Aesop
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Greece

The Thirsty Pigeon

A thirsty pigeon mistakes a painting of water for real, crashes into it and breaks her wing, getting caught by a boy.
Desire
Caution
Consequences
Aesop's Fables - The Thirsty Pigeon
Audio available for B1 version

One sunny day, a parched pigeon was searching for a drink. She spotted a glass full of water painted on a sign. Thinking it was real, she swiftly swooped down to get a sip.

With a loud crash, she slammed into the sign. She had mistaken the painting for a real glass of water. Her wing hit the hard surface, and broke. Now, she couldn't fly anymore.

A boy watching nearby saw everything. Seeing the pigeon hurt and unable to fly, he came over and gently picked her up. Now, the pigeon, who was free to fly wherever she wanted, was in the hands of the boy, caught due to her mistaken choice.

Once upon a sunny, sunny, super-sunny day, a pigeon was flapping her wings through the big blue sky. "Oh man, it's so hot, I feel like I'm flying over a barbecue! I'm so thirsty I could drink a pond!"

So she squints her little pigeon eyes and starts scanning the ground below. Fields of flowers, trees, kids playing—but wait! What's that over there? "Ooh, a glass of water, my dream come true!" she squawks excitedly, thinking it's her lucky day.

But ah, what she sees isn't a thirst-quenching glass of water. Nope, it's a tricky painting on a sign that looks so real you'd want to dive right into it. And that's exactly what she decides to do!

"Time for a pigeon pit stop! Here comes the Thirst-Buster 3000!" She lines up her descent and makes airplane noises. "Vroom, vroom! Prepare for landing!"

SWOOSH! CRASH! KAPOW! She smacks right into the sign like a cartoon character hitting a wall. "Oof! Double oof! That was NOT the splashy landing I was dreaming of! Talk about 3D art!"

She tries to flap her wing, but oh no, it's all wonky. It's broken. "Aw, pickles and peanut butter! Now how am I gonna do my fancy sky dances?"

Just then, a boy who's been watching the whole flappy fiasco walks over, a big, goofy grin on his face. "Hee-hee, looks like you're having a flap-tastrophe, huh? More like a flap-disaster!"

The boy reaches down and gently cradles the pigeon in his hands. "No worries, Feathered Friend. We're gonna get you fixed up, OK?"

So there she is, the pigeon who was once the queen of the sky, now hanging out in the royal court of the boy's hands—all because she got a bit too excited about a painting that looked like water. "Well, on the bright side," she thinks, "at least I made a new friend. And hey, maybe he knows where to find real water. Like, the kind you can actually drink!"

And that's how they became the best, unexpected buddies—one pigeon, one boy, and one super-duper tricky sign that fooled everyone but taught them a lot.

In the sky so clear and blue,
Lived a pigeon, not a few.
But one bird felt thirsty, oh so much,
Dreaming of water's cooling touch.

She saw a sign, "Ah, what a sight!"
A glass of water in the light.
She dove right down, quick as a whip,
Hoping to take a nice, cool sip.

Crash! Bang! Oh, what a sound,
The poor bird hit the sign and tumbled to the ground.
Her wing was hurt, she couldn't soar,
A simple mistake, but oh, so much more.

A caring boy saw her fall,
He couldn't just watch, not at all!
He picked her up, oh so grand,
Holding her gently in his hand.

Now the pigeon learned that day,
Not all you see is real, okay?
And though her wing was sore and spry,
She was thankful for the boy, under the sky.

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Understanding Questions

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Understanding Questions

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think the Pigeon thought the painting of the water was real?
  2. What happened when the Pigeon realized the water wasn't real?
  3. Can you think of a time when something looked real to you, but it wasn't?
  4. What does this story teach us about being careful and understanding what's real and what's not?
  5. How can we use the lesson from this story in our own lives to make sure we understand situations better before acting on them?

Fable Quotes

Strong desire without thought can lead to a thorny path.
Caution is the shield that guards us from the illusions of our desires.
A moment's mistake can bring about a lifetime of change.
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