The Cunning Fox and the Clever Stork (Year 4)

A lovely morning I bid to the honourable judges, teachers and members of the floor.
Standing here today, I would like to share a story with you, which entitled The
cunning fox and the clever stork.

Once upon a time, there lived a very cunning and mischievous fox. He used to speak
to other animals sweetly and gain their trust, before playing tricks on them.

One day the fox met a stork. He befriended the stork and acted like a very good
friend. Soon, he invited the stork to have a feast with him. The stork happily
accepted the invitation.

The day of the feast came, and the stork went to the fox’s house. To her surprise
and disappointment, the fox said that he could not make a big feast as promised,
and just offered some soup. When he brought the soup out of the kitchen, the
stork saw that it was in a shallow bowl!

The poor stork could not have any soup with its long bill, but the fox easily licked
the soup from the plate. As the stork just touched the soup with the tip of its bill,
the fox asked her, “How is the soup? Don’t you like it?”

The hungry stork replied, “Oh it is good, but my stomach is upset, and I can’t take
any more soup!”

“I’m sorry for troubling you,” said the fox.

The stork replied, “Oh dear, please don’t say sorry. I have some health problem and
cannot enjoy what you offer.”

She left the place after thanking the fox, and inviting him to her house for dinner.

The day arrived and the fox reached the stork’s place. After exchanging
pleasantries, the stork served soup for both of them, in a narrow jar with a long
neck. She was able to have the soup very easily with her long bill, but the fox
obviously could not.

After finishing hers, the stork asked the fox if he was enjoying the soup. The fox
remembered the feast he himself had given the stork, and felt very ashamed. He
stammered, “I…I’d better leave now. I have a tummy ache.”

Humiliated, he left the place running.

Dear friends, the moral of the story is ‘One bad turn begets another’. In other
words, do not play tricks on your friends unless you can stand the same treatment
yourself. Thank you.
The Boy who cried 'Wolf' (Year 4)
A very good morning I bid to the honourable judges, teachers and friends. Today, I
want to talk about a story entitled, The boy who cried wolf.

Once, there was a shepherd boy, who had to look after a flock of sheep. One day,
he felt bored and decided to play a trick on the villagers. He shouted, “Help! Wolf!
Wolf!”

The villagers heard his cries and rushed out of the village to help the shepherd boy.
When they reached him, they asked, “Where is the wolf?”

The shepherd boy laughed loudly, “Ha, Ha, Ha! I fooled you all. I was only playing a
trick on you.”

A few days later, the shepherd boy played the trick again.

He cried, “Help! Help! Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the villagers rushed up the hill to help
him and again they found that the boy had tricked them. They were very angry with
him for being so naughty.

Then, sometime later, a wolf really went into the field. The wolf attacked one
sheep, and then another and another. The shepherd boy ran towards the village
shouting, “Help! Help! Wolf! Help! Somebody!”

The villagers heard his cries but they laughed because they thought it was just
another trick.

The boy ran to the nearest villager and said, “A wolf is attacking the sheep. I lied
before, but this time it is true!”

Finally, the villagers went to look. It was true. They could see the wolf running away
and many dead sheep lying on the grass.

Dear friends, from this story we know that We may not believe someone who often
tells lies, even when he tells the truth. Thank you.
The Thirsty Crow (Year 1)
Good morning to the smart and lovely judges, teachers and my dear friends. Today,
I want to talk about a story that is The Thirsty Crow.

One hot day, a thirsty crow flew all over the fields looking for water. For a long
time, she could not find any. She felt very weak, almost giving up hope.

Suddenly, she saw a water jug below her. She flew straight down to see if there
was any water inside. Yes! she could see some water inside the jug!

The crow tried to push her head into the jug. Sadly, she found that the neck of the
jug was too narrow.

Then, she tried to push the jug down for the water to flow out. She found that the
jug was too heavy.

The crow thought hard for a while. Then, looking around her, she saw some pebbles.
Aha~ She suddenly had a good idea.

She started picking up the pebbles one by one, dropping each into the jug. As more
and more pebbles filled the jug, the water level kept rising. Soon, it was high
enough for the crow to drink. Her plan had worked!

Dear friends, the moral of the story is, if you try hard enough, you may soon find an
answer to your problem. So, don’t stop trying! Thank you.
The Lion and the Mouse (Year 1)
Good morning to the smart and lovely judges, teachers and my dear friends. Today,
I want to talk about a story that is The Lion and The Mouse.

Once, when a lion, the king of the jungle, was asleep, a little mouse began running up
and down on him. This soon awakened the lion, who placed his huge paw on the mouse,
and opened his big jaws to swallow him.

"Pardon, O King!" cried the little mouse.

"Forgive me this time. I shall never repeat it and I shall never forget your kindness.
And who knows, I may be able to do you a good turn one of these days!” begged the
mouse.

The lion was so tickled by the idea of the mouse being able to help him that he
lifted his paw and let him go.

Sometime later, a few hunters captured the lion, and tied him to a tree. After that,
they went in search of a wagon, to take him to the zoo.

Just then, the little mouse happened to pass by. On seeing the lion’s trouble, he ran
up to him and bit the ropes that bound him, the king of the jungle.

"Was I not right?" said the little mouse, very happy to help the lion.

So my friends, small acts of kindness will be rewarded greatly, don’t you think so?
Remember, please be kind to your friends. Thank you.
The Farmer and His Lazy Sons (Year 1)

A very good morning to the beloved judges, teachers and fellow friends. Today, I
want to share a story about The Farmer and His Lazy Sons.

In India, lived a very hardworking farmer named Gopal. He has three sons Ram,
Laxman and Hanuman. All three were strong and healthy. But they were all lazy.

Gopal was sad thinking about his sons and the future of his farmland.

One day, Gopal got a flash of an idea. He called all his sons and said, "Ram! Laxman!
and Hanuman! I have hidden a treasure in our farmland. You search and share the
treasure among you."

The three sons were overjoyed. They went to the fields and started searching. Ram
started from one end. Laxman searched from the other end. And Hanuman did so
from the centre. They dug each and every inch of the field. But they could not find
anything.

Gopal said to his sons, “Dear boys! Now you have loosen the soil, why not we sow a
crop!" Off went the sons to sow the crops.

Days passed. Soon, the crops grew lushly green. The sons were delighted. The
father said, "Sons, this is the real treasure I wanted you to share". The sons then
understood their fathers wanted them to be hardworking.

Dear friends, we should work hard for any success as fruits of hard work are
always sweet. Thank you.
A Truthful Woodcutter (Year 1)

A very good morning to the beloved judges, teachers and fellow friends. Today, I
want to share a story about The Truthful Woodcutter.

One day, a wood cutter's axe accidentally fell into a river. The poor wood cutter
made a good search in the water.

But his efforts were in vain. Finally, he burst into tears. Hearing his sobs, an Angel
appeared before him.

The Angel dived into the river and came up carrying a golden axe. The wood cutter
did not accept it. He stated that his axe was made of iron.

The Angel disappeared and soon returned with a silver axe. The wood cutter again
denied that it was his axe.

The Angel once again dived into the river. It soon reappeared carrying the axe of
the wood cutter. The poor man thanked the angel with great joy.

The Angel was impressed by the man's honesty.

She presented him with the golden and silver axes in recognition of his truthful
nature.

Dear friends, we should tell the truth because truthfulness brings its own
reward. Thank you.
A Loving Sister (Year 1)

A very good morning to the beloved judges, teachers and dear friends. Today, I
want to share a story to you entitled ‘A Loving Sister’.

Princess Eliza had eleven brothers. A witch turned all her brothers into swans.

“Go out into the world and look after yourselves. Fly like great birds without a
voice,” said the witch to the swans.

She was sad. She wanted to find a cure.

One day, Princess Eliza met a fairy. She asked for help. The fairy knew Princess
Eliza had a pure heart. The fairy told her to do three things.

“Collect grass from the woods. Then, make eleven cloaks with the grass. And, you
shall talk to noone when making the cloaks,” said the fairy to Princess Eliza.

Princess Eliza started to make the cloaks. She did not talk to anyone. She worked
hard.

Finally, the cloaks were ready. Princess Eliza put the cloaks on the swans. The
swans turned back into princes. They lived happily ever after.

Dear friends, we should have a kind heart and always help each other. Thank you.
The Fox and The Crow (Year 4)

A very good morning I bid to the honourable judges, teachers and friends. Today, I
want to talk about a story entitled, The Fox and The Crow.

One bright morning as the Fox was following his sharp nose through the wood in
search of a bite to eat, he saw a Crow on the limb of a tree overhead. This was by
no means the first crow the fox had ever seen.

What caught his attention this time and made him stop for a second look, was that
the lucky Crow held a bit of cheese in her beak.

"No need to search any further," thought sly Master Fox. "Here is a dainty bite for
my breakfast."

Up he trotted to the foot of the tree in which the Crow was sitting, and looking up
admiringly, he cried, "Good-morning, beautiful creature!"

The Crow, her head cocked on one side, watched the Fox suspiciously. But she kept
her beak tightly closed on the cheese and did not return his greeting.

"What a charming creature she is!" said the Fox.

"How her feathers shine! What a beautiful form and what splendid wings! Such a
wonderful Bird should have a very lovely voice, since everything else about her is so
perfect. Could she sing just one song, I know I should hail her Queen of Birds."

Listening to these flattering words, the Crow forgot all her suspicion, and also her
breakfast. She wanted very much to be called Queen of Birds.
So she opened her beak wide to sing loudly, and down fell the cheese straight into
the Fox's open mouth.

"Thank you," said Master Fox sweetly, as he walked off. "Though it is cracked, you
have a voice sure enough. But where are your wits?"

Dear friends, the moral of the story is the flatterer lives at the expense of those
who will listen to him. So, we should not blindly listen to praises but make the right
decision. Thank you.

The Fox and The Goat (Year 1)

A very good morning to the beloved judges, teachers and dear friends. Today, I
want to share a story to you entitled ‘The Fox and The Goat’.

A Fox fell into a well, and though it was not very deep, he found that he could not
get out again. After he had been in the well a long time, a thirsty Goat came by. The
Goat thought the Fox had gone down to drink, and so he asked if the water was
good.

"The finest in the whole country," said the crafty Fox, "jump in and try it. There is
more than enough for both of us."

The thirsty Goat immediately jumped in and began to drink. The Fox just as quickly
jumped on the Goat's back and leaped from the tip of the Goat's horns out of the
well

The foolish Goat now saw what a plight he had got into, and begged the Fox to help
him out. But the Fox was already on his way to the woods.

"If you had as much sense as you have beard, old fellow," he said as he ran, "you
would have been more cautious about finding a way to get out again before you
jumped in."

Dear friends, the moral of the story is look before you leap. Thank you.
The Wolf and The Crane (Year 1)

A very good morning to the beloved judges, teachers and dear friends. Today, I
want to share a story to you entitled ‘The Wolf and The Crane’.

A Wolf had been feasting too greedily, and a bone had stuck in his throat. He could
get it neither up nor down, and of course he could not eat a thing. Naturally that
was an awful state of affairs for a greedy Wolf.

So away he hurried to the Crane. He was sure that she, with her long neck and bill,
would easily be able to reach the bone and pull it out.

"I will reward you very handsomely," said the Wolf, "if you pull that bone out for
me."

The Crane, as you can imagine, was very uneasy about putting her head in a Wolf's
throat. But she was grasping in nature, so she did what the Wolf asked her to do.

When the Wolf felt that the bone was gone, he started to walk away.

"But what about my reward!" called the Crane anxiously.

"What!" snarled the Wolf, whirling around. "Haven't you got it? Isn't it enough
that I let you take your head out of my mouth without snapping it off?"
Dear friends, we should expect no reward for serving the wicked. Thank you.

The Tortoise and The Ducks (Year 1)

A very good morning to the beloved judges, teachers and dear friends. Today, I
want to share a story to you entitled ‘The Tortoise and The Ducks’.

The Tortoise, you know, carries his house on his back. No matter how hard he tries,
he cannot leave home.

When he saw how gaily the birds flew about, he was always envy and eager to be
able to fly. He wanted to see everything from the sky.

The Tortoise felt very sad and discontented. He wanted to see the world too, and
there he was with a house on his back and little short legs that could hardly drag
him along.

One day he met a pair of Ducks and told them all his trouble.

"We can help you to see the world," said the Ducks. "Take hold of this stick with
your teeth and we will carry you far up in the air where you can see the whole
countryside. But keep quiet or you will be sorry."
The Tortoise was very glad indeed. He seized the stick firmly with his teeth, the
two Ducks took hold of it one at each end, and away they sailed up toward the
clouds.

Just then a Crow flew by. He was very much astonished at the strange sight and
cried:

"This must surely be the King of Tortoises!"

"Why certainly—" began the Tortoise.

But as he opened his mouth to say these foolish words he lost his hold on the stick,
and down he fell to the ground, where he was dashed to pieces on a rock.

Dear friends, foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune. Thank you.

The Bundle of Sticks (Year 1)

A very good morning to the beloved judges, teachers and dear friends. Today, I
want to share a story to you entitled ‘The Bundle of Sticks’.

A certain Father had a family of Sons, who were forever quarreling among
themselves.

No words he could say did the least good, so he cast about in his mind for some very
striking example that should make them see that disagreement would lead them to
misfortune.

One day when the quarreling had been much more violent than usual and each of the
Sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one of them to bring him a bundle of
sticks.

Then, handing the bundle to each of his Sons in turn he told them to try to break it.
But although each one tried his best, none was able to do so.
The Father then untied the bundle and gave the sticks to his Sons to break one by
one. This they did very easily.

"My Sons," said the Father, "Don’t you see how certain it is that if you agree with
each other and help each other, it will be impossible for your enemies to injure you?
But if you are divided among yourselves, you will be no stronger than a single stick
in that bundle." The sons nodded their heads.

Dear friends, remember that, unity is strength. Thank you.

The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse (Year 4)

A very good morning to the beloved judges, teachers and dear friends. Today, I
want to share a story to you entitled ‘The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse’.

A Town Mouse once visited a relative who lived in the country. For lunch the
Country Mouse served wheat stalks, roots, and acorns, with a dash of cold water
for drink. The Town Mouse ate very sparingly, nibbling a little of this and a little of
that, and by her manner making it very plain that she ate the simple food only to be
polite.

After the meal the friends had a long talk, or rather the Town Mouse talked about
her life in the city while the Country Mouse listened. They then went to bed in a
cozy nest in the hedgerow and slept in quiet and comfort until morning. In her sleep
the Country Mouse dreamed she was a Town Mouse with all the luxuries and
delights of city life that her friend had described for her. So the next day when
the Town Mouse asked the Country Mouse to go home with her to the city, she
gladly said yes.

When they reached the mansion in which the Town Mouse lived, they found on the
table in the dining room the leavings of a very fine banquet. There were
sweetmeats and jellies, pastries, delicious cheeses, indeed, the most tempting
foods that a Mouse can imagine. But just as the Country Mouse was about to nibble
a dainty bit of pastry, she heard a Cat mew loudly and scratch at the door. In great
fear the Mice scurried to a hiding place, where they lay quite still for a long time,
hardly daring to breathe. When at last they ventured back to the feast, the door
opened suddenly and in came the servants to clear the table, followed by the House
Dog.

The Country Mouse stopped in the Town Mouse's den only long enough to pick up
her carpet bag and umbrella.

"You may have luxuries and dainties that I have not," she said as she hurried away,
"but I prefer my plain food and simple life in the country with the peace and
security that go with it."

Dear friends, poverty with security is better than plenty in the midst of fear and
uncertainty.

The Wolf and The Kid (Year 1)

A very good morning to the beloved judges, teachers and dear friends. Today, I
want to share a story to you entitled ‘the Wolf and The Kid’.

There was once a little Kid whose growing horns made him think he was a grown-up
Billy Goat and able to take care of himself. So one evening when the flock started
home from the pasture and his mother called, the Kid paid no heed and kept right
on nibbling the tender grass. A little later when he lifted his head, the flock was
gone.

He was all alone. The sun was sinking. Long shadows came creeping over the ground.
A chilly little wind came creeping with them making scary noises in the grass. The
Kid shivered as he thought of the terrible Wolf. Then he started wildly over the
field, bleating for his mother. But not half-way, near a clump of trees, there was
the Wolf!

The Kid knew there was little hope for him.

"Please, Mr. Wolf," he said trembling, "I know you are going to eat me. But first
please pipe me a tune, for I want to dance and be merry as long as I can."

The Wolf liked the idea of a little music before eating, so he struck up a merry
tune and the Kid leaped and frisked gaily.

Meanwhile, the flock was moving slowly homeward. In the still evening air the
Wolf's piping carried far. The Shepherd Dogs pricked up their ears. They
recognized the song the Wolf sings before a feast, and in a moment they were
racing back to the pasture. The Wolf's song ended suddenly, and as he ran, with
the Dogs at his heels, he called himself a fool for turning piper to please a Kid,
when he should have stuck to his butcher's trade.

Dear friends, remember that do not let anything turn you from your purpose.

The Monkey and The Dolphin

It happened once upon a time that a certain Greek ship bound for Athens was
wrecked off the coast close to Piraeus, the port of Athens. Had it not been for the
Dolphins, who at that time were very friendly toward mankind and especially toward
Athenians, all would have perished. But the Dolphins took the shipwrecked people
on their backs and swam with them to shore.

Now it was the custom among the Greeks to take their pet monkeys and dogs with
them whenever they went on a voyage. So when one of the Dolphins saw a Monkey
struggling in the water, he thought it was a man, and made the Monkey climb up on
his back. Then off he swam with him toward the shore.

The Monkey sat up, grave and dignified, on the Dolphin's back.

"You are a citizen of illustrious Athens, are you not?" asked the Dolphin politely.

"Yes," answered the Monkey, proudly. "My family is one of the noblest in the city."

"Indeed," said the Dolphin. "Then of course you often visit Piraeus."

"Yes, yes," replied the Monkey. "Indeed, I do. I am with him constantly. Piraeus is
my very best friend."

This answer took the Dolphin by surprise, and, turning his head, he now saw what it
was he was carrying. Without more ado, he dived and left the foolish Monkey to
take care of himself, while he swam off in search of some human being to save.

Dear friends, One falsehood leads to another.

The Two Pots

Two Pots, one of brass and the other of clay, stood together on the hearthstone.
One day the Brass Pot proposed to the Earthen Pot that they go out into the world
together. But the Earthen Pot excused himself, saying that it would be wiser for
him to stay in the corner by the fire.
"It would take so little to break me," he said. "You know how fragile I am. The least
shock is sure to shatter me!"

"Don't let that keep you at home," urged the Brass Pot. "I shall take very good care
of you. If we should happen to meet anything hard I will step between and save
you."

So the Earthen Pot at last consented, and the two set out side by side, jolting along
on three stubby legs first to this side, then to that, and bumping into each other at
every step.

The Earthen Pot could not survive that sort of companionship very long. They had
not gone ten paces before the Earthen Pot cracked, and at the next jolt he flew
into a thousand pieces.

Equals make the best friends.

Love and Time

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness,
Sadness, Knowledge, and all the others, including Love. One day it was announced to
the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats had left. Except
for Love.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible
moment. When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, “Richness, can you take me
with you?”

Richness answered, “No, I can’t. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is
no place here for you.”

Love decided to ask Pride who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. “Pride,
please help me!”

“I can’t help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat,” Pride answered.

Sadness also passed close by, so Love asked, “Sadness, let me go with you.”

“Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!”

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear
when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you.” It was an elder.

So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going.
When they arrived at dry land, the elder went his own way. Realizing how much she
owed to the elder, Love asked Knowledge, another elder, “Who helped me?”

“It was Time,” Knowledge answered.

“Time?” asked Love. “But why did Time help me?”

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, “Because only Time is capable of
understanding how valuable Love is.”

The Greedy Mouse

A greedy mouse saw a basket full of corn. He wanted to eat it. So he made a small
hole in the basket. He squeezed in through the hole. He ate a lot of corn. He felt
full and was very happy.

Now he wanted to come out. He tried to come out through the small hole. He could
not. His belly was full. He tried again. But it was no use.

The mouse started crying. A rabbit was passing by. It heard the mouse’s cry and
asked, “Why are you crying, my friend?”

The mouse explained, “I made a small hole and came into the basket to eat the corn.
Now I am not able to get out through that hole.”

The rabbit said, “It is because you ate too much. Wait till your belly shrinks.” The
rabbit laughed and went away.

The mouse fell asleep in the basket. The next morning his belly had shrunk. But he
wanted to eat some more corn. He forgot all about getting out of the basket. So he
ate the corn and his belly was really big again.

After eating, the mouse remembered that he had to escape. But obviously, he could
not. So he thought, “Oh! Now I will go out tomorrow.”

The cat was the next passerby. He smelt the mouse in the basket. He lifted its lid
and ate the mouse.
Two Friends and The Bear (Year 1)
Good morning to the smart and lovely judges, teachers and my dear friends. Today,
I want to talk about a story that is Two Friends and The Bear.

Once, two friends were on a journey through a forest. As they entered the deeper
part of the forest they were gripped with fear. They promised each other that
they will stick together in case of any trouble and will help each other in whatever
way they can.

All of a sudden they saw a large bear approaching them. They both got scared.
Seeing the bear very near to them one of the friends quickly climbed up a nearby
tall tree without bothering to help the other friend. The other friend didn’t know
how to climb a tree.

Soon, he threw himself on the ground. He closed his eyes, held his breath and lay
still as if he was not alive. He had somewhere heard that a bear doesn’t eat a dead
man. This turned up to a fact.

The bear came close to him and sniffed around his ear and head. Thinking that the
boy was dead, the bear left the boy and walked away. When the bear was out of
sight the friend from the tree climbed down the tree and asked: “ what did the
bear whisper in your ear?”. The other friend replied “ The bear warned me to
avoid the company of friends who leave their friends alone in times of danger”.

Dear friends, the moral of the story is a true friend is the one who always supports
and stands by you in any situation.