Old Hen and Young Rooster
John Gay | England
A young rooster ignores his mother's warning and investigates a dangerous well, getting himself into trouble.
A fowler deceives a curious Blackbird with the promise of a marvelous city but captures it in a net instead.
A Bat, Thorn Bush, and Seagull started a business, but their ship sank, making the Bat hide, Seagull search, and Thorn Bush cling to fabric.
A hardworking Butcher's shop is visited by a stray dog that steals a sheep's heart, prompting the Butcher to be more vigilant.
Crows and owls feud over food and space, crows send a spy, gather information, and drive owls away, leading to peaceful coexistence.
A lion and bear fought over a goat, exhausting themselves, and a fox took advantage, leaving them with regret.
A sow refuses a wolf's offer to watch her piglets, seeing through the wolf's true intentions and protecting her young.
Clever spider Anansi tricked the turtle with soup, but the turtle's underwater house left Anansi wet and hungry.
Anansi, a clever little spider, challenges Elephant and Hippo to a tug-of-war. Can his wit win against strength in the jungle?
Once, an old hen led her chicks out to search for food. They scratched the ground and pecked at seeds, enjoying the day. But one little chick, while trying to stretch its wings, fluttered and fell into a well. The mother hen cried all day, worried and sad.
Later, she saw her oldest son, a strong young rooster, and said, "My dear boy, I’m happy to see how strong you’ve grown. I’ve heard you’re brave, and that’s good because roosters should be bold. But please, never go near that well. It’s a dangerous place for our family. Remember my words: stay away from it."
The young rooster thanked his mother for her advice and promised to stay away. But as days passed, he grew more and more curious. He thought to himself, "Why does Mother fear this well? Does she think I’m scared? Or maybe she’s hiding something interesting down there."
Finally, he decided to find out. He flew up to the edge of the well and looked down. To his surprise, he saw another rooster staring back at him from the water. Angry, he thought it was a challenger and fluffed his feathers to look fierce. He crowed loudly, then jumped down to fight this "enemy."
But it was only his reflection, and as he tried to fight it, he fell into the water, unable to get out. As he struggled, he remembered his mother’s warning and thought, "I should have listened to my mother."
Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock
Curious spider Anansi finds a magical rock that puts animals to sleep; he tricks them but is eventually outsmarted.
Fighting Goats and the Jackal
A clever jackal in search of an easy meal watches two fighting goats, but his greed leads to a painful lesson.
A Gardener and His Dog
A dog falls into a well, and the gardener, while trying to save him, gets bitten due to a misunderstanding, leaving the dog behind.
How the Turtle Saved His Own Life
A king's pond frightened the princes with a mistaken turtle monster, but the clever turtle escaped and swam back to safety.
The Dog borrowed food from the Sheep, forgot the debt, and refused to repay, leading to an unfair court decision against the innocent Sheep.
Anansi, a mischievous spider, tricks Brother Turtle to catch fish for him but learns the value of hard work in the end.
An ostrich, possessing characteristics of both birds and beasts, seamlessly moved between them, surprising and eventually gaining acceptance from both sides.
A frightened Thunny being chased by a Dolphin cleverly leads them both to the shore, where they both get stranded.
A confident mule enjoying a carefree break believed he had racing horse lineage, but after a day of labor, he doubted his heritage.
A spider named Anansi gathered all the wisdom in a large pot, but a child's simple suggestion shattered it, spreading wisdom everywhere.
Jackdaw, a plain bird, found and adorned himself with peacock feathers, only to be exposed and ridiculed, returning to his ordinary state in shame.
A strong Wolf believed he was a Lion and joined real Lions, only to realize he was just a regular Wolf among them.