The Donkey and The Grasshopper A poor donkey was not happy with his voice. One summer day, while grazing in a field, he was captivated by the delightful music of the grasshopper. ‘What is it that you eat that allows you to give off a sound like that?’ he asked one of them. ‘Dew,’ answered the grasshopper, joking. ‘That’s what I need,’ thought the donkey. So he went on eating grass...

The Dog with The Little Bell There was once a dog which had the bad habit of biting anyone who came within its reach. For this reason, its master hung a little bell on the liar around its neck, so that everybody would be warned of the dog’s approach and could take care not to get too close to its somewhat fearsome teeth and extremely powerful jaws. The dog was very...

The Dog, The Cockerel and The Fox A dog and a cockerel who met while on a journey decided to travel together. Night fell. The cockerel went to sleep up in a tree and the dog settled down at the base of the trunk. Just before dawn, as was his custom, the cock crowed. He was overheard by a fox who rushed up and said, ‘What a magnificent voice! Come down,...

The Distracted Astronomer An astronomer was in the habit of going out every night to observe the stars. But no sooner he was outdoors, he was totally absorbed in the sights above him, that he did not look where he was putting his feet, so once he fell into a hole in the ground. A passer-by heard his shouts and ran to help him. How do you hope to discover what’s...

The Clever Barber One day, a barber was going to the next village. On the way he had to pass through a forest full of wild animals. Suddenly all his worst fears came true. A fierce lion came and stood before him. But the barber gathered courage and went to the lion. The lion was surprised to see the barber acting this way. The barber said, “Ah! Here you are and...

The Cat and The Old Mouse A black cat happened to wander into a warehouse where mice lived. ‘This is the place for me,’ thought the cat. ‘I’ll pretend to be dead.’ And the cat lay down on the ground. The younger mice ran towards it shouting, ‘There’s a dead cat.’ But a wise old mouse stopped them and said, ‘Don’t you know that a cat has nine lives?’ Then the...

The Cockerel, The Cat And The Mouse An inexperienced little mouse set off on a journey. He came across a cockerel. Never having seen one before, the little mouse was so afraid of the cockerel’s beak, its feathers and red crest, that he ran off as fast as he could. Further on, the mouse saw a cat. What a handsome animal, he thought; what a soft fur, what striking eyes! When...

The Butcher and The Thieves Two thieves went into a butcher’s shop. While one was waiting to be served, the other one stole some sausages off a plate and passed them to his companion. The butcher noticed the sausages were missing and accused the pair of having stolen them. The one who had the sausages swore he had not stolen them and the one who had stolen them swore he did...