The Lion's Share (~1 min)

The lion went hunting one day with three other beasts. Together, they surrounded and caught a deer. With the consent of the other three, the lion divided the prey into four equal shares, but just when each animal was about to take his portion, the lion stopped them.

    "Wait," said the lion, "Since I am a member of the hunting party, I am to receive one of these portions. Since I am considered to rank so high among the beasts of the forest, I am to receive the second share. Since I am known for my courage and strength, I am to receive the third share. As for the fourth share, if you wish to argue with me about its ownership, let's begin, and we will see who will get it."

The Wolf and the Goat (~1 min)

A wolf, who was out searching for a meal, saw a goat feeding on grass on top of a high cliff. Wishing to get the goat to climb down from the rock and into his grasp, he called out to her.

     "Excuse me, dear Goat," he said in a friendly voice, "It is very dangerous for you to be at such a height. Do come down before you injure yourself. Besides, the grass is much greener and thicker down here. Take my advice, and please come down from that high cliff."

     But the goat knew too well of the wolf's intent.

     "You don't care if I injure myself or not. You don't care if I eat good grass or bad. What you care about is eating me."

The Wolf and the Crane (~1 min)

 A wolf ravished his prey one day. He ate so fiercely and hungrily that a bone got lodged in his throat, causing him grievous pain. He howled and howled in agony and offered a rich reward to anyone who could remove the bone. A crane passing by considered the money, and after seeing the wolf and hearing him scream in such pain, took pity upon him. She used her long thin bill to reach down his throat and remove the bone. And after removing the bone, she asked the wolf for the promised reward.

     "Reward!" cried the wolf, "You greedy, insolent bird! Why do you deserve a reward? You're lucky that I didn't bite your head off when you stuck it in my mouth!"

Two Men and the Bear (~1 min)

Two men were strolling down a forest path when they came across a bear. One man scampered up a tree and escaped the bear's claws. The other man knew there was nothing he could do, so he dropped to the ground and played dead.

     The bear went up to the man and sniffed about his ears. He pawed at him a few times. Thinking the man was dead, the bear walked away.

     After the bear left, his friend came down from the tree.
"What did the bear say to you, friend, when he whispered in your ear?" asked his friend.

     "Oh," answered his friend, "He just told me that I should consider about traveling with friends who run out on their friends in times of trouble."

The Tiger and the Crane (~1 min)

An old crane had adopted an orphaned tiger cub and raised the little animal along with his own baby. The two infants grew up side by side and became to be good friends and playmates. They never quarreled and played happily together.

One day another larger crane came along and treated the young one harshly. He bullied the little crane so badly that the young one cried out for help. Up rushed the tiger and without any thought, he gobbled up the bully crane.

Now having the taste of flesh in his mouth, he realized how good the bird taste. He turned to his little playmate.
"How much I love you, little crane!" exclaimed the tiger, and he had the bird for dessert.

The Fox and the Grapes (~1 min)

A very hungry fox walked into a vineyard where there was an ample supply of luscious looking grapes. Grapes had never looked so good, and the fox was famished. However, the grapes hung higher than the fox could reach. He jumped and stretched and hopped and reached and jumped some more trying to get those yummy grapes, but to no avail. No matter what he tried, he could not reach the grapes. He wore himself out jumping and jumping to get the grapes.

     "Those grapes surely must be sour," he said as he walked away, "I wouldn't eat them if they were served to me on a silver platter."

The Rooster and the Jewel (~1 min)

A very hungry rooster was scratching and digging in the dirt looking for food. He scratched and dug and finally found a beautiful jewel. He was amazed at how the gem shone glittered.

     "This is a very fine and beautiful thing," he thought, "but I would rather have one tasty kernel of corn instead."

The Rooster and the Fox (~1 min)

A rooster was perched on a branch of a very high tree, crowing loudly. His powerful exclamations were heard throughout the forest and caught the attention of a hungry fox who was out and about looking for a prey.

    The fox saw how high the bird was positioned and thought of a sly way to bring the rooster down for his meal.

     "Excuse me, my dear proud Rooster," he gently spoke, "Have you not heard of the universal treaty and proclamation of harmony that is now set before all beasts and birds and every creature in our forest. We are no longer to hunt or prey nor ravish one another, but we are to live together in peace, harmony, and love. Do come down, Rooster, and we shall speak more on this matter of such great importance."

     Now, the rooster, who knew that the fox was known for his sly wit, said nothing, but looked out in the distance, as if he were seeing something.

     "At what are you looking so intently?" asked the fox

     "I see a pack of wild dogs," said the rooster, "I do believe they're coming our way, Mr. Fox."

"Oh, I must go," said the fox.

     "Please do not go yet, Mr. Fox," said the rooster, "I was just on my way down. We will wait on the dogs and discuss this new time of peace with all."

    "No, no," said the fox, "I must go. The dogs have not heard of this treaty of peace yet."

The Peacock's Complaint (~1 min)

A peacock was very unhappy with his ugly voice, and he spent most of his days complaining about it.

     "It is true that you cannot sing," said the fox, "But look how beautiful you are!"

     "Oh, but what good is all this beauty," moaned the dishearten bird, "with such an unpleasant voice!"

    "Oh hear," said the fox, "Each one has it's special gift. You have such beauty, the nightingale has his song, the owl has his eyes, and the eagle his strength. Even if you had a eloquent voice, you would still complain about another thing."

The Man and His Two Wives (~1 min)

A man whose hair was turning gray had two wives. One wife was much younger than the man, and the other wife was much older. The older wife was embarrassed at being married to man much younger than herself. At night, whenever he was with her, she would pluck out all of his hairs that were not gray.

The younger woman was equally embarrassed at being married to a man so much older than herself. At night, whenever he was with her, she would pluck out all of hairs that were gray. Between the two wives, the man was soon left without a hair on his head.

The Lion and the Mouse (~1 min)

One day a lion was waken from his afternoon nap by a group of mice scurrying all about him. Swat! went his huge paw upon one the little creatures. The mouse pleaded for mercy from the stately beast. The lion took compassion upon the tiny mouse and released him.

    A few days later, the lion became trapped in a hunter's net. His roars made the whole forest tremble. The little mouse whose life was spared approached the lion in the snare and used his sharp little teeth to gnaw the strong ropes until the lion was free.

The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg (~1 min)

   A man and his wife owned a very special goose. Every day the goose would lay a golden egg, which made the couple very rich.

      "Just think," said the man's wife, "If we could have all the golden eggs that are inside the goose, we could be richer much faster."

      "You're right," said her husband, "We wouldn't have to wait for the goose to lay her egg every day."

      So, the couple killed the goose and cut her open, only to find that she was just like every other goose. She had no golden eggs inside of her at all, and they had no more golden eggs.

The Frog and the Ox (~1 min)

One afternoon a grand and wonderful ox was on his daily stroll, when he was noticed by a small haggardly frog. The frog was too impressed with the great ox, impressed to the point of envy.

     "Look at this magnificent ox!" he called to all his friends, "He's such a grand size for an animal, but he's no greater than I am if I tried."

     The frog started puffing and swelled from his normal size.
"Am I as large as the wonderful ox?" he asked his friends.
"No, no, not near as grand as the ox," they replied.

     So, the frog puffed himself up more and more, trying to reach the state of the ox.
"Now? now?" asked the frog.
"No, no. But please, don't try anymore," pleaded his friends.

     But the frog continue to puff and swell, larger and larger until he finally burst. 

The Fox and the Mask (~1 min)

One day a fox went rummaging in the house of an actor. He came across a pile of the actor's stage accessories and noticed a mask in the midst of the pile.

     He swatted and played with the mask for a few moments before saying, "What a handsome face this person has. It's a pity he has no brains."

The Fox and the Lion (~1 min)

 A young fox saw a lion for the very first time. He was so frightened by the appearance of the great beast that he ran away as fast as he could. The second time he saw the lion, he hid behind a large rock and peeped out to see the lion. The third time he saw the lion, he went straight up to him, and said, "Hello, Mr. Lion."

The Donkey and His Master (~1 min)

A man was leading his donkey down a road, when the donkey got free and ran to the edge of high cliff. The man ran as fast as he could to the donkey and grabbed his tail to stop the donkey from going off the edge of the cliff. But the donkey was stubborn; the more the man tried to stop him, the more the donkey pulled the other way.

     "Oh well," said the man, "if you are determined to go your own way, I cannot stop you."

The Dog and His Reflection (~1 min)

A dog was walking home with his dinner, a large slab of meat, in his mouth. On his way home, he walked by a river. Looking in the river, he saw another dog with a handsome chunk of meat in his mouth.

     "I want that meat, too," thought the dog, and he snapped at the dog to grab his meat which caused him to drop his dinner in the river.

A Council of Mice (~1 min)

The mice, frustrated by the constant dangers of the cat, meet in council to determine a solution to their tiring challenge. They discussed, and equally rejected, plan after plan. Eventually, a very young mouse raised up on his hind legs, and proposed that a bell should be hung around the cat's neck.

"What a splendid idea!" they cried.
"Excellent suggestion!"

"Oh yes, that would very well warn of the cat's presence in time to escape!"
They were accepting the proposal with great enthusiasm and applause, until a quiet old mouse stood up to speak.

"This is, indeed, a very good suggestion and would no doubt solve our problems," he said, "Now, which one of us will put the bell around the cat's neck?"

The City Mouse and the Country Mouse (~2 mins)

A country mouse invited his cousin who lived in the city to come visit him. The city mouse was so disappointed with the sparse meal which was nothing more than a few kernels of corn and a couple of dried berries.

     "My poor cousin," said the city mouse, "you hardly have anything to eat! I do believe that an ant could eat better! Please do come to the city and visit me, and I will show you such rich feasts, readily available for the taking."

     So the country mouse left with his city cousin who brought him to a splendid feast in the city's alley. The country mouse could not believe his eyes. He had never seen so much food in one place. There was bread, cheese, fruit, cereals, and grains of all sorts scattered about in a warm cozy portion of the alley.

     The two mice settled down to eat their wonderful dinner, but before they barely took their first bites, a cat approached their dining area. The two mice scampered away and hid in a small uncomfortable hole until the cat left. Finally, it was quiet, and the unwelcome visitor went to prowl somewhere else. The two mice ventured out of the hole and resumed their abundant feast. Before they could get a proper taste in their mouth, another visitor intruded on their dinner, and the two little mice had to scuttle away quickly.

    "Goodbye," said the country mouse, "You do, indeed, live in a plentiful city, but I am going home where I can enjoy my dinner in peace."

The Cat, the Rooster, and the Young Mouse (~ 1 min)

 A very young mouse made his first trip out of the hole and into the world. He returned to tell his mother of the wonderful creatures he saw.

     "Oh, Mother," said the mouse, "I saw some curious animals. There was one beautiful animal with fluffy fur and a long winding tail. She made such a tender vibrating noise. I saw another animal, a terrible looking monster. He had raw meat on his head and on his chin that wiggled and shook as he walked. He spread out his sides and cried with such a powerful and frightening wail, that I scurried away in fear, without even talking to the kind beautiful animal.

     Mother Mouse smiled, "My dear, that horrible creature was a harmless bird, but that beautiful animal with the fluffy fur was a mouse-eating cat. You are lucky she did not have you for dinner."