Fable · 声匠改编 · 3:57
The Fox and the Goat
A fox stuck at the bottom of a well talks a thirsty goat into jumping in. Then he needs a ladder. Aesop's fable about looking before you leap, retold.
Narrator
The Fox
Billy the Goat
Hetty, the farmer's girlOther languages · 2 languages
About this story
The Fox and the Goat is one of Aesop's Fables, the short moral tales handed down from ancient Greece. A fox stuck in a well talks a thirsty goat into jumping in, climbs out on the goat's back and horns, and leaves him behind with a mocking remark about his beard. In Aesop the goat is simply left in the well; in this VoiceSmiths retelling a farm girl and her father haul him out, a little wiser.
What it teaches
Look before you leap: think about how a plan will end before you jump in. And be wary of advice from someone who needs you to get them out of trouble.
Suits
Ages 4–9
Tips for telling it
- When the goat asks if the water is good, pause and ask: why might the fox say yes?
- Before the goat jumps, ask children what he should check first.
- Use the saying look before you leap at home the next time someone rushes into something.
Questions people ask
- What is the moral of The Fox and the Goat?
- Look before you leap. The goat jumps into a well without thinking how he will get out, and the crafty fox, who only wanted a way out for himself, leaves him there.
- What does the fox say to the goat at the end?
- In the traditional fable the fox tells the goat that if he had as much sense as he has hairs in his beard, he would never have gone down without first thinking how to get up again.
- Is The Fox and the Goat an Aesop fable?
- Yes. 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. This version is a VoiceSmiths retelling in which the goat is rescued.
More Fables
All Fables episodes →The Fox and the Grapes
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A hungry fox jumps and jumps for grapes he cannot reach, refuses help, then declares them sour. The Aesop fable behind the phrase sour grapes, retold.
The Fox and the Stork
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A sly fox serves a stork soup on a flat plate she can't sip from. So she invites him back, and serves dinner in a tall, narrow jar. Aesop's fable, retold.
The Frog and the Ox
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Mama Frog hears of a giant in the meadow and puffs herself up to prove she is just as big. Bigger, bigger... pop! Aesop's fable about envy, retold.
The Miller, His Son and the Donkey
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A miller and his son take their donkey to market and change plans every time someone grumbles. The fable about trying to please everyone, retold.
The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs
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A poor farmer's goose lays one golden egg every day. Soon one is not enough, and he hatches a greedy plan. Aesop's fable about greed, retold.
The Tortoise and the Hare
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A boastful hare laughs at a slow tortoise, so the tortoise challenges him to a race. The hare naps halfway. An Aesop fable told as a full-cast story.
