The Story of the Hippo and the Monkey
In the middle of the forest, there was a a big river. Crocodiles, tortoise, Fish, hippos and other animals lived in the river. There were many trees near the river. A monkey and its family were living in one of those trees.
Everyday a hippo would come near the bank to graze the fresh grass grown across the bank. A little monkey also would play near the bushes. They met and gradually became good friends. The monkey was proud of its flexibility. It used to always tease the hippo for being fat and slow. The Hippo felt bad about this.
One day, the hippo asked the monkey if he could also become like a monkey, thin and flexible. The monkey said that because the hippo eats a lot and sleeps in water, it is not getting proper exercise for its body. Monkey asked the hippo to eat less and walk more!
Poor hippo believing the monkey, started to follow its instructions.
Gradually the hippo became weak and fell sick. Hippo’s mother took him to a doctor. The doc said that the reason for hippo falling sick was because of not having proper food! Then the hippo said that it wanted to become as flexible as a monkey. The doctor laughed and said that, monkeys ar totally different from Hippos. They could be flexible and climb up trees and jump around, but Hippos are stronger and capable of doing many other things that monkey cannot! Simply because they both are different. No one is to be blamed and compared!
The Hippo understood and stopped comparing itself with monkey and led a happy life there after!
Moral of the Story
Two different scales can never be compared! Each of us are unique in our own way. We may find others attractive for some reasons. We may like someone for their talent, but blaming ourselves for not having such a talent is not correct. Instead, we should appreciate them and work on our own talents.Moreover, being ourselves is very important. We should never lose our own worth for others.
The Story of the Mother Duck
In a jungle, there was a big lake. Many animals including crocodiles, snakes, cranes and frogs were living in harmony. Among them, a mommy duck was living with her 5 little ducklings. Wild animals also commonly visited the lake to quench their thirst.
One day a fox came near the lake. He saw the duck and her family. He wanted to have them for his dinner. So, he began to spy on them. He hid himself near the bush and started to observe the ducks’ activities. The mommy duck also observed that the fox was hiding near a bush and planning something big. So, she became alert. She quickly made a plan.
When the fox started to go near the ducks, mommy duck started flapping her wings forward and backward continuously pretending as if she was finding it difficult to fly. The fox thought that she was hurt and unable able to fly. He thought that he could have the mommy duck first as she couldn’t fly and then he could tackle the little ducklings. He started to chase the mommy duck. She also, pretended to be injured did not fly, but tried to run as fast as she could, leading him deep into the bushes. After a good chase, the duck lead him towards a big pot hole and slowed down it’s speed. when the fox was about to pounce on the duck, she flew high up in the air. The fox could not believe his eyes. Also, could not stop running. He fell into the puddle. He could not get up.
The mommy duck, came back flying and hugged her babies. She was very tired running for a long distance. But was very happy for having protectted their family.
Parenting Takeaway:
Ask the kids about what they felt about the mommy duck. Build a conversation about motherhood and parenting mean in your family,
You might also want to ask kids about what they feel about the fox. How can a carnivore survive if it doesn’t prey on herbivores? Why then are animals that prey on other animals shown in a wicked light in our stories?
Do your kids love Animals . If yes help them leaen more about Animals and their habitats with our Flash Cards
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Smitha Prasad is a budding writer who writes articles and short stories for kids. She believes that childhood is the right age to inculcate the right values in kids. It helps them to develop into confident adults. She designs and runs a kid’s magazine called A LITTLE MORE-An Engaging booklet, through which she tries to reach kids that helps kids stay away from screen, build conversations and build the right mindset in kids
