Once upon a time, there was a washerman who owned a thin donkey. The donkey worked hard for the washerman and carried loads of clothes to the river bank every day. However, the donkey was not satisfied with the food he was given and used to sneak into nearby fields at night to eat crops.
One night, while he was in the field, he met a jackal and they became friends. Both of them went in search of food and found a field full of juicy watermelons. They had their fill and decided to come back every day to eat watermelons.
One day, after a tasty meal of watermelons, the donkey was so happy that he wanted to express his happiness in a melodious song. The jackal warned him that singing would alert the villagers sleeping nearby, and they would beat them. However, the donkey didn't listen to the jackal's advice and started singing.
Hearing the donkey's song, the villagers woke up and rushed to beat him with sticks. The donkey was beaten so badly that he was physically incapacitated for a while. Somehow, he managed to drag himself out of the field to the waiting jackal. The jackal looked at the donkey and said, "I am sorry to see you in this condition. I had warned you, but you didn't listen to my advice."
The donkey realized his mistake and felt sorry for not listening to the good advice of the jackal.
Once upon a time, there was a washerman who had a thin donkey. The donkey worked hard every day, carrying clothes to the river. But the donkey wasn’t happy with the food he got, so at night, he would sneak into nearby fields to eat crops.
One night, in the field, the donkey met a jackal, and they became friends. Together, they went looking for food and found a field full of watermelons. They enjoyed the tasty watermelons and decided to return every night to eat more.
One day, after eating, the donkey felt so happy that he wanted to sing. The jackal warned him, "If you sing, the villagers will hear you and come to beat us! You should keep quiet." But the donkey didn’t listen and insisted on singing.
The jackal realized the donkey wouldn’t stop, so he quickly ran away to hide in the bushes, far from the field. The donkey stayed behind and started singing loudly.
As soon as the villagers heard the donkey’s loud song, they rushed to the field. They found the donkey and beat him badly with sticks. Hurt and unable to move, the donkey finally dragged himself back to the jackal. The jackal came out of hiding and said, "I warned you not to sing, but you didn’t listen."
The donkey felt sorry and realized he should have listened to his friend's advice.
Once upon a time, there was a washerman who had a thin donkey. The donkey worked hard every day, carrying clothes to the river. But the donkey wasn’t happy with the food he got, so at night, he would sneak into nearby fields to eat crops.
One night, in the field, the donkey met a jackal, and they became friends. Together, they went looking for food and found a field full of watermelons. They enjoyed the tasty watermelons and decided to return every night to eat more.
One day, after eating, the donkey felt so happy that he wanted to sing. The jackal warned him, "If you sing, the villagers will hear you and come to beat us! You should keep quiet." But the donkey didn’t listen and insisted on singing.
The jackal realized the donkey wouldn’t stop, so he quickly ran away to hide in the bushes, far from the field. The donkey stayed behind and started singing loudly.
As soon as the villagers heard the donkey’s loud song, they rushed to the field. They found the donkey and beat him badly with sticks. Hurt and unable to move, the donkey finally dragged himself back to the jackal. The jackal came out of hiding and said, "I warned you not to sing, but you didn’t listen."
The donkey felt sorry and realized he should have listened to his friend's advice.
Once upon a time, there was a washerman with a donkey who was skinny as a rail. This donkey wasn't too keen on the menu at home, so he'd sneak into nearby fields at night to nibble on some quality greens.
One night, the donkey bumped into a jackal. "Hey, what are you up to?"
"Just hunting for a midnight snack," replied the jackal. "You in?"
"You had me at 'snack!'"
And so they discovered a field of watermelons, a veritable feast. "Ah, sweet and juicy, just how I like it!" said the donkey.
Feeling over the moon, the donkey felt the urge to sing. "I’m so happy, I could burst into song!"
The jackal, a bit wary, cautioned, "Hold on, not a great idea. If you start singing, the villagers will wake up, and we’ll be in trouble!"
But the donkey, in a moment of sheer joy, sang at the top of his lungs, "I love watermelons, yes I do!"
Turns out, people really don't like waking up to a donkey singing a serenade. So, faster than you can imagine, the villagers came running and gave the donkey a thorough thrashing with sticks.
Limping back, the donkey rejoined the jackal, who simply sighed and said, "Look at you. Tried to warn you, didn’t I?"
Feeling regret, the donkey nodded. "You did, you really did. Guess I should have listened."
And so the donkey learned that sometimes it’s better to stay quiet, even when you're really, really excited. Both the jackal and the donkey lived happily ever after, though perhaps a bit wiser and a few watermelons lighter.
A donkey carried laundry, day by day,
Yet his meals were small, oh, what dismay!
So he snuck to the fields when the sky turned gray,
Munching on crops, keeping hunger at bay.
Along came a jackal, friendly and sly,
"Can we share this feast, you and I?"
Together they nibbled, their spirits so high,
Watermelons aplenty, under the moonlit sky.
One night, the donkey felt happy and bright,
"I'll sing a sweet song, oh, what a delight!"
Jackal warned, "Shush, or we'll be in a plight!
Villagers will catch us, and it won't be a pretty sight."
But Donkey was stubborn, his joy took the wing,
He opened his mouth, and started to sing.
Villagers came running, sticks swinging in a fling,
Oh, how Donkey wished he'd listened to the warning.
Bruised and sore, to Jackal he returned,
Who said, "I told you so," as his concern was confirmed.
Donkey nodded sadly, a valuable lesson learned,
Sometimes it's best to keep quiet, lest trouble be earned.
A person who washes clothes for others.
A four-legged animal used to carry loads.
To move quietly without being noticed.
Plants grown by farmers for food.
A wild animal like a small wolf.
People who live in a small town or village.
Told someone to be careful of danger.
Strongly said something again and again.
Understood something clearly after thinking.
Helpful suggestion or idea to solve a problem.
A person who washes clothes for others.
A four-legged animal used to carry loads.
To move quietly without being noticed.
Plants grown by farmers for food.
A wild animal like a small wolf.
People who live in a small town or village.
Told someone to be careful of danger.
Strongly said something again and again.
Understood something clearly after thinking.
Helpful suggestion or idea to solve a problem.
What job did the donkey do for the washerman?
Why did the donkey go to the fields at night?
What kind of food did the donkey and the jackal find in the field?
What did the jackal warn the donkey about when he wanted to sing?
What happened to the donkey when he started singing loudly?
A lion spares a tiny mouse who promises to return the favor one day. How could such a small mouse possibly help a lion?
Steady and patient, a slow tortoise dares to race against a confident hare. Who will cross the finish line first?
A thirsty crow finds a pitcher with water too low to reach. What clever trick will he use to get a drink?
When a farmer brings a bundle of sticks to his sons, they stop arguing. How did a simple bundle of sticks teach them?
While the grasshopper dances through summer, the ant works hard, gathering food. Which one will survive when winter arrives?
The powerful North Wind and the gentle Sun try to make a traveler take off his cloak to prove who is stronger. Which one will succeed?
A king's elephant and a dog form a friendship, are suddenly separated, but they are reunited by the king and live happily.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Enjoy 25 selected fables for life, in print. Every purchase supports free stories for children, parents, and teachers worldwide at fablereads.com
Learn More
