Theme

A cow was sitting in the field, holding some juicy grass in its mouth. A sheep walked by just then. The smell of that juicy grass made his mouth water. “Why, Master Cow, how strong you look!” said the sly sheep. “If your voice is as strong as your muscles, you must be the grandest cow in the pasture!” Now the cow was an ugly cow, with his bones sticking out. The sheep’s praise made him happy, so he opened his mouth to sing, and the grass fell out. “Ha, ha!” laughed the sheep, snapping up the grass and eating it. What is the theme or moral of this passage? 

• Share with others.

• Do not believe everything that you hear.

• Say nice things, even if they aren't true.

A calf once sat pasture looking at a large bull. She said to herself, “Now that’s a good size to be!” The calf, was a little guy, but she began puffing herself up. “Look at me!” she cried to the bull. “Am I as big as you?” “No,” said the bull. “Now?” cried the calf, puffing away. The bull just blinked lazily. “Now?” she said, huffing and puffing, determined to be bigger than nature had meant her to be. The bull shook his head. The silly calf gave one more puff and…she burst!  What is the theme or moral of this passage? 

• Strive to be the best you can be.

• You cannot be friends if you are different.

• Do not try to be something that you are not.

One day, a cow invited a sheep to breakfast. He started making some eggs. It smelled so good that the cow wished he could eat it all himself. When the sheep arrived, the mean cow served the eggs in narrow cups. Poor sheep! She tried to eat the eggs, but the bowl was too shallow. The cow ate all the eggs in a minute. A few days later, the sheep invited the cow to supper. The cow hurried over to her house, sniffing at the smell of tasty vegetable stew in the air. “Here you are!” said the sheep. With a little smile, she served the stew in wide containers. The cow couldn’t eat any because the stew kept moving off the plate, but the sheep easily ate all of hers with her long snout.  What is the theme or moral of this passage? 

• Treat others the way you want to be treated.

• Always put yourself first.

• Don't be mean just because you are hungry.

Once upon a time, a cow had a wonderful sheep that gave her beautiful fleece for clothes. But he wasn’t happy with this. He thought that the sheep must have more valuable treasure inside her. He killed the sheep and cut her open, only to find that she was just like other sheep inside. What is the theme or moral of this passage? 

• Sheep are all alike.

• Be happy with what you have.

• Golden fleeces are the best.