Fable · 声匠改编 · 3:34
The Ant and the Grasshopper
All summer the ants store food while the grasshopper sings and laughs at them. Then winter comes. A kind retelling of the Aesop fable about planning ahead.
Narrator
The Grasshopper
Auntie Ant
DotAbout this story
The Ant and the Grasshopper is one of Aesop's Fables, the short moral tales handed down from ancient Greece; in the oldest versions the singer is a cicada. In Aesop's telling the ant turns the hungry singer away. This VoiceSmiths retelling keeps the ant's famous sharp reply, then lets a young ant named Dot win the grasshopper a second chance.
What it teaches
Work today so you are ready for tomorrow. There is a time for play and a time for preparing, and the wise do the preparing first.
Suits
Ages 4–8
Tips for telling it
- When the grasshopper says he'll start tomorrow, ask: will he? What usually happens when we put things off?
- Talk about the ant's two answers: was she right to be cross, and was she right to let him in?
- Link it to real life: saving pocket money, packing a school bag the night before, or finishing chores before play.
Questions people ask
- What is the moral of The Ant and the Grasshopper?
- Prepare today for the needs of tomorrow. The ant works all summer and is safe in winter, while the grasshopper plays all summer and ends up cold and hungry.
- Who wrote The Ant and the Grasshopper?
- It is one of Aesop's Fables, traditionally credited to Aesop, a storyteller said to have lived in ancient Greece around the sixth century BCE. The early Greek versions feature a cicada, as does Jean de La Fontaine's famous French retelling; this version is a VoiceSmiths retelling.
- What age is The Ant and the Grasshopper for?
- It suits children from about 4 to 8. This telling has a kind ending, so it teaches planning ahead without being harsh.
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