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India

The Stolen Jewels

A monkey steals the queen's jewels, but the chief guard cleverly tricks her into revealing herself and retrieves the jewels.
Deception
Contentment
Envy
Featured in Fable Book
Jataka Tales - The Stolen Jewels
Audio available for B1 version

Once upon a time, a king decided to take a long stroll in the beautiful woods that surrounded his castle. When he returned, he invited his family for a swim in the serene lake next to their royal garden.

Everyone was thrilled and got ready to swim. The queen and her ladies, before stepping into the water, left their precious jewels with their servants for safekeeping. Among these jewels, the queen's sparkling string of jewels was the most magnificent. As the queen stored it safely in a box, a female monkey, high up in a tree, watched with wide eyes. The monkey longed for the shiny jewels and hoped the servant watching them would fall asleep.

The servant was very alert at first, her eyes firmly on the box. But as time passed, she started to feel drowsy and eventually fell into a deep sleep. Seeing this, the monkey, swift as a gust of wind, hopped down, opened the box, and grabbed the string of jewels. Back up in the tree, she admired the jewels before hiding them in a hollow, out of sight from the guards.

When the servant woke up and noticed the missing jewels, she was alarmed. She cried out, “Someone has stolen the queen's jewels!" Guards rushed to the scene.

The servant explained, “I sat right here, beside the box. But the day was hot, and I was tired. I must have fallen asleep. When I woke up, the jewels were gone.” The guards relayed this to the king, who ordered, "Find the thief who took the jewels!" The guards searched high and low, but found no thief.

The chief guard started to suspect the monkeys in the garden. He thought of a clever plan. He bought strings of brightly colored glass beads and hung them on bushes around the garden when the night fell.

The next morning, the garden was abuzz with the chattering of monkeys. They were delighted by the shiny beads and each one grabbed a string. But, the female monkey who had the queen's jewels didn't join them. She sat quietly, guarding her hidden treasure.

Seeing the other monkeys happy with their glass beads made her jealous. Finally, she couldn't resist any longer. She wore the queen's jewels and proudly declared, "Look at my shiny jewels, they are far more beautiful than your glass beads!"

The chief guard, hiding close by, jumped out and caught the female monkey. He presented her to the king and explained his clever plan. The king, relieved to have the jewels back, praised the guard for his quick thinking.

"You're truly a wise and resourceful man," he commended, "you've proven that the simplest solutions can sometimes solve the biggest problems."

Once upon a time, a king decided to take a long walk in the beautiful woods around his castle. After his walk, he invited his family to swim in the calm lake near their royal garden.

Everyone was excited and got ready to swim. The queen and her ladies left their precious jewels with their servants before stepping into the water. The queen's shiny necklace was the most beautiful of all. She put it safely in a box, but a monkey in a tree was watching closely. The monkey wanted the shiny jewels and hoped the servant watching them would fall asleep.

At first, the servant was very alert, watching the box carefully. But soon, she felt sleepy and fell asleep. Seeing this, the monkey quickly jumped down, opened the box, and took the shiny necklace. Back in the tree, she admired the jewels and then hid them in a hollow, where the guards couldn't see.

When the servant woke up and saw the jewels were gone, she was very scared. She cried, “Someone has stolen the queen's jewels!" The guards ran to help.

The servant said, “I was sitting right here by the box. But it was hot, and I got tired. I must have fallen asleep. When I woke up, the jewels were gone.” The guards told the king, who ordered, "Find the thief who took the jewels!" The guards searched everywhere but couldn’t find the thief.

The chief guard began to suspect the monkeys in the garden. He came up with a clever idea. He bought strings of shiny glass beads and hung them on bushes around the garden at night.

The next morning, the garden was full of monkeys chattering. They were very happy with the shiny beads and each monkey took one. But the monkey who had the queen's jewels stayed quiet, guarding her treasure.

Seeing the other monkeys with their glass beads made her jealous. She couldn’t resist anymore. She wore the queen's jewels and proudly said, "Look at my shiny jewels, they are much prettier than your glass beads!"

The chief guard, who was hiding nearby, jumped out and caught the monkey. He took her to the king and explained his clever plan. The king was happy to have the jewels back and praised the guard for his smart thinking.

"You are very wise and clever," he said. "Sometimes, the simplest ideas can solve the biggest problems."

Once upon a time, a king decided to take a long walk in the beautiful woods around his castle. After his walk, he invited his family to swim in the calm lake near their royal garden.

Everyone was excited and got ready to swim. The queen and her ladies left their precious jewels with their servants before stepping into the water. The queen's shiny necklace was the most beautiful of all. She put it safely in a box, but a monkey in a tree was watching closely. The monkey wanted the shiny jewels and hoped the servant watching them would fall asleep.

At first, the servant was very alert, watching the box carefully. But soon, she felt sleepy and fell asleep. Seeing this, the monkey quickly jumped down, opened the box, and took the shiny necklace. Back in the tree, she admired the jewels and then hid them in a hollow, where the guards couldn't see.

When the servant woke up and saw the jewels were gone, she was very scared. She cried, “Someone has stolen the queen's jewels!" The guards ran to help.

The servant said, “I was sitting right here by the box. But it was hot, and I got tired. I must have fallen asleep. When I woke up, the jewels were gone.” The guards told the king, who ordered, "Find the thief who took the jewels!" The guards searched everywhere but couldn’t find the thief.

The chief guard began to suspect the monkeys in the garden. He came up with a clever idea. He bought strings of shiny glass beads and hung them on bushes around the garden at night.

The next morning, the garden was full of monkeys chattering. They were very happy with the shiny beads and each monkey took one. But the monkey who had the queen's jewels stayed quiet, guarding her treasure.

Seeing the other monkeys with their glass beads made her jealous. She couldn’t resist anymore. She wore the queen's jewels and proudly said, "Look at my shiny jewels, they are much prettier than your glass beads!"

The chief guard, who was hiding nearby, jumped out and caught the monkey. He took her to the king and explained his clever plan. The king was happy to have the jewels back and praised the guard for his smart thinking.

"You are very wise and clever," he said. "Sometimes, the simplest ideas can solve the biggest problems."

Once upon a fun day, a king felt like taking a long walk through the woods near his castle. "What a day for a stroll!" he said, wiggling his toes in his royal shoes. When he got back, he announced, "Hey family, let's go swimming in the lake!"

Everyone was so excited they practically did a conga line to the water’s edge. Before hopping in, the queen and her friends left their shiny jewels in a box for safekeeping. The queen's jewels were so sparkly, they could make a disco ball jealous!

High up in a tree, a lady monkey watched, her eyes popping out like saucers. "Ooh, shiny," she thought, hoping the servant watching the jewels would take a nap.

The servant tried to stay awake, she really did. She stared at the box like it was the most interesting thing in the world. But the sun was warm, and her eyes got heavy, and—plop!—she was asleep. Naptime!

Faster than you could say "banana split," the monkey swung down from the tree, opened the box, and snatched the sparkly jewels. Then she zoomed back up her tree and hid them really well. "Hee-hee, I look amazing!" she giggled to herself.

When the servant woke up, she freaked out. "The jewels are gone! Help!" she shouted. The king's guards came running as if someone had yelled, "Free ice cream!"

The servant told her story. The king was not happy. "Find those jewels!" he ordered. The guards looked everywhere but found nothing.

But the head guard had a smart idea. "Hmm, maybe it’s the monkeys," he thought. That night, he hung fake, colorful beads on bushes all around the garden. "Let's see if the jewel thief falls for this," he whispered.

In the morning, the garden was a chatter-fest! Monkeys everywhere were grabbing the fake beads like they were grabbing cookies from a cookie jar. Except for our lady monkey. She stayed put, guarding her real jewels like they were treasure.

But then, she got super jealous. "Mine are way better," she thought. She couldn’t help it anymore. She put on the queen's jewels and showed off. "Hey, look at me! My jewels are way cooler than your fake stuff!"

Just then, the head guard jumped out of his hiding spot. "Aha! Gotcha!" He took her to the king and explained his sneaky plan.

The king couldn't help but smile. "You, my friend, are very clever," he said to the head guard. And so, the jewels were back, the monkey learned a lesson, and everyone had a good laugh. Sometimes, being smart and a little sneaky solves the biggest problems.

King took a walk one sunny morn,
Through woods and fields of green adorned.
Then back he came with joy to say,
"Let’s swim beside the lake today!"

Excited, all prepared to swim,
In sparkling water, clear and trim.
Queen's jewels stored for safekeeping,
A monkey watched, her eyes not sleeping.

The servant sat, eyes on the box,
But soon grew tired, like a sleepy fox.
The monkey seized this chance so fine,
Took the jewels and quickly climbed.

Awake, the servant cried, "Oh dear!
The queen's jewels have disappeared!"
The guards all came, searched high and low,
But no trace of the thief to show.

Chief guard suspected, eyes so keen,
The monkeys prancing on the green.
He hung glass beads when night was deep,
To catch the thief while others sleep.

Next day, the monkeys found the beads,
And claimed them, meeting all their needs.
But the jewel-thief monkey sat apart,
Holding queen's jewels close to her heart.

Jealous of the shiny beads they wore,
She flaunted jewels like never before.
"See my gems, so rich and grand!
Far better than your glass bead strand."

Chief guard emerged from where he hid,
Caught the monkey; yes, he did!
He showed the king, his plan unfurled,
"How simple tricks can change the world."

King said, "Your wisdom shines so bright,
You’ve solved our problem; made it right.
Sometimes the simplest trick, you see,
Solves problems big as they can be."

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Word Finder

  1. Invited

    Asked someone to join or do something.

  2. Precious

    Very valuable, important, or special to someone.

  3. Admired

    Looked at something with respect or amazement.

  4. Hollow

    An empty space inside something solid.

  5. Suspect

    To believe someone may have done something wrong.

  6. Clever

    Smart in figuring out difficult problems or ideas.

  7. Chattering

    Talking quickly and excitedly, like some animals do.

  8. Resist

    To stop yourself from doing something tempting.

  9. Proudly

    Feeling happy and satisfied about something you did.

  10. Praised

    Said good things about someone for their actions.

Understanding Questions

  1. What did the queen and her ladies do with their jewels before swimming in the lake?
  2. How did the monkey manage to steal the queen's necklace?
  3. What did the servant say when she realized the queen's jewels were missing?
  4. How did the chief guard's plan help catch the monkey with the queen's jewels?
  5. Why did the monkey wearing the queen's jewels become jealous of the other monkeys?
Word Finder
  1. Invited

    Asked someone to join or do something.

  2. Precious

    Very valuable, important, or special to someone.

  3. Admired

    Looked at something with respect or amazement.

  4. Hollow

    An empty space inside something solid.

  5. Suspect

    To believe someone may have done something wrong.

  6. Clever

    Smart in figuring out difficult problems or ideas.

  7. Chattering

    Talking quickly and excitedly, like some animals do.

  8. Resist

    To stop yourself from doing something tempting.

  9. Proudly

    Feeling happy and satisfied about something you did.

  10. Praised

    Said good things about someone for their actions.

Understanding Questions
  1. What did the queen and her ladies do with their jewels before swimming in the lake?

    1. They hid them in the bushes.
    2. They gave them to the servants.
    3. They left them on the shore.
    4. They wore them while swimming.
  2. How did the monkey manage to steal the queen's necklace?

    1. By distracting the guards.
    2. By climbing a tree.
    3. By sneaking up behind her.
    4. By using a trick.
  3. What did the servant say when she realized the queen's jewels were missing?

    1. "The jewels are gone!"
    2. "We must find them quickly!"
    3. "I knew this would happen!"
    4. "The monkey took them!"
  4. How did the chief guard's plan help catch the monkey with the queen's jewels?

    1. It used food as bait.
    2. It set a trap near the lake.
    3. It called for more guards.
    4. It scared the monkey away.
  5. Why did the monkey wearing the queen's jewels become jealous of the other monkeys?

    1. They made fun of him.
    2. They ignored him.
    3. They had better jewels.
    4. They played without him.
  1. What did the queen and her ladies do with their jewels before swimming in the lake?
  2. How did the monkey manage to steal the queen's necklace?
  3. What did the servant say when she realized the queen's jewels were missing?
  4. How did the chief guard's plan help catch the monkey with the queen's jewels?
  5. Why did the monkey wearing the queen's jewels become jealous of the other monkeys?
  1. What did the queen and her ladies do with their jewels before swimming in the lake?
  2. How did the monkey manage to steal the queen's necklace?
  3. What did the servant say when she realized the queen's jewels were missing?
  4. How did the chief guard's plan help catch the monkey with the queen's jewels?
  5. Why did the monkey wearing the queen's jewels become jealous of the other monkeys?
Reflection Questions
  1. Why do you think the monkey was so attracted to the shiny jewels?
  2. What do you think the monkey could have done differently when she saw the other monkeys enjoying their glass beads?
  3. Can you recall a time when you wanted something that someone else had, how did you handle that situation?
  4. What does this story teach us about the importance of being satisfied with what we have?
  5. How can we apply the lesson from this story to be content with our own possessions and not be envious of others?
Fable Quotes
In the shadows of deceit, illusions sparkle, but truth unveils the hidden thieves.
True contentment is found within, for the pursuit of shiny jewels often leads to deception and trouble.
Envy blinds us to our own treasures, as we covet what others possess.
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