The Wolf and the Crane

"The Wolf and the Crane" is a fable by Aesop that teaches a lesson about gratitude and how often those who do wrong do not show appreciation for those who help them. The story is about a wolf who gets a bone stuck in his throat and, in desperation, promises anything to a crane if it will put its long beak down his throat and pull the bone out. Once the crane has done this, the wolf goes back on his word, showing his ungracious and untrustworthy nature.

• Children

								
A Wolf had been feasting too greedily, and a bone had stuck
crosswise 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?"

Expect no reward for serving the wicked.
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