's shoulder. "I guess 'sometimes it is better to listen than to speak,' as my mom always tells me. Welcome to the team, Hugo." Hugo beamed. "Thanks, Sakura! I'm ready to learn everything I can!" As they walked off together, ready to train as a team, Hugo knew he'd found a place where friendship and puzzles made anything possible.

Sakura, now smiling, put a hand on Hugo's shoulder. "I guess 'sometimes it is better to listen than to speak,' as my mom always tells me. Welcome to the team, Hugo." Hugo beamed. "Thanks, Sakura! I'm ready to learn everything I can!" As they walked off together, ready to train as a team, Hugo knew he'd found a place where friendship and puzzles made anything possible.

About this story

  • Audience: kids (ages 6–12)

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