The Dog and His Reflection
A Dog carrying a bone from the butcher crosses a footbridge and sees his reflection in the brook. Wanting the other dog's bigger bone too, he snaps at it and loses his own bone in the water.
Scene 1: A Bone from the Butcher
The Dog and His Reflection. One morning, the butcher threw a bone to a Dog. The Dog hurried home with his prize, as fast as he could go.
Scene 2: The Dog in the Water
On the way, he crossed a narrow footbridge over a brook. He happened to look down, and he saw himself in the quiet water, as if in a mirror. But the greedy Dog thought he saw a real Dog, carrying a bone much bigger than his own. The greedy Dog thought: “That bone is bigger than mine. I want it!”
Scene 3: Splash!
If he had stopped to think, he would have known better. But instead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the Dog in the river. Splash! His own bone sank into the water and was never seen again. And the Dog was swimming for dear life to reach the shore.
Scene 4: The Lost Bone
At last, he managed to scramble out. He stood there sadly, thinking about the good bone he had lost. Then he knew what a foolish Dog he had been. It is very foolish to be greedy.
Moral: It is very foolish to be greedy.
Questions about The Dog and His Reflection
Who threw a bone to the Dog?
The butcher.
What did the Dog cross on his way home?
A narrow footbridge over a brook.
What did the Dog see in the quiet water?
Himself, like in a mirror.
What happened to the Dog's own bone?
It sank into the water and was never seen again.
What did the Dog have to do to reach the shore?
Swim for dear life.
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.