The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
- 3 minute read
- Ages 5-9
- Aesop's Fables
A town mouse went to visit his cousin in the country.
The country mouse was delighted. He gave his guest the best of everything he had: barley stalks, a few roots, some dried corn and a piece of bacon rind he had been saving.
The town mouse ate a little, pushed the rest around, and put his fork down.
Come and see how I live
"Cousin," he said, "how do you bear it? Roots and barley. You live like an ant. Come back with me and see what food actually looks like."
So they set off that evening and walked into the town, and late at night they came to a great house and slipped in under a door.
The town mouse led the way into the dining room, and up a leg of the table, and out onto the cloth.
The remains of a feast were still lying there.
There was cake. There was cheese of three kinds. There was honey and jelly and a dish of dates and the crumbling edge of a pie.
The country mouse had never imagined such a thing existed. He sat down and started on the cake and thought he had been a fool his whole life.
The door
Then the door opened.
Two enormous dogs came in, barking, and the whole room shook with it. The mice went off the table and down the leg and under the sideboard and lay flat in the dark, not breathing, while paws crossed the floorboards inches from their heads.
It went on a long time. Then it stopped, and the dogs went out, and the house was quiet again.
The town mouse got up and brushed himself down.
"Well," he said cheerfully, "shall we go back up? There is still most of that cake."
The country mouse did not move.
"Does that happen often?"
"Every night," said the town mouse. "You get used to it."
Home
The country mouse thought about it.
Then he stood up and made for the door.
"Goodbye, cousin," he said. "It is very fine cake. But I would rather eat barley in peace than cake in a house where I have to run for my life to finish it."
And he walked back to the country in the dark, and slept very well.
Moral of the story
A simple life you can enjoy calmly is worth more than a rich one you are always afraid in. Comfort is not the same as safety.
Questions and answers
- What did the country mouse serve his guest?
Barley stalks, roots, dried corn and a piece of bacon rind, which was the best he had.
- Why did the town mouse invite his cousin to the town?
He thought the country food was poor and wanted to show his cousin the rich food available in town.
- What did the mice find in the dining room?
The remains of a feast: cake, three kinds of cheese, honey, jelly, dates and pie.
- What interrupted the meal?
Two large dogs came into the room barking, and the mice had to hide under the sideboard until they left.
- Why did the country mouse go home?
He decided that eating simple food in peace was better than eating rich food while constantly in danger.
Word meanings
- rind
- The tough outer skin of bacon, cheese or fruit.
- feast
- A large meal with a lot of good food.
- sideboard
- A long piece of dining-room furniture used for storing dishes.
- bear
- To put up with something difficult.
Questions about The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
What is the moral of The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse?
The moral is that a modest life lived in peace is better than a luxurious one lived in fear. Safety is worth more than comfort.
Is the town mouse wrong in the story?
Not exactly. He genuinely enjoys his life and has adjusted to the danger. The fable simply shows that his cousin values something different.
How old is this fable?
It is one of Aesop's fables from ancient Greece, and the Roman poet Horace retold it around two thousand years ago.
What can children learn from this story?
That different people want different things from life, and that more is not automatically better.