Butterfly and Snail
John Gay | England
A proud butterfly looks down on a snail, only to be reminded of its humble beginnings as a caterpillar.
A Bat, Thorn Bush, and Seagull started a business, but their ship sank, making the Bat hide, Seagull search, and Thorn Bush cling to fabric.
A lion and bear fought over a goat, exhausting themselves, and a fox took advantage, leaving them with regret.
A fowler deceives a curious Blackbird with the promise of a marvelous city but captures it in a net instead.
Anansi, a clever little spider, challenges Elephant and Hippo to a tug-of-war. Can his wit win against strength in the jungle?
A clever jackal in search of an easy meal watches two fighting goats, but his greed leads to a painful lesson.
A strong Wolf believed he was a Lion and joined real Lions, only to realize he was just a regular Wolf among them.
The Dog borrowed food from the Sheep, forgot the debt, and refused to repay, leading to an unfair court decision against the innocent Sheep.
A spider named Anansi gathered all the wisdom in a large pot, but a child's simple suggestion shattered it, spreading wisdom everywhere.
Once upon a time, a butterfly was born one morning and sat on a rose. It looked down at a small rosebud nearby. The butterfly’s wings were bright and colorful, with shades of blue, black, and gold. It stretched its wings wide and drank the fresh morning dew, feeling very proud.
As it admired its beauty, a snail appeared, slowly crawling across the garden, leaving a shiny trail behind. The butterfly looked at the gardener and said, “Why do you take care of the garden so carefully, watering and trimming the plants, if creatures like this snail are allowed to crawl around and ruin it?”
The snail heard the butterfly and replied calmly, “You seem to forget where you came from. Not long ago, you were a crawling caterpillar, just like me. Now you have colorful wings, but that doesn’t change how you started. I have always been a snail, and I am happy to be myself. And don’t forget—your children will start as caterpillars too.”
The butterfly stayed quiet, realizing the snail was right.
Anansi Goes Fishing
Anansi, a mischievous spider, tricks Brother Turtle to catch fish for him but learns the value of hard work in the end.
A Mountain in Labor
A majestic Mountain with strange noises drew crowds of curious people, but their long wait revealed a humble Mouse instead.
A Jackdaw and Peacock Feathers
Jackdaw, a plain bird, found and adorned himself with peacock feathers, only to be exposed and ridiculed, returning to his ordinary state in shame.
Of Crows And Owls
Crows and owls feud over food and space, crows send a spy, gather information, and drive owls away, leading to peaceful coexistence.
Curious spider Anansi finds a magical rock that puts animals to sleep; he tricks them but is eventually outsmarted.
An ostrich, possessing characteristics of both birds and beasts, seamlessly moved between them, surprising and eventually gaining acceptance from both sides.
A frightened Thunny being chased by a Dolphin cleverly leads them both to the shore, where they both get stranded.
Clever spider Anansi tricked the turtle with soup, but the turtle's underwater house left Anansi wet and hungry.
A king's pond frightened the princes with a mistaken turtle monster, but the clever turtle escaped and swam back to safety.
A sow refuses a wolf's offer to watch her piglets, seeing through the wolf's true intentions and protecting her young.
A woman had a special Hen that laid one egg daily, so she tried feeding it more to get two eggs, but it stopped laying altogether.
A hardworking Butcher's shop is visited by a stray dog that steals a sheep's heart, prompting the Butcher to be more vigilant.