Lies Beget Danger There was a small village at the foot of a hill, where the villagers lived happily. A shepherd boy also lived there. He used to graze the sheep in the valley from dawn to dusk, and returned home in the evening with his cattle. One day the shepherd boy thought of befooling the villagers." He shouted at the top of his voice. "Wolf, Wolf!" The villagers came running to-the spot with their sticks and weapons in hand to save the boy and his cattle. But they found no wolf there. The shepherd boy began to laugh, as tie was able to befool the villagers. After a few days, ... read more

The Foolish Crow The winter had been especially cold. The snow lay thick and heavy on the ground. The squirrels, the badgers and the hedgehogs had vanished into their snug winter homes to sleep away the cold, dark months. The swifts and the swallows had left for warmer countries long ago. Even the slugs and snails had disappeared, hiding away in some dark, warm patch of woodland to wait for the spring. The woods and fields were silent and empty. Only a big, black Crow was hunting for her evening meal. The Crow had flown all day in search of food. But she had found nothing, not even a tin ... read more

A fox was once very hungry and went in search of some food. He searched everywhere, but he couldn’t find anything that he could eat. Finally, with his stomach rumbling, he came upon a farmer’s wall. On top of the wall were the biggest, juiciest grapes the fox had ever seen. The rich purple color told the fox that they were ready to be eaten. The fox jumped high in the air to catch the grapes in his mouth, but he missed. He tried again and missed again. He tried a few more times but missed each time. Finally, the fox decided to go home all the while muttering, ‘I’m sure the grapes were sour any ... read more

The Crow and The Necklace Once a crow and his wife built their nest atop a huge banyan tree beside a river. They were very happy there. But when the female crow laid her eggs, they were in for an unpleasant shock. A huge snake who lived in a hole at the bottom of the tree came up and ate all their beautiful eggs. The crows were helpless with anger and pain. "You can't let this wicked snake eat our children anymore," cried the female crow bitterly. "You have to find a way to save them from him,' she said. "Let us go to our friend the jackal. He is very clever. He will surely be able to ... read more

A Greedy Dog Once a dog was waiting near a meat shop the hope to get by chance a piece of meat. Soon he found an opportunity. The shopkeeper had a good number of customers visiting his shop at a time, and he became busy in talking to them and selling meat according to their respective laments. In the meantime, the dog managed to bite a lump of meat from the shop and ran away as fast as possible. He reached the bank of a river and wanted to cross the river by the bridge that was laid over it. The dog climbed the bridge, and as he came near the middle of it, he saw his own shadow fel ... read more