The Ant One bright summer day, a

grasshopper was hopping through

and the a field of flowers. He chirped and

Grasshopper sang as he played his violin. Right

in the middle of his favorite song,
a retelling he heard a terrible groaning sound.
of an
Aesop fable “Who has spoiled my music?” he
cried. Looking around, he spotted
a tiny ant struggling to carry a
plump kernel of corn. “Ant, you have
interrupted my singing. Where are
you going with that heavy load?”
“I am storing food for the winter,”
Ant puffed.
“Winter? Can you see the blue
sky? Can you feel the warm sun?
Winter is far from this field,”
laughed Grasshopper.
“Winter will be here before you
know it,” said Ant.

© Learning A–Z All rights reserved. Credits: left: © Drew Rose/Wilkinson Studios, Inc.
www.readinga-z.com
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 “Come play with me,” sang Grasshopper joined the line. When
Grasshopper. “There will be plenty of he reached the front, he bent low
time for storing food later.” He danced and begged in a weak voice.
around making fun of Ant, but she “Please, may I have some corn
continued on her way. Grasshopper to eat? I am so hungry.”
sang and danced for many more days.
“Did you store any food for the
Soon the weather turned cold. winter?” asked the Ant.
Grasshopper woke up one day to a
“I was too busy playing music. The
field of snow. All the food was buried
summer was gone before I knew it,”
deep. He could not dig through to
Grasshopper said.
reach it no matter how hard he tried.
Ant sadly shook
“What will I do?” he cried.
her head no. Then
DID YOU
KNOW?
Then he had an she continued
idea. Grasshopper handing corn
An ant can lift
20 times its own stumbled to Ant’s to her fellow ants.
body weight. That hill. A line of ants
means, if you The moral is: Prepare
stood waiting as his
were as strong as today for the needs
an ant, you would friend handed out
of tomorrow.
be able to pick up the delicious looking
a small car!
pieces of corn.

© Learning A–Z All rights reserved. Credits: right: © Drew Rose/Wilkinson Studios, Inc.
www.readinga-z.com
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