Be Content Five Classic Moral Stories for Kids Little Fox

Little Fox One fine day, a greedy dog took a walk. He saw something in the grass. Oh, it's a bone! I love bones, he said. What a lucky day! Lucky day, lucky day! Hmm, how will I cook my new bone, he said. Will I smoke it? No. Will I boil it? No. Will I fry it? No way! I will eat it as it is. That is the best way to eat a delicious bone! Lululala, lululala! He danced. Lululala! What if another dog sees me, he said. No, I will not! I will not share my bone! It is all mine! Hmm, where can I hide my bone? He looked around and quickly left the park. He ran and ran. Finally, he ran onto a bridge. Phew, now my bone is safe, he thought. The greedy dog was very tired. So he rested on the bridge. He looked down into the stream. Hey, who is that? he thought. That dog has a bone too! Hmm, his bone is bigger than mine. And his bone still has meat on it. The greedy dog wanted the other bone too. Woof, woof! Give me that bone! he said. Oh, my bone! It is gone! Woof, woof! But it was too late. His bone fell into the deep stream. Once upon a time, there lived an old fisherman and his wife. They lived in a modest hut on a small island. Every day, the fisherman went fishing with his net. Usually, he did not catch many fish. But one day, his luck changed. Oh, my! The fisherman exclaimed as he started to haul in his heavy net. I must have caught an enormous fish! But when the fisherman looked in the net, he was stunned. The heavy net was empty except for one tiny golden fish. The fisherman peered more closely at the fish. Suddenly, the creature opened its mouth, startling the man. Please do not kill me! the golden fish pleaded. Return me to the sea, and I will do whatever you wish. This is no ordinary fish, the old man realized. He took pity on the small creature. I am content, he said. I do not need anything from you. Go back to the sea. At home, the fisherman's wife asked, as she always did, Did you catch anything today? The fisherman shrugged. Nothing but a small golden fish. Then the fisherman told his wife about the extraordinary golden fish in his net. When the man relayed that he had let the golden fish go, his wife's face darkened with fury. You fool! she bellowed. That was a magic fish! Why did you let it go? Why did you not wish for something like bread for us to eat? The wife reprimanded her husband all night long. Finally, the fisherman couldn't stand his wife's complaints anymore. He returned to the sea to look for the magic fish. Little fish! Little fish! the man called out. Soon, the golden fish swam to the shore. What do you want, old man? My wife is very angry, the fisherman said. She wants me to ask you for something. What does she want? asked the fish. She wants bread, replied the man. You gave me my life, answered the fish. Go home, and you will find what your wife wished for. Then it swam away. When the man returned to his hut, he asked, Do we have bread now? We have plenty of bread now, his wife informed him. But our hut is in disrepair and about to collapse. Return to the golden fish and demand a fine new cottage. Little fish! Little fish! the man called out. Soon, the golden fish swam to the shore. What do you want, old man? My wife is discontent. Now she wants a fine new cottage. The man answered. Go home, and you will find what she wished for, said the fish. Then it swam away. When the man returned home, he was amazed to see that a fine new cottage had replaced his small, modest hut. Just then, his wife ran toward him. Go back to the golden fish, she demanded. And tell the fish, I want to be queen of this island. Again, the fisherman obeyed his wife's command and headed back to the sea. Little fish! Little fish! he called out. Soon, the golden fish swam to the shore. What do you want now, old man? My wife wants to be the queen of the island. Go home, and you will find what she wished for, said the fish. Then it swam away. When the fisherman arrived home, he stopped in his tracks and stared in amazement. A magnificent palace, bustling with guards, horses, and servants, had replaced the cottage. The old man entered the palace. Sitting on a golden throne, dressed in the elegant attire of a queen, was his wife. Pardon me, wife? the man spoke quietly. Wife? How dare you address the queen as your wife? she screamed loudly. Guards! Take this disgusting man away! The guards dragged the fisherman away. While his wife ruled the island, he spent his days sweeping the palace like a servant. Then one day, the queen summoned the fisherman. You old fool! she ordered him. Go back to that fish and tell him that I no longer want to be queen. Now, I want to be the empress of the sea! What? The man stared at his greedy wife in disbelief. No! he refused, slowly shaking his head. You already have more than you need. Go to the fish, or I will chop your head off! threatened the queen. The fisherman was taken back to the sea. Little fish! Little fish! But this time, the golden fish did not appear. Little fish! Little fish! the man called again. Still, the golden fish did not answer. The old man called out a third time. Little fish! Little fish! Suddenly, the sky turned dark, and the waves in the sea crashed and roared. At last, the golden fish swam up to the shore. What do you want, old man? The fisherman bent his head low and spoke in a trembling voice. My... my wife... now she wants to be the empress of the sea. The fish did not say a word. Instead, it simply turned and disappeared into the churning waters. When the old man returned home, he could not believe his eyes. The magnificent palace was gone. In its place stood their old, modest hut. The fisherman and his wife returned to their former life. Every day, the fisherman went fishing as usual. But he never caught the extraordinary golden fish again. George and Mabel lived on a small farm. Though they had little, they were happy. But one year, the weather was hot and dry. Very few crops grew. Even their last chicken died. George looked at the vegetables and sighed. We don't have much to sell at the market this year. That means a very hard winter, Mabel. Mabel looked nervous. I hope we'll be okay. At the market, George sold his vegetables for a few coins. By the time he reached home, he was even more worried. This money will not last long, he thought. Honk! What's that? George thought. Honk! George followed the noise to the empty chicken coop. He saw a goose. Where did you come from? George asked. Just then, something shiny caught his eye. George looked in the coop. He saw an egg. He picked it up and his eyes went wide. It wasn't just any egg. It was a golden egg. Mabel! He cried as he ran inside. We don't have to worry anymore. Mabel looked at him confused. What? George showed her the egg. Tears of joy filled Mabel's eyes. We'll have food and fuel for the winter. The next day, the goose laid another golden egg. George was thrilled. If the goose lays more golden eggs, we'll be rich. You can buy new clothes. We can build a huge house. Now, now, Mabel said. We don't need any of that. We've lived just fine the way we are. These two eggs will be a huge help. That night, George kept thinking of the goose. Surely it would lay more golden eggs. I could get jewels for Mabel, he thought. And some fancy shoes for myself, and... George sat up in bed. I'll open the goose's belly. Then I can get all the eggs at once. George slipped outside. Inside the coop, the goose was sleeping. George reached for the goose and... Honk, honk! Suddenly, the goose bit George's arm. Ouch! George cried. The goose flapped its wings and chased George. Honk, honk! George tripped and fell on his face. When he looked up, he saw the goose flying away. Mabel ran outside. What's going on? George told Mabel what happened. He hung his head in shame. The goose could have helped us a lot. But now, because of me, we lost it. Oh... Mabel sighed. Oh, George. Bad things happen when people become greedy. One fine day, a young farm girl walked to the market. Her name was Molly. On her head, she carried a pail of milk. I am so excited! The market has so much to see. After I sell my milk, what should I buy? She wondered. Hmm... Let me think. But Molly had only one pail of milk. She could not sell it for a lot of money. I will buy one hen, she decided. What would I do with just one hen? One hen would lay many eggs. Then the eggs would hatch. What would I do with all the chicks? I would feed the chicks. They would grow large and healthy. Then they would lay more eggs. The eggs would hatch, and I would have more chicks. Then I would sell many eggs and chicks. People would come from all around to buy them. I would be rich! Molly smiled. I would buy beautiful clothes, golden pins for my hair, and shiny shoes. I would be the richest and most famous person in the village. One day, I would be invited to the palace. Everyone would envy me. I would meet a handsome prince. The prince would bow to me, and I would bow to him. I would say, Your Majesty, and bow like this. When Molly bowed, the pail fell from her head. The milk spilled everywhere. Molly cried and cried. The milk was gone, and Molly's dreams were gone, too. Once, there were two mice, Tony and Rick. They were cousins when they were young. They lived together in the country. When they grew up, Rick moved to the city, but Tony stayed in the country. Tony loved the country, but Rick did not. I love the country. It's clean, it's quiet, and it's safe. One day, Tony got a letter from Rick. Rick is coming to visit me here in the country. This is so fantastic. I can't wait to see my cousin again. Hello, Tony. Hello, Rick. I missed you very much. I have missed you, too, cousin. Now, Tony had a very humble house. He lived in the back of an old barn. He also had little to eat, just a few crumbs. But he had worked very hard to prepare a nice dinner for his cousin, Rick. I have made you a very fancy dinner, Rick. Tonight, we will eat some very nice carrots and cabbage. After dinner was finished, Rick smiled at Tony and said, Tony, my country cousin, you are very poor. Your house is nothing but a barn, and you have almost nothing to eat. In the city, I eat cheese, meat, and bread every night. Tony looked very surprised. He said with envy, Cheese, meat, and bread every night? Oh, yes, and I live in a beautiful warm house. Your barn is cold and dark. Tony became very envious of the city mouse. He decided to leave his poor country house. I want to live in the city. I want to live in a beautiful warm house. Come with me to the city. You can have all you want. So the next day, the two mice went to the city. But Tony didn't like the city. The city is very dirty and noisy. Where are the birds? I can't hear them sing. We don't have any birds. Where are the frogs? I can't hear them croak. No frogs here. Where is the sun? I don't see it shine. It's behind the tall buildings. Would you like to see my beautiful house? Of course. So off they went to Rick's house. The house was indeed beautiful and very large. When Tony saw the house, he was amazed. What a wonderful house! You must be very quiet or the woman will see you. If the woman sees you, she will kill you. Tony was very afraid. He did not want the woman to see him. Let's eat. When Tony saw the wonderful pile of food scraps, his eyes almost popped out of his head. Look at this food! I have never seen so much food in my life. Tony began to eat the wonderful food. But then, BAM! A large broom came crashing down in front of him. Run, cousin, run! If the woman catches you, she will kill you. Tony ran and he ran and he ran. He ran all the way back to the country. He was very frightened. He did not stop running until he was safe in his barn. I will never go back to the city. I love the country. I am safe here. It is clean and quiet. I love the birds. I love the frogs. I love the sun. Tony never ever left the country again.