By Aesop

An Ox came down to a reedy pool to drink. As he splashed heavily into the water, he crushed a young Frog into the mud. The old Frog soon missed the little one and asked his brothers and sisters what had become of him.

“A great big monster,” said one of them, “stepped on little brother with one of his huge feet!”

“Big, was he!” said the old Frog, puffing herself up. “Was he as big as this?”

“Oh, much bigger!” they cried.

The Frog puffed up still more.

“He could not have been bigger than this,” she said. But the little Frogs all declared that the monster was much, much bigger and the old Frog kept puffing herself out more and more until, all at once, she burst.

Do not attempt the impossible.

Moral of the Story:

The story “The Frogs and the Ox” teaches us a very important lesson in a way that’s easy for children to understand. Imagine trying to become as big as a giant just by filling up with air — that would be silly, right? The old frog in the story tried to do just that. She wanted to be as big as the ox that accidentally squished her little froggy friend, but no matter how much she puffed herself up, she could never become as big as the ox. In the end, she puffed so much that she burst.

What this fable is really telling us is that there are some things that are just not possible, no matter how hard we try. And that’s okay! It’s important to know what we can and cannot do. We should always try our best, but also be smart about our limits and not try to do things that could hurt us or that are simply impossible. It’s like trying to jump as high as the moon; it’s a fun idea, but we know it’s not really something we can do.

So, kids, remember, it’s great to have big dreams and work hard, but always be kind to yourselves and know that it’s okay not to be able to do everything. Just like the old frog, we don’t want to push ourselves too much and end up in trouble. Let’s be proud of what we can do and have fun being the best “us” we can be!

— THE END –

Source: americanliterature.com

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