The Crow and the Pitcher

Name: The Crow and the Pitcher
Author: Aesop

Aesop B1 Fable

A free B1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 7 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.

Level: B1
Genres: Fable
Reading time: 1 min
Languages available: EN, VI, ES, ZH, PT, HI, ID

A thirsty crow finds a pitcher of water she can't reach — its neck too narrow for her beak — and must think of a clever trick to save herself.

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In a spell of dry weather, when the birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it.

But the pitcher was tall, with a narrow neck, and try as she might, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt as if she must die of thirst.

Then an idea came to her. Picking up some small pebbles, she dropped them one by one, with her bill, into the pitcher.

Slowly the water rose, until at last it was near enough for her to drink.

Little by little does the trick.

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Why couldn't the Crow reach the water at first?
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Answer: The pitcher was tall with a narrow neck
The pitcher was tall, with a narrow neck, so try as she might she could not reach the water.
Why was the Crow searching for water in the first place?
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Answer: She was thirsty during a spell of dry weather
In a spell of dry weather, the birds could find very little to drink, and the Crow was thirsty.
How did the Crow finally manage to drink?
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Answer: She dropped small pebbles into the pitcher to raise the water
She dropped pebbles into the pitcher one by one until the water rose high enough to reach.
What is the moral of the story?
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Answer: Little by little does the trick
The crow solved her problem through patient, small steps rather than force.

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