The City mouse and the Country Mouse
a country mouse was inviteD to lunch by his sophisticateD cousin , who liveD in the city . j ust as they were eating sweets , sitting on an expensive carpet anD as happy as kings , a louD noise was suDDenly hearD at the Door . o ne mouse slippeD away , leaving his cake , while the other fleD , screaming in terror . w hen all was Quiet , the city mouse returneD to the house , anD he inviteD his cousin to Do the same . “n o , that ’ s enough !” the country mouse saiD DeciDeDly . “c ome to my place tomorrow . w e will not eat an assortment of Delicacies like kings , but sitting in the hay , no one will bother us , anD we shall be well ,
for without p e a ce, not even a full belly can b r ing pleasure. ”
The Cicada and the Ants
o ne colD winter morning , some ants came out of their anthill to Dry some seeDs that haD gotten wet from the rain . t hey met a hungry cicaDa , who askeD them for fooD .
t he ants askeD her , “w hy DiDn ’ t you stock up on provisions over the summer , as we DiD ?” s he replieD , “i certainly wasn ’ t iDle : i spent the summer singing meloDiously .” t hen the ants , laughing , saiD ,
“well, if yo u sang in the summer , on colD winter Day s you can Dance!”
The Hare and the Tortoise
o ne Day , a hare boasteD to the other animals of the forest , “n o one can beat my speeD . i challenge anyone to run like i can !”
t he tortoise , with his usual calm , saiD , “i accept your challenge .” “t hat ’ s a gooD one !” the hare exclaimeD as he burst out laughing “D on ’ t brag before you ’ ve won ,” replieD the tortoise . a nD so their route was maDe , anD the race began . the hare shot off like a bolt of lightning anD in an instant was alreaDy far away. he then stoppeD, anD to show his DisDain for the tortoise, he lay Down to take a nap. m eanwhile , the tortoise haD to make an effort to walk , one step after another , but when the hare awoke , he saw with astonishment that his rival was now nearing the finish line h e began to run with all his might , but it was too late to win the race t he tortoise , smiling , saiD ,
“slow anD s t e aDy wins the race.”
The Frog and the Ox
a frog , who was the siZe of a chicken egg , saw a big ox . t he frog helD her breath , trying to puff up as much as she coulD anD no longer be so small . “l ook at me now !” she exclaimeD . “h ave i gotten bigger ?”
“y es , but now that ’ s enough , frienD !” replieD the ox . b ut the frog DiDn ’ t listen anD puffeD herself up , over anD over , until she was so full that she burst anD blew away . t he worlD is full of silly , senseless people who put on so many airs to make themselves bigger .
so many are just like this frog!
The Fox and the Stork
o ne Day , a fox maDe the lovely gesture of inviting a stork to Dinner . t he meal was moDest , anD in fact , on closer inspection , it was just a colorless broth serveD in a small saucer . w ith her beak , the stork coulD barely eat anything , while the fox hastily ate all the fooD . t o take revenge for this trick , the stork also extenDeD an invitation to her sly frienD , who glaDly accepteD . t he fox lookeD forwarD to her lunch , anD its aroma was enticing . b ut the meal was serveD , out of spite , in a vase with a long anD narrow neck . t he stork coulD easily insert her beak into the vase , but this was impossible for the fox , Due to her rounD snout , which coulD not fit into such a small opening . w ith an empty stomach anD still hungry , the fox went away , humiliateD , with her tail between her paws .
story shows th at what you Do to others may come back to you.
A Fabled Poet!
D i D you enjoy the fairy tales you hear D an D playe D with ?
t hey were written , along with many others , by a great f rench poet whose name was j ean D e la f ontaine . t he characters in his tales are enchanting talking animals . s ometimes they are as cunning as the stork an D sometimes terribly foolish like the frog , wise like the tortoise , or mischievous like the fox , but they are always entertaining !
which is your favorite?