The Bear and the Bees

an Aesop Fable

A bear came across a log where a swarm of

bees had nested to make their honey. As he
snooped around, a single little bee flew out of the
log to protect the swarm. Knowing that the bear
would eat all the honey, the little bee stung him
sharply on the nose and flew back into the log.

This flew the bear into an angry rage. He

swatted at the log with his big claws, determined
to destroy the nest of bees inside. This only
alerted the bees and quick as a wink, the entire
swarm of bees flew out of the log and began to
sting the bear from head to heel. The bear saved
himself by running to and diving into the nearest
pond.
 The Boy Who Cried Wolf
an Aesop Fable

There once was a boy who kept sheep not far from
the village. He would often become bored and to amuse
himself he would call out,

"Wolf! Wolf," although there was no wolf about.

The villagers would stop what they were doing and

run to save the sheep from the wolf's jaw. Once they
arrived at the pasture, the boy just laughed. The
naughty boy played this joke over and over until the
villagers tired of him.

One day while the boy was watching the sheep, a

wolf did come into the fold. The boy cried and cried,

"Wolf! Wolf!"

No one came. The wolf had a feast of sheep that

day.
 The Boys and the Frogs
an Aesop Fable
Some boys were playing around a
pond when they spotted a group of frogs
hopping and swimming about in the water.
The boys began to throw rocks at the
frogs and even competed against each
other as to who could hit the most frogs.
Sometimes the rocks hit the frogs so
hard that they died.

Finally one frog hopped

upon a lily pad.
"Please stop," he pleaded, "What may
seem just fun to you is death to us."
 The Cat and the Rooster
an Aesop Fable

One day a cat happen to grab hold of

rooster for its evening meal. She wanted,
however, a good excuse for killing the bird.

"I need to rid the world of you," she told the

rooster, "You constantly make your horrible
noises throughout the night, interfering with
men's much needed sleep. The world will be
better off without you."

"No," said the rooster, "I crow for the good of

men. I wake them up each morning when it is time
for them to start work for the day, so that they
may earn their living."

"Ridiculous!" said the cat, and she ate him.

 A Council of Mice
an Aesop Fable

The mice, frustrated by the constant dangers of the

cat, met in council to determine a solution to their
tiring challenge. They discussed, and equally rejected,
plan after plan. Eventually, a very young mouse raised
up on his hind legs, and proposed that a bell should be
hung around the cat's neck.

"What a splendid idea!" they cried.

"Excellent suggestion!"

"Oh yes, that would very well warn of the cat's

presence in time to escape!"

They were accepting the proposal with great

enthusiasm and applause, until a quiet old mouse stood
up to speak.

"This is, indeed, a very good suggestion and would no

doubt solve our problems," he said, "Now, which one of
us will put the bell around the cat's neck?"
 The Dog and His Reflection
an Aesop Fable

A dog was walking home with his

dinner, a large slab of meat, in his
mouth. On his way home, he walked by
a river. Looking in the river, he saw
another dog with a handsome chunk of
meat in his mouth.

"I want that meat, too," thought

the dog, and he snapped at the dog to
grab his meat which caused him to
drop his dinner in the river.
 The Donkey and His Master
an Aesop Fable
A man was leading his donkey down a
road, when the donkey got free and ran
to the edge of high cliff. The man ran as
fast as he could to the donkey and
grabbed his tail to stop the donkey from
going off the edge of the cliff. But the
donkey was stubborn; the more the man
tried to stop him, the more the donkey
pulled the other way.

"Oh well," said the man, "if you are

determined to go your own way, I cannot
stop you."
 The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg
an Aesop Fable

A man and his wife owned a very special

goose. Every day the goose would lay a golden egg,
which made the couple very rich.

"Just think," said the man's wife, "If we

could have all the golden eggs that are inside the
goose, we could be richer much faster."

"You're right," said her husband, "We

wouldn't have to wait for the goose to lay her egg
every day."

So, the couple killed the goose and cut her

open, only to find that she was just like every
other goose. She had no golden eggs inside of her
at all, and they had no more golden eggs.
 The Lion's Share
an Aesop Fable

The lion went hunting one day with three

other beasts. Together, they surrounded and
caught a deer. With the consent of the other
three, the lion divided the prey into four equal
shares, but just when each animal was about to
take his portion, the lion stopped them.

"Wait," said the lion, "Since I am a member

of the hunting party, I am to receive one of these
portions. Since I am considered to rank so high
among the beasts of the forest, I am to receive
the second share. Since I am known for my
courage and strength, I am to receive the third
share. As for the fourth share, if you wish to
argue with me about its ownership, let's begin,
and we will see who will get it."
 The Tiger and the Crane
an Aesop Fable

An old crane had adopted an orphaned tiger

cub and raised the little animal along with his own
baby. The two infants grew up side by side and
became to be good friends and playmates. They
never quarreled and played happily together.

One day another larger crane came along and

treated the young one harshly. He bullied the
little crane so badly that the young one cried out
for help. Up rushed the tiger and without any
thought, he gobbled up the bully crane.

Now having the taste of flesh in his mouth, he

realized how good the bird taste. He turned to
his little playmate.

"How much I love you, little crane!" exclaimed

the tiger, and he had the bird for dessert.
 Sour Grapes
an Aesop Fable

A very hungry fox walked into a vineyard

where there was an ample supply of luscious
looking grapes. Grapes had never looked so good,
and the fox was famished. However, the grapes
hung higher than the fox could reach. He jumped
and stretched and hopped and reached and
jumped some more trying to get those yummy
grapes, but to no avail. No matter what he tried,
he could not reach the grapes. He wore himself
out jumping and jumping to get the grapes.

"Those grapes surely must be sour," he said

as he walked away, "I wouldn't eat them if they
were served to me on a silver platter."
 The Peacock's Complaint
an Aesop Fable

A peacock was very unhappy with his ugly

voice, and he spent most of his days complaining
about it.

"It is true that you cannot sing," said the

fox, "But look how beautiful you are!"

"Oh, but what good is all this beauty,"

moaned the dishearten bird, "with such an
unpleasant voice!"

"Oh hear," said the fox, "Each one has it's

special gift. You have such beauty, the nightingale
has his song, the owl has his eyes, and the eagle
his strength. Even if you had a eloquent voice, you
would still complain about another thing."
 The Frog and the Ox
an Aesop Fable

One afternoon a grand and wonderful ox was on his daily

stroll, when he was noticed by a small haggardly frog. The
frog was too impressed with the great ox, impressed to the
point of envy.

"Look at this magnificent ox!" he called to all his friends,

"He's such a grand size for an animal, but he's no greater
than I am if I tried."

The frog started puffing and swelled from his normal

size.
"Am I as large as the wonderful ox?" he asked his friends.
"No, no, not near as grand as the ox," they replied.

So, the frog puffed himself up more and more, trying to

reach the state of the ox.
"Now? now?" asked the frog.
"No, no. But please, don't try anymore," pleaded his
friends.

But the frog continue to puff and swell, larger and larger
until he finally burst.
 The Fox and The Mask
an Aesop Fable
One day a fox went rummaging
in the house of an actor. He came
across a pile of the actor's stage
accessories and noticed a mask in
the midst of the pile.

He swatted and played with the

mask for a few moments before
saying, "What a handsome face this
person has. It's a pity he has no
brains."
 The Wind and The Sun
an Aesop Fable

The wind and the sun argued one day over

which one was the stronger. Spotting a man man
traveling on the road, they sported a challenge to
see which one could remove the coat from the
man's back the quickest.
The wind began. He blew strong gusts of air, so
strong that the man could barely walk against
them. But the man clutched his coat tight against
him. The wind blew harder and longer, and the
harder the wind blew, the tighter the man held
his coat against him. The wind blew until he was
exhausted, but he could not remove the coat
from the man's back.
It was now the sun's turn. He gently sent his
beams upon the traveler. The sun did very little,
but quietly shone upon his head and back until the
man became so warm that he took off his coat
and headed for the nearest shade tree.
 The Tortoise and the Hare
an Aesop Fable

One day a hare was bragging about how fast he could run. He bragged and
bragged and even laughed at the tortoise, who was so slow. The tortoise stretched
out his long neck and challenged the hare to a race, which, of course, made the
hare laugh.

"My, my, what a joke!" thought the hare.

"A race, indeed, a race. Oh! what fun! My, my! a race, of course, Mr. Tortoise,
we shall race!" said the hare.

The forest animals met and mapped out the course. The race begun, and the
hare, being such a swift runner, soon left the tortoise far behind. About halfway
through the course, it occurred to the hare that he had plenty of time to beat the
slow trodden tortoise.

"Oh, my!" thought the hare, "I have plenty of time to play in the meadow
here."
And so he did.

After the hare finished playing, he decided that he had time to take a little
nap.
"I have plenty of time to beat that tortoise," he thought. And he cuddle up
against a tree and dozed.

The tortoise, in the meantime, continued to plod on, albeit, it ever so slowly. He
never stopped, but took one good step after another.

The hare finally woke from his nap. "Time to get going," he thought. And off he
went faster than he had ever run before! He dashed as quickly as anyone ever
could up to the finish line, where he met the tortoise, who was patiently awaiting
his arrival.
 The Cat, the Rooster, and the Young Mouse
an Aesop Fable

A very young mouse made his first trip out of the

hole and into the world. He returned to tell his mother of the
wonderful creatures he saw.

"Oh, Mother," said the mouse, "I saw some curious animals.
There was one beautiful animal with fluffy fur and a long
winding tail. She made such a tender vibrating noise. I saw
another animal, a terrible looking monster. He had raw meat
on his head and on his chin that wiggled and shook as he
walked. He spread out his sides and cried with such a powerful
and frightening wail, that I scurried away in fear, without
even talking to the kind beautiful animal.

Mother Mouse smiled, "My dear, that horrible creature

was a harmless bird, but that beautiful animal with the fluffy
fur was a mouse-eating cat. You are lucky she did not have you
for dinner."
 The Fox and the Crow
an Aesop Fable

A fox was walking through the forest when he saw

a crow sitting on a tree branch with a fine piece of
cheese in her beak. The fox wanted the cheese and
decided he would be clever enough to outwit the bird.

"What a noble and gracious bird I see in the tree!"

proclaimed the fox, "What exquisite beauty! What fair
plumage! If her voice is as lovely as her beauty, she
would no doubt be the jewel of all birds."

The crow was so flattered by all this talk that she

opened her beak and gave a cry to show the fox her
voice.

"Caw! Caw!" she cried, as the cheese dropped to the

ground for the fox to grab.
 The Man and His Two Wives
an Aesop Fable
A man whose hair was turning gray
had two wives. One wife was much
younger than the man, and the other wife
was much older. The older wife was
embarrassed at being married to man
much younger than herself. At night,
whenever he was with her, she would
pluck out all of his hairs that were not
gray. The younger woman was equally
embarrassed at being married to a man
so much older than herself. At night,
whenever he was with her, she would
pluck out all of hairs that were gray.
Between the two wives, the man was soon
left without a hair on his head.
 The Ass in the Lion's Skin

An Ass once found a Lion's skin which the

hunters had left out in the sun to dry. He
put it on and went towards his native
village. All fled at his approach, both men
and animals, and he was a proud Ass that
day. In his delight he lifted up his voice and
brayed, but then every one knew him, and
his owner came up and gave him a sound
cudgelling for the fright he had caused.
And shortly afterwards a Fox came up to
him and said: "Ah, I knew you by your
voice."
 The Bat and the Weasels

A Bat who fell upon the ground and was

caught by a Weasel pleaded to be spared
his life. The Weasel refused, saying that
he was by nature the enemy of all birds.
The Bat assured him that he was not a
bird, but a mouse, and thus was set free.
Shortly afterwards the Bat again fell to
the ground and was caught by another
Weasel,whom he likewise entreated not to
eat him. The Weasel said that he had a
special hostility to mice. The Bat assured
him that he was not a mouse, but a bat, and
thus a second time escaped.
 The Fox and the Leopard

The Fox and the Leopard disputed which was

the more beautiful of the two. The Leopard
exhibited one by one the various spots which
decorated his skin. But the Fox, interrupting
him, said, "And how much more beautiful
than you am I, who am decorated, not in
body, but in mind."
 The Monkey and the Camel

The beasts of the forest gave a splendid

entertainment at which the Monkey stood up
and danced. Having vastly delighted the
assembly, he sat down amidst universal
applause. The Camel, envious of the praises
bestowed on the Monkey and desiring to
divert to himself the favor of the guests,
proposed to stand up in his turn and dance for
their amusement. He moved about in so
utterly ridiculous a manner that the Beasts, in
a fit of indignation, set upon him with clubs
and drove him out of the assembly.