Aesop
|
Greece

The Hares and The Frogs

Persecuted Hares run from horses, contemplate drowning, but realize Frogs are even more afraid, finding solace in shared fear.
Fear
Perception
Resilience
The Mules and The Robbers
Audio available for B1 version

In a green forest, the Hares always felt scared. Whenever they spotted another creature, they would run away, frightened. One sunny day, they saw a group of wild horses galloping around. Fearing the worst, the Hares decided to race to a nearby lake, thinking it better to leap into its depths than constantly live in fear.

But as they hurried towards the lake, they spotted a bunch of Frogs hopping quickly away. Seeing the approaching Hares, the Frogs jumped into the water, their hearts pounding. One of the Hares, watching this, paused and thought.

"Look," he said, his voice shaking, "the Frogs are even more scared than us."

This moment gave them all pause, their eyes opening to a truth: no matter how bad they thought they had it, there were others who felt the same, maybe even worse. Their hearts still beat with fear, but now it was tinged with an understanding - they weren't alone in their fear.

The hares live in a forest. They are always scared. They run away when they see other animals. They think the animals will hurt them.

One sunny day, the hares see wild horses. The horses run very fast. The hares are very scared. They decide to jump into the lake. They do not want to be scared anymore.

As they run to the lake, they see frogs. The frogs jump into the water. The frogs are scared too.

One hare stops and watches. He says, "Look, the frogs are more scared than us."

The hares stop and think. They see that the frogs are scared too. They understand that other animals are also scared.

The hares feel a little better. They know they are not alone.

In a green forest, the hares were always scared. They ran away whenever they saw another animal, afraid it might hurt them. One sunny day, they saw a group of wild horses running nearby. Scared, the hares decided it was better to jump into a lake than to live in fear.

As they ran toward the lake, they saw some frogs jumping away in fear. When the frogs saw the hares coming, they jumped into the water to hide. One hare stopped and watched.

"Look," he said, "those frogs are more scared than we are."

This made all the hares stop and think. They realized that they were not the only ones feeling scared. Seeing the frogs, they understood that other animals felt the same fear, or even more. They still felt afraid, but now they knew they were not alone in their fear.

In a not-so-average green forest filled with creatures that would make your hair stand on end, the Hares had a habit of jumping at their own shadows. "Oh dear, oh my!" they'd say, skittering around like fluffy pancakes on a griddle.

One golden sunshiny day, the Hares spotted a group of wild horses doing the "galloping cha-cha." Frightened, the Hares decided to dash to a nearby lake, because, as everyone knows, "It's either a leap into the lake or life as a jittery jigsaw puzzle!"

But as they zipped and zoomed towards the lake, they spotted a bunch of Frogs hopping away like they were auditioning for the "Jumping Olympics." Seeing the approaching Hares, the Frogs made a splash, literally, their hearts beating like bongo drums.

One of the Hares, pulling up his imaginary suspenders, stopped to ponder the situation. "Look," he said, his voice shaking like jelly on a trampoline, "those Frogs are even more scared than us. And here I was thinking we'd win the 'Scaredy Critter of the Year' award!"

The other Hares stopped too, their fluffy tails twitching in agreement. They looked at each other with wide eyes, a lightbulb going off in their bunny brains.

"You mean, we're not the only scaredy-cats around here?" one of the Hares asked.

"Nope," another replied, "Looks like the Frogs have us beat. Who knew?"

This moment of revelation was like finding extra carrots in their lunch. They all realized that no matter how twitchy they felt, there were others who were just as jumpy, if not more so.

Their hearts still pounded like a drummer in a rock band, but now it was mixed with an understanding that being scared was universal, and they weren't alone in their fear.

And so, the Hares hopped away, still a bit frightened but feeling a little more like heroes, knowing that sometimes, it's okay to be a hare-raisingly scared bunny.

After all, even the bravest frogs have to jump sometimes!

Deep within a verdant glade,
Hares scampered, always afraid.
Every shadow, every sound,
Made their hearts all race and pound.

Sunlight danced, and horses played,
Yet Hares saw this and were dismayed.
"To the lake!" they cried with fright,
"Better there than live with fright."

But as the water neared in sight,
Frogs jumped in with all their might!
Hares stopped and stared, quite beguiled,
As each frog fled, not reconciled.

One Hare whispered, looking around,
"Frogs are scared, by leaps and bounds!"
The others nodded, some still shook,
In each other's eyes, they took a look.

For though their world seemed full of scare,
It was a feeling all did share.
Fear's a shadow, often cast,
But together, they'd hold fast.

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Word Finder

  1. Hares

    Fast animals with long ears and legs.

  2. Scared

    Feeling afraid of something or someone.

  3. Forest

    A big area with many trees.

  4. Wild

    Not tamed, living freely in nature.

  5. Horses

    Big animals people ride and work with.

  6. Decide

    To choose to do something.

  7. Lake

    A large body of water surrounded by land.

  8. Frogs

    Small animals that jump and live near water.

  9. Understand

    To know what something means.

  10. Alone

    Without other people or animals nearby.

  1. Hares

    Small animals with long ears, like rabbits.

  2. Scared

    Feeling afraid or frightened of something.

  3. Afraid

    Worried something bad might happen.

  4. Wild

    Living in nature, not controlled by people.

  5. Nearby

    Close in distance, not far away.

  6. Decided

    Made a choice or a conclusion.

  7. Toward

    In the direction of something.

  8. Lake

    A large area of water surrounded by land.

  9. Frogs

    Small animals that jump and live in water.

  10. Realized

    Understood something clearly for the first time.

Understanding Questions

  1. Where do the hares live?

    1. In a house
    2. In a city
    3. In a forest
    4. In a lake
  2. What do the hares do when they see other animals?

    1. They sleep
    2. They run away
    3. They play
    4. They eat
  3. What do the hares see one sunny day?

    1. Wild horses
    2. Lions
    3. Birds
    4. Wild dogs
  4. How do the hares feel when they see the frogs are also scared?

    1. Sad
    2. Angry
    3. A little better
    4. Hungry
  5. What do the hares learn from watching the frogs?

    1. Frogs can fly.
    2. Frogs are not scared.
    3. Other animals are also scared.
    4. Horses can swim.
  1. Why were the hares always scared in the forest?
  2. What did the hares see that made them decide to jump into the lake?
  3. How did the frogs react when they saw the hares coming toward them?
  4. What did one hare notice about the frogs' behavior?
  5. What realization did the hares have after seeing the frogs?
  1. Why did the hares decide to leap into the lake upon seeing the wild horses?
  2. What was the reaction of the frogs when they saw the hares approaching the lake?
  3. How did the hare's observation of the frogs change the perspective of the other hares?
  4. What conclusion did the hares come to after watching the frogs' reaction to their approach?
  5. Despite realizing they weren't alone in their fear, what emotion did the hares continue to experience?

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think the Hares were always scared and ready to run away in the forest?
  2. What changed when the Hares saw the Frogs jumping into the water out of fear?
  3. Can you remember a time when you realized someone else was more scared or worried than you were?
  4. What lesson can we learn from the Hares realizing that the Frogs were more scared than they were?
  5. How can we apply the lesson from this story in our own lives when we feel scared or worried?

Fable Quotes

In the theater of life, fear plays a role in every character's plot.
Fear seen through a different lens becomes a source of comfort
Resilience is finding courage in the face of shared fear.
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