Also available in: ગુજરાતી · हिन्दी
A fable from the Panchatantra, retold for children in our own words. The Panchatantra is an ancient Indian collection of animal stories traditionally attributed to the scholar Vishnu Sharma. This story comes from Book 1: The loss of friends.
A chatty tortoise lived in a lake with two kind geese as his friends. Every evening the three of them talked and laughed together on the bank. The tortoise always had the most to say.
Then came a year with no rain, and the lake began to dry up. “We must fly to a bigger lake,” said the geese sadly. “But how can you come with us? You cannot fly.”
The tortoise had an idea. “Hold a stick in your beaks,” he said, “and I will hold on to the middle with my mouth.” The geese agreed, on one condition: “Whatever happens, do not open your mouth.”
Up they flew, over fields and towns. People below pointed and laughed. “Look! Two birds carrying a tortoise! What a silly sight!”
The tortoise felt very cross. He wanted to tell them exactly what he thought. He opened his mouth to shout, “Mind your own business!”
And down he tumbled. Luckily he landed in a soft, muddy pond, shell first. The geese flew down to help, and the tortoise, for once, had nothing to say.
The moral of the story
Think before you speak. Sometimes the wisest thing is to stay quiet.
Talk about it
- Why did the geese tell the tortoise to keep his mouth shut?
- How do you feel when people laugh at you? What helps?
- Can you think of a time when staying quiet was the right choice?
Tips for reading aloud
- Use a different voice for each animal.
- Pause before the turning point and ask, “What do you think happens next?”
- Open the picture book and press Read to me to hear it read aloud, with the pages turning by themselves.
More fables: the Panchatantra bookshelf.
