The Painted Jackal
A jackal dyed blue pretends to be a peacock, but his failure to mimic one leads to rejection by his friends.
One day, a sneaky jackal fell into a big tub full of blue dye. When he got out, his fur was bright sky-blue! He went back home, and all the other jackals stared at him in surprise.
“What happened to you?” they asked.
The jackal flicked his tail and said proudly, “Isn’t it obvious? I’m not just any jackal anymore. Look at me! I’m so special! From now on, don’t call me a ‘jackal’ ever again.”
“What should we call you then?” they asked.
The jackal lifted his head high and said, “Call me Pearooster. I’m as beautiful as a pearooster now!” He strutted around, showing off his blue fur.
But the other jackals weren’t convinced. “If you’re a pearooster,” one of them said, “can you spread your tail beautifully like a pearooster does?”
The jackal stopped and said, “Well… no, I can’t do that.”
“And can you make the proud, special cry that a pearooster makes?” asked another.
The jackal lowered his head and admitted, “No, I can’t do that either.”
“Then it’s clear,” they said. “You’re not a jackal anymore, but you’re definitely not a pearooster either!”
The other jackals laughed at him and sent him away.
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One day, a sneaky jackal fell into a big tub full of blue dye.
When he got out, his fur was bright sky-blue!
He went back home, and all the other jackals stared at him in surprise.
“What happened to you?” they asked.
The jackal flicked his tail and said proudly, “Isn’t it obvious?
I’m not just any jackal anymore. Look at me! I’m so special!
From now on, don’t call me a ‘jackal’ ever again.”
“What should we call you then?” they asked.
The jackal lifted his head high and said, “Call me Peacock.
I’m as beautiful as a peacock now!”
He strutted around, showing off his blue fur.
But the other jackals weren’t convinced.
“If you’re a peacock,” one of them said, “can you spread your tail beautifully like a peacock does?”
The jackal stopped and said, “Well… no, I can’t do that.”
“And can you make the proud, special cry that a peacock makes?” asked another.
The jackal lowered his head and admitted, “No, I can’t do that either.”
“Then it’s clear,” they said.
“You’re not a jackal anymore, but you’re definitely not a peacock either!”
The other jackals laughed at him and sent him away.
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Word Finder
Sneaky
Someone who tries to do things secretly.Tub
A big container for holding things, like water.Dye
A color used to change how something looks.Fur
The soft hair covering an animal's body.Special
Different and better than usual or normal things.Strutted
Walked proudly, showing off to others.Convinced
Made someone believe something is true.Spread
Opened wide or made something cover more area.Admitted
said something is true, even if it’s embarrassing.Proud
Feeling happy and confident about yourself or something.
Understanding Questions
- What happened to the jackal's fur when he fell into the tub of blue dye?
- How did the other jackals react when they saw the jackal’s blue fur?
- What new name did the jackal want the other jackals to call him?
- Why did the other jackals say he couldn’t be a pearooster?
- What did the other jackals do to the blue jackal at the end of the story?
Reflection Questions
- Why did the jackal want to be called a peacock instead of a jackal?
- How did the other jackals figure out that the blue jackal wasn’t really a peacock?
- Why do you think the jackal wanted to pretend to be something he wasn’t?
- Can you think of a time when pretending to be something you’re not didn’t work out?
- What does this story teach us about being true to ourselves?
Fable Quotes
Humility is knowing who you are and being at peace with it.
Being yourself is the truest form of beauty.
Identity is not a costume you can wear; it’s the essence of your soul.
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