Back to Life's Lessons

Before You Read:
Animals That Teach Us About Ourselves

For thousands of years, people have told fables -- stories that teach lessons or morals. These stories usually have animal characters who act and talk like humans. In each fable, a character faces a problem similar to ones we humans face. The ways in which the character tries to solve the problem may be clever or foolish. In either case, thinking about how the character acts helps us to better understand ourselves and the ways in which we act when we face problems.

Do you know the fable about the plodding tortoise who accepts the conceited hare's challenge to race -- and then beats the hare to the finish line? The moral of that story is "slow and steady wins the race." Do you remember the fable about a mouse who talks a lion into setting him free? The lion laughs when the mouse promises to help him someday. When the mouse keeps his promise, however, the lion learns that "true friends come in all sizes" and that "no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

What other fables do you know? With some friends, talk about one or more fables you have read or heard. List the main events of each fable, how it ends, and what lesson you think it teaches. You may want to use a chart like the one below. Then click here to read about other interesting fables you may not have heard.

Title	The Hare and the Tortoise	The Lion and the Mouse
Events	Hare and Tortoise race each other. Hare is far in front and so sure of his victory that he decides to take a nap.	Lion traps Mouse. Mouse promises to help Lion someday if Lion will set him free. Lion laughs but lets Mouse go.
Ending	Hare wakes up just as Tortoise is crossing the finish line.	Lion is trapped in a hunter's net. Mouse gnaws through the net and frees Lion.
Lesson(s)	Slow and steady wins the race.	True friends come in all sizes. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Have You Heard?

• In the fable "The Fox and the Grapes," Fox tries and tries to grab a bunch of juicy grapes growing high above his head. When he cannot reach them, he gives up. As he walks away, he says, "Those grapes are probably sour. I don't want them." From this fable comes the expression "sour grapes," which is used to tell about people who say something is not really any good only after discovering they cannot have it.
• In the fable "The Crow and the Pitcher," thirsty Crow finds a tall, narrow pitcher of water. He cannot reach the water, however, because the level is too low. Then he has an idea and begins to drop pebbles in the pitcher, one by one. With each pebble, the water rises higher and higher until Crow can have a drink. Crow's experience teaches us that little by little you can solve your problems.

Next, you'll read another fable about a greedy dog who learns an important life lesson. Go to I Want What You've Got.