A Short Story For Kids - The Ant And The Grasshopper - by Aesop

 


This is a beautiful short story for kids. It is a short story about two neighbors; the ant and the grasshopper, and how they prepared ahead of the coming winter.

Once upon a time, there lived an ant and a grasshopper. They were close neighbors but had different views on how things should be done.

The ant was a hardworking fellow who was very careful with how he managed his free time. The grasshopper was a carefree fellow. He was a musician and loved to merry a lot.

In the summer, the ant went about gathering grains from the farmer’s garden downtown. He would roll the piece of grain he could collect from the garden down to his storehouse. It was not an easy trip, but he was determined to make sure there was enough food for him and his family when winter comes.

The grasshopper, his neighbor thought him stupid to embark on such a stressful journey at such time.

“It is summer, the day is long and bright. Why waste the beauty of the day toiling to gather grains?” he asked the ant.

“Today is bright, tomorrow may be rainy. I don’t want to be taken unawares by the cold and hunger of the coming winter. It might seem far away now, but gradually it will creep upon us. Come with me to the farmer’s garden so you can gather some grains for yourself for the winter,” the ant said to him.

“I would rather stay here and make good music to nature than toil effortlessly in the heat of the day,” the grasshopper replied the ant.

With this, the ant left him and continued with his task. The grasshopper would laugh at the ant at every trip he made back from the garden as he watched him struggle to keep the grains in place.

Summer soon passed, autumn came and gradually gave way for winter. It was so severe that the neighbors could barely make it out of their houses to greet each other.

The ant had enough food to last him the winter, but there was nothing in the grasshopper’s house.

Soon, the hunger became so severe that he couldn’t endure it any longer. The grasshopper then decided to visit the ant and ask for some food. When he arrived at the doorstep of ant, he looked so cold and famished having struggled to keep the snow away from his path. With all the strength he could muster, he knocked on the ant’s door.

When ant opened the door and saw him, he said to the ant, “I am here to keep you company, sing sweet songs to you, warm myself by the fire, while you get me something from your storehouse to eat.”

The request so amused the ant that he laughed aloud.

“During summer, I invited you to come and gather grains with me, but you went about making music. There is no food in my storehouse for you, I specifically packed the needed quantity for me and my family. Why don’t you make music to nature for winter to go away quickly? He asked and shut the door in the grasshopper’s face.

Moral: plan your tomorrow today.

Hope you enjoyed this beautiful short story for kids? We have many beautiful short stories for you, visit nonnyblog.com for interesting children’s stories.

See also:

The Patient Cat

Hansel and Gretel

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