The Fox and the Stork
- 2 minute read
- Ages 5-9
- Aesop's Fables
A fox invited a stork to dinner, and he did it because he thought it would be funny.
The stork arrived on time, polite and pleased to be asked.
The first dinner
The fox served soup.
He served it in two wide, flat dishes, the sort a fox can lap from very easily and a stork cannot use at all.
The fox finished his in a few seconds and looked up.
The stork stood over hers and dipped her long beak in, and got nothing. She tried from the side. She tried tilting it. The soup lay in a thin layer across the bottom of the dish and her beak could not gather any of it.
"Is it not to your liking?" said the fox, trying not to laugh.
"It is very good," said the stork. "I am simply not managing it."
"What a shame," said the fox. "Do not let it go to waste."
And he ate hers as well.
The stork thanked him for the evening, said it had been most interesting, and went home hungry.
The second dinner
A week later she invited him back.
The fox came, expecting nothing much, and the smell from the kitchen was extraordinary. Fish and herbs and something rich underneath it.
The stork brought the meal in.
It was served in two tall jars with long narrow necks.
She put her beak straight down into hers and ate steadily and with obvious enjoyment.
The fox pushed his nose at the opening of the jar. It would not go in. He tried tipping it and it was too heavy. He licked at the rim, where there was nothing, and sat and watched her eat.
"Is it not to your liking?" said the stork.
"It smells wonderful," said the fox.
"What a shame," said the stork. "Do not let it go to waste."
Moral of the story
If you play a trick on someone, expect it back. A joke that only works because the other person cannot object is not a joke.
Questions and answers
- Why did the fox invite the stork to dinner?
He thought it would be funny to serve her a meal she could not eat.
- How did the fox serve the soup?
In wide flat dishes, which he could lap from easily but the stork's long beak could not use.
- What did the fox do with the stork's soup?
He ate it himself after she failed to manage any of it.
- How did the stork serve her meal?
In tall jars with long narrow necks, which suited her beak perfectly and shut the fox out completely.
- What is the point of the stork copying the fox?
She shows him what his own joke felt like, using his exact words back at him, without ever losing her temper.
Word meanings
- stork
- A tall wading bird with very long legs and a long beak.
- lap
- To drink by scooping liquid up with the tongue.
- rim
- The top edge of a cup, dish or jar.
- extraordinary
- Very unusual or remarkable.
Questions about The Fox and the Stork
What is the moral of The Fox and the Stork?
The moral is that unkind tricks come back to you. If you treat someone badly, you cannot complain when they treat you the same way.
Why does the stork not get angry?
Her calm reply is what makes the fable work. She answers the trick with the same trick and the same words, which lands harder than shouting would.
Is the fox punished in the story?
Not by anyone else. He simply experiences exactly what he did to the stork, which is the whole point.
What is a good discussion question for children?
Ask whether the stork was being kind, fair or unkind, and whether the fox learned anything. Children usually disagree, which is what makes it worth asking.