Fable · VoiceSmiths adaptation · 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.
その他の言語 · 2か国語
このストーリーについて
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.
お話の教え
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.
対象
Ages 4–8
読み聞かせのコツ
- 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.
よくある質問
- 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.
寓話をもっと見る
寓話の全エピソード →The Farmer Who Pulled Up His Seedlings
VoiceSmiths adaptation
A farmer of Song thinks his millet grows too slowly, so he tugs every seedling up a little. Then his son runs to the field. The idiom ba miao zhu zhang.
The North Wind and the Sun
VoiceSmiths adaptation
The boastful North Wind and the gentle Sun bet on who can make a traveler take off his cloak. Aesop's fable of why warmth wins where force fails, retold.
Belling the Cat
VoiceSmiths adaptation
The mice are tired of the cat creeping up on them. A young mouse has a brilliant plan: hang a bell on her! Just one problem. The classic fable, retold.
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
VoiceSmiths adaptation
A bored shepherd boy fools his village twice by crying wolf. Then a real wolf creeps out of the trees, and nobody comes. An Aesop fable, warmly retold.
The Bundle of Sticks
VoiceSmiths adaptation
Three children squabble from morning till night. Their old father hands them a bundle of sticks and a challenge: break it. Aesop's fable of unity, retold.
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
VoiceSmiths adaptation
A country mouse visits his posh cousin's town house: cakes, cheese, a cook with a broom and a hungry cat. Aesop's fable of peace over plenty, retold.