Aesop's Fables

Retold by Julie Harding • Illustrated by Maria Voris • S M • P www.readinga-z.com

Aesop’s Fables A Reading A–Z Level P Leveled Book • Word Count: 983

Connections Writing and Art Write and illustrate your own fable. Start by thinking of an important lesson. Then, use animals as characters to teach that lesson in a short story. Share your fable with the class. Social Studies What is a moral? How is each moral connected to its fable? Why are morals taught in stories? Discuss with a partner.

Visit www.readinga-z.com for thousands of books and materials. Aesop’s Fables

Retold by Julie Harding Illustrated by Maria Voris www.readinga-z.com Focus Question

What can people learn from Aesop’s fables?

www.readinga-z.com

28 DRA

M Fountas & Pinnell & Fountas

Illustrated by Maria Voris Maria by Illustrated

LEVEL P LEVEL

Retold by Julie Harding Julie by Retold

Level P Leveled Book Leveled P Level

Aesop’s Fables Aesop’s

luxury luxury

humble humble strengths

greedy slurped slurped

flatter flatter pasture pasture

compliments compliments pantry Words to Know to Words Table of Contents The Fox and the Stork � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4 The Fox and the Crow � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 6 The Crow and the Pitcher � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8 The Dog and His Reflection � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9 The Peacock � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 10 The City Mouse and the Country Mouse � � � � � � � � � � � � 12 The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 14 Glossary � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 16

Aesop’s Fables • Level P 3

� before day the wrong been had he that

The hungry fox admitted admitted fox hungry The � jar the into down reach could beak long

The stork ate easily because his his because easily ate stork The � not could he but meat, the to get

The fox eagerly tried to to tried eagerly fox The � table the on it set and neck long a with jar

The stork placed some tasty meat in a a in meat tasty some placed stork The � dinner for home his to fox

the asked and favor the return to decided stork the day, next The

� eat to nothing with left was stork poor the

up all the soup, while while soup, the all up and laughed fox The � dish the into slurped

was hungry, but all he could do was dip the tip of his long beak beak long his of tip the dip was do could he all but hungry, was

The stork stork The � dish flat a into soup the poured fox the arrived, stork

When the the When � soup eat to over stork the friend his invited fox The The Fox and the Stork the and Fox The Moral: If you do mean things to others, they might do mean things to you in return�

Aesop’s Fables • Level P 5

� mouth waiting fox’s the to down

She opened her beak, and the piece of cheese tumbled tumbled cheese of piece the and beak, her opened She � fox the for

, so she decided to sing sing to decided she so , hear to loved crow the Now, compliments

” � fly you as beautifully as sing

“I bet you you bet “I � continued fox the gracefully,” so and fast so fly “You

� fox the at down

This caught the crow’s attention, and she looked looked she and attention, crow’s the caught This � said he seen,”

“Oh, Madam Crow, you truly are the prettiest bird I have ever ever have I bird prettiest the are truly you Crow, Madam “Oh,

� crow the to talk to tree the to over trotted and plan a

made fox crafty The � cheese of piece tasty a had she beak her In

� tree a in branch favorite her to fly crow the saw fox hungry The The Fox and the Crow the and Fox The When the fox was finished eating, he smiled up at the crow� “Thank you for the delicious snack,” he said� “I got just what I wanted�”

Moral: Do not trust strangers who try to flatter you�

Aesop’s Fables • Level P 7

� once at all

Doing things little by little is just as good as doing things things doing as good as just is little by little things Doing Moral:

� wanted he all drank then crow The � top the

many pebbles, but soon the water reached reached water the soon but pebbles, many

It took a long time and and time long a took It � rise to began water

Slowly, the the Slowly, � pitcher the into them dropping

up the pebbles and, one at a time, began began time, a at one and, pebbles the up

He picked picked He � ground the on scattered pebbles noticed then He � move

The crow tried tilting the pitcher, but it was too heavy to to heavy too was it but pitcher, the tilting tried crow The � inside

The pitcher was too tall for the crow’s short beak to reach the water water the reach to beak short crow’s the for tall too was pitcher The

� drink a for it toward hurried and water of full half was that pitcher

He saw a a saw He � thirsty very was he and day, all flying been had crow The The Crow and the Pitcher the and Crow The The Dog and His Reflection A dog was walking along happily with a nice piece of meat in his mouth� As he crossed a bridge over a stream, he glanced at the water below� Looking back up at him was another dog who also had some meat� The dog on the bridge wanted more, so he bent down and snapped at the other dog� As he did, his own meat fell from his mouth into the stream� The sad dog then realized that he had not seen another dog, only his own reflection�

Moral: If you are always greedy for more, you might lose what you already have�

Aesop’s Fables • Level P 9

” ” � are you as just special are You � beautiful and big are

Yes, the nightingale has a pretty song, but you you but song, pretty a has nightingale the Yes, � smart very is raven

The parrot can speak different languages, and the the and languages, different speak can parrot The � strong very is

The falcon is very fast, and the eagle eagle the and fast, very is falcon The � gifts different have creatures

“All living living “All � goddess the scolded everything,” at good is one “No

� Peacock said terrible,” sounds voice my but “Yes,

� gems in covered is it like looks tail

Your neck feathers shine with every color of the rainbow, and your your and rainbow, the of color every with shine feathers neck Your

� be not should you but nightingale, the of jealous are “You replied,

The goddess goddess The � voice nice a for animals of goddess the asked he so

nightingale, the like songs beautiful sing to wanted Peacock

� laugh people made voice strange his spoke, Peacock When The Peacock The Moral: We all have different strengths� Treasure your own gifts and talents�

Aesop’s Fables • Level P 11

” ” � mice for hunting always is she and here, lives that cat a

is “There � nervously mouse city the said softly,” speak “Shhh,

” � well very eat

“You must must “You � mouse country the exclaimed food!” this all at “Look

� foods fine of plenty with filled was

kitchen The � new and shiny looked Everything � home pantry

The city mouse decided to show his cousin around his fancy fancy his around cousin his show to decided mouse city The

� place one in living

And he had never seen so many other mice mice other many so seen never had he And � was city the busy

The country mouse was surprised by how how by surprised was mouse country The � mouse city rich the

The poor country mouse decided to go on a trip to visit his cousin, cousin, his visit to trip a on go to decided mouse country poor The The City Mouse and the Country Mouse Country the and Mouse City The The country mouse decided he’d seen enough� He would rather live in the poor, quiet country than the crowded, dangerous city� He thanked his cousin and returned to his humble home�

Moral: It is better to live simply in safety than to live in luxury and fear�

Aesop’s Fables • Level P 13

� real was it sure was he until gate the through sheep a

let never shepherd the on, day that From � back come to not him

The shepherd then chased the wolf out of the pasture and warned warned and pasture the of out wolf the chased then shepherd The

� time in just lamb the rescued He � to up

was he what saw shepherd the but eat, to lamb little a found

The sneaky wolf wolf sneaky The � in wolf the let and gate pasture the opened

He He � disguise wolf’s the by fooled was sheep the of charge in

shepherd The � peacefully grazing were sheep of flock A � pasture

A hungry wolf disguised himself as a sheep and visited a nearby nearby a visited and sheep a as himself disguised wolf hungry A The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Sheep’s in Wolf The Moral: The way things look is not always the way things are�

Aesop’s Fables • Level P 15

11) � (p qualities or characteristics beneficial or good (n.) strengths strengths

4) � (p noisily drank or ate (v.) slurped slurped

14) � (p feed cattle, and sheep as such animals, grazing

which on plants low other and grass with field a (n.) pasture pasture

12) � (p stored are utensils cooking or dishes, food,

a small room or closet connected to a kitchen where where kitchen a to connected closet or room small a (n.) pantry pantry

13) � (p necessary

not is but comfort gives that valuable anything (n.) luxury luxury

13) � (p modest or simple (adj.) humble humble

9) � (p deserves or needs one what than more wanting (adj.) greedy greedy

7) � (p something gaining of

purpose the for especially compliment, a give to (v.) flatter flatter

6) � (p praise or admiration of expressions (n.) (n.) compliments compliments Glossary