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The Wisdom of Aesop. Part 2

Aesop’s Fables are quick and easy to tell. The problem is they are oftentimes too short. With experimentation, it is not difficult to combine tales with similar morals or characters to create a series or a longer tale.

 
I enjoy combining The Fox and Crow with The Fox and Stork. A summary of my version Sometimes the Trickster Gets Tricked goes something like this: 
Fox was hungry! His tummy grumbled something terrible. Wouldn’t you know he saw Crow sitting up on the branch with a delicious looking piece of cheese! He thought of a plan to trick Crow of the cheese by asking her to sing. She knew she couldn’t sing, but his flattery was so charming, she sang causing the cheese to fall right into Fox’s mouth. Crow knew she had been tricked.
 
Crow complained to her friend Stork. Arrogant Stork began to brag that she could never be tricked so easily so Crow went to Fox and together they came up with a great plan to trick Stork.
 
Fox invited Stork for dinner but served it in a narrow dish from which Stork could not eat. Stork went home complaining to Crow about the terrible meal. Crow suggested Stork get revenge inviting Fox for dinner and serving it in a tall vase that Fox could not eat out of easily. When Fox arrived and saw the tall vase, he laughed as now all three had been tricked. Crow came out of hiding with a tray of cheese she shared with all. Those who trick others must expect to be tricked!
 
Young students need to have certain concepts explained to them such as stork and vase, but overall this story stretches from the young to the young-at-heart. Combining the two short stories gives me a solid five minute story with a good moral.
 
McGovern, Ann. Aesop’s Fables. New York: Scholastic, 1963.