The Oak and the Reeds
A giant Oak by a river boasts that it stands firm in any wind, while the slender Reeds bow low. A great storm tears the proud Oak up by its roots, but the Reeds bend and then stand up straight again.
Scene 1: The Proud Oak
The Oak and the Reeds. A giant Oak stood beside a river, where some slender Reeds grew in the water. When the wind blew, the great Oak stood proudly upright, with its hundred arms lifted to the sky. But the Reeds bowed low in the wind, and sang a sad and mournful song.
Scene 2: The Oak Boasts
The Oak looked down at them and said: “You have reason to complain! The slightest breeze makes you bow your heads. But I, the mighty Oak, stand upright and firm before the howling storm.”
Scene 3: The Reeds Reply
The Reeds replied: “Do not worry about us. The winds do not harm us. We bow before them, and so we do not break.” Then they warned the Oak: “You, in all your pride and strength, have so far resisted their blows. But the end is coming.”
Scene 4: The Great Storm
As the Reeds spoke, a great storm rushed out of the north. The Oak stood proudly and fought against the storm, while the Reeds bowed low. The wind blew harder and harder. All at once, the great tree fell, torn up by its roots, and crashed down into the river.
Scene 5: After the Storm
When the storm had passed, the mighty Oak lay in the water among the Reeds. But the little Reeds, who had bowed so low, stood up straight again. Better to yield when it is folly to resist, than to resist stubbornly and be destroyed.
Moral: Better to yield when it is folly to resist, than to resist stubbornly and be destroyed.
Questions about The Oak and the Reeds
Where did the giant Oak stand?
Beside a river.
What did the Reeds do when the wind blew?
They bowed low.
What did the Reeds say they do before the winds, so they do not break?
They bow.
What happened to the Oak in the great storm?
It fell, torn up by its roots, into the river.
What did the little Reeds do when the storm had passed?
They stood up straight again.
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.