Before people could write, they told stories to each other. Stories began before people could write. This is called the oral tradition. One type of story from the oral tradition is the fable. Fables are stories that often have animal characters that behave like humans. Fables also have a moral, or a lesson, to help people to behave properly or to treat others well. Characters in fables are often simple and represent something important to emphasise the moral of the story. Although many fables seem to be simple when you first read them, they often work at many different levels and can be enjoyed over and over again. Fables come from around the world. Read the fable below: it comes from China. The Frog in the Shallow Well Have you heard of the frog that lived in a shallow well? One day, it was minding its own business when it met a turtle that lived in the South China Sea near Hong Kong. The frog said to the turtle: 'I am so happy! When I go out, I jump about on the railing beside the mouth of the well. When I come home, I rest in the holes in the broken walls of the well. If I jump into the water, it comes up to my shoulders and the water helps me to float and rest. If I walk in the mud, it covers my feet. I enjoy looking at the wriggly worms, crabs and tadpoles, and none of them compare with me. Also, I am lord of this well and I stand up tall in this shallow well. I am the best. I am very happy. My dear turtle, why don't you join me and take a look around my place?' But before the turtle could get its left foot in the well, its right knee got stuck. The turtle hesitated and retreated. The turtle decided to tell the frog about the South China Sea. 'The sea is so wide it is even wider than a distance of a thousand li*: it is so deep; it is even deeper than a height of a thousand ren*. In the time of King Yu of the Xia dynasty, there were floods nine out of 10 years, but the waters in the sea did not increase. In the time of King Tang of the Shang dynasty, there were droughts seven years out of eight, but the waters in the sea did not decrease. The sea does not change over time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls. The greatest happiness is to live in the South China Sea.' After listening to the turtle, the frog of the shallow well realised how small his world really was and he became very sad. *li: a Chinese unit of length equal to half a kilometre *ren: a Chinese unit of length of just over two metres Glossary shallow (adj) - not deep railing (n) - a fence to hesitate (v) - to stop for a short while to retreat (v) - to go backwards flood (n) - too much water drought (n) - too little water to decrease (v) - to become less Comprehension 1. Where did the frog live? 2. How high did the water go on the frog's body? 3. Name the things the frog saw in the mud. 4. Why didn't the turtle go into the well? 5. Which sea did the turtle live in? 6. In which dynasty did King Yu rule? 7. For how many years were there droughts during the Shang dynasty? Proverbs Fables usually have a moral or lesson. Sometimes we can summarise it in a simple phrase. These phrases are called proverbs. They are used by parents and teachers and can often be found in stories and leaflets and posters giving advice to the public. See if you can complete the phrases below. 8. Look before you ________. 9. A stitch in time saves ________. 10. Don't count your ____________ before they hatch. 11. A fool and his ________ are soon parted. Here are some Chinese proverbs 12. Crows everywhere are equally ________. 13. Paper cannot wrap up a ________. 14. No wind, no ________. 15. A book holds a house of ________. Crossword There are many famous fables with animal characters. Read the clues below to identify some of them. List: fox, crow, hare, monkey, mouse, python, grasshopper 1. A green insect that can jump 2. An animal like a large rabbit that has large ears and can run very fast 3. A small rodent with whiskers 4. A cunning, sly animal 5. A snake that crushes its prey 6. A black bird 7. A hairy animal that climbs trees Answers: 1. the shallow well; 2. shoulders; 3. wriggly worms, crabs and tadpoles; 4. its right knee got stuck; 5. South China Sea; 6. Xia dynasty; 7. seven years out of eight; 8. leap; 9. nine; 10. chickens; 11. money; 12. black; 13. fire; 14. waves; 15. gold Crossword: 1. grasshopper; 2. hare; 3. mouse; 4. fox; 5. python; 6. crow; 7. monkey