The Fox and The Woodcutter
Aesop | Greece
A woodcutter helps a fox hide but secretly points out its hiding place. What do you think the fox felt afterward?

A hardworking Butcher's shop is visited by a stray dog that steals a sheep's heart, prompting the Butcher to be more vigilant.

Crows and owls feud over food and space, crows send a spy, gather information, and drive owls away, leading to peaceful coexistence.

A confident mule enjoying a carefree break believed he had racing horse lineage, but after a day of labor, he doubted his heritage.

A king's pond frightened the princes with a mistaken turtle monster, but the clever turtle escaped and swam back to safety.

Jackdaw, a plain bird, found and adorned himself with peacock feathers, only to be exposed and ridiculed, returning to his ordinary state in shame.

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 dog falls into a well, and the gardener, while trying to save him, gets bitten due to a misunderstanding, leaving the dog behind.

Anansi, a mischievous spider, tricks Brother Turtle to catch fish for him but learns the value of hard work in the end.
Once upon a time, a fox was running through the forest, trying to escape from hunters and their barking dogs. His heart beat fast as he searched for a place to hide. Then, he spotted a small house.
A kind woodcutter stood by the door, looking surprised as the frightened fox ran toward him.
“Please help me!” the fox begged.
The woodcutter felt sorry for the fox. He nodded and pointed to a dark corner inside. “Hide there,” he whispered.
A moment later, the hunters arrived. They knocked on the door and asked, “Have you seen a fox come this way?”
The woodcutter didn’t want to betray the fox, but he was also afraid to lie. So he said, “No, I haven’t seen a fox,” but at the same time, he made a small hand movement, pointing toward the fox’s hiding place.
Luckily, the hunters didn’t notice. “Thank you!” they said and hurried back into the forest to continue their search.
When the hunters were gone, the fox stepped out of his hiding place. He started walking away without saying anything.
Surprised, the woodcutter asked, “Aren’t you going to thank me for helping you?”
The fox turned and said, “If you really wanted to help me, you wouldn’t have pointed to where I was hiding.” Then, without another word, he ran back into the woods, leaving the woodcutter deep in thought.

A Thunny and A Dolphin
A frightened Thunny being chased by a Dolphin cleverly leads them both to the shore, where they both get stranded.

A Wolf among the Lions
A strong Wolf believed he was a Lion and joined real Lions, only to realize he was just a regular Wolf among them.

A Mountain in Labor
A majestic Mountain with strange noises drew crowds of curious people, but their long wait revealed a humble Mouse instead.

Fighting Goats and the Jackal
A clever jackal in search of an easy meal watches two fighting goats, but his greed leads to a painful lesson.

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 lion and bear fought over a goat, exhausting themselves, and a fox took advantage, leaving them with regret.

Anansi, a clever little spider, challenges Elephant and Hippo to a tug-of-war. Can his wit win against strength in the jungle?

A sow refuses a wolf's offer to watch her piglets, seeing through the wolf's true intentions and protecting her young.

A fowler deceives a curious Blackbird with the promise of a marvelous city but captures it in a net instead.

Clever spider Anansi tricked the turtle with soup, but the turtle's underwater house left Anansi wet and hungry.

An ostrich, possessing characteristics of both birds and beasts, seamlessly moved between them, surprising and eventually gaining acceptance from both sides.

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.
Buy a Book and Help Bring Fables to the World
Enjoy 25 selected fables for life, in print. Every purchase supports free stories for children, parents, and teachers worldwide at fablereads.com

