Aesop’s Fables

Teachers love this book! For the price of one book students have the opportunity to read 20 fables written at three different levels. Parents love this book too. Their children of different ages are able to read stories from one book. Enjoy this free preview of the fable The Blue Heron.
The Blue Heron -Version 1
Long, long ago in a faraway land lived a blue heron. One day he was hungry. He began to look for some fish to eat. He began to look for fish in the river. He saw a fish. He looked at the fish. He said, “A small fish like that is not good enough for a heron like me!” Next, he saw another fish. He cried, “I don’t even want to open my big beak for a small fish like that!” Soon he saw a bigger fish. He still wanted something bigger and better. He let the third fish swim away too. He waited and waited for a bigger fish to swim by. He did not see another fish. He waited the whole afternoon for a bigger fish! He finally saw a tiny snail. By this time he was very hungry. He was now quite glad to eat the tiny snail!
The lesson: Never be too fussy or you may end up getting very little or nothing at all.
The Blue Heron -Version 2
Long, long ago in a faraway land lived a blue heron. One day he was extremely hungry. He decided that he wanted a huge fish to eat. He began searching in the river for a big fish. Soon he saw a fairly large fish. He declared, “That fish might be fine for a kingfisher, but it is simply not fit for a heron like me!” A little while later he spied another fish. He cried, “I can’t even be bothered to open my beautiful beak for anything that teensy!” Soon he noticed another fish that was even bigger than the other two. He was still not satisfied and he let the third fish escape. He waited patiently for a larger fish. He waited the whole afternoon, but to avoid the blazing sun, the fish had disappeared into the cool depths. He finally found a teeny snail. By this time he was starving! Feeling quite foolish he greedily devoured the very tiny snail.
The lesson: Never be too fussy or you may end up getting very little or nothing at all.
The Blue Heron -Version 3
Many centuries ago, in a distant land, there lived a blue heron. One day when he felt famished he decided to journey to a nearby river in search of a large, succulent fish. When he arrived at the meandering river he immediately noticed a fish. He declared, “A handsome heron like me should not have to eat an insignificant little fish like that!” A few minutes later he spied another fish. He sneered, ”I can’t even be bothered wasting my time opening my beak for another undersized fish!” Soon he spotted another fish that was larger than the other two. He was still not satisfied with this ordinary fish and he let the third fish escape. He waited the whole afternoon, but to avoid the blazing sun, all the fish had vanished into the cool depths of the river. After much searching he finally found a tiny snail. By this time he was so hungry and weak he almost collapsed in the mud. Feeling quite foolish he quickly devoured the teensy weensy snail.
The lesson: Never be too fussy or you may end up getting very little or nothing at all.