STORY LIBRARY

These stories are a collection of concise folktale plots retold byHeather Forest for students to explore and retell. Once studentscan remember a folktales simple sequence of events, the plot canbe elaborated upon and personalized with new descriptive details,new dialogue, characterization and a sense of metaphor.

These short folktales can also be used as recitation text thatstudents can use to practice performance skills.

Have Fun! Be Creative! Invent a new way to retell an old tale.

The Sack

Mula came upon a frowning man walking along the road to town.Whats wrong? he asked.

The man held up a tattered bag and moaned, All that I own in thiswide world barely fills this miserable, wretched sack.

Too bad, said Mula, and with that, he snatched the bag from themans hands and ran down the road with it.

Having lost everything, the man burst into tears and, moremiserable than before, continued walking. Meanwhile, Mulaquickly ran around the bend and placed the mans sack in themiddle of the road where he would have to come upon it.

When the man saw his bag sitting in the road before him, helaughed with joy, and shouted, My sack! I thought Id lost you!

Watching through the bushes, Mula chuckled. Well, thats oneway to make someone happy!

The Purse of Gold

A beggar found a leather purse that someone had dropped in themarketplace. Opening it, he discovered that it contained 100pieces of gold. Then he heard a merchant shout, A reward! Areward to the one who finds my leather purse!

Being an honest man, the beggar came forward and handed thepurse to the merchant saying, Here is your purse. May I have thereward now?

Reward? scoffed the merchant, greedily counting his gold. Whythe purse I dropped had 200 pieces of gold in it. Youve alreadystolen more than the reward! Go away or Ill tell the police.

Im an honest man, said the beggar defiantly. Let us take thismatter to the court.

In court the judge patiently listened to both sides of the story andsaid, I believe you both. Justice is possible! Merchant, you statedthat the purse you lost contained 200 pieces of gold. Well, thats aconsiderable cost. But, the purse this beggar found had only 100pieces of gold. Therefore, it couldnt be the one you lost.

And, with that, the judge gave the purse and all the gold to thebeggar.

The Stolen Ax

A woodcutter went out one morning to cut some firewood anddiscovered that his favorite ax was missing. He couldnt find itanywhere. Then he noticed his neighbors son standing near thewoodshed. The woodcutter thought, Aha! That boy must havestolen my ax. I see how he lurks about the shed, shifting uneasilyfrom foot to foot, greedy hands stuffed in his pockets, a guiltylook on his face. I cant prove it, but he MUST have stolen my ax.

A few days later the woodcutter was surprised and happy to comeupon the ax under a pile of firewood. I remember now, he said,Just where Id left it!

The next time he saw his neighbors son, the woodcutter lookedintently at the boy, scrutinizing him from head to toe. How odd, hethought, somehow this boy has lost his guilty look . . .

The Gift of a Cow Tail Switch

A great warrior did not return from the hunt. His family gave himup for dead, all except his youngest child who each day would ask,Where is my father? Where is my father?

The childs older brothers, who were magicians, finally went forthto find him. They came upon his broken spear and a pile of bones.The first son assembled the bones into a skeleton; the second sonput flesh upon the bones; the third son breathed life into the flesh.

The warrior arose and walked into the village where there wasgreat celebration. He said, I will give a fine gift to the one whohas brought me back to life.

Each one of his sons cried out, Give it to me, for I have done themost.

I will give the gift to my youngest child, said the warrior. For it isthis child who saved my life. A man is never truly dead until he isforgotten!

The Fir Tree & The Bramble

Deep in a lush, green forest, a tall fir tree stood beside a twisted,thorny bramble. One day it grandly said to the thorny bush, Bush,if you had one wish in all this wide world, wouldnt you rather be atall, straight fir tree like me?

No, said the twisted bush, Just like you, Im proud of what I am.Besides, I wouldnt take the gamble. When the woodcutter comesto cut tall, straight firs, wouldnt you rather be a bramble?

The Lion & The Rabbit

The animals of the forest made a bargain with a ferocious lion whokilled for pleasure. It was agreed that one animal each day wouldwillingly come to the ferocious lions den to be his supper and, inturn, the lion would never hunt again. The first to go to the lionsden was a timid rabbit, who went slowly.

Why are you late? the lion roared when the rabbit arrived.

Im late because of the other lion, said the rabbit.

In my jungle? Take me to this other lion.

The rabbit led the lion to a deep well and told him to look in. Thelion saw his own reflection in the water and roared! The sound ofhis roar bounced right back at him as an echo.

I alone am king of this jungle, he roared again.

His echo answered him, I alone am king of this jungle.

With that, the lion became so enraged, he charged into the deepwell with a great splash! The lion attacked his own reflection andwas never heard from again.

You Dont Know

A pious old man would each day cross the village green and gointo the temple to pray. A soldier watched him do this day afterday. One morning, in an ill temper, the soldier stopped the oldman and said, Where do you think youre going?

I dont know, replied the old man.

What do you mean, you dont know?! said the soldier. EverydayI see you walk out of your house at this time, cross the villagegreen and go into the temple to pray! Answer me! Where are yougoing?

Again the old man replied, I dont know.

With that, the soldier grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, tookhim to the jail and pushed him into a cell. Just as the soldier wasturning the key, the old man looked at the jail and said, See! Youdont know!

The Boatman

A scholar asked a boatman to row him across the river. The journeywas long and slow. The scholar was bored. Boatman, he calledout, Lets have a conversation. Suggesting a topic of specialinterest to himself, he asked, Have you ever studied phonetics orgrammar?

No, said the boatman, Ive no use for those tools.

Too bad, said the scholar, Youve wasted half your life. Its usefulto know the rules.

Later, as the rickety boat crashed into a rock in the middle of theriver, the boatman turned to the scholar and said, Pardon myhumble mind that to you must seem dim, but, wise man, tell me,have you ever learned to swim?

No, said the scholar, Ive never learned. Ive immersed myself inthinking.

In that case, said the boatman, youve wasted all your life. Alas,the boat is sinking.

The Banquet

A poor man dressed in rags came to the palace to attend thebanquet. Out of courtesy he was admitted but, because of histattered clothing, he was seated at the very end of the banquettable. By the time the platters arrived at his seat, there was nofood left on them.

So he left the banquet, returning several hours later dressed inrobes and jewels he had borrowed from a wealthy friend. This timehe was brought immediately to the head of the table and, withgreat ceremony, food was brought to his seat first.

Oh, what delicious food I see being served upon my plate. Herubbed one spoonful into his clothes for every one he ate.

A nobleman beside him, grimacing at the mess, inquired, Sir, whyare you rubbing food into your fine clothes?

Oh, he replied with a chuckle, Pardon me if my robes now lookthe worst. But it was these clothes that brought me all this food.Its only fair that they be fed first!

Fate

King Solomons servant came breathlessly into the court, Please!Let me borrow your fastest horse! he said to the King. I must bein a town ten miles south of here by nightfall!

Why? asked King Solomon.

Because, said his shuddering servant, I just met Death in thegarden! Death looked me in the face! I know for certain Im to betaken and I dont want to be around when Death comes to claimme!

Very well, said King Solomon. My fastest horse has hoofs likewings. TAKE HIM. Then Solomon walked into the garden. He sawDeath sitting there with a perplexed look on its face. Whatswrong? asked King Solomon.

Death replied, Tonight Im supposed to claim the life of yourservant whom I just now saw in your garden. But Im supposed toclaim him in a town ten miles south of here! Unless he had a horsewith hooves like wings, I dont see how he could get there bynightfall . . .

New Shoes

A man needed a new pair of shoes. Before he went to themarketplace, he drew a detailed picture of his feet on a piece ofpaper, carefully measured them, and wrote down all theirdimensions. Then, he set off on foot for the shoe store. Arrivinglater that day at the bazaar, he unhappily discovered that he hadforgotten to bring the paper with his measurements on it! Heturned around and walked back home to get it. It was sunset bythe time he returned to the market,. and all the shops were closed.He explained his situation to one of the shopkeepers who hadalready packed away all his wares.

Foolish man! said the merchant. You could have trusted yourfeet and tried the shoes on in the store! Why did you go home toget your diagrams?

The man blushed, I guess I trusted my measurements more . . .

A Flock of Birds

There was once a flock of birds peacefully pecking seeds under atree. A hunter came along and threw a heavy net over them. Hesaid, Aha! Now I have my dinner!

All at once the birds began to flap their wings. Up, up they roseinto the air, taking the net with them. They came down on the treeand, as the net snagged in the trees branches, the birds flew outfrom under it to freedom.

The hunter looked on in amazement, scratched his head andmuttered, As long as those birds cooperate with one another likethat, Ill never be able to capture them! Each one of those birds isso frail and yet, together they can lift the net.

The Golden Touch

There was once a king named Midas who did a good deed for aSatyr and was granted a wish by the God of wine, Dionysus. For hiswish, Midas asked that whatever he touched would turn to gold.Although Dionysus tried to dissuade him, Midas insisted that thewish was an excellent one, and it was granted!

Excitedly, Midas went about touching all sorts of things, turningthem into gold.

Soon Midas became hungry. He picked up a piece of food, but hecouldnt eat it, for it had turned to gold in his hand! Ill starve,moaned Midas, Perhaps this was not such a good wish after all!

Midas beloved daughter, seeing his dismay, threw her arms abouthim to comfort him, and, she too turned to gold! The goldentouch is no blessing, cried Midas. He went to the river and wept.The sand of that river turned as yellow as fools gold for it isthere, they say, that King Midas washed away the curse of thegolden touch with his own tears.

The Talkative Turtle

A talkative turtle overheard two hunters say that they wereplanning to catch turtles the very next day. When the hunters left,the turtle asked two cranes to help him escape. Beautiful whitebirds, he said, if you hold a long stick between your beaks, Illclose my mouth tightly in the middle of it, and then you can fly upand carry me to safety.

Good idea, said the cranes. But, for the plan to succeed, you willhave to keep your mouth closed tightly on the stick and you mustnot say a word! The turtle agreed and biting on the middle of astick held in the beaks of two birds, off he was carried.

When the birds were high in the air with the turtle dangling downfrom the stick, some people on the ground looked up at thestrange sight in the sky and said, What clever birds! They figuredout how to carry a turtle!

The proud, talkative turtle cried out, It was my idea! and felltumbling down to earth.

Cooking by Candle

Mula bet some friends he could survive a night on an icy mountainwith nothing to warm him. Taking only a book and a candle forsome light, he sat through the frigid night. When he came downto claim his winnings, his friends asked, Did you take anything upthere with you to keep warm?

No, said Mula, just a small candle to read by.

Aha! they exclaimed, Then you lose!

A week later he invited these same friends to a feast. They waitedand waited for food. Dinners not ready, said Mula, Come andsee why!

In the kitchen they saw a huge pot of water under which a smallcandle was burning. Mula said, Does this remind you of our bet?Ive been trying to heat this pot of water over this candle sinceyesterday and its not warm yet!

Wild Goose

Two hunters saw a wild goose fly overhead. As one of the huntersplaced an arrow in his bow and aimed it at the goose, he said,That goose will make a fine stew.

Stew! said the other. It would be far better to roast it.

Stewed! said the first, putting down his arrow.

Roasted! replied the other.

The argument went on. Lets ask our clan leader to decide thebest way to cook that goose. The leader settled the argument bysuggesting that when they caught the goose, half should bestewed and half should be roasted. In that way, everyones needswould be met.

Pleased, the two hunters went out to shoot the wild goose, but bythat time, the goose was safely long gone . . .

The Strawberry

There was once a man who was being chased by a ferocious tigeracross a field. At the edge of the field there was a cliff. In order toescape the jaws of the tiger, the man caught hold of a vine andswung himself over the edge of the cliff. Dangling down, he saw,to his dismay, there were more tigers on the ground below him!And, furthermore, two little mice were gnawing on the vine towhich he clung. He knew that at any moment he would fall tocertain death. Thats when he noticed a wild strawberry growingon the cliff wall. Clutching the vine with one hand, he plucked thestrawberry with the other and put it in his mouth.

He never before realized how sweet a strawberry could taste.

The Skull

A hunter came upon a huge tree with a whitened skull at its base.The skull spoke and said, Beyond a certain hill is a field ofcalabashes. Take them to your hungry village, but do not tellanyone how you obtained them.

How did you come to be here? asked the hunter.

My mouth killed me, said the skull.

The hunter returned to the village with the calabashes andimmediately told everyone, A talking skull showed me a field offood! The Chief called him a liar.

Then come with me! Ill prove what I say is true. When theyarrived at the tree, the hunter spoke to the skull but it remainedsilent. The hunter was put to death on the spot for lying.

In time, two whitened skulls sat beneath the tree. The first turnedto the second and said, See, in death we meet again, my kin. Itstrue a mouth can do you in!

The Fighting Rooster

There once was a man who wanted his fighting rooster to be moreferocious. He took the rooster to a trainer. In a few weeks time hereturned and saw that his rooster didnt squawk as loudly.

Not ready yet, said the trainer. Two weeks later he saw that hisrooster barely raised his neck feathers and wings.

Not ready yet, said the trainer. Another week passed. His roosterlooked as tame and docile as a chick.

Youve ruined my fine fighting bird! screamed the man at thetrainer.

Not at all, the trainer replied, See how calm and secure he is,how serenely strong he stands today. The other fighting birds takeone look at him and they all run away!

Ten Jugs of Wine

Ten old men decided to celebrate the New Year with a big crock ofhot sake wine. Since none of them could provide for all, they eachagreed to bring one jug of wine for the large heating bowl. On theway to his wine cellar, each old man thought, My wine is toovaluable to share! No one will know. Itll never show. Itll still befine. Ill bring a jug of water instead of the wine.

And so when they gathered with the jugs they brought, all ten oldmen poured the contents of their jugs ceremoniously into the bigbowl and then looked sheepishly at one another as they heatedand poured hot water for all.

Visits of Kings

The Imperial Majesty visited a small teahouse one morning. Hecalled for an omelet. With great ceremony he was flattered andserved the omelet on the crude tableware of the teahouse. Theowner apologized over and over for the common cloth on thetable and the simple furniture. Not at all up to the standards of aking! he said.

Its fine, the king reassured him. How much do I owe for theomelet?

For you, Sire, the omelet will be 1,000 pieces of gold.

Whoa! The king raised an eyebrow. Eggs must be expensivearound here. Is that because they are scarce?

Its not the eggs which are scarce around here, Your Majesty, saidthe shopkeeper, It is the visits of kings!

The Monkey and The Pea

The King of Benares was out on a hunting trip with his wisecounselor. They stopped to feed their horses some peas. Suddenlya young monkey darted down a tree and scooped a huge handfulof peas out of the feeding trough. Halfway back up the tree onepea fell from the monkeys furry hands and, in a desperate attemptto catch it, the monkey dropped all the peas he was carrying.

Peas scattered on the ground and the horses ate them. Themonkey climbed back up the tree empty-handed and sat sadly ona branch. The King and his wise counselor watched this episodewith amusement. The counselor chuckled, Great King, when fartoo greedy you be, remember that monkey and the pea.

The Gnat and The Bull

A huge bull stood grazing in the field. A tiny gnat buzzed about itsear and finally landed on one of his huge horns. After a while, thelittle gnat said loudly, Dear bull, pardon me if I have disturbedyour peaceful afternoon with the weight of my body on yourhorns. I offer you one thousand apologies for I never meant toinconvenience you with my presence at all . . . I wouldnt want youto think I didnt care about your solitude and comfort.

The bull replied, Little gnat, thank you for the grandiose apologyyou felt such great need to share. But you think too highly ofyourself. I didnt even notice you were there!

A Big Quiet House

There was once a man who wished his small, noisy house waslarger and quieter. He went to the wise old woman of the townand explained his need. She said, I can solve your problem. Justdo as I say.

The man agreed.

If you have a chicken, some sheep, a horse, and a cow, she said,bring them into the house with you.

Thats a silly thing to do, thought the old man. But he did itanyway. Now his house was already small, and with all thoseanimals in it, there was no room at all. He returned to the oldwoman and cried, I need more room! The animals are so noisy Icant think!

Take all those animals out of your dwelling, she replied.

When he had put all the animals comfortably back in the barn, theman went into his house. To his amazement, it suddenly lookedremarkably bigger! Without the animals inside, his house was nowquiet too!

The Tale of Echo

Hera, the Queen of Mt. Olympus, cast a spell over her servant Echofor talking too much. As a punishment, Echo could henceforth onlyrepeat what someone else said.

Poor Echo! She was in love with handsome Narcissus, and yearnedto tell him so! One day Echo saw Narcissus admiring himself in aclear pond. Looking at his reflection, he vainly said to the face inthe water, I love you.

Echo repeated, I love you, and meant it. But Narcissus thought itwas his reflection that spoke and stood gazing at himself until hedied and Hermes led him away to the Land of the Dead. Echopined for him till she, too, faded away. All that was left of her washer voice that can still be heard in certain hollow places,senselessly repeating the words of others.

The Smuggler

A clever smuggler came to the border with a donkey. The donkeysback was heavily laden with straw. The official at the border wassuspicious and pulled apart the mans bundles till there was strawall around, but not a valuable thing in the straw was found. ButIm certain youre smuggling something, the official said, as theman crossed the border.

Now each day for ten years the man came to the border with adonkey. Although the official searched and searched the strawbundles on the donkeys back, he never could find anythingvaluable hidden in them.

Many years later, after the official had retired, he happened tomeet that same smuggler in a marketplace and said, Please tellme, I beg you. Tell me, what were you smuggling? Tell me, if youcan.

Donkeys, said the man.

The Honeybees Sting

Zeus, the King of Mount. Olympus, was giving out gifts to beastsand birds and insects one day. To his surprise, the little honeybeecame before his throne and said, Of all the gifts you could give tome, only one will do. Id like the power to inflict great painwhenever I choose to.

What an awful wish! said great Zeus, I will grant it. I hereby giveyou a sharp sting. But, Im sure youll use this weapon carefully intimes of anger and strife. Youll only get to use it once, for using itwill cost you your life.

And to this day, the little honeybee dies after it stings.

The Tale of Bausis & Philemon

Zeus, the king of Mount. Olympus, came down to visit the countryfolk disguised as a beggar. People turned him away until he cameto the house of a poor elderly couple, Bausis and Philemon. Bausisand Philemon shared their simple meal of bread and wine withtheir guest. Oddly enough, the wine jug never emptied and therewas more bread after each slice was cut. It was then that Bausisand Philemon realized that this was no ordinary visitor, but a godfrom Mount Olympus.

They bowed low and apologized for the simple food they had tooffer. Zeus replied, When you have shared your best, there isnever a need to apologize.

In return for their generosity, Zeus granted them their only wish: toremain together always. and so when Bausis and Philemon died,an oak and a linden tree grew with their trunks entwined aroundeach other, on the spot where the couple was buried.

Anansi Goes Fishing

Foolish Anansi thought he could trick a fisherman into doing hiswork for him. Lets go fishing, he suggested.

Very well, said the fisherman, who was clever and quite wise toAnansis tricks. Ill make the nets and you can get tired for me.

Wait, said Anansi, Ill make the nets and you can get tired forme! Anansi made nets as his friend pretended to be tired. Theycaught four fish.

The fisherman said, Anansi, you take these. Ill take tomorrowscatch. It might be bigger.

Greedily imagining the next days catch, Anansi said, No, you takethese and Ill take tomorrows fish.

But the next day, the nets were rotting away and no fish werecaught. The fisherman said, Anansi, take these rotten nets tomarket. You can sell them for much money.

When Anansi shouted, Rotten nets for sale! in the marketplace,people beat him with sticks.

Some partner you are, Anansi said to the fisherman as he rubbedhis bruises. I took the beatings. At least you could have taken thepain.

Anansi never tried to trick the fisherman again!

The Traveler & The Nut Tree

A traveler who stopped to rest under a nut tree noticed a hugepumpkin growing on a thin vine.

How foolish are the ways of nature, the traveler muttered. Ifthings were as they should be, this big, strong tree would hold thelarge pumpkins, and the spindly vine would hold the nuts. Now if Imade the world, that is how Id have done it!

At that moment, from high up in the tree, a small nut fell and hithim squarely on the head. Startled, he looked up into the branchesand thought, Forgive my arrogance! If it were a big pumpkin thatfell out of the tree onto my head, it most certainly would havekilled me!

Cat Woman

There was once a man who had a beautiful cat. She was so lovingthat one day he wished out loud, Dear Cat, if you were only awoman, Id marry you!

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, heard his wish and changed thecat into a beautiful woman. The man and the cat woman weremarried and lived quite happily together until one night . . .

The beautiful woman was sitting on her bed and into the roomcame a mouse. She crouched on her hands and knees, pounced onthe mouse, and began to eat it, much to her husbands alarm!

Aphrodite looked down from the clouds and, seeing this, turnedthe woman back into a cat. Aphrodite chuckled, I can change theouter appearance of a creature, but to truly make a difference, Iguess I must change its inner character first!

The Sunflower

Clytie was a sea nymph who wore beautiful green gowns woven ofseaweed. Her long, golden hair floated about her at the bottom ofthe sea. One day a mermaid sang her a song about a golden lightabove the water. Clytie wanted to see it!

She swam to the surface and climbed onto the shore. She saw thegolden light described in the song. . . It was the sun! She stoodhappily gazing at it all day. When she at last turned to the water,she saw her reflection. Her golden hair had become yellow petals;her green gown had become leaves. Her tiny feet had becomeroots. She had become a sunflower, a small image of the sun sheloved.

To this day, the sunflowers turn on their stems all through the dayso that they can gaze upon the sun as it travels the sky.

Three Fish

Three fish lived in a pond. One was named Plan Ahead, anotherwas Think Fast, and the third was named Wait and See. One daythey heard a fisherman say that he was going to cast his net intheir pond the next day.

Plan Ahead said, Im swimming down the river tonight!

Think Fast said, Im sure Ill come up with a plan.

Wait and See lazily said, I just cant think about it now!

When the fisherman cast his nets, Plan Ahead was long gone. ButThink Fast and Wait and See were caught!

Think Fast quickly rolled his belly up and pretended to be dead.Oh, this fish is no good! said the fisherman, and threw him safelyback into the water. But, Wait and See ended up in the fish market.

That is why they say, In times of danger, when the net is cast, planahead or plan to think fast!

Why Turtles Live In Water

Turtles used to live on the land, they say, until the time a cleverturtle was caught by some hunters. They brought him to theirvillage and placed the turtle before the Chief, who said, How shallwe cook him?

Youll have to kill me first, said the turtle, and take me out of thisshell.

Well break your shell with sticks, they said.

Thatll never work, said the turtle, Why dont you throw me inthe water and drown me?!

Excellent idea, said the Chief. They took the turtle to the river andthrew him into the water to drown him.

They were congratulating themselves on their success in drowningthe turtle, when two little green eyes poked up in the water andthe laughing turtle said, Dont get those cooking pots out toofast, foolish people! As he swam away he said, I think Ill spendmost of my time from now on, safely in the water.

It has been that way ever since!

One Good Meal Deserves Another

Anansi the Spider hated to share! When Turtle came to his houseat mealtime, he said, I cant give you food until youve washedyour dusty feet!

Turtle licked his lips when he saw the big plate of steaming food,but politely walked to the stream to wash. When he returned, theplate was empty. Good meal, Anansi said, patting his fullstomach.

One good meal deserves another! said Turtle. Come to myhouse for dinner tomorrow. Turtle fixed a fine dinner at thebottom of the river. Come on down and eat! he said.

Anansi filled his jacket pockets with stones so that he would beweighted down enough to stay at the rivers bottom and eat. Itsimpolite to wear a jacket to dinner! Turtle said, Take it off!

But when greedy Anansi took off his jacket, he floated back up tothe surface of the water and hungrily watched Turtle eat his fill!

Who Is King Of The Forest?

When Tiger jumped on Fox, Fox cried out, How dare you attackthe King of the Jungle!

Tiger looked at him in amazement, Nonsense! You are not King!

Certainly I am, replied Fox, All the animals run from me in terror!If you want proof, come with me. Fox went into the forest withTiger at his heels. When they came to a herd of deer, the deer sawTiger behind Fox and ran in all directions.

They came to a group of monkeys. The monkeys saw Tiger behindFox and they fled. Fox turned to Tiger and said, Do you needmore proof than that? See how the animals flee at the very sightme?!

Im surprised, but Ive seen it with my own eyes. Forgive me forattacking you, Great King. Tiger bowed low and with greatceremony he let Fox go.

Antlers

A handsome stag with majestic antlers admired himself in a lake.As he looked at his reflection he thought, My antlers arebeautiful! But these spindly legs of mine are so skinny I wish Icould hide them in shame.

Just then a hunters arrow whizzed by and the stag bounded intothe woods. As he ran, his beautiful antlers caught and snagged onthe branches of a low-growing tree. Struggling, he finally pulledhimself free. If it werent for the exquisite speed of his legs, hewould surely have been captured.

After that, when he gazed at his spindly legs, his pride would swell.In times of danger, he thought, they serve me well.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on thehillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took agreat breath and sang out, Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing thesheep!

The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive thewolf away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they foundno wolf. The boy laughed at the sight of their angry faces.

Dont cry wolf, shepherd boy, said the villagers, when theres nowolf! They went grumbling back down the hill.

Later, the boy sang out again, Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing thesheep! To his naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up thehill to help him drive the wolf away.

When the villagers saw no wolf they sternly said, Save yourfrightened song for when there is really something wrong! Dontcry wolf when there is NO wolf!

But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling downthe hill once more.

Later, he saw a REAL wolf prowling about his flock. Alarmed, heleaped to his feet and sang out as loudly as he could, Wolf! Wolf!

But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, and sothey didnt come.

At sunset, everyone wondered why the shepherd boy hadntreturned to the village with their sheep. They went up the hill tofind the boy. They found him weeping.

There really was a wolf here! The flock has scattered! I cried out,Wolf! Why didnt you come?

An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to thevillage.

Well help you look for the lost sheep in the morning, he said,putting his arm around the youth, Nobody believes a liar...evenwhen he is telling the truth!

The City Mouse and the CountryMouse

There once was a mouse who liked his country house until hiscousin came for a visit.

In the city where I live, his cousin said, we dine on cheese andfish and bread. Each night my dinner is brought to me. I eatwhatever I choose. While you, country cousin, work your paws tothe bone for humble crumbs in this humble home. Im used tofinery. To each his own, I see!

Upon hearing this, the country mouse looked again at his plainbrown house. Suddenly he wasnt satisfied anymore. Why should Ihunt and scrape for food to store? he said. Cousin, Im coming tothe city with you!

Off they went into the fine town house of the plump andprosperous city mouse.

Shhh! The people are in the parlor, the city mouse said. Letssneak into the kitchen for some cheese and bread.

The city mouse gave his wide-eyed country cousin a grand tour ofthe leftover food on the table. Its the easy life, the city mousesaid, and he smiled as he bit into a piece of bread.

Just as they were both about to bite into a chunk of cheddarcheese, In came the CAT!

Run! Run! said the city mouse. The cats in the house!

Just as the country mouse scampered for his life out of thewindow, he said, Cousin, Im going back to the country! You nevertold me that a CAT lives here! Thank you, but Ill take my humblecrumbs in comfort over all of your finery with fear!

The Dog and His Bone

A hound dog found a bone and held it tightly in his mouth. Hegrowled and scowled at anyone who attempted to take it away.Off into the woods he went to bury his prize.

When he came to a stream, he trotted over the footbridge andhappened to glance into the water. He saw his own reflection.Thinking it was another dog with a bigger bone, he growled andscowled at it. The reflection growled and scowled back.

Ill get THAT bone too, thought the greedy dog, and he snappedhis sharp teeth at the image in the water.

Alas, his own big bone fell with a splash, out of sight, the momenthe opened his mouth to bite!

Everyone Agrees To Peace

A sly fox tried to trick a rooster into coming down from his perch.

Brother Bird, the fox said, come down and have a friendly chat!

No, said the rooster, Im sure youd eat me.

Oh, I wouldnt, said the crafty fox, Havent you heard? Everyonehas agreed to live in peace.

Is that so? said rooster, who was just as crafty.

Stretching his neck, the rooster pretended to look at something faroff in the distance.

What are you looking at? asked the fox curiously.

Oh...Just a pack of hungry fox hounds headed right this way.

Upon hearing this, the fox trembled in his tracks and ran off.

Come back! crowed the rooster, Why are you running away? Ithought you said that everyone has agreed to live in peace.

Well, perhaps those hungry hounds havent heard about it yet,said the fox, and he bounded away.

The Fox and The Crow

There once was a big black crow sitting high up in the trees. In hisbeak he had a nice, round cheese.

Along came a fox, as clever as they come, Mmmm, he thought.Id like to have a bite of that cheese. It will be easy to get some....

Oh crow, called fox, if your voice is half as beautiful as those finefeathers I see, it would please my ears to hear you sing a littlemelody!

Well, crow had never heard anyone say such a complimentarything. So, he opened up his beak and he began to squawk andsing.

Down fell the cheese into the waiting mouth of the fox below.

Oh no! squawked the crow, youve stolen my dinner!

Not at all! said the fox, licking his lips. It was a fair enoughtrade! Vain crow, with your head up in the trees! You got thecompliments, and I got the cheese!

The Girl and Her Bucket

A young girl was going to market with a bucket of milk on herhead.

With the gold that I get from the sale of this milk, Ill buy a redhen, she said. The hen will lay eggs, theyll hatch and then Illhave many chicks to raise. Ill feed them well and when theyregrown, they will each lay eggs. and those eggs will hatch and I willhave more hens, wholl lay more eggs that will hatch into chicks...

Before long Ill be rich and Ill wear fine clothes with emeralds andrubies from my collar to my toes. and one day perhaps I shall visitthe Queen. I shall bring her rare gifts from China. Ill enter thecourt with my arms full of treasure. Bowing low I shall say, FORYOUR MAJESTYS PLEASURE!

And she bowed low...

With that sweep of her arm, she knocked off the bucket and spilledher fantasy load.

Oh dear, she cried, my dreams are splattered in puddles of milkon the road....

The Honest Woodcutter

Woe is me! a poor woodcutter cried when he dropped his ax intoa deep pond. A friendly water spirit appeared before him with asilver ax and asked, Is this yours?

No, the woodcutter said.

The spirit returned with a golden ax.

Is this yours? she asked.

No, said the woodcutter.

Then the spirit appeared with his plain wooden ax.

That one is mine! said the woodcutter happily.

Youve been so honest, said the spirit, take the gold and silver axtoo!

On the way home the woodcutter met a rich merchant. When themerchant heard the woodcutters tale, he ran to the pond anddropped HIS wooden ax in.

Woe is me! he cried.

The spirit appeared with a silver ax.

That one is mine! the merchant said quickly.

You know it is not, said the spirit, and disappeared.

The rich mans wooden ax stayed on the bottom of the deep pond.

Insulting The King

A ferocious lion awoke one morning with bad breath and asked hisfriend the jackal, Is my breath sweet or sour?

Its quite sour, sire, said the jackal.

How dare you insult me! roared the lion, and ate him up.

Lion asked the antelope, Is my breath sweet or sour?

Seeing what had just happened to jackal, antelope replied, Yourbreath is sweet!

Liar! roared the lion, and ate him up.

Then lion asked the rabbit, And what do YOU think of my breath?

The rabbit saw what had happened to both jackal and antelopeand decided he must be very tactful not to insult the King.

Sire, said rabbit, as to the sweetness of your breath, if I may beso bold, I cannot tell...

AHH CHOOO!

I have a cold.

Jugs In The Water

Two jugs, one of clay and one of shiny brass, floated in the ragingriver, which was swollen from the rain.

As the jugs swirled between the rocks jutting up out of the water,the brass jug said, Stay close to me, friend. Ill help you make yourway! Im hard and made of brass. Im much stronger than clay.

Dear friend, said the clay jug, Until we are in calm waters and wefind a peaceful place, be thoughtful. Keep your distance! What Ireally need is space! You can protect YOURSELF from breaking onthe rocks. That is true. But, how can you protect ME from bumpinginto YOU?

Keeping The Gold

There was once a man who loved gold so much, he melted downall the gold he owned into a huge golden boulder. Thinking itwould be easier to keep in this form, he buried it in the groundbehind his house. Each night he dug it up, looked at it, and thenburied it again.

One night, a thief, who had seen him at his nightly task, stole thegolden boulder and put an ordinary stone in its place.

When the man came out to dig up his gold, he discovered theswitch and began to moan and shout about his loss. The thief,watching in the shadows, heard the pitiful moans and said, Whyare you so upset? The golden boulder you buried might as wellhave been stone. For, you never ever used it while you kept it foryour own!

The Lion and the Mouse

A small mouse crept up to a sleeping lion. The mouse admired thelions ears, his long whiskers and his great mane.

Since hes sleeping, thought the mouse, hell never suspect Imhere!

With that, the little mouse climbed up onto the lions tail, ranacross its back, slid down its leg and jumped off of its paw. Thelion awoke and quickly caught the mouse between its claws.

Please, said the mouse, let me go and Ill come back and helpyou someday.

The lion laughed, You are so small! How could ever help me?

The lion laughed so hard he had to hold his belly! The mousejumped to freedom and ran until she was far, far away.

The next day, two hunters came to the jungle. They went to thelions lair. They set a huge rope snare. When the lion came homethat night, he stepped into the trap.

He roared! He wept! But he couldnt pull himself free.

The mouse heard the lions pitiful roar and came back to help him.

The mouse eyed the trap and noticed the one thick rope that heldit together. She began nibbling and nibbling until the rope broke.The lion was able to shake off the other ropes that held him tight.He stood up free again!

The lion turned to the mouse and said, Dear friend, I was foolishto ridicule you for being small. You helped me by saving my lifeafter all!

Mice In Council

A terrifying cat had come to live in the big house. Every time themice went into the kitchen for a nibble, the cat would send themscampering.

Well starve! they shouted, and decided to have a councilmeeting. One by one the mice spoke, but no one could think of aplan.

Finally, a boastful mouse stepped forward and proclaimed his ideato be best. He explained, in detail, how a small bell attached to thecats collar would warn them all of his approach. Patting himself onhis own back for the excellent idea, he sat down.

The oldest mouse stood up and said, You are a very clever fellowto think of a plan like that! But, now tell us, are you BRAVE enoughto put the bell on the cat?

The North Wind and The Sun

The North Wind boasted of great strength. The Sun argued thatthere was great power in gentleness.

We shall have a contest, said the Sun.

Far below, a man traveled a winding road. He was wearing a warmwinter coat.

As a test of strength, said the Sun, Let us see which of us cantake the coat off of that man.

It will be quite simple for me to force him to remove his coat,bragged the Wind.

The Wind blew so hard, the birds clung to the trees. The world wasfilled with dust and leaves. But the harder the wind blew down theroad, the tighter the shivering man clung to his coat.

Then, the Sun came out from behind a cloud. Sun warmed the airand the frosty ground. The man on the road unbuttoned his coat.

The sun grew slowly brighter and brighter.

Soon the man felt so hot, he took off his coat and sat down in ashady spot.

How did you do that? said the Wind.

It was easy, said the Sun, I lit the day. Through gentleness I gotmy way.

The Ox and The Frog

A young frog set out on his first adventure. As he came out of thepond he saw a large ox grazing in a field. Having never beforeseen such a creature, he hopped excitedly to his father, thebullfrog, and said, I have just seen the biggest frog in the world!

Humph! said the bullfrog, Was he as big as me? and he puffedhimself up.

Oh, much bigger than that! said the little frog.

Was he THIS big, said the bullfrog, puffing himself up even larger.

Much, much bigger than you! said the little frog.

Ridiculous! said the bullfrog, who fancied himself much moreimportant than he was. He couldnt be bigger than me! Im theoldest frog in the pond. I was here first! Was he bigger than THIS?

He puffed and puffed himself up so much...he burst!

The Pitcher and The Crow

There once was a crow who was terribly thirsty. He noticed a bit ofwater at the bottom of a tall clay pitcher. Now, his beak was toowide and the pitcher too thin to poke his thirsty tongue down in.

What shall I do? thought the crow. Ill think and think! I must getmyself a drink!

Ah HA! exclaimed crow, as an idea came to him.

He took a pebble in his beak and dropped it over the pitchersbrim. Plop! Plop! He dropped two more in. On and on he went.One by one the pebbles fell, slowly making the water swell until itwas easily within reach of his thirsty tongue.

AHHHH! he said as he took a drink, No problems too big whenI think and think.

Quarrelsome Children

There once was a man who had quarrelsome children. Even on hisdying day they bickered.

My last wish, he said, is for you to bring me a bundle of sticks.

When this was done, he gave each child one and said, Take yoursolitary twig in hand and break it.

Crack! Crack! went the dry, old wood as each child broke a solitarytwig.

Now, he said, bind them together. Tie them, and youll see howmuch stronger your brittle twig can be.

The old man passed away. His children never forgot that day.Though they each lived separate, distant lives, Each sister, Eachbrother, In times of trouble they bonded together like a bundle ofsticks, Giving strength to one another.

Running For His Life

One day a hound dog went hunting by himself in the woods. Hespotted a rabbit in the underbrush and chased him out into theopen. The rabbit darted this way and that. The dog followed. Therabbit ran, with the dog at his heels, around trees and through anopen field.

When the dog began to tire of the chase, the rabbit, with one lastburst of energy, dashed into the thicket and escaped to safety.

As the dog turned back for home, a goat herder who had seen thechase jeered at him, saying, Some hunter you are! You let thatrabbit get the best of you!

You forget, replied the tired dog, about the rabbits strife! I wasonly running for my supper. He was running for his life!

Sour Grapes

A hungry fox noticed a juicy bunch of grapes growing high on agrapevine. He leaped. He snapped. Drooling, he jumped to reachthem, but try as he might, he could not obtain the tasty prize.

Disappointed by the fruitless efforts hed made to get the grapesthat day, he said, with a shrug, to comfort himself, Oh, they wereprobably sour anyway!

The Tortoise and The Hare

There once was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast hecould run. Tired of hearing him boast, Slow and Steady, thetortoise, challenged him to a race. All the animals in the forestgathered to watch.

Hare ran down the road for a while and then and paused to rest.He looked back at Slow and Steady and cried out, How do youexpect to win this race when you are walking along at your slow,slow pace?

Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep,thinking, There is plenty of time to relax.

Slow and Steady walked and walked. He never, ever stopped untilhe came to the finish line.

The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise,they woke up Hare.

Hare stretched and yawned and began to run again, but it was toolate. Tortoise was over the line.

After that, Hare always reminded himself, Dont brag about yourlightning pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!

Under The Lions Skin

A donkey found a lions skin and put it on. In this frighteningdisguise, he grazed in a farmers field. He amused himself byfrightening all the animals he met. He felt so powerful!

Along came a fox. The donkey under the lions skin tried tofrighten him. The donkey stood tall under the skin and let out asound that he thought would resemble a roar. Alas, his donkeyvoice was all that was heard.

The fox laughed and said, Silly donkey, if you really want tofrighten me youll have to disguise your bray. Clothes MAYdisguise a fool you know. But, his words always give him away!

Visiting The Lions Cave

There once was a lion who was too lazy to hunt for his food. Hepretended to be very sick and announced to all the animals thathe was soon to die.

Please, he said, come visit me in my cave and bid me goodbye.

The lion looked so weak and helpless, the animals felt sorry forhim. One by one the visitors came. One by one, the lion ate his fillof them!

When fox arrived to pay his last respects, he stopped in front ofthe caves entrance and looked closely at the ground.

Come in quickly, I am dying! cried the sly lion, impatiently.

No, said the fox, who was equally clever, Youll not have ME for avisitor, though you moan and pout. While I see many footprintsgoing into your cave, NONE are coming out!

The Wolf and The Goat

A wolf saw a goat grazing at the edge of a high cliff. The wolfsmacked his lips at the thought of a fine goat dinner.

My dear friend, said the wolf in his sweetest voice, arent youafraid you will fall down from that cliff? Come down here andgraze on this fine grass beside me on safe, level ground.

No, thank you, said the goat.

Well then, said the wolf, arent you cold up there in the wind?You would be warmer grazing down here beside me in thissheltered area.

No, thank you, said the goat.

But the grass tastes better down here! said the exasperated wolf,Why dine alone?

My dear wolf, the goat finally said, are you quite sure that it isMY dinner you are worrying about and not your own?

X Marks the Spot

There was once a farmer who had lazy sons. On his deathbed hetold them that there was a treasure buried in the vineyard. Heencouraged them to search for it after he had passed away.

The sons thought that there must be a box of gold and jewelsburied in the ground and so they dug up every inch of thevineyard trying to find the treasure spot! After many years ofsearching, they never found the spot where any treasure washidden. However, all of their digging effectively cultivated theground in the vineyard. Soon the grapevines produced suchabundant fruit that the three lazy sons grew wealthy, unwittingly,from their own hard work!

You Are Beautiful As You Are

There was once a crow who did not like his feathers.

I wish I were a peacock! he would say.

You are beautiful as you are! the other crows insisted.

How plain and dull you seem to me! hed complain, and fly off toadmire peacocks.

The peacocks strutted about with their colorful tail feathersoutstretched. To the delight of the crow, some of the peacockfeathers lay on the ground when the peacocks left.

Crow flew down to the ground and stuck the feathers into hiswings and tail. He attached a few sticking up from his head.

Now I am as beautiful as a peacock, he said.

But, when he went to join them in their strutting, the peacockspoked him and pecked him. What a fuss!

You are not a peacock, they said, Dont imitate us!

Bruised and still dragging some broken peacock feathers in his tail,he returned home.

After all his insults, no one wanted his company!

As he sat alone, the other crows said, Its foolish to try and bewhat youre not. Learn to love the feathers youve got!

Zig-Zag Walk

Under the waves at the bottom of the sea, a mother crab scoldedher daughter.

Why are you scurrying side to side in that ridiculous zig-zag walkof yours? Come forward! Walk straight, like other creatures do!

But mother, squeaked the little crab, I learned to walk from you!If you want something different of me...change the example I see!

And with that, the little crab zig-zig-zig zagged away.

The SackThe Purse of GoldThe Stolen AxThe Gift of a Cow Tail SwitchThe Fir Tree & The BrambleThe Lion & The RabbitYou Dont KnowThe BoatmanThe BanquetFateNew ShoesA Flock of BirdsThe Golden TouchThe Talkative TurtleCooking by CandleWild GooseThe StrawberryThe SkullThe Fighting RoosterTen Jugs of WineVisits of KingsThe Monkey and The PeaThe Gnat and The BullA Big Quiet HouseThe Tale of EchoThe SmugglerThe Honeybees StingThe Tale of Bausis & PhilemonAnansi Goes FishingThe Traveler & The Nut TreeCat WomanThe SunflowerThree FishWhy Turtles Live In WaterOne Good Meal Deserves AnotherWho Is King Of The Forest?AntlersThe Boy Who Cried WolfThe City Mouse and the Country MouseThe Dog and His BoneEveryone Agrees To PeaceThe Fox and The CrowThe Girl and Her BucketThe Honest WoodcutterInsulting The KingJugs In The WaterKeeping The GoldThe Lion and the MouseMice In CouncilThe North Wind and The SunThe Ox and The FrogThe Pitcher and The CrowQuarrelsome ChildrenRunning For His LifeSour GrapesThe Tortoise and The HareUnder The Lions SkinVisiting The Lions CaveThe Wolf and The GoatX Marks the SpotYou Are Beautiful As You AreZig-Zag Walk