The Fox and the Crow
- 2 minute read
- Ages 5-9
- Aesop's Fables
A crow found a piece of cheese outside a farmhouse door, picked it up in her beak and flew to a high branch to eat it in peace.
A fox trotting past looked up and saw her there.
He was hungry, and he could not climb, and shouting at her would only make her fly further off. So he sat down under the tree and thought about it.
The compliment
"Good morning," he called up, in his most pleasant voice. "What a beautiful bird you are."
The crow said nothing, but she turned her head slightly.
"I mean it," said the fox. "Look at those feathers. Black as anything, and shining. And the shape of you. I have never seen a bird so well made."
The crow shifted along the branch a little closer.
"There is only one thing I have always wondered," said the fox. "They say you have no voice. That a bird so handsome cannot sing a single note. I have never believed it. If you could sing even one note, you would be the queen of all the birds without question."
One note
The crow could not resist.
She was going to show this fox exactly what she could do. She lifted her head, opened her beak wide and let out a long, harsh, triumphant caw.
The cheese dropped out and fell straight down.
The fox snapped it up before it touched the ground.
"Thank you," he said, with his mouth full. "You do have a voice. What you do not have is any sense. Remember that next time somebody tells you how wonderful you are for no reason at all."
And he went off down the lane.
Moral of the story
Be careful of people who praise you heavily and want nothing in return. Flattery is usually the cheapest way to get something from you.
Questions and answers
- Where did the crow find the cheese?
She found it outside a farmhouse door and carried it up to a high branch.
- Why did the fox not simply take the cheese?
He could not climb the tree, and frightening the crow would have made her fly further away.
- What did the fox say to the crow?
He praised her feathers and her shape, then said he had heard she could not sing and did not believe it.
- Why did the crow open her beak?
She wanted to prove the fox wrong by showing him she could sing, and the cheese fell out as she cawed.
- What did the fox tell her at the end?
That she did have a voice but no sense, and that she should be suspicious of people who praise her for no reason.
Word meanings
- flattery
- Praise that is not sincere, usually said to get something.
- trotting
- Moving at a quick, steady pace.
- triumphant
- Feeling proud of a victory or achievement.
- resist
- To stop yourself from doing something you want to do.
Questions about The Fox and the Crow
What is the moral of The Fox and the Crow?
The moral is that flattery is dangerous. People who praise you excessively often want something, and vanity makes you easy to trick.
Why is the fox considered clever in this fable?
He works out that force will not get him the cheese, so he uses the crow's pride against her instead.
What is the crow's mistake?
Vanity. She had the cheese safely and lost it only because she wanted to be admired.
Is this fable good for young children?
Yes. It is short, the trick is easy to follow, and it opens a useful conversation about people who are too nice too quickly.