The Grasshopper and the Ant

by Aesop

　　

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The Grasshopper and the Ant (or Ants) is more commonly referred to by its better known title, The Ant and the Grasshopper. This fable's moral lesson emphasizes the twin values of hard and planning for the future. It is one of Favorite Fairy Tales.

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　　One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustlingabout in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had storedup during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddleunder his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.

　　"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anythingaway for the winter? What in the world were you doing all lastsummer?"

　　"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined theGrasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew itthe summer was gone."

　　The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.

　　"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" Andthey turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with theirwork.

　　There's a time for work and a time for play.

　　

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You may also enjoy reading a parady of this fable in rhyme, The Impecunious Cricket and the Frugal Ant. Enjoy our complete collection of Short Stories for Children.

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