The Fox and the Crow
A Crow sits in a tree with a bit of cheese, and a sly Fox below wants it for his breakfast. He praises her shining feathers and begs for one song, and when she opens her beak to caw, the cheese falls straight into his mouth.
Scene 1: A Bit of Cheese
The Fox and the Crow. One bright morning, the Fox was following his sharp nose through the wood, looking for a bite to eat. He saw a Crow on the branch of a tree overhead. The lucky Crow held a bit of cheese in her beak. Sly Master Fox thought: “No need to search any farther. Here is a dainty bite for my breakfast.”
Scene 2: Good Morning!
Up he trotted to the foot of the tree. Looking up admiringly, he cried: “Good morning, beautiful creature!” The Crow cocked her head on one side and watched the Fox suspiciously. She kept her beak tightly closed on the cheese, and she did not answer.
Scene 3: Queen of Birds
Then the Fox said: “What a charming creature she is! How her feathers shine! What a beautiful form, and what splendid wings!” He went on: “Such a wonderful Bird should have a very lovely voice, since everything else about her is so perfect. Could she sing just one song, I know I should hail her Queen of Birds.” Listening to these flattering words, the Crow forgot all her suspicion, and her breakfast too. She wanted very much to be called Queen of Birds.
Scene 4: Caw!
So she opened her beak wide, and gave her loudest caw: “Caw!” Down fell the cheese, straight into the Fox’s open mouth!
Scene 5: Where Are Your Wits?
Master Fox said sweetly, as he walked off: “Thank you. Though it is cracked, you have a voice sure enough. But where are your wits?” The flatterer lives at the expense of those who will listen to him. Or, as another old book says: do not trust flatterers.
Moral: The flatterer lives at the expense of those who will listen to him.
Questions about The Fox and the Crow
What did the Crow hold in her beak?
A bit of cheese.
Where was the Crow sitting?
On the branch of a tree.
What did the Fox call the Crow when he said good morning?
Beautiful creature.
What did the Fox say he would hail the Crow as, if she sang one song?
Queen of Birds.
Where did the cheese fall when the Crow cawed?
Straight into the Fox's open mouth.
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.