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5.30.26 - Part 1 · Children's Hour

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Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Realized Children's Story Hour. As a reminder,
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is a reading service intended for people who are blind
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or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read
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print of material. We will continue with the book from
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East Stop Fables. Your reader today is Diane and the
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book is titled Each Soop Fables. It was published by
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Chronicle Books. It has a copyright ye of two thousand.
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The author's Jerry Pinkney. The Fox and the Grapes. Walking
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along the dry and dusty road, a fox glanced up
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and saw a bunch of ripe purple grapes growing over
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his head. They were plump and looked ready to burst
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with juice, and a breeze brought their sweet scent to
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the fox's keen nose. He wanted to taste those plump
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grapes more than anything. The fox jumped as high as
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he could, but the grapes hung just beyond his reach.
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He took a running start and jumped even higher, but
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still he fell short. Again and again he tried, but
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in vain. Those grapes don't look very ripe, he said
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to himself. Finally, they're just so small green, not worth
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bothering about. Why should I waste my time on a
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bunch of sour grapes? With this head held high, the
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fox walked off down the road. It's easy to scorn
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what you cannot reach. The goose and the golden eggs.
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Once there was a poor farmer who welcomed any creatures
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that stayed onto his land. One day, a strange new
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goose appeared among his birds, and when he and his
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wife came to feed her the next morning, they were
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amazed to find a gleaming golden egg in her nest
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of straw. Every morning after that it was the same.
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The goose laid another egg of solid gold. Soon the
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farmer and his wife were richer than they had ever
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dreamed of being, But still they wanted more. One egg
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a day isn't nearly anne, the farmer complained. If we
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cut that goose open, we'll get all the eggs at once,
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his wife declared. But when they had killed the goose,
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they found not one egg inside her. What have we done,
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the farmer's wife warned, Once we dressed in silks andt
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obas and ate fine food off silver place, But now
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we're just poor farmers Again. Those who want everything may
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end up with nothing. The Shepherd and the wild goats.
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A shepherd was out with his goats on a mountain
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side when a fierce storm blew in. He drove the
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animals and tenureby cay for shelter, and found that a
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flock of wild goats had taken refuge there as well.
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If I feed these wild goats, thought the shepherd, then
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perhaps they'll stay with me in no time, and all
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my flock will double in size. So the shepherd gave
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the wild goats the best of his grain and hay,
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and made sure they had fresh water to drink. But
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since he had only a little food with him, he
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gave his own goats no more than a few handfuls
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of grain. When the storm finally passed, the wildgoats founded
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out of the cave without a backward glance. Wait, cried
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the shepherd angrily. Is this the thanks I get for
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taking care of you? One of the wildghats looked back.
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We saw how you treated your own flock, she answered,
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Why should we think you treat us any differently if
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we stayed with you. Don't neglect old friends for new ones.
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The bundle of sticks and no farmer and three sons
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who quarreled among themselves from dawn till dusk. One day,
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the farmer fell gravely ill. Wishing to make peace among
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the sons before he died, he called them to his
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bedside and asked them to bring a thick bundle of sticks.
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Can you break these? In two? Asked the farmer, handing
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the sticks to his oldest son. Of course, the young
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man answered scornfully. But even though he tried until he
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was red in the face, he couldn't break the bundle
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of sticks. Why those sticks or no thicker than my finger,
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mocked the second son. I could break those sticks like
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straw both of the third, and they both tried with
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all their might, but neither could break the bundle of
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sticks in two. Then the father drew three sticks from
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the bundle and handed one to each of its sons.
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Can you break them now, he asked, and they did
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so easily. Let the sticks teach you, said the father
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to sons, how strong you are when you are allied together,
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and how easily you can be broken on your own.
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A unity there is strength. King Log and King Stork.
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A band of frogs lived in a lived a care
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free life, splashing about their small pond. They have warm
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rocks to bask on and plenty of tasty flies to
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eat that When some of the older frogs got together,
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they began to grumble. There's no discipline or order, they complained.
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All the frogs do just as they please. So the
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frogs asked the son to send them a king to
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rule over them. The Sun became irritated that the foolish
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frogs didn't see how lucky they were. Here is your king,
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he declared, threw a heavy log down into their pond.
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It fell with a mighty splash. The frightened frogs dived
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beneath the water and hid behind the rock. Truly, this
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is a great king, they whispered among themselves. One break
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brave frog dared to approach the flogging log. Welcome to
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our pond, oh great king log, he said, But the
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log made no reply. One by one, the other curious
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frogs crept out to see king log. No matter what
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they said or did to it, the log made no response.
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Before long, the young frogs were diving off king log
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into the water. This king is worth nothing, one of
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them objected. He never even speaks. And they all asked
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the Sun to send them another king, one who would
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govern them sternly and win. When he saw the frogs
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again refusing to be content, the Sun grew angry. Very well,
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you should have what you asked for, he said, and
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he sent them down a new king, a hungry stork.
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King Stork pounced on the frogs and began gobbling them up,
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two or three at a time. The frogs fled for
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their lives, begging the Sun to take the terrible king
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away from them. You asked for a king, and now
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you have one, answered the Sun. And for many years
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the frogs lived in a misery under King Stork's rule.
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Don't change better for worse. The donkey and the load
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of salt. A wealthy merchant bought many baskets of salt
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and tied them on his donkey to carry them to market.
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On the way, as they crossed a shallow river, the
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donkey slipt beneath his heavy load and fell into the water.
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By the time he scrambled to his feet again, half
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the salt and the baskets had been washed away. The
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merchant cursed at the loss, but the donkey was pleased
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to discover that the baskets were only half as heavy
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as before, and he cheerfully carried his lighting load to market.
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At the market, the merchant saw what was left of
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his salt and bought several bags of sponges, Tying them
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on the donkey's back, he set out again for home.
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When they came to the river, the donkey thought of
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what happened on his way to the market. He pretended
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to slip and rolled into the water, hoping his load
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would be lightened. But the sponges were not washed away. Instead,
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they soaked up water until they swelled fat and heavy.
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The merchant drove the donkey to his feet again, and
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the beasts staggered home under a load twice as heavy
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as before. The method should suit the circumstances. The peacock's tail.
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There was a time when the peacock could fly higher
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than any other bird over the trees, nearly up to
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the sunlit clouds. After soorn above the earth, the peacock
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laned in near a quiet pool and glimpsed his reflection
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in the water. Horrified, he saw that his feathers were
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dull brown, without a single scarlet plume or golden crest
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among them. This is terrible, he cried. I would pay
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any price, if only I could be beautiful, And he
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fell asleep that night, still lamenting his plainness. When he
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woke the next morning, he found that his wish had
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been granted. His dull feathers had been transformed to shimmering
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blue and emerald green, purple, and turquoise, and he was
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most delayed with the very long tail that he could
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spread out behind him like an emperor's fan. The peacock
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strode through the woods, showing off his glorious feathers to
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every bird he met. But even this wasn't enough. Everyone
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must see me, the vein bird thought, I'll fly high
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above the trees and show my new feathers to all.
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When he stretched out his wings, however, he found that
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the weight of his heavy tail pinned him to the ground.
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A small brown sparrow, who sat in a tree above,
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saw the peacock struggling to fight. Fly. You have what
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you wanted, he called down. But is beauty worth such
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a price? And before the peacock could reply, the spread
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her spread his wings and soared away. Vanity carries a
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heavy price. The Man and the Lion A man and
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a lion happened to meet on the road and fell
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into conversation. It wasn't long before they began to argue.
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Any fool knows that a lion is stronger than a man,
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the lion boasted. A lion is the king of the beast,
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he maybe, but a man is made her yet, and
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everybody knows it, proclaimed the man. Just look at that
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statue over there, and he pointed to a tall marble
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statue by the roadside showing a man gripping a lion
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by the throat. That proves nothing protested the lion. After all,
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a man car if that statue, it would have been
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quite different seen had a lion made it. There are
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two sides to every story. The fisherman and his catch.
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A hard working fisherman had had bad luck one day
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on the water and caught only a single small fish.
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You're barely big enough for a mouthful, he exclaimed, But
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at least you'll be something to bring home to my
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family for dinner. The little fish gaps have mercy spare
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my life. You can see what a put a full
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meal I'll make. If you throw me back, I promise
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I'll grow into fish. It would truly be worth for
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you to catch. But the fisherman put the fish in
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his basket and begin rowing for home. You may be small,
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he said, but if I throw you back now, I
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may never catch you again. A small game today is
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better than a large promise for tomorrow. The astrologer a
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man learned to observe the movements of the stars in
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order to predict the future. He soon became famous as
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an astrologer, and people traveled for miles around to pay
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for his advice. One evening, this man was walking along
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the road, his eyes fixed on the heavens, and what
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great fortune he saw there. But meanwhile he paid no
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heed to the path, and before he knew it, he
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had tumbled head over heels into a pit of muddy water.
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His neighbors heard his shouts and came running, but when
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they saw who had fallen into the hole, they had
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no pity. He can predict the future, but he couldn't
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foresee this. One of them cried, and another, helping the
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man up, told him, you better spend less time watching
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the stars and more time watching your feet. Don't neglect
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small things when thinking of great ones. The horse and
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the stag. Long ago, when the horse and the stag
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lived together in the forest, they argued and fought over
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who had the right to graze in the most tender,
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meatal grass or drink at the sweetest pools. Over the years,
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they came to be openly at war. The horse went
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to a man who lived near the edge of the
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forest and proposed an alliance. Help me defeat the stag,
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she told him, And one day I'll do you a
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favor in return. Very well, said the man, But you
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must let me put this sat on your back in
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this right over your head, or I won't be able
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to help you. The horse agreed, and together they went
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in search of the stag. When the stag saw the
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man riding on the horse, he fled in terror, for
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the man and his dogs had often hunted him before.
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The horse neighed in triumph, thank you, good friend, I
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will never forget your kindness, And now will you please
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take off this saddle and bridle. But the man simply laughed,
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You are a fool to let me harness you in
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the first place. He said, you won't get them off
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so easily now, and the horse, suffering under the bit
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and spur, had to serve the man for the rest
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of her days. Revenge often carries too high a price.
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The town mouse and the country mouse. A mouse who
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lived in the country invited her cousin from the town
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for dinner. The country mouse warked all day to prepare
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the dinner, gathering a few peas, a stalk of barley,
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a crust of bread, and cold water in a green
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leaf to drink. When the town mouse arrived, the humble
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country mouse set all the best food before our guests.
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The town mouse ate a few of the peas and
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tasted a bite of the bread, trying her best to
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be polite. But at last she turned to her cousin
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and said, my dear, how can you live like this?
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Ants and worms eat better food. Come with me to
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the city and I'll show you how a mouse should live.
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That very night, the country mouse went with her cousin
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to a grand mansion in the heart of the city.
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The two mice crept into the dining room, where the
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remains of a banquet were still spread on the table.
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Look at all the good things here, the town mouse said, proudly.
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Try a little honey on your bread. Have some of
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the cheese. It is delicious. The country mouse gazed up
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about her in wonder, But just as she prepared to
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take her first bite, there was a hiss anding yew,
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and a cat leaped onto the table. The two mice
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foot for their lives and barely managed to dash in
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the hoe in the wall. Don't worry, said her cousin.
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The cat never stays for long, and we can soon finish.
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Our dinner. Will be perfectly safe as long as the
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dog stays away. A cat and a dog cried this
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down to country mouse, My dear cousin, you may stand
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and enjoy your feast, but I'm going right back home,
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where I can eat my crust of bread in peace.
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Poverty and safety is better than riches in peril. The
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sick Lion, a lion who lived many years, found he
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could not hunt as well as he once did. He
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feared he would starve until he came up with a
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plan to catch fresh meat. He crawled into his cave
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and sent the crow to spread the news that Keenlyon
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had long had not long to live. Tell them, he
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said to the crow. They almost come to see me,
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for I have an important message to deliver to each
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before I die. The deer was the first to come,
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but when she reached a dark corner of his cave,
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the lion leaped on her and devoured her, and when
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the wolf and later the rabbit arrived, he treated each
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the same way. The fox had also heard the lion's
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message and hurried to his cave, but at the mouth
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of the cave he hesitated. From inside. The lion called
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out in a weak and quavering voice, it is that you,
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my wise friend fox. Why don't you come in and
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pay your respects to your king? Forgive me keenlyon, replied
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the fox. But I see the footprints of the deer,
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the rabbit, and the wolf all entering your cave and
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none coming out again. Surely you can't be good for
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your health to be in crowded quarters until someone leaves
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and there's more room. I think I'll wait out here,
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make sure there's a way out before you go in.
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The gardener and his dog. While a gardener was at
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work one day, his little dog chased a butterfly about
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the flower beds. Playfully. She ran this way and that
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pain no heed to where she was going, until she
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slipped and fell into a deep cold well. The gardener
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heard his dog's frightened barks and came quickly running, but
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when he reached out a hand to pour his safety.
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The ungrateful animal growled and snapped at his fingers. Little beast.
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The gardener cried, I came to rescue you, and this
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is the thanks I get. And staying there until you
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find your own way out. Don't like the hand that
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feeds you. The boy who went swimming A boy who
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was walking by the river on a hot day could
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not resist the temptation to go for a swim. But
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the current was much fiercer than he expected. As he
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struggled to reach the shore again, the river swept him
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downstream towards some sharp, deadly rocks. As he kicked and splashed,
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the boy spotted a man walking along the river bank.
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Help me, he shouted. What a fool you are to
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go swimming in that river, scouted the man. Why would
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have happened if I didn't come along? And when I
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tell your parents what a risk you took, they'll give
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you such a hiding. Why when I was a boy,
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please sir, the terrified boy cried out, save me now
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and after where you can lecture me as much as
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you please. There is a time and a place for everything.
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The travelers and the bear. Two men were traveling through
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the forest together on a lonely trail. Soon they heard
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a sound up ahead, as if heavy feet were trampling
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through the underbrush. It could be a bad one, whispered
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with alarm, and quickly as he could, he scrambled up
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a tall tree. He'd barely reached the first branch when
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a huge brown bear thrust aside the bushes and stepped
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out onto the path, hugging the trunk with both arms.
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The first traveler refused to lend a hand to his
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terrified companion, who threw himself on the ground and prepared
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for death. The bear lowered its great head and sniffed
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the man, roughing his hair with its nose. Then, to
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the amazement of both men, the fierce beasts walked away.
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The first traveler slid down from his tree. Why it
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almost looked as if the bear whispered something in your ear,
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He marveled. It did, said the second traveler. It told
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me to choose a better companion for my next journey.
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Misfortune is the true test of friendship. The Fox and
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the Crow. One morning, a fox was trotting through the
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woods in search of a tasty morsel to eat. Looking up,
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spied a crow perched in a tree overhead, with a
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large piece of cheese held tight in her beak. That
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cheese would be just the thing for my breakfast, thought
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the fox, and sitting down beneath a tree, she gazed
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up at the crow, as if hypnotized by her beauty.
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Loveliest of creatures, she called, lollly, loudly, your feathers shine
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like silk. Your wings are black as night. How right
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your eyes glow? Oh, it's such a pity I've her
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that you can sing. If only you could sing just
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one note, you'd be the most perfect creature. Oh, I
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the crow here in all this flattery quickly grew vain.
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Why the fox is right. My feathers are beautiful, my
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eyes do glow, she thought, not saying well, surely I
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can sing, and better than any common bird in the forest.
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She opened up her mouth to let out a loud
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aw aw. Down fell the cheese, and the fox snapped
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it up in two bites. Thank you for my breakfast, friend,
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she called, I see you have a voice, indeed, but
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where is your brain? Never trust flatteries. The Wolf and
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the crane. A wolf with a bone caught in his
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throat darted around the forest begging for help from every
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animal he saw, but wary of his sharp fans, none
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dared to come here. At last, the gasping wolf caught
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out desperately, I promise a fine reward to anyone who
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will take this bone out of my throat. When the
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crane heard this, she stepped forward boldly, for everyone knew
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that the wolf was rich. The wolf opened his jaws wide,
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while the crane gingerly pulled the bone free with her
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long bill. At last, the wolf cried out in relief,
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and he turned to go. But have you forgotten my reward?
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The crane called anxiously. What snarled the ungrateful wolf. Isn't
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enough that you put your head in a wolf's mouth
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and live to tell the tale? Now fly off before
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I decided to finish my meal by eating you. There's
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no reward for helping the wicked little crab and his grandmother.
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Grandmother Crab was quietly resting on the seabed when Little
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Crabs scuttled by foolish child, She scolded, why are you
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walking sideways like that? You should always march straight ahead
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and show the world you're proud to be a crab. Now,
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little Crab was proud to be a crab, and he
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wanted the world to know it. Show me how, Grandmother,
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he cried, and I'll never walk any other way with
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great dignity. Grandmother Crab stood up, but when she took
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a step, she could only go sideways, just like little crab.
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And when she tried again, she tripped and fell with
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a thump to the ocean floor. Grandmother Crab set up stiffly.
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On second thought, little crabs, she said, a true crab
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should always be very proud to walk sideways. Master, what
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you teach? The donkey in the lion's skin, by chance
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of dog king came across the line and skin lying
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in the bushes. I'll put it on, pretend to be
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keen lying himself, he declared, draping the skin over his shoulders.
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The donkey hid in the underbrush. Each animal that passed
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by took one look at the lion's tawny fur and
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heavy mane, and fledged for his life. Then through the trees,
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the donkey glimpsed the red flash of a fox's tail.
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Quickly he hid himself again. That fox has called me
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a full too often, the donkey thought, we'll see who
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the fool is now, as the fox came trotting along
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the path. The donkey jumped out of the bushes and
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led out a deafening hee haw. The fox laughed, you
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might have frightened me with the lion's skin. He said,
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you hadn't opened your mouth. Fools can disguise themselves, but
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not their words. The crow and the picture. For weeks
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and weeks there had been no rain. The streams and
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pools had dried to dust, and all the animals were thirsty.
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Two crows, flying together in search of water, spotted a
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pitcher that had been left on a garden wall. They
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flew to it and saw that it was half full
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of water, but neither one could reach far enough inside
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the picture's narrow neck to get a drink. There must
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be a way to get the water, said the first crow.
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We think it through, will find an answer. The second
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crow tried to push the picture over, straining with all
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its might, but it was too heavy to budge. It's hopeless.
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He croaked and flew away to look for water elsewhere.
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But the first crow stayed by the picture and thought,
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and after a time he had an idea. Picking up
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some small pebbles in his beak, he dropped them one
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by one into the picture, until at last the water
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rose to the brim. Then the clever bird, happily quenched
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his thirst. Wisdom and patience succeed were four fells, The
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children and the frogs. A group of children gathered near
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upon and began to skip rocks across the water. They
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laughed and cheered as the rock skimmed over the surface,
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sending plumes of spray flying. Meanwhile, family frogs who lived
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in the pond cowered among the lily pads, terrified of
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the stones that flew and splashed all around them. At last,
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one brave frog dared to poke her head out of
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the water. For pity's sake, Please stop, she begged. It's
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only a game to you, but it's life and death
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to us. One person's play is another's grief. The Travelers
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and the gold Coins. Two traveling companions were walking along
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the road. One of them spied a leather sack lying
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in the dirt. Picking up, he discovered that it was
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heavy with gold coins. What luck, he exclaimed, I found
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a treasure. Don't you mean we found a treasure? As
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to his companion, didn't we agree to share all the
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fortunes of the road. You're a fool if you think
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I'm gonna share this, retorted the first traveler. I'm the
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one who found it. It's mine to keep. Just then
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the two heard a mob of angry people of the
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head Stop thief, bring back the gold, they cried out,
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running toward the travelers, waving axes and stout staffs of wood.
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We're done for, grieved the man who had found the purse.
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They'll be sure to think we're thieves. They'll kill us both.
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Oh No, said his companion. You found the gold, not
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need Remember it's yours to keep. You don't share your
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good luck, don't expect to share your bads. This concludes
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the Churn story our for today. Please join us next
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time as we will read more stories, fables and fairy tales.
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Thank you for listening, and please stay tuned for lexing.
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Here a leader on radio I