The Heron
A Heron was walking calmly along the bank of a stream, his eyes on the clear water, and his long neck and pointed bill ready to snap up a likely morsel for his breakfast.
The clear water swarmed with fish, but Master Heron was hard to please that morning.
“No small fry for me,” he said. “Such scanty fare is not fit for a Heron.”
Now a fine young Perch swam near.
“No indeed,” said the Heron. “I wouldn’t even trouble to open my beak for anything like that!”
As the sun rose, the fish left the shallow water near the shore and swam below into the cool depths toward the middle.
The Heron saw no more fish, and very glad was he at last to breakfast on a tiny Snail.
Moral of the story
Don’t be too picky: Being too hard to please might leave you with nothing or the worst option.
Appreciate what you have: Sometimes, what seems small or less desirable can turn out to be just what you need.
Questions for the children
- Why do you think the Heron was so picky about what he wanted for breakfast?
- Can you think of a time when you were glad you appreciated something even if it wasn’t exactly what you expected?
Post Note: This story is based on Aesop’s fable, written around 600 BC. In this retelling, we’ve used simpler words to make the story easier for young readers to understand.
