Central Message Lesson or Moral

The Fox and the Crow
One warm day, a crow was sitting in a tree, holding a bit of cheese in his beak. A fox walked by just then. The smell of the cheese made his mouth water. 
"Why, Master Crow, how pretty you look!" said the sly fox. "If your voice is as fine as your feathers, you must be the grandest bird in all these woods!" 
Now the crow was an ugly bird, with messy feathers and a harsh voice. The fox's praise thrilled him. He was proud of his feathers and voice. He opened his beak to sing, and the cheese fell out. 
"Ha, ha!" laughed the fox, snapping up the cheese. "That will teach you not to believe everything you hear!"
What is the moral of this story?

• Share your cheese or may lose it. 

• Do not believe everything that you hear. 

• Say nice things, even if they are not true

The Frog and the Ox
A frog once sat on a lily pad looking at a large ox. She said to herself, "Now that's a good size to be!"
The frog, who was no bigger than your hand, began puffing herself up. 
"Look at me!" she cried to the ox. "Am I as big as you?" 
"No," said the ox. 
"Now?" cried the frog, puffing away. 
The ox just blinked lazily. 
"Now?" she said, huffing and puffing, determined to be bigger than nature had meant her to be. 
The ox shook his head. He knew the frog shouldn't try to be like him. The silly frog gave one more puff and ...she burst!
What is the moral of this story?

• Frogs wish that they were bigger. 

• You cannot be friends if you are different. 

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

The Fox and the Stork
One day, a fox invited a stork for supper. He started making some soup. It smelled so good that he wished could eat it all himself. 
Wen the stork arrived, the mean fox served the soup in flat bowls. Poor Stork! She tried to sip the soup with her long beak, but the bowl was too shallow. The fox lapped up all his broth in a minute. 
A few days later, the stork invited the fox to supper. He hurried over to her house, sniffing at the smell of tasty stew in the air. 
"Here you are!" said the stork. With a little smile, she served the stew in tall glass jars. The fox couldn't eat any, but the stork easily ate all of hers with her long beak. 
The fox realized that the stork was teaching him a lesson. He hung his head. He was ashamed of how greedy and mean he had been. He knew that if he had been nice, Stork would have been nice to him. 
What is the moral of the story? 

• Treat others the way you want to be treated. 

• Do not invite people over for dinner. 

• You can be mean if you are hungry. 

The main idea, or message, in a literary work is the

• setting

• plot

• tone

• theme

The Hen Who Laid Golden Eggs Once upon a time, a man had a wonderful hen that laid a golden egg every day. But he wasn't happy with this. He thought that the hen must have a treasure inside her. He killed the hen and cut her open, only to find that she was just like other chickens inside. Now he was very unhappy. What is the moral of the story?

• Chickens are all alike.

• Be happy with what you have.

• Big problems can be solved.

• Good farmers take care of their hens.

Read the passage and select the correct central message.

• You should always share everything.

• Selfishness leads to unhappiness.

• Cassie did not share her cookies.

The Fox and the Crow

One warm day, a crow was sitting in a tree, holding a bit of cheese in his beak. A fox walked by just then. The smell of the cheese made his mouth water.

"Why, Master Crow, how pretty you look!" said the sly fox. "If your voice is as fine as your feathers, you must be the grandest bird in all these woods!"

Now the crow was an ugly bird, with messy feathers and a harsh voice. The fox's praise thrilled him. He was proud of his feathers and voice. He opened his beak to sing, and the cheese fell out.

"Ha, ha!" laughed the fox, snapping up the cheese. "That will teach you!"

What is the moral of the story?

• A. Sharing is the right thing to do

• B. Don't believe everything you hear

• C. Be confident

• Always do your best

Read the passage and select the correct central message.

• You can buy more if you save your money.

• Danny is smarter than Benny.

• You should not spend all your money on candy.

The Fox and the Stork One day, a fox invited a stork for supper. He started making some soup. It smelled so good that he wished could eat it all himself. When the stork arrived, the mean fox served the soup in flat bowls. Poor Stork! She tried to sip the soup with her long beak, but the bowl was too shallow. The fox lapped up all his broth in a minute. The stork couldn't eat at all! A few days later, the stork invited the fox to supper. He hurried over to her house, sniffing at the smell of tasty stew in the air. "Here you are!" said the stork. With a little smile, she served the stew in tall glass jars. The fox couldn't eat any, but the stork easily ate all of hers with her long beak. The fox realized that the stork was teaching him a lesson. He hung his head. He was ashamed of how greedy and mean he had been. He knew that if he had been nice, Stork would have been nice to him. What is the moral of the story?

• Treat others the way you want to be treated.

• Foxes and storks shouldn't eat together.

• Never give up.

• Take your time.

Read the passage and select the correct central message.

• Put things away when you are done using them.

• You shouldn't leave crayons out in the sun.

• Lucy is lazy and inconsiderate.