The Ant and the Grasshopper
All summer the Grasshopper plays his fiddle while the busy Ants store up grain. When the snow comes he has nothing to eat, and the Ants tell him: now dance!
Scene 1: A Summer Song
The Ant and the Grasshopper. In a field one summer’s day, a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to his heart’s content. He played merry tunes on his little fiddle, all day long.
Scene 2: Toiling and Moiling
An Ant passed by, carrying a heavy ear of corn to the nest. The Grasshopper called: “Why not come and chat with me, instead of toiling and moiling in that way?” The Ant answered: “I am helping to lay up food for the winter. I recommend you to do the same.” The Grasshopper laughed: “Why bother about winter? We have got plenty of food at present.” But the Ant went on its way and kept on working.
Scene 3: Winter Comes
All summer long the Grasshopper sang, while the Ants stored up their grain. Then the summer was gone. Cold winds blew, and snow covered the field. And the Grasshopper had nothing to eat.
Scene 4: A Bite to Eat
One bright winter day, the Ants were drying the grain they had stored up in the summer. The hungry Grasshopper came by, his fiddle under his arm. He humbly begged for a bite to eat. The Ants cried in surprise: “What! Haven’t you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?” The Grasshopper answered sadly: “I didn’t have time to store up any food. I was so busy making music that before I knew it, the summer was gone.”
Scene 5: Now Dance!
The Ants shrugged their shoulders and cried: “Making music, were you? Very well; now dance!” And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work. There’s a time for work and a time for play.
Moral: There's a time for work and a time for play.
Questions about The Ant and the Grasshopper
What did the Grasshopper play all summer?
A little fiddle.
What was the Ant carrying to the nest?
A heavy ear of corn.
Why was the Ant working so hard?
To lay up food for the winter.
What covered the field when winter came?
Snow.
What did the Ants tell the Grasshopper to do?
Dance.
More stories to read aloud
- The Lion and the Mouse — A Lion catches a little Mouse but laughs and lets her go when she promises to repay him.
- The Hare and the Tortoise — A boastful Hare laughs at the slow Tortoise, so the Tortoise challenges him to a race.
- Belling the Cat — The Mice hold a council and a young Mouse has a clever plan: hang a bell about the Cat’s neck.