Aesop | Greece

The Crab and his Mother

A mother crab advises her little crab to walk straight instead of sideways, but the little crab questions her, pointing out her own actions.

The Crab and his Mother
Text Version

Once upon a time, near the big sea, a mother crab and her young crab were walking on the beach. As they walked, the mother crab watched her child move. She saw that he was walking sideways and thought it looked a bit strange.

"My child," the mother crab said gently, "your way of walking could be better. It would be nice if you could walk straight, not from side to side."

The young crab looked up at his mother with surprise. "Mother," he said, "but you are walking the same way, aren’t you? If you can show me how to walk straight, I will follow you."

This made the mother crab think deeply about her child’s smart reply.

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The Crab and his Mother