Reading and listening to stories is probably one of the clearest childhood memories that we still remember. After all, a story is a great way to learn more about our environment and things around us and learn important morals and lessons.
If you ponder upon it a little, you will probably remember that, generally, these stories have morals. Also, these fables and stories have been passed down from generation to generation. Wouldn’t it be amazing to share these stories with your little one?
In this article, we have covered Aesop’s fable “The Fox And The Stork” story in English for children. We have also discussed the moral of the story below for you to teach your little one. This story will help them learn an important moral lesson. Before jumping straight to “The Fox And The Stork” full story, let’s take a look at the origin and history of the story.
Origin And History Of The Fox And The Stork
“The Fox and The Stork” story was first written (or most probably narrated) by the Greek storyteller Aesop, a Greek Fabulist and former slave credited with inventing the genre we now call fables.
We all have read and heard Aesop’s fables, also known as the Aesopica, in our childhood and enjoyed the wittiness of the animals and the morals these stories taught us. These fables of Aesop touch upon every crucial aspect of human nature and have found their place in almost every culture across the world. These fables have taught us important lessons about life’s simplest decisions – and their lasting effects.
Story Type Of The Fox And The Stork
“The Fox And The Stork” is a story with an important moral lesson for kids. This story will help kids understand that we must treat all people with the same respect we expect in return and that people will treat us the same way we treat them. You can read this story to your child as a bedtime story, also.
Story Characters
The characters of “The Fox And The Stork story are:
- Fox
- Stork
The Fox And The Stork Story For Children
Below is one of Aesop’s fables, “The Fox And The Stork” story with pictures for children. Let’s read!
Once upon a time, there was a fox and a stork who lived in a jungle. The two animals were neighbours. The cunning fox one day thought of a devious plan to amuse himself at the expense of the good-natured stork, at whose odd appearance he was always laughing.
“You must come and have dinner with me today,” the fox said to the stork one day, smiling to himself at the trick he was going to play on the poor stork.
The stork happily accepted the invitation and arrived in good time for dinner and with a very good appetite. The fox served soup for dinner but in a very very shallow dish.
The stork could not drink it but was only able to wet the very tip of his bill in it. On the other hand, the fox drank it up easily and, to increase the disappointment of his neighbour, made a great show of enjoyment.
The poor and hungry stork was much displeased at the fox’s trick, but he was calm and saw no good in flying into a rage.
Not long afterwards, the stork invited the fox to have dinner with him at his house. The fox arrived promptly at the stork’s house at the decided time. The stork served a fish dinner with a very appetising aroma. But this time, the stork served in a tall jar with quite a narrow neck.
The stork could get at the food easily with his long beak, but the fox couldn’t. All the fox could do was sniff at the delicious aroma.
The fox lost his temper, but the stork said calmly:
“One should not play tricks on their neighbours unless they can stand the same treatment themselves”.
Story Summary
Here is the story summary of “The Fox And The Stork” for kids.
A selfish fox once invited his neighbour, a stork, to dinner at his house in a hollow tree. That evening, the stork went to the fox’s home and knocked on the door with his long beak. The fox opened the door and invited the stork inside.
The stork was very hungry, and the food smelled delicious. The fox served soup for dinner in shallow bowls. He ate up all his soup very quickly, but the stork could not have any of it as the dish was too shallow for his long beak. The poor stork smiled politely and stayed hungry that night.
The stork invited the fox to join him for dinner the next day at his house. When the fox arrived at the stork’s house, he smelled something delicious cooking. The stork served the food in tall jars. The stork easily drank the soup, but the fox could not reach inside the tall jug. This time it was the fox’s turn to go hungry.
Moral Of The Story
The moral of “The Fox And The Stork” story is “People will treat you the same way you treat them.”
In this story, the fox makes fun of the stork by offering him dinner in a dish he knows he won’t be able to eat in. To teach the clever fox a lesson, the stork invited the fox to dinner and did what the fox did to him. Served food in a container that fox won’t be able to eat from. Although the stork was good-natured, when he saw that his neighbour did all this just for fun, he wanted to teach him a lesson. The stork wanted to teach the fox that others would treat him the same way he treats others. This way, the fox learned an important moral lesson.
How Can Children Apply The Moral Lesson Of The Story In Their Real Life?
The children can apply the moral of “The Fox And The Stork” short story in their real life by treating everyone equally and by respecting people around them. Parents should teach kids from an early age how to act and treat others in a respectful manner.
Parents can also involve their little ones in daily chores, like serving water and snacks to guests, greeting people when they come outside, etc. This will encourage kids to treat people in a respectful manner.
Also Read:
The Fox And The Grapes Story for Children with Moral
Moral Story of The Fox And The Crow for Kids
The Stork And The Crab Story with Moral for Children
