1. The Lion and the Mouse
A lion was once sleeping in
the jungle when a mouse started running up and down his body just for fun. This
disturbed the lion’s sleep, and he woke up quite angry. He was about to eat the
mouse when the mouse desperately requested the lion to set him free. “I promise
you, I will be of great help to you someday if you save me.” The lion laughed
at the mouse’s confidence and let him go.
One day, a few hunters came into the forest and took the lion
with them. They tied him up against a tree. The lion was struggling to get out
and started to whimper. Soon, the mouse walked past and noticed the lion in
trouble. Quickly, he ran and gnawed on the ropes to set the lion free. Both of
them sped off into the jungle.
Moral of the Story
A small act of kindness can go a long way.
2. Count Wisely
One day, king Akbar asked a question in his
court that left everyone in the courtroom puzzled. As they all tried to figure
out the answer, Birbal walked in and asked what the matter was. They repeated
the question to him.
The question was, “How many crows are there
in the city?”
Birbal immediately smiled and went up to
Akbar. He announced the answer; he said there were twenty-one thousand, five
hundred and twenty-three crows in the city. When asked how he knew the answer,
Birbal replied, “Ask your men to count the number of crows. If there are more,
then the relatives of the crows must be visiting them from nearby cities. If
there are fewer, then the crows from our city must be visiting their relatives
who live outside the city.” Pleased with the answer, Akbar presented Birbal
with a ruby and pearl chain.
Moral of the Story
Having an explanation for
your answer is just as important as having an answer.
Download the story here
3. The Boy Who Cried Wolf
In a village, lived a carefree boy with his father. The boy’s
father told him that he was old enough to watch over the sheep while they graze
in the fields. Every day, he had to take the sheep to the grassy fields and
watch them as they graze. However, the boy was unhappy and didn’t want to take
the sheep to the fields. He wanted to run and play, not watch the boring sheep
graze in the field. So, he decided to have some fun. He cried, “Wolf! Wolf!”
until the entire village came running with stones to chase away the wolf before
it could eat any of the sheep. When the villagers saw that there was no wolf,
they left muttering under their breath about how the boy had wasted their time.
The next day, the boy cried once more, “Wolf! Wolf!” and, again, the villagers
rushed there to chase the wolf away.
The boy laughed at the fright he had caused. This time, the
villagers left angrily. The third day, as the boy went up the small hill, he
suddenly saw a wolf attacking his sheep. He cried as hard as he could, “Wolf!
Wolf! Wolf!”, but not a single villager came to help him. The villagers thought
that he was trying to fool them again and did not come to rescue him or his
sheep. The little boy lost many sheep that day, all because of his foolishness.
Moral of the Story
It is difficult to trust people who lie, so it’s important to
always be truthful.
4. The Fox and the Stork
One day, a selfish fox invited a stork for dinner. Stork was
very happy with the invitation – she reached the fox’s home on time and knocked
at the door with her long beak. The fox took her to the dinner table and served
some soup in shallow bowls for both of them. As the bowl was too shallow for
the stork, she couldn’t have soup at all. But, the fox licked up his soup
quickly.
The stork was angry and upset, but she didn’t show her anger and
behaved politely. To teach a lesson to the fox, she then invited him for dinner
the next day. She too served soup, but this time the soup was served in two
tall narrow vases. The stork devoured the soup from her vase, but the fox
couldn’t drink any of it because of his narrow neck. The fox realised his
mistake and went home famished.
Moral of the Story
A selfish act backfires sooner or later!
5. The Golden Touch
Once there lived a greedy man in a small town. He was very rich,
and he loved gold and all things fancy. But he loved his daughter more than
anything. One day, he chanced upon a fairy. The fairy’s hair was caught in a
few tree branches. He helped her out, but as his greediness took over, he
realised that he had an opportunity to become richer by asking for a wish in
return (by helping her out). The fairy granted him a wish. He said, “All that I
touch should turn to gold.” And his wish was granted by the grateful fairy.
The greedy man rushed home to tell his wife and daughter about
his wish, all the while touching stones and pebbles and watching them convert
into gold. Once he got home, his daughter rushed to greet him. As soon as he
bent down to scoop her up in his arms, she turned into a gold statue. He was
devastated and started crying and trying to bring his daughter back to life. He
realised his folly and spent the rest of his days searching for the fairy to
take away his wish.
Moral of the Story
Greed will always lead to downfall.
6. The Milkmaid and Her Pail
Patty, a milkmaid milked her cow and had two full pails of
fresh, creamy milk. She put both pails of milk on a stick and set off to the
market to sell the milk. As she took steps towards the market, her thoughts
took steps towards wealth. On her way, she kept thinking about the money she
would make from selling the milk. Then she thought about what she would do with
that money.
She was talking to herself and said, “Once I get the money, I’ll
buy a chicken. The chicken will lay eggs and I will get more chickens. They’ll
all lay eggs, and I will sell them for more money. Then, I’ll buy the house on
the hill and everyone will envy me.” She was very happy that soon she would be
very rich. With these happy thoughts, she marched ahead. But suddenly, she
tripped and fell. Both the pails of the milk fell and all her dreams were
shattered. The milk spilt onto the ground, and all Patty could do was cry. “No
more dream,” she cried foolishly!
Moral of the Story
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
7. When Adversity Knocks
This is a story that explains how adversity is met differently
by different people. There was a girl named Asha who lived with her mother and
father in a village. One day, her father assigned her a simple task. He took
three vessels filled with boiling water. He placed an egg in one vessel, a
potato in the second vessel, and some tea leaves in the third vessel. He asked
Asha to keep an eye on the vessels for about ten to fifteen minutes while the
three ingredients in three separate vessels boiled. After the said time, he
asked Asha to peel the potato and egg, and strain the tea leaves. Asha was left
puzzled – she understood her father was trying to explain her something, but
she didn’t know what it was.
Her father explained, “All three items were put in the same
circumstances. See how they’ve responded differently.” He said that the potato
turned soft, the egg turned hard, and the tea leaves changed the colour and
taste of the water. He further said, “We are all like one of these items. When
adversity calls, we respond exactly the way they do. Now, are you a potato, an
egg, or tea leaves?”
Moral of the Story
We can choose how to respond to a difficult situation.
8. The Proud Rose
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful rose plant in a garden.
One rose flower on the plant was proud of its beauty. However, it was
disappointed that it was growing next to an ugly cactus. Every day, the rose
would insult the cactus about its looks, but the cactus stayed quiet. All the
other plants in the garden tried to stop the rose from bullying the cactus, but
the rose was too swayed by its own beauty to listen to anyone.
One summer, a well in the garden dried up and there was no water
for the plants. The rose slowly began to wilt. The rose saw a sparrow dip its
beak into the cactus for some water. The rose then felt ashamed for having made
fun of the cactus all this time. But because it was in need of water, it went
to ask the cactus if it could have some water. The kind cactus agreed, and they
both got through summer as friends.
Moral of the Story
Never judge someone by the way they look.
9. The Tale of the Pencil
A boy named Raj was upset because he had done poorly in his
English test. He was sitting in his room when his grandmother came and
comforted him. His grandmother sat beside him and gave him a pencil. Raj looked
at his grandma puzzled, and said he didn’t deserve a pencil after his
performance in the test.
His grandma explained, “You can learn many things from this
pencil because it is just like you. It experiences a painful sharpening, just
the way you have experienced the pain of not doing well on your test. However,
it will help you be a better student. Just as all the good that comes from the
pencil is from within itself, you will also find the strength to overcome this
hurdle. And finally, just as this pencil will make its mark on any surface, you
too shall leave your mark on anything you choose to.” Raj was immediately
consoled and promised himself that he would do better.
Moral of the Story
We all have the strength
to be who we wish to be.
10. The Crystal Ball
Nasir, a small boy, found a crystal ball behind the banyan tree
of his garden. The tree told him that it would grant him a wish. He was very
happy and he thought hard, but unfortunately, he could not come up with
anything he wanted. So, he kept the crystal ball in his bag and waited until he
could decide on his wish.
Days went by without him making a wish but his best friend saw
him looking at the crystal ball. He stole it from Nasir and showed it to
everyone in the village. They all asked for palaces and riches and lots of
gold, but could not make more than one wish. In the end, everyone was angry
because no one could have everything they wanted. They became very unhappy and
decided to ask Nasir for help. Nasir wished that everything would go back to
how it was once – before the villagers had tried to satisfy their greed. The
palaces and gold vanished and the villagers once again became happy and
content.
Moral of the Story
Money and wealth do not always bring happiness.
11. A Bundle of Sticks
Once upon a time, three neighbours living in a village were
having trouble with their crops. Each of the neighbours had one field, but the
crops on their fields were infested with pests and were wilting. Every day,
they would come up with different ideas to help their crops. The first one
tried using a scarecrow in his field, the second used pesticides, and the third
built a fence on his field, all to no avail.
One day, the village head came by and called the three farmers.
He gave them each a stick and asked them to break it. The farmers could break
them easily. He then gave them a bundle of three sticks, and again, asked them
to break it. This time, the farmers struggled to break the sticks. The village
head said, “Together, you are stronger and work better than you do it alone.”
The farmers understood what the village head was saying. They pooled in their
resources and got rid of the pests from their fields.
Moral of the Story
There is strength in unity.
12. The Ant and the Dove
On a hot scorching day of summer, an ant was walking around in
search of water. After walking around for some time, she saw a river and was
delighted to see it. She climbed up on a small rock to drink the water, but she
slipped and fell into the river. She was drowning but a dove who was sitting on
a nearby tree helped her. Seeing the ant in trouble, the dove quickly dropped a
leaf into the water. The ant moved towards the leaf and climbed up on it. The
dove then carefully pulled the leaf out and placed it on the land. This way,
the ant’s life was saved and she was forever indebted to the dove.
The ant and the dove became the best of friends and days passed
happily. However, one day, a hunter arrived at the forest. He saw the beautiful
dove sitting on the tree and aimed his gun at the dove. The ant, who was saved
the dove saw this and bit on the heel of the hunter. He shouted from the pain
and dropped the gun. The dove was alarmed by the voice of the hunter and
realised what could have happened with him. He flew away!
Moral of the Story
A good deed never goes unrewarded.
13. The Fox and the Grapes
On a hot summer day, a fox wandered across the jungle in order
to get some food. He was very hungry and desperately in search of food. He
searched everywhere, but couldn’t find anything that he could eat. His stomach
was rumbling and his search continued. Soon he reached a vineyard which was
laden with juicy grapes. The fox looked around to check if he was safe from the
hunters. No one was around, so he decided to steal some grapes. He jumped high
and high, but he couldn’t reach the grapes. The grapes were too high but he
refused to give up. The fox jumped high in the air to catch the grapes in his
mouth, but he missed. He tried once more but missed again. He tried a few more
times, but couldn’t reach. It was getting dark and the fox was getting angry.
His legs hurt, so he gave up in the end. Walking away, he said, “I’m sure the
grapes were sour anyway.”
Moral of the Story
We pretend to hate something when we can’t have it.
14. The Ant and the Grasshopper
Once upon a time, there
were two best friends – an ant and a grasshopper. The grasshopper liked to
relax the whole day and play his guitar. The ant, however, would work hard all
day. He would collect food from all corners of the garden, while the
grasshopper relaxed, played his guitar, or slept. The grasshopper would tell
the ant to take a break every day, but the ant would refuse and continue his
work. Soon, winter came; days and nights became cold and very few creatures
went out.
On a cold day of winter, a
colony of ants was busy drying out some grains of corn. The half-dead
grasshopper, cold and hungry, came up to the ant who was his friend and asked
for a piece of corn. The ant replied, “We work day and night to collect and
save up the corn so that we don’t die hungry on cold winter days. Why should we
give it to you?” The ant further asked, “What were you doing last summer? You
should have collected and stored some food. I told you as much before.”
The grasshopper said, “I
was far too busying singing and sleeping.”
The ant replied, “You can
sing all winter as far as I am concerned. You will not get anything from us.”
The ant had enough food to last through the winter, without any worries at all,
but the grasshopper didn’t and he realised his mistake.
Moral of the Story
Make hay while the sun
shines.
15. The Bear and Two Friends
One day, two best friends were walking on a lonely and dangerous
path through a jungle. As the sun began to set, they grew afraid but held on to
each other. Suddenly, they saw a bear in their path. One of the boys ran to the
nearest tree and climbed it in a jiffy. The other boy did not know how to climb
the tree by himself, so he lay on the ground, pretending to be dead. The bear
approached the boy on the ground and sniffed around his head. After appearing
to whisper something in the boy’s ear, the bear went on its way. The boy on the
tree climbed down and asked his friend what the bear had whispered in his ear.
He replied, “Do not trust friends who do not care for you.”
Moral of the Story
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
16. Friends Forever
Once upon a time, there lived a mouse and a frog, who were the
best of friends. Every morning, the frog would hop out of the pond to visit the
mouse, who lived inside the hole of the tree. He would spend time with the
mouse and go back home. One day, the frog realised that he was making too much
of an effort to visit the mouse while the mouse never came to meet him at the
pond. This made him angry, and he decided to make things right by forcefully
taking him to his house.
When the mouse wasn’t looking, the frog tied a string to the
mouse’s tail and tied the other end to his own leg, and hopped away. The mouse
started getting dragged with him. Then, the frog jumped into the pond to swim.
However, when he looked back, he saw that the mouse had started to drown and
was struggling to breathe! The frog quickly untied the string from his tail and
took him to the shore. Seeing the mouse with his eyes barely open made the frog
very sad, and he immediately regretted pulling him into the pond.
Moral of the Story
Don’t take revenge because it can be harmful to you.
17. The Elephant and Her Friends
Once upon a time, a lone elephant made her way into a strange
forest. It was new to her, and she was looking to make friends. She approached
a monkey and said, “Hello, monkey! Would you like to be my friend?” The monkey
said, “You are too big to swing like me, so I can’t be your friend.” The
elephant then went to a rabbit and asked the same question. The rabbit said,
“You are too big to fit in my burrow, so I can’t be your friend.” The elephant
also went to the frog in the pond and asked the same question. The frog
replied, “You are too heavy to jump as high as me, so I can’t be your friend.”
The elephant was really sad because she couldn’t make friends.
Then, one day, she saw all the animals running deeper into the forest, and she
asked a bear what the fuss was about. The bear said, “The lion is on the loose
– they are running from him to save themselves.” The elephant went up to the
lion and said, “Please don’t hurt these innocent people. Please leave them
alone.” The lion scoffed and asked the elephant to move aside. Then, the elephant
got angry and pushed the lion with all her might, injuring him. All the other
animals came out slowly and started to rejoice about the lion’s defeat. They
went to the elephant and said to her, “You are just the right size to be our
friend!”
Moral of the Story
A person’s size does not determine their worth.
18. The Woodcutter and the Golden Axe
There was once a woodcutter, working hard in the forest, getting
wood to sell for some food. As he was cutting a tree, his axe accidentally fell
into the river. The river was deep and was flowing really fast – he lost his
axe and could not find it again. He sat at the bank of the river and wept.
While he wept, the God of the river arose and asked him what
happened. The woodcutter told him the story. The God of the river offered to
help him by looking for his axe. He disappeared into the river and retrieved a
golden axe, but the woodcutter said it was not his. He disappeared again and
came back with a silver axe, but the woodcutter said that was not his either. The
God disappeared into the water again and came back with an iron axe – the
woodcutter smiled and said it was his. The God was impressed with the
woodcutter’s honesty and gifted him both the golden and silver axes.
Moral of the Story
Honesty is the best policy.
19. The Needle Tree
There lived two brothers near a forest. The elder one was very
mean to the younger brother – he would finish all the food and wear all the new
clothes of his younger brother. One day, the elder brother decided to go into
the forest to get some firewood and sell it in the market. As he went around,
chopping tree after tree, he stumbled upon a magical tree. The tree said, “Oh
kind sir, please do not cut my branches. If you spare me, I will give you
golden apples.” He agreed, but was left disappointed with the number of apples
the tree gave him. As greed overcame him, he threatened the tree that he will
cut the entire trunk if it didn’t give him more apples. The magical tree,
instead, showered upon the elder brother, hundreds and hundreds of tiny
needles. The elder brother lay on the ground, crying in pain, as the sun set.
The younger brother was worried and so he went in search of his
elder brother. He found him lying in pain near the tree, with hundreds of
needles on his body. He rushed to his brother and removed each needle, lovingly
and gently. After he finished, the elder brother apologised for treating him
badly and promised to be better. The tree saw the change in the elder brother’s
heart and gave them all the golden apples they would ever need.
Moral of the Story
It is important to be kind and gracious, as it will always be rewarded.
20. The Greedy Lion
On a hot day, a lion in the forest started feeling hungry. He
was starting to hunt for his food when he found a hare roaming around alone.
Instead of catching the hare, the lion let it go – “A small hare such as this
can’t satisfy my hunger”, he said and scoffed. Then, a beautiful deer passed by
and he decided to take his chances – he ran and ran behind the deer but since
he was weak because of the hunger, he struggled to keep up with the deer’s
speed. Tired and defeated, the lion went back to look for the hare to fill up
his stomach for the time being, but it was gone. The lion was sad and remained
hungry for a long time.
Moral of the Story
Greed is never a good thing.
1. The Lion and the Mouse
A lion was once sleeping in
the jungle when a mouse started running up and down his body just for fun. This
disturbed the lion’s sleep, and he woke up quite angry. He was about to eat the
mouse when the mouse desperately requested the lion to set him free. “I promise
you, I will be of great help to you someday if you save me.” The lion laughed
at the mouse’s confidence and let him go.
One day, a few hunters came into the forest and took the lion
with them. They tied him up against a tree. The lion was struggling to get out
and started to whimper. Soon, the mouse walked past and noticed the lion in
trouble. Quickly, he ran and gnawed on the ropes to set the lion free. Both of
them sped off into the jungle.
Moral of the Story
A small act of kindness can go a long way.
2. Count Wisely
One day, king Akbar asked a question in his
court that left everyone in the courtroom puzzled. As they all tried to figure
out the answer, Birbal walked in and asked what the matter was. They repeated
the question to him.
The question was, “How many crows are there
in the city?”
Birbal immediately smiled and went up to
Akbar. He announced the answer; he said there were twenty-one thousand, five
hundred and twenty-three crows in the city. When asked how he knew the answer,
Birbal replied, “Ask your men to count the number of crows. If there are more,
then the relatives of the crows must be visiting them from nearby cities. If
there are fewer, then the crows from our city must be visiting their relatives
who live outside the city.” Pleased with the answer, Akbar presented Birbal
with a ruby and pearl chain.
Moral of the Story
Having an explanation for
your answer is just as important as having an answer.
Download the story here
3. The Boy Who Cried Wolf
In a village, lived a carefree boy with his father. The boy’s
father told him that he was old enough to watch over the sheep while they graze
in the fields. Every day, he had to take the sheep to the grassy fields and
watch them as they graze. However, the boy was unhappy and didn’t want to take
the sheep to the fields. He wanted to run and play, not watch the boring sheep
graze in the field. So, he decided to have some fun. He cried, “Wolf! Wolf!”
until the entire village came running with stones to chase away the wolf before
it could eat any of the sheep. When the villagers saw that there was no wolf,
they left muttering under their breath about how the boy had wasted their time.
The next day, the boy cried once more, “Wolf! Wolf!” and, again, the villagers
rushed there to chase the wolf away.
The boy laughed at the fright he had caused. This time, the
villagers left angrily. The third day, as the boy went up the small hill, he
suddenly saw a wolf attacking his sheep. He cried as hard as he could, “Wolf!
Wolf! Wolf!”, but not a single villager came to help him. The villagers thought
that he was trying to fool them again and did not come to rescue him or his
sheep. The little boy lost many sheep that day, all because of his foolishness.
Moral of the Story
It is difficult to trust people who lie, so it’s important to
always be truthful.
4. The Fox and the Stork
One day, a selfish fox invited a stork for dinner. Stork was
very happy with the invitation – she reached the fox’s home on time and knocked
at the door with her long beak. The fox took her to the dinner table and served
some soup in shallow bowls for both of them. As the bowl was too shallow for
the stork, she couldn’t have soup at all. But, the fox licked up his soup
quickly.
The stork was angry and upset, but she didn’t show her anger and
behaved politely. To teach a lesson to the fox, she then invited him for dinner
the next day. She too served soup, but this time the soup was served in two
tall narrow vases. The stork devoured the soup from her vase, but the fox
couldn’t drink any of it because of his narrow neck. The fox realised his
mistake and went home famished.
Moral of the Story
A selfish act backfires sooner or later!
5. The Golden Touch
Once there lived a greedy man in a small town. He was very rich,
and he loved gold and all things fancy. But he loved his daughter more than
anything. One day, he chanced upon a fairy. The fairy’s hair was caught in a
few tree branches. He helped her out, but as his greediness took over, he
realised that he had an opportunity to become richer by asking for a wish in
return (by helping her out). The fairy granted him a wish. He said, “All that I
touch should turn to gold.” And his wish was granted by the grateful fairy.
The greedy man rushed home to tell his wife and daughter about
his wish, all the while touching stones and pebbles and watching them convert
into gold. Once he got home, his daughter rushed to greet him. As soon as he
bent down to scoop her up in his arms, she turned into a gold statue. He was
devastated and started crying and trying to bring his daughter back to life. He
realised his folly and spent the rest of his days searching for the fairy to
take away his wish.
Moral of the Story
Greed will always lead to downfall.
6. The Milkmaid and Her Pail
Patty, a milkmaid milked her cow and had two full pails of
fresh, creamy milk. She put both pails of milk on a stick and set off to the
market to sell the milk. As she took steps towards the market, her thoughts
took steps towards wealth. On her way, she kept thinking about the money she
would make from selling the milk. Then she thought about what she would do with
that money.
She was talking to herself and said, “Once I get the money, I’ll
buy a chicken. The chicken will lay eggs and I will get more chickens. They’ll
all lay eggs, and I will sell them for more money. Then, I’ll buy the house on
the hill and everyone will envy me.” She was very happy that soon she would be
very rich. With these happy thoughts, she marched ahead. But suddenly, she
tripped and fell. Both the pails of the milk fell and all her dreams were
shattered. The milk spilt onto the ground, and all Patty could do was cry. “No
more dream,” she cried foolishly!
Moral of the Story
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
7. When Adversity Knocks
This is a story that explains how adversity is met differently
by different people. There was a girl named Asha who lived with her mother and
father in a village. One day, her father assigned her a simple task. He took
three vessels filled with boiling water. He placed an egg in one vessel, a
potato in the second vessel, and some tea leaves in the third vessel. He asked
Asha to keep an eye on the vessels for about ten to fifteen minutes while the
three ingredients in three separate vessels boiled. After the said time, he
asked Asha to peel the potato and egg, and strain the tea leaves. Asha was left
puzzled – she understood her father was trying to explain her something, but
she didn’t know what it was.
Her father explained, “All three items were put in the same
circumstances. See how they’ve responded differently.” He said that the potato
turned soft, the egg turned hard, and the tea leaves changed the colour and
taste of the water. He further said, “We are all like one of these items. When
adversity calls, we respond exactly the way they do. Now, are you a potato, an
egg, or tea leaves?”
Moral of the Story
We can choose how to respond to a difficult situation.
8. The Proud Rose
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful rose plant in a garden.
One rose flower on the plant was proud of its beauty. However, it was
disappointed that it was growing next to an ugly cactus. Every day, the rose
would insult the cactus about its looks, but the cactus stayed quiet. All the
other plants in the garden tried to stop the rose from bullying the cactus, but
the rose was too swayed by its own beauty to listen to anyone.
One summer, a well in the garden dried up and there was no water
for the plants. The rose slowly began to wilt. The rose saw a sparrow dip its
beak into the cactus for some water. The rose then felt ashamed for having made
fun of the cactus all this time. But because it was in need of water, it went
to ask the cactus if it could have some water. The kind cactus agreed, and they
both got through summer as friends.
Moral of the Story
Never judge someone by the way they look.
9. The Tale of the Pencil
A boy named Raj was upset because he had done poorly in his
English test. He was sitting in his room when his grandmother came and
comforted him. His grandmother sat beside him and gave him a pencil. Raj looked
at his grandma puzzled, and said he didn’t deserve a pencil after his
performance in the test.
His grandma explained, “You can learn many things from this
pencil because it is just like you. It experiences a painful sharpening, just
the way you have experienced the pain of not doing well on your test. However,
it will help you be a better student. Just as all the good that comes from the
pencil is from within itself, you will also find the strength to overcome this
hurdle. And finally, just as this pencil will make its mark on any surface, you
too shall leave your mark on anything you choose to.” Raj was immediately
consoled and promised himself that he would do better.
Moral of the Story
We all have the strength
to be who we wish to be.
10. The Crystal Ball
Nasir, a small boy, found a crystal ball behind the banyan tree
of his garden. The tree told him that it would grant him a wish. He was very
happy and he thought hard, but unfortunately, he could not come up with
anything he wanted. So, he kept the crystal ball in his bag and waited until he
could decide on his wish.
Days went by without him making a wish but his best friend saw
him looking at the crystal ball. He stole it from Nasir and showed it to
everyone in the village. They all asked for palaces and riches and lots of
gold, but could not make more than one wish. In the end, everyone was angry
because no one could have everything they wanted. They became very unhappy and
decided to ask Nasir for help. Nasir wished that everything would go back to
how it was once – before the villagers had tried to satisfy their greed. The
palaces and gold vanished and the villagers once again became happy and
content.
Moral of the Story
Money and wealth do not always bring happiness.
11. A Bundle of Sticks
Once upon a time, three neighbours living in a village were
having trouble with their crops. Each of the neighbours had one field, but the
crops on their fields were infested with pests and were wilting. Every day,
they would come up with different ideas to help their crops. The first one
tried using a scarecrow in his field, the second used pesticides, and the third
built a fence on his field, all to no avail.
One day, the village head came by and called the three farmers.
He gave them each a stick and asked them to break it. The farmers could break
them easily. He then gave them a bundle of three sticks, and again, asked them
to break it. This time, the farmers struggled to break the sticks. The village
head said, “Together, you are stronger and work better than you do it alone.”
The farmers understood what the village head was saying. They pooled in their
resources and got rid of the pests from their fields.
Moral of the Story
There is strength in unity.
12. The Ant and the Dove
On a hot scorching day of summer, an ant was walking around in
search of water. After walking around for some time, she saw a river and was
delighted to see it. She climbed up on a small rock to drink the water, but she
slipped and fell into the river. She was drowning but a dove who was sitting on
a nearby tree helped her. Seeing the ant in trouble, the dove quickly dropped a
leaf into the water. The ant moved towards the leaf and climbed up on it. The
dove then carefully pulled the leaf out and placed it on the land. This way,
the ant’s life was saved and she was forever indebted to the dove.
The ant and the dove became the best of friends and days passed
happily. However, one day, a hunter arrived at the forest. He saw the beautiful
dove sitting on the tree and aimed his gun at the dove. The ant, who was saved
the dove saw this and bit on the heel of the hunter. He shouted from the pain
and dropped the gun. The dove was alarmed by the voice of the hunter and
realised what could have happened with him. He flew away!
Moral of the Story
A good deed never goes unrewarded.
13. The Fox and the Grapes
On a hot summer day, a fox wandered across the jungle in order
to get some food. He was very hungry and desperately in search of food. He
searched everywhere, but couldn’t find anything that he could eat. His stomach
was rumbling and his search continued. Soon he reached a vineyard which was
laden with juicy grapes. The fox looked around to check if he was safe from the
hunters. No one was around, so he decided to steal some grapes. He jumped high
and high, but he couldn’t reach the grapes. The grapes were too high but he
refused to give up. The fox jumped high in the air to catch the grapes in his
mouth, but he missed. He tried once more but missed again. He tried a few more
times, but couldn’t reach. It was getting dark and the fox was getting angry.
His legs hurt, so he gave up in the end. Walking away, he said, “I’m sure the
grapes were sour anyway.”
Moral of the Story
We pretend to hate something when we can’t have it.
14. The Ant and the Grasshopper
Once upon a time, there
were two best friends – an ant and a grasshopper. The grasshopper liked to
relax the whole day and play his guitar. The ant, however, would work hard all
day. He would collect food from all corners of the garden, while the
grasshopper relaxed, played his guitar, or slept. The grasshopper would tell
the ant to take a break every day, but the ant would refuse and continue his
work. Soon, winter came; days and nights became cold and very few creatures
went out.
On a cold day of winter, a
colony of ants was busy drying out some grains of corn. The half-dead
grasshopper, cold and hungry, came up to the ant who was his friend and asked
for a piece of corn. The ant replied, “We work day and night to collect and
save up the corn so that we don’t die hungry on cold winter days. Why should we
give it to you?” The ant further asked, “What were you doing last summer? You
should have collected and stored some food. I told you as much before.”
The grasshopper said, “I
was far too busying singing and sleeping.”
The ant replied, “You can
sing all winter as far as I am concerned. You will not get anything from us.”
The ant had enough food to last through the winter, without any worries at all,
but the grasshopper didn’t and he realised his mistake.
Moral of the Story
Make hay while the sun
shines.
15. The Bear and Two Friends
One day, two best friends were walking on a lonely and dangerous
path through a jungle. As the sun began to set, they grew afraid but held on to
each other. Suddenly, they saw a bear in their path. One of the boys ran to the
nearest tree and climbed it in a jiffy. The other boy did not know how to climb
the tree by himself, so he lay on the ground, pretending to be dead. The bear
approached the boy on the ground and sniffed around his head. After appearing
to whisper something in the boy’s ear, the bear went on its way. The boy on the
tree climbed down and asked his friend what the bear had whispered in his ear.
He replied, “Do not trust friends who do not care for you.”
Moral of the Story
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
16. Friends Forever
Once upon a time, there lived a mouse and a frog, who were the
best of friends. Every morning, the frog would hop out of the pond to visit the
mouse, who lived inside the hole of the tree. He would spend time with the
mouse and go back home. One day, the frog realised that he was making too much
of an effort to visit the mouse while the mouse never came to meet him at the
pond. This made him angry, and he decided to make things right by forcefully
taking him to his house.
When the mouse wasn’t looking, the frog tied a string to the
mouse’s tail and tied the other end to his own leg, and hopped away. The mouse
started getting dragged with him. Then, the frog jumped into the pond to swim.
However, when he looked back, he saw that the mouse had started to drown and
was struggling to breathe! The frog quickly untied the string from his tail and
took him to the shore. Seeing the mouse with his eyes barely open made the frog
very sad, and he immediately regretted pulling him into the pond.
Moral of the Story
Don’t take revenge because it can be harmful to you.
17. The Elephant and Her Friends
Once upon a time, a lone elephant made her way into a strange
forest. It was new to her, and she was looking to make friends. She approached
a monkey and said, “Hello, monkey! Would you like to be my friend?” The monkey
said, “You are too big to swing like me, so I can’t be your friend.” The
elephant then went to a rabbit and asked the same question. The rabbit said,
“You are too big to fit in my burrow, so I can’t be your friend.” The elephant
also went to the frog in the pond and asked the same question. The frog
replied, “You are too heavy to jump as high as me, so I can’t be your friend.”
The elephant was really sad because she couldn’t make friends.
Then, one day, she saw all the animals running deeper into the forest, and she
asked a bear what the fuss was about. The bear said, “The lion is on the loose
– they are running from him to save themselves.” The elephant went up to the
lion and said, “Please don’t hurt these innocent people. Please leave them
alone.” The lion scoffed and asked the elephant to move aside. Then, the elephant
got angry and pushed the lion with all her might, injuring him. All the other
animals came out slowly and started to rejoice about the lion’s defeat. They
went to the elephant and said to her, “You are just the right size to be our
friend!”
Moral of the Story
A person’s size does not determine their worth.
18. The Woodcutter and the Golden Axe
There was once a woodcutter, working hard in the forest, getting
wood to sell for some food. As he was cutting a tree, his axe accidentally fell
into the river. The river was deep and was flowing really fast – he lost his
axe and could not find it again. He sat at the bank of the river and wept.
While he wept, the God of the river arose and asked him what
happened. The woodcutter told him the story. The God of the river offered to
help him by looking for his axe. He disappeared into the river and retrieved a
golden axe, but the woodcutter said it was not his. He disappeared again and
came back with a silver axe, but the woodcutter said that was not his either. The
God disappeared into the water again and came back with an iron axe – the
woodcutter smiled and said it was his. The God was impressed with the
woodcutter’s honesty and gifted him both the golden and silver axes.
Moral of the Story
Honesty is the best policy.
19. The Needle Tree
There lived two brothers near a forest. The elder one was very
mean to the younger brother – he would finish all the food and wear all the new
clothes of his younger brother. One day, the elder brother decided to go into
the forest to get some firewood and sell it in the market. As he went around,
chopping tree after tree, he stumbled upon a magical tree. The tree said, “Oh
kind sir, please do not cut my branches. If you spare me, I will give you
golden apples.” He agreed, but was left disappointed with the number of apples
the tree gave him. As greed overcame him, he threatened the tree that he will
cut the entire trunk if it didn’t give him more apples. The magical tree,
instead, showered upon the elder brother, hundreds and hundreds of tiny
needles. The elder brother lay on the ground, crying in pain, as the sun set.
The younger brother was worried and so he went in search of his
elder brother. He found him lying in pain near the tree, with hundreds of
needles on his body. He rushed to his brother and removed each needle, lovingly
and gently. After he finished, the elder brother apologised for treating him
badly and promised to be better. The tree saw the change in the elder brother’s
heart and gave them all the golden apples they would ever need.
Moral of the Story
It is important to be kind and gracious, as it will always be rewarded.
20. The Greedy Lion
On a hot day, a lion in the forest started feeling hungry. He
was starting to hunt for his food when he found a hare roaming around alone.
Instead of catching the hare, the lion let it go – “A small hare such as this
can’t satisfy my hunger”, he said and scoffed. Then, a beautiful deer passed by
and he decided to take his chances – he ran and ran behind the deer but since
he was weak because of the hunger, he struggled to keep up with the deer’s
speed. Tired and defeated, the lion went back to look for the hare to fill up
his stomach for the time being, but it was gone. The lion was sad and remained
hungry for a long time.
Moral of the Story
Greed is never a good thing.
