4-1 The Dog and the Wolf
A very hungry wolf walked through a city. P
He was almost dead because he had not eaten for many weeks. P
A fat house-dog saw the wolf and said, P
"Hello, cousin. You look very hungry. Follow me and I will show you a better way to live. P
You will never be hungry again." P
The wolf followed the dog to his master's house. P
As the two animals walked along, the wolf saw a strange ring around the dog's neck. P
"What is that ring around your neck?" the wolf asked the dog. P
"Oh, that is nothing," said the dog. P
"I must wear a collar and chain at night. It does not hurt. P
After some time, you will not even notice it." P
The wolf stopped and said, "Thank you, cousin. P
But I do not think I want to wear a collar and chain. Goodbye." P
The wolf turned around and walked back into the city. P
(It is better to be free and hungry than to be a fat slave.) P
4-2 The Man and the Satyr
A man lived by himself in a forest. One day, he met a fairy. P
"Hello, fairy," said the man. "Will you be my friend?" P
The fairy smiled and said, "I will be your friend." P
The fairy and man became great friends. P
They ate breakfast, lunch and dinner together every day. P
One cold night, the man blew on his hands to warm them up. P
What are you doing to your hands? asked the fairy. P
"I'm warming them up," said the man. P
The fairy smiled and sat down at the table for dinner. P
The man put two bowls of hot soup on the table. P
The soup was too hot, so the man blew on it. P
What are you doing to the soup? asked the fairy. P
I'm cooling it down said the man. P
"I cannot be friends with someone who has both hot and cold breath," P
said the fairy as he walked out of the house. P
The man never had any more friends. P
(A man who takes both sides should not be trusted.) P
4-3 The Eagle and the Jackdaw
One sunny day, a mighty eagle flew down from a mountain. P
He caught a helpless lamb with his claws and flew away. P
A jackdaw saw what the eagle had done. P
He was jealous of the eagle's power and strength. P
"I want to be just as powerful as the eagle!" thought the jackdaw. P
"I will capture a ram with my claws!" P
So the jackdaw flew down to a farm and tried to carry away a ram. P
Of course, the ram was too heavy and soon the jackdaw became stuck in the ram's hair. P
Just then, the farmer came outside and saw the jackdaw. P
He caught the jackdaw, and then he brought the bird home for his children to play with. P
The farmer's children asked, "Father! Father! What kind of bird is this?" P
The farmer laughed, "This is nothing more than a silly jackdaw, but he would like to think that he is a great eagle." P
(Do not pretend you are better than you are.) P
4-4 The Fox and the Stork
One day, the fox wanted to play a trick on the stork. P
"The stork looks so funny with his long beak!" laughed the fox. P
"I will play a joke on him!" P
So the fox went to the stork and said, P
"I would like to invite you for dinner." P
"Oh, yes! Thank you," said the stork. P
For dinner, the fox gave the stork some soup. P
He put the soup in a very shallow bowl. P
The stork could not eat any of the soup because his mouth was so long. P
The fox ate all of his soup easily and laughed because the stork could not eat anything. P
"I will not be angry at the fox," thought the stork to himself. P
"Instead, I will play a trick on him too!" P
A few days later, the stork invited the fox for dinner. P
This time, the stork gave the fox some fish in a tall, thin bowl. P
The fox could not eat anything, but the stork could eat the fish easily with his long beak. P
Angrily, the fox yelled, "This is a mean trick you played on me, Mr. Stork!" The stork replied: P
(Do not play tricks on others if you cannot stand to have tricks played on yourself.) P
4-6 The Goose with the Golden Eggs
There once was a man with a special goose. P
He loved the goose because it laid one golden egg every day. P
"You're a wonderful goose!" exclaimed the man. P
He took his golden eggs to the market and soon became rich. P
The man bought a big house and filled it with expensive things. P
The special goose continued to lay one golden egg every day. P
One day the man grew angry at the goose and said, "You lazy goose. Lay more eggs!" P
The goose could not lay more than one golden egg a day. P
Then the man had an idea. He would cut open the goose and get all the golden eggs he wanted. P
He grabbed his knife and sliced open the goose. P
There were no eggs inside the goose. P
Since the goose was dead, he had no more golden eggs. P
A month later, he could not pay his taxes and lost all of his expensive things, including his house. P
He became a beggar and had no friends. P
(If you are greedy, you will end up with nothing.) P
4-7 The Monkey and the Camel
Once upon a time, there was a great celebration for the King Lion. P
All the animals in the jungle were there. P
They asked the monkey to dance for them. P
"Dance, monkey, dance!" they shouted happily. P
The monkey danced and made everyone laugh. P
The camel soon became jealous of the monkey. P
"I can dance and make everyone laugh, too," thought the camel. P
The camel pushed the monkey aside and said, P
"Watch me, monkey. I can dance just like you!" P
But the camel did not dance well at all. P
The animals became very angry. P
"Leave now, camel! You are not welcome here, and neither is your bad dancing!" P
The King Lion became so angry that he killed the camel. P
Soon, all the animals feasted on the camel's meat, and the monkey danced again. P
"Dance, monkey, dance!" they cheered, and the celebration continued. P
(Do not try to beat those who are better than you.) P
4-8 The Goatherd and the Wild Goats
One day there was a terrible storm. P
A goatherd put his goats into a cave to keep them safe. P
Inside the cave, there was already a pack of wild goats. P
"Please join my herd," said the goatherd to the wild goats. P
"What will you give us?" asked the wild goats. P
The goatherd took the food away from his own goats and gave it to the wild goats. P
"See how kind I am?" said the goatherd to the wild goats. P
"I have given you much to eat." P
But when the storm ended, the wild goats left. P
They did not join the herd. P
"Why are you so ungrateful?" yelled the sad goatherd. P
"I gave you good food during the storm!" P
The wild goats responded, "We see now how poorly you treat your own goats. P
You took away all their food and let them be hungry. P
If we join your herd, you will treat us the same way." P
(Do not mistreat your old friends in order to gain new friends.) P
4-9 The Donkey, the Fox, and the Lion
A donkey and a fox became good friends. P
The fox hunted for meat, and the donkey collected fresh vegetables. P
The two animals shared everything with each other. P
One day, a lion appeared and the donkey became very afraid. P
"Don't worry, my friend," said the fox. P
"I will talk to the lion. Everything will be okay." P
So the fox went to the lion and said, "Hello lion. I will make a deal with you. P
If you do not hurt me, I will lead the donkey into a hole so you can eat him." P
The lion, of course, agreed to the fox's plan. P
The fox returned to the donkey and said, "Do not worry, my friend. P
The lion will not hurt us. But we must hide from him until he is gone. P
There is a hole over there where you will be safe." P
So the donkey climbed into the hole and waited. P
When the lion saw that the donkey was stuck in the hole, he ate the fox first, and the donkey second. P
(Traitors should expect to be punished.) P
4-11 The Miser and His Gold
A miser lived in a small house with a garden. P
Everyday, he would go to the same spot in the garden and dig up the gold he had buried. P
He would count the gold and then bury it in the same spot. P
One day, a thief saw the miser count his gold and then bury it. P
That night, the thief dug up the gold and ran to the market to buy a boat. P
When the man woke up in the morning, he saw that his gold was gone. P
"NO! My gold," cried the man. P
"I have lost everything. What a cruel world!" P
A traveler, who was passing by the house, saw the miser crying and asked, P
"Why are you crying over an empty hole?" P
"I have been robbed. I have no more gold!" replied the miser. P
"Why did you not keep your gold in your house so you could use it to buy things?" asked the traveler. P
"I would never spend my gold. That would be crazy," replied the man. P
The traveler picked up a stone and threw it into the hole. P
"Bury that rock. It is worth as much as the gold when it is buried." P
(A possession is worth nothing if we do not use it.) P
4-12 The Serpent and the Eagle
One day, an evil serpent attacked an eagle. P
The serpent wrapped himself around the eagle's neck and tried to kill the bird. P
Scared for his life, the eagle flew into the sky. P
But no matter how hard he tried, the eagle could not get rid of the serpent. P
A countryman walked along the road and saw the battle. P
"Oh my! It looks like the serpent will kill that poor eagle any second now." P
Soon the dying eagle fell from the sky to the ground. P
The kind countryman hit the serpent and freed the eagle. P
"Thank you, kind sir!" cried the grateful eagle. P
"Your kindness will not be forgotten." P
Just then, when the countryman was not looking, the serpent secretly bit his water jug. P
A deadly poison went into the countryman's water. P
After walking many miles, the countryman became very tired and thirsty. P
He opened his water jug to have a drink. P
Suddenly, from the sky, the eagle flew down and knocked the poisonous water jug away from the countryman's hands. P
"Thank you, kind eagle. You have saved my life too!" P
(An act of kindness will always be repaid.) P
4-13 The Lion and the Mouse
A lion slept in the forest on the ground. P
A tiny mouse came up to him accidentally. P
"Oh no!" cried the little mouse. "I have bumped into a dangerous lion!" P
The lion, now awake, put his huge paw on the mouse. He said angrily, P
"I will kill you, silly mouse! Why did you wake me?" P
"Oh, please, great lion!" begged the mouse. "If you let me go, one day I will help you." P
The lion laughed at the mouse. P
"How can a tiny mouse help a great lion? P
I will let you live because you have made me laugh with your silly joke," said the lion. P
A few days later, the lion became caught in a hunter's net. P
The angry lion yelled loudly, but he could not escape. P
"ROOOOAAAR," shouted the lion throughout the forest. P
The tiny mouse heard the lion's cry. P
"It is my friend, the great lion! He is in great trouble," thought the mouse. P
The mouse ran and ran and ran until he found the lion trapped in the hunter's net. P
The mouse began to chew on the rope. Soon, the lion was free. P
"You laughed at me when I said one day I would help you," said the mouse. P
"But now you see, even a small mouse can help a great lion." P
(Kindness will never go unrewarded.) P
4-14 The Milkmaid and Her Pail
Once there was a very pretty milkmaid. P
She carried a pail of fresh milk on her head. P
"I will make much money from this pail of milk," thought the maid to herself. P
As she walked through the field, she began to think about many things. P
"I will sell the milk and turn it into cream. P
Then I will make butter. The butter I will sell at the market. P
And then I will buy some chickens!" P
The maid became so excited. She walked faster and faster. P
"Oh, yes! It will be so wonderful. P
The chickens will give me eggs, and I can make even more money. P
Then I will buy a beautiful dress to wear. P
All the young men will fall in love with me!" P
The maid became so excited, she started to run. P
"I cannot wait! Oh, how wonderful it will be!" P
Just then, the maid tripped on a rock and spilled the milk on the ground. P
The milk and all the maid's dreams disappeared. P
(Don't be too excited about something you don't yet have.) P
4-16 The Fox and the Crow
One day a fox saw a crow sitting in a tree. P
The fox had seen many crows before, but this one interested him greatly. P
This crow had a delicious piece of cheese in her beak. P
"Good morning, beautiful creature!" cried the fox. P
"My, what beautiful feathers you have!" The crow did not reply. P
She only looked at the fox suspiciously. P
"Dearest crow! I am sure a beautiful bird like you must have a beautiful voice, too. P
Would you sing me just one song? P
I know I will love your music, and I will tell everyone you are the Queen of Birds!" P
The proud crow wanted very much to be known as the Queen of Birds. P
She opened her mouth and sang a horrible song. P
"Caw caw! Caw caw!" she cried. P
As soon as she opened her mouth, the cheese fell to the ground, into the hands of the clever fox. P
"Thank you, crow, for the delicious cheese, P
but I am sad to say that you do not have such a beautiful voice, or a very clever mind." P
(Vanity will lead to poor decisions.) P
4-17 The Fox without a Tail
One day, a young fox walked in the forest. P
He stepped in a trap and lost his tail. P
"Oh, woe is me!" cried the fox. P
"The other foxes will laugh at me when they see I have lost my tail." P
So the fox lived by himself for many months. P
But soon he became sad because he had no friends. P
Finally, the fox without a tail decided to have a meeting with all the foxes. P
"Friends, I have a great announcement to make." P
The other foxes gathered around to hear the important news. P
"I think we should all cut our tails off because they are unsafe. P
Our tails are white, and hunters can see us easily. P
And we all know that hunters want to kill us only for our tails. P
If we cut off our tails, the hunters will go away." P
Suddenly, the master fox said, "Before we decide to cut off our tail, please show us your own tail." P
The fox without a tail turned around. P
All the foxes could see that he did not have a tail, P
and they laughed and laughed and laughed. P
"Fox without a tail! We will not cut off our tails! P
We do not want to look silly like you!" P
(Do not take advice from someone who has suffered a great loss.) P
4-18 The Town Mouse and the County Mouse
Once upon a time, a town mouse visited his cousin, a country mouse. P
For lunch, the country mouse served grass, wood, acorns, and cold water from a river. P
"This food is terrible!" complained the town mouse. P
"How can you eat such terrible food, cousin? P
Come to the city, and I will show you a good meal." P
"Oh, yes please!" said the country mouse. "I would love to come to the big city and see how you live!" P
So the two mice went to the mansion where the town mouse lived. P
They saw a big table with a very fine meal on it. P
The country mouse shouted, "Look, cousin, at all the delicious food! P
There are cakes, cheeses, jellies, and even pastries!" P
But just as the two mice tried to take some food, a large cat jumped from the door. P
Scared for their lives, the two mice ran into a hiding place. P
The hungry cat meowed and hissed at the two scared mice for nearly two hours. P
Finally, the cat became tired and went away. P
Then the country mouse said to his cousin, P
"You may have great luxury and fancy food here in the city, P
but in the country, I have safety. Goodbye cousin." P
So the country mouse grabbed his umbrella and his bag P
and returned to the peace and quiet of the country. P
(It is better to be poor and have safety than to be rich with fear.) P
4-19 The Fox and the Monkey
Once, there was a great meeting of all the animals in the forest and jungle. P
They gathered to choose a king. P
The monkey was invited to entertain everyone. P
"Please, monkey! Make this a great day with your funny dancing and singing!" the animals shouted. P
The monkey amused everyone so much that they voted him to be their king! P
Only the fox was displeased with the new leader. P
"Why did they elect such a stupid animal to be king?" wondered the fox. P
One day, the fox found a hunter's trap with some meat in it. P
He ran immediately to the monkey and said, P
"Oh, great king, I have found some valuable meat. P
You are our king, so it belongs to you, of course." P
The proud monkey ran to the meat and tried to grab it. P
But soon the monkey found himself caught in the hunter's trap. P
The fox laughed and said, P
"Monkey, you pretend to be our king, but you cannot even take care of yourself!" P
Soon after, the animals chose a new king. P
(A true leader must prove himself by his actions.) P