Theme

Once a cat was in a hurry. She ran across the street without looking, and she narrowly escaped being hit by a car. 

• Don' steal.
• Look both ways before crossing the street. 
• Necessity is the mother of invention.
• One good turn deserves another.

Long ago a beautiful princess had all beautiful expensive dresses.  She bragged about them all the time. The other maidens got so tired of hearin about it that they stopped being friends with her. 

• Eat all of your vegetables.
• Beauty is everything.
• Don't brag; be modest. 
• Don't talk to strangers. 

Once there was a young boy and an old man. The young boy laughed at the tired, slow old man. Then the young boy  needed to interview a veteran for a school project.  The old man was very helpful and the boy got an A+ on his paper. The boy felt bad about laughing earlier. 

• Don't steal. 
• Slowly but surely wins the race. 
• Respect your elders.
• Look before you leap. 

A long time ago there was a king who wanted nothing but gold. He wished everything he touched turned into gold. A fairy made this wish come true.  Then anything he tried to eat turned into gold, so he starved to death. 

• Don't be greedy.
• United we stand, divided we fall. 
• Respect your elders. 
• We are all capable of improvement. 

A lion was about to eat a mouse, when the noused pleaded, "Let me go, and someday I may help you." Laughing, the lion let the mouse go. Later,  hunters caught the lion in a trap.  The mouse, seeing what happened, came to chew the ropes that bound the lion. The lion escaped. 

• Respect  your elders
• Helping others; what goes around comes around
• cooperation
• showing courage

Once a frog jumped off an embankment into what he assumed was a pond. Unfortunately it was not a pond; it was just a ditch.  There was a raccoon in the ditch that ate him. 

• Don't be boastful.
• Be polite.
• Treat everyone equally.
• Look before you leap and make plans. 

Which of the following choices does not describe theme?

• the message of a story
• the main idea and details of a story
• the lesson in a story
• the moral to a story

There were once some hardworking ants and grasshopper who hated to work. The ants gathered food all spring while the grasshopper played.  When winter came, the ants had enough food, but grasshopper had nothing to eat. Since the ants had no extra food to give, the grasshopper starved. 

• Don't be lazy. 
• Slowly but surely wins the race. 
• Betrayal 
• loyalty