Fables: Drawing Inferences

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

• Don't steal.

• Look both ways before crossing the street.

• Take turns.

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

• Eat all your vegetables.

• Don't talk to strangers.

• Don't brag, be modest.

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.

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.

• Don't be greedy.

• United we stand; divided we fall.

• Don't steal.

There once was a hardworking bear and a groundhog who hated to work. The bear gathered food all spring while the groundhog played. When winter came, the bear had enough food, but the groundhog had nothing to eat. Since the bear had no extra food to give, the groundhog went hungry.

• Don't be lazy.

• Slowly but surely wins the race.

• Don't steal.

There once was an ugly duckling. The other ducks laughed at her, and she felt bad. However, as she grew, they saw that she was not a duck at all. She was actually a swan, and she was beautiful.

• Look both ways before you cross the street.

• Don't steal.

• We are all capable of improvement.

A lion was about to eat a mouse, when the mouse 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.

• Don't be lazy.

• Help others because what goes around comes around.

• Respect your elders.

Once a frog jumped off a cliff into what he thought was a pond. Unfortunately it was not a pond; it was just a hole. There was a raccoon in the hole and it gobbled the frog up.

• Respect your elders.

• Don't be boastful.

• Look before you leap.

A young child was stopped by a man. The man asked her if she would help him find his lost puppy, and if she helped him he would give her candy. The child ran away and told a teacher what happened. Later on the news they recognized that man. He was a bad person.

• Look both ways before crossing the street.

• Be polite.

• Don't talk to strangers.

There was once a tiny fish that was tired of being in the school of fish all the time. He picked a fight with a couple of the other fish, and said "I don't need you; I'm leaving." So he swam away, without the protection of the group, and was soon eaten by a bigger fish.

• United we stand; divided we fall.

• We are all capable of improvement.

• Slowly but surely wins the race.