Aesop's Fables

LEVELED BOOK • S 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 S Leveled Book • Word Count: 1,125

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?

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34 DRA

O Fountas & Pinnell & Fountas

Illustrated by Maria Voris Maria by Illustrated

LEVEL S LEVEL

Retold by Julie Harding Julie by Retold

Level S Leveled Book Leveled S Level

Aesop’s Fables Aesop’s

humble humble

greedy greedy strengths

flattering flattering slurped slurped

devised raspy raspy

compliments persistence persistence 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 S 3

� wrong been had

hungry fox learned his lesson and admitted that his prank the day before before day the prank his that admitted and lesson his learned fox hungry

The The � jar the into down reach could beak long his because easily ate however,

The stork, stork, The � neck narrow jar’s the past get not could he but meat, the to get to

tried eagerly fox The � share to them of both for table the on it set and neck

The stork placed some tasty meat in a jar with a long long a with jar a in meat tasty some placed stork The � dinner for home his

The next day, the stork decided to return the favor and invited the fox to to fox the invited and favor the return to decided stork the day, next The

� dinner for nothing

up all the soup while the poor stork was left with with left was stork poor the while soup the all up easily he and slurped

The fox laughed at his prank, prank, his at laughed fox The � dish the into beak long his of tip the dip was

The stork was very hungry, but all he could do do could he all but hungry, very was stork The � eat to them for table the on it

the stork arrived for dinner, the fox poured the soup into a flat dish and set set and dish flat a into soup the poured fox the dinner, for arrived stork the

When When � soup homemade some for 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 S 5

� mouth waiting fox’s eager the into down

soon as the crow opened her beak, the piece of cheese fell out and tumbled tumbled and out fell cheese of piece the beak, her opened crow the as soon

As As � him for song own her sing to decided she praises, her singing was fox

Since the the Since � hear to loved who bird vain a was crow the Now, compliments

” � fly you as beautifully as

“No doubt you sing sing you doubt “No � continued fox the gracefully,” so and fast so fly “You

� fox admiring the at down gazed she

words caught the crow’s attention, and and attention, crow’s the caught words His � sweetly said he seen,” flattering

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

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

The crafty fox quickly quickly fox crafty The � cheese of morsel tasty a carried she beak, her In

� tree nearby 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 dismayed crow� “I thank you, Madam Crow, for the delicious snack,” he said�

Moral: Do not trust strangers who engage in flattery�

Aesop’s Fables • Level S 7

� rewards yield can patience and Moral: Persistence

� content heart’s his to drink could crow

The patient patient The � pitcher the of top the reached

and many pebbles, but eventually the water water the eventually but pebbles, many and

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

Bit by bit, bit, by Bit � pitcher the into them dropping

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

The crow picked picked crow The � ground the on scattered pebbles noticed then He � budge

The thirsty crow tried tilting the heavy clay pitcher, but it would not not would it but pitcher, clay heavy the tilting tried crow thirsty The

� water the reach not could he and though, beak, short crow’s the for long too

was neck pitcher’s The � thirst his quench to it toward hurried and water

He noticed a clay pitcher partially filled with with filled partially pitcher clay a noticed He � parched and scratchy was

The crow had been flying all day under a blazing hot sun, and his throat throat his and sun, hot blazing a under day all flying been had crow The The Crow and the Pitcher the and Crow The The Dog and His Reflection A dog was trotting along happily with a juicy hunk of meat in his mouth� As he crossed a bridge over a stream, he glanced down� Gazing back up at him was another dog carrying his own tasty bit of meat� The dog on the bridge saw an opportunity, so he bent down and snapped at the other dog’s meal� As he did, his own hunk of meat fell from his mouth into the stream� The disappointed dog then realized that what he had seen was not another dog, but merely his own reflection in the water�

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

Aesop’s Fables • Level S 9

Can’t you see you are special just as you are?” are?” you as just special are you see you Can’t � beautiful and big are

Yes, the nightingale has a magnificent singing voice, but you you but voice, singing magnificent a has nightingale the Yes, � smart very is

The parrot can speak different languages, and the raven raven the and languages, different speak can parrot The � wind the as strong

The falcon is fast as lightning, and the eagle is is eagle the and lightning, as fast is falcon The � gifts different with blessed

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

� lamented Peacock the terrible,” sounds voice squawking my but “Yes,

” � gems in covered is it like looks tail your

The feathers on your neck shine with every color of the rainbow, and and rainbow, the of color every with shine neck your on feathers The � be to

goddess replied, “You are jealous of the nightingale, but you have no reason reason no have you but nightingale, the of jealous are “You replied, goddess

The The � voice pleasing a him grant to animals of goddess the with pleaded

Peacock longed to sing beautiful songs just as the nightingale did, so he he so did, nightingale the as just songs beautiful sing to longed Peacock

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

Aesop’s Fables • Level S 11

” ” � mice for prowl the on always is she

There is a cat that guards the pantry, and and pantry, the guards that cat a is There � voice your lower must you “But

� nervously around looked he as mouse city the whispered yes,” “Well,

” � well very eat must

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

� shelves pantry kitchen the on stored

Everything was of the finest quality, including the delicious foods foods delicious the including quality, finest the of was Everything � home

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

� place one in

living mice other many so seen never had He � was city the crowded

The country mouse was surprised at how busy and and busy how at surprised was mouse country The � city the in cousin

rich his visit and journey a take 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 had his fill of city life� He much preferred the quiet aloneness of country life to the crowded, dangerous city� He thanked his cousin for the visit 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 S 13

� sheep real a

was it sure make to it inspected carefully had shepherd the until gate the

From that day on, no creature passed through through passed creature no on, day that From � return to never him warned

Waving his staff, the shepherd chased the wolf from the pasture and and pasture the from wolf the chased shepherd the staff, his Waving

� time of nick the just in wolf the from lamb the rescued He � happening

unsuspecting lamb to eat, but by then the shepherd had realized what was was what realized had shepherd the then by but eat, to lamb unsuspecting

The sneaky wolf soon found an an found soon wolf sneaky The � inside wolf the herded and gate pasture the

He opened opened He � costume wolf’s the by fooled was sheep the tending shepherd The

� peacefully grazing were sheep of flock a where pasture nearby a visited and

A hungry wolf wanted some dinner, so he disguised himself as a sheep sheep a as himself disguised he so dinner, some wanted wolf hungry A The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Sheep’s in Wolf The Moral: The way things appear is not always the way things really are�

Aesop’s Fables • Level S 15

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

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

10) � (p grating or sounding harsh (adj.) (adj.) raspy raspy

8) � (p expected or usual than longer continuing of

quality the stopping; or ending not of quality the (n.) persistence persistence

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

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

6) � (p complimentary praise; of full (adj.) flattering flattering

6) � (p thought careful with plan a formed (v.) devised devised

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