Reading Notes: Aesop for Children (Winter), Part B

Illustration by Milo Winter for the tale of The Bear and
the Bees. Source: UnTextbook. 

The Aesop for Children with illustrations by Milo Winter

• The Bear and the Bees
• Bear going through the woods found a fallen tree with a beehive attached and the swarm suddenly appeared
• A bee stung him, assuming he was looking for honey, which made him angry so he started clawing apart the hive
• The whole swarm then came out and attacked him and he only escaped by jumping into water
• Lesson: "It is wiser to bear a single injury in silence than to provoke a thousand by flying into a rage"
• The Fox and the Leopard
• Fox and leopard laying around after eating a lot started bragging about their looks, but the leopard talked down on the fox saying he looked ordinary
• The fox realized this was true, but kept arguing with the leopard to mess with him
• The leopard nearly got fed up with the conversation when the fox got up and basically called him good-looking, but stupid
• Lesson: "A fine coat is not always an indication of an attractive mind"
• The Heron
• Heron walking along a shore ready to snatch up food, but refused to settle for small fish even though they were filling the waters
• As the sun rose in the sky, the fish swam into deeper, cooler waters and soon there were no more fish for the heron to eat, so he had to settle for a tiny snail
• Lesson: "Do not be too hard to suit or you may have to be content with the worst or with nothing at all"
• The Wolf and the Goat
• Hungry goat was eating at the edge of a tall cliff and passing wolf saw her, then proceeded to act worry about her safety and told her to come down and there would be plenty of grass
• The goat thanked him for his generosity, but refused because she realized he was only looking out for his appetite, not hers
• Lesson: "An invitation prompted by selfishness is not to be accepted"
• The Ass and the Grasshoppers
• A donkey in a pasture loved listening to grasshoppers chirping and wanted to sing like they did, so he asked how they were able to do that
• Grasshopper jokingly told him that it was the dew they drank, so the donkey only drank dew then died soon after
• Lesson: "The laws of nature are unchangeable"
• The Mule
• Mule has a nice rest and is full from eating, so he has plenty of energy and claims that his dad must have been a racer, but the next day he returns to his normal state and realizes he was wrong
• Lesson: "Be sure of your pedigree before you boast of it"
• The Cat, the Cock, and the Young Mouse
• Young mouse ventured out into the world for the first time and saw a chicken, describing his as ugly and scary, then says he also saw a cat, which he describes as nice-looking and charming
• The mother mouse tells him that actually, the rooster meant no harm to him and the cat is actually the monster
• Lesson: "Do not trust alone to outward appearances"
• The Wolf and the Shepherd
• Wolf started prowling around a shepherd's flock of sheep, so the shepherd kept a close watch in case he tried to steal one, but he appeared to be helping him herd them so eventually he just accepted that the wolf would be there
• One day he left the wolf in charge so he could take care of something else and when he got back, the flock was dead because the wolf ate them
• Lesson: "Once a wolf, always a wolf"
• The Peacock and the Crane
• Peacock tries to show off to a crane his feathers and brags that he is better since the crane's feathers were dull and gray, then the crane takes off towards the sun and tells the peacock to follow, if he can, mocking his inability to fly
• Lesson: "The useful is of much more importance and value, than the ornamental"
• The Farmer and the Cranes
• A farmer plows and sows his field and cranes soon arrive to eat his seeds, so he brings a sling to threaten them without rocks and they fly away at first, but after a while they realize he is not actually hurting them and they stop acknowledging his threats
• The farmers notices that they are no longer responding to his sling, so he starts bringing rocks and kills several of the birds, which makes them not come back
• Lesson: "Bluff and threatening words are of little value with rascals. Bluff is no proof that hard fists are lacking"
• The Farmer and His Sons
• Dying farmer calls his sons to his bedside and tells them to keep their house and search for a hidden treasure buried somewhere on the property
• Once he died, the boys began searching but did not find anything
• Eventually after much searching, they had to start harvesting and realized all the digging they had done would yield a bountiful crop and that that was the treasure their dad was talking about
• Lesson: "Industry in itself is a treasure"
• The Fighting Bulls and the Frog
• Pair of bulls were fighting near a marsh where frogs lived, which terrified them, and the elder frog prophesied that whichever bull lost would be driven away, tearing up the shore and stepping on the frogs, which came true
• Lesson: "When the great fall out, the weak must suffer for it"
• The Mouse and the Weasel
• Mouse barely squeezed into a basket of corn then ate so much that he grew and could not get back out of the basket
• Weasel went by and told him it served him right
• Lesson: "Greediness leads to misfortune"
• The Goatherd and the Wild Goats
• Goatherd takes his goats into a cave to shelter from a storm where other wild goats also were, which he wanted to be a part of his herd
• In an attempt to get them to be part of his herd, he fed them lots of food while only feeding his herd enough to live
• After the storm passed, the wild goats escaped out of the cave and the goatherd complained that they were ungrateful then they told him that they saw how he treated those who were part of his herd
• Lesson: "It is unwise to treat old friends badly for the sake of new ones"
• The Spendthrift and the Swallow
• Guy who liked to spend his money realized he had nothing left but the clothes he was wearing and he needed to show off to another man he was meeting
• Swallow flew by him and he thought that must mean it was summer, so he sold all of his clothes except his tunic
• A few days later the weather changed and the man and the swallow nearly froze
• Lesson: "One swallow does not make a summer"
• The Cat and the Birds
• A hungry cat heard that there were birds nearby who needed treatment, so he dressed up as a doctor and went to visit them to "offer assistance", but when he did the birds laughed and said to leave them alone
• Lesson: "Be wise and shun the quack"
• The Dog and the Oyster
• A dog loved eating eggs and would greedily eat them from a hen house every day, then one day ventured to the beach and ate a round oyster, shell included, which hurt his stomach
• Lesson: "Act in haste and repent at leisure—and often in pain"
• The Astrologer
• Man claimed to be able to read the future in the stars when one night he was walking along a road, staring at the sky, and fell into a large, muddy pit
• He angrily tried to escape, which drew attention from other nearby, and the others soon started teasing him saying that he should have known that would happen
• Lesson: "Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves"
• Mercury and the Woodman
• A woodman had been cutting down trees all day and got tired by afternoon, causing him to accidentally release his axe into a body of water nearby
• The man started weeping since it was the only axe he own and his only source of income, so the god Mercury appeared and helped him by diving into the water
• First he pulled out an axe of gold, which the man said was not his, then an axe of silver, which the man also said was not his, then the woodman's axe with a wooden handle
• Mercury was impressed with his honesty and said he could keep all three axes
• Word of this got to the woodman's village, so others started pulling a similar stunt, but Mercury saw through it and would whack them with the golden axes and prevent them from finding their original axe
• Lesson: "Honesty is the best policy"
• The Frog and the Mouse
• Adventurous mouse was walking along a pond shore and a frog that lived there asked him to visit, so the mouse agreed but said he did not want to risk swimming without help
• The frog decided to tie their legs together so he could help the mouse swim, then ended up drowning the mouse
• A passing hawk noticed the mouse's dead body floating and snatched him up before the frog could untie their legs, therefore taking the frog too
• Lesson: "Those who seek to harm others often come to harm themselves through their own deceit"
• The Fox and the Crab
• Crab was unhappy with his sandy home, so walked to a nearby meadow and was immediately eaten by a fox
• Lesson: "Be content with your lot"
• The Serpent and the Eagle
• Serpent surprise attacked an eagle and wrapped around his neck where he could not reach him
• Passing countryman noticed and saved the eagle, which made the snake mad, so instead of biting him, he bit the man's water supply and put poison into it
• Later on, the man went to take a drink of the water, but the eagle swooped down and took it from him, saving his life as well
• Lesson: "An act of kindness is well repaid"
• The Bull and the Goat
• Bull hid in a cave where a lone goat was to get away from a lion, so the goat butted him repeatedly but the bull could not leave to save himself from the lion, so he told the goat he would deal with him when the lion leaves
• Lesson: "It is wicked to take advantage of another's distress"
• The Eagle and the Beetle
• Beetle tried to tell an eagle to spare a hare who ran to it, but the eagle ignored it and took the hare anyway
• The beetle angrily went to the eagle's nest and rolled eggs out of it, which made the eagle mad although she did not know who did it
• The next year the beetle pushed the eagles eggs out of the eagles nest again, so the eagle begged Jupiter to keep her eggs safe in his lap, but the beetle buzzed around Jupiter's head so they would again fall
• The beetle then explained the situation to Jupiter and from then on, eagles laid eggs in the spring while beetles are still in the ground
• Lesson: "Even the weakest may find means to avenge a wrong"
• The Wolf and the Shepherd
• Wolf saw a shepherd and his family feasting on roasted lamb and calmed them hypocrites
• Lesson: "Men often condemn others for what they see no wrong in doing themselves"
• The Goatherd and the Goat
• Goat strayed from the flock and refused to return, so the goatherd threw a rock at it and broke its horn
• The man begged him not to tell the master, but the goat said his horn would speak for itself
• Lesson: "Wicked deeds will not stay hid"
• The Bat and the Weasels
• Bat went to the nest of a weasel who hated mice so he tried to eat him, thinking he was a mouse, but the bat explained that he was bird because of his wings, so the weasel let him go
• The next day the bat went to another weasel who hated birds, so he tried to eat him, but the bat declared that he was actually a mouse, so the weasel let him go
• Lesson: "Set your sails with the wind"
• The Quack Toad
• Toad claimed he was a doctor, so a fox went to him and told him he needs to work on himself first due to his skin and gait
• Lesson: "Those who would mend others, should first mend themselves"
• The Mischievous Dog
• The owner of an ill-natured dog tied him to a piece of wood so he would not bother others, but the dog was proud and carried it around loudly to show off
• Another dog told him he might want to stop so people do not know how bad of a dog he is
• Lesson: "Notoriety is not fame"
• The Rose and the Butterfly
• Butterfly fell in love with a rose, but eventually left because he saw her "kissing" other bees, etc. so she was mad when she saw the butterfly with other flowers, but he told her it is hypocritical to do so
• Lesson: "Do not expect constancy in others if you have none yourself"
• The Boy and the Nettles
• Boy got stuck with a nettle and his mom told him next time to squeeze it as hard as he could and it would not hurt
• Lesson: "Whatever you do, do with all your might"
• The Fox and the Pheasants
• Fox spotted a group of pheasants on a branch out of his reach, so he started dancing funnily in a patch of moonlight to amuse the birds
• He then looked like he was attempting to climb the tree, fell down and played dead, then got up and danced again over and over until the birds were dizzy and fell off their branch
• Lesson: "Too much attention to danger may cause us to fall victims to it"
• The Porcupine and the Snakes
• Porcupine was looking for a house and asked to live in a cave with snakes, who politely agreed
• Eventually, the porcupine kept poking them so they asked him to leave, but he refused, so the snakes had to leave and find a new home
• Lesson: "Give a finger and lose a hand"
• The Fox and the Monkey
• Takes place at a great meeting of animals where the monkey started dancing, entertaining all the others so much that they elect him their new king
• The fox did not vote for him, though, and was upset others did
• One day the fox found a trap with meat in it, so he went to the monkey to warn him about it and the monkey ends up greedily reaching for the meat and getting trapped, so the fox laughs and says he is not fit to be king, so soon after a new election was held
• Lesson: "The true leader proves himself by his qualities"
• The Flies and the Honey
• Upset jar of honey let its contents pour out of its sides and soon flies swarmed to it to eat, but ended up covered in honey and died
• Lesson: "Be not greedy for a little passing pleasure. It may destroy you"
• The Eagle and the Kite
• Eagle sat in a tree when a kite noticed she looked sad, so the kite asked what was wrong and the eagle told it she wanted to get married
• The kite offered to marry her, claiming it was even stronger than her and it could carry large amounts of food
• They married and the eagle soon found that the kite lied about its strength to get with her
• Lesson: "Everything is fair in love"
• The Stag, the Sheep, and the Wolf
• Stag approached a sheep to ask for some wheat, but the sheep was hesitant knowing that he could make away with the wheat if he wanted, so he said a wolf could vouch for him
• The sheep laughed and said there is no way she would trust a wolf, so she does not give any wheat to the stag
• Lesson: "Two blacks do not make a white"
• The Animals and the Plague
• Severe plague affected almost all animals, killing or severely hurting its victims
• Lion calls a meeting with all the animals and decides that the plague was sent by the gods for all of their sins and that they must sacrifice the one who sinned worst
• After the lion admitted that he ate many others (especially lambs), the fox said that it was good because they are stupid anyways, so any animals who had done the same believed they were safe
• A donkey admitted that he ate a bit of grass that was not hit, so the animals through a fit and decided he must be sacrificed
• Lesson: "The weak are made to suffer for the misdeeds of the powerful"
• The Shepherd and the Lion
• Shepherd noticed one day that he lost some sheep, so he exclaimed that he would punish the thief, which he suspected was a wolf
• He also promised Jupiter that he would offer a fat calf as reward for helping him find his sheep
• Shepherd search on a large mountain to no avail, but ran into a lion with a sheep in its mouth, so he fell to his knees and prayed to Jupiter saying he would give a full bull if he makes the lion go away
• Lesson: "Do not foolishly ask for things that would bring ruin if they were granted"
• The Bees, the Wasps, and the Hornet
• Honey was found in a tree so the wasps and bees both claimed that it was theirs, leading to a fight that had to be settled by a hornet
• Witnesses claimed they saw winged insects striped black and yellow near the tree, which did not help
• Hornet adjourned for six weeks to think, and when it started back up there were many witnesses, but an old bee advised that the honey would be bad soon so both groups should built a new honey comb to decide, which the wasps rejected since they could not, so the hornet decided it belonged to the bees
• Lesson: "Ability proves itself by deeds"
• The Lark and Her Young Ones
• Lark nested in a field of wheat and soon its farmer decided it needed to be reaped, which frightened the baby larks, but their mom reassured them that they need their friends to help so it will take a while before they start
• Wheat got to peak ripeness and the farmer decided the next day they shall start with or without help, so the larks and their mom decide to leave since he will be doing the work himself
• Lesson: "Self-help is the best help"
• The Cat and the Old Rat
• Rats had to hide completely from a clever cat who could catch them easily, so the cat had to use new tricks to catch one and pretended to be dead
• Slowly the rats left their dens and celebrated the cat's death until the cat surprised them and was able to catch three or four
• The cat then used another trick by hiding in a bag of flour and waiting for rats to come eat from it, but an older rat said it looked a lot like a cat and decided to stay in his den warning others to keep a safe distance
• Lesson: "The wise do not let themselves be tricked a second time"
• The Ass and His Shadow
• A traveler hires a donkey and his driver to take him a long distance and after traveling a while, the traveler became so hot that they stopped to rest and he decided to rest in the donkey's shadow
• The driver became upset because he was even more exhausted and started arguing with the traveler to share the donkey's shade, causing a fight while the donkey laid down, removing his shadow
• Lesson: "In quarreling about the shadow we often lose the substance"
• The Ant and the Dove
• Dove watch an ant fall into some water and struggle to swim, so it tossed a piece of straw to it to hold onto as it floated back to shore
• Later, the ant saw a man ready to kill the dove with a stone, so the ant stung him and threw his aim off so the dove could fly away
• Lesson: "A kindness is never wasted"
• The Wolf, the Kid, and the Goat
• Mother goat went to market to get provisions for her only kid and told him not to let anyone in the house unless he said a specific password, which a wolf passing by happened to hear
• After the mother goat left, the wolf walked up to the house and said the password, but the kid was still uneasy and asked to see his paws to be safe, which let him know that it was a wolf at the door, so he did not let him in
• Lesson: "Two sureties are better than one"
• The Swallow and the Crow
• Swallow and crow are arguing about their plumage and the swallow is bragging about his bright, fluffy feathers and talking down on the crow's stiff, black ones
• The crow pointed out that the swallow's feathers only allowed it to be around in the spring, but the crow was out all the time
• Lesson: "Friends in fine weather only, are not worth much"
• Jupiter and the Monkey
• Animals had a baby contest hosted by Jupiter, who provided a prize to the winner
• The monkey was the proudest of her baby and showed it off, but it was met with laughter and made fun of for its looks
• The monkey disregarded the comments and said she knows it will grow up to be beautiful
• Lesson: "Mother love is blind"
• The Hare and His Ears
• Lion was eating a goat and its horns injured him, so he got mad and told any animals with horns to leave his premise within the next day
• All those with horns complied, and the rabbit, seeing his ears looked like horns the next morning, decided to leave just to be safe as well since he was sure the lion would not care
• Lesson: "Your enemies will seize any excuse to attack you"
• The Wolves and the Sheep
• Dogs were keeping wolves away from a pack of sheep as they ate, but the wolves deceivingly told the sheep that they would get along great if it were not for the pestering dogs guarding them, so the sheep sent the dogs away and the wolves ate them
• Lesson: "Do not give up friends for foes"
• The Fox and the Cock
• A hungry fox went to a hen house and got caught in a trap, so the rooster saw him tangled up and got a close look
• The wolf told the rooster that he was on his way to visit a sick relative and to let him out, but the rooster refused, knowing that the wolf would eat them, so later the farmer came out and took care of the wolf
• Lesson: "The wicked deserve no aid"
• The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle
• Two roosters who hated each other decided to fight one day until one of them was so injured he had to crawl away and hide
• The winner perched atop the hen house and crowed loudly to declare his victory, which caught the attention of an eagle overhead who swooped down and carried him away, leading to the other rooster becoming the "king"
• Lesson: "Pride goes before a fall"