One day, Little Bird invited Crow for dinner. Little Bird had spent the day preparing the meal and when it was ready she waited for her guest to arrive.
Some time passed, but Crow did not arrive. So Little Bird called out: ‘Where are you, Crow? Dinner is getting cold!’
‘I am coming, I am coming,’ replied Crow. ‘I am just taking a bath , and then I will put on my red shoes and I will come along, and we will eat dinner together.’
So Little Bird waited some more, but still Crow did not arrive.
Eventually, Little Bird called out again: ‘Crow? Crow, where are you? The dinner is getting cold, and I am getting very hungry. Are you going to join me in my kitchen and eat dinner with me?’
Crow replied, ‘Yes, yes, I am coming. I am just finishing my bath, and then I will put on my red shoes and I will come along, to your kitchen, and we will eat dinner together.’
So Little Bird waited some more, until she thought to herself, ‘I have had enough of waiting. I am hungry and want my dinner.’
And so Little Bird began eating the meal alone. It was so tasty that she ate it all up until the pot was empty.
‘Oh no!’ thought Little Bird. ‘There is none left for Crow because I have eaten it all.’
Greedy Little Bird became very nervous when she realized that she had eaten all the dinner and had left none for her guest.
‘What if Crow comes and finds out that there is no dinner to eat?’ She thought to herself. ‘He might eat me instead!’
So Little Bird decided to turn the pot upside down and go and find herself a place to hide in the kitchen.
Suddenly, Crow came along into the kitchen. ‘Little Bird, Little Bird,’ called out Crow, ‘I have come for my dinner. Where are you?’
Little Bird remained in her hiding place, all the time thinking to herself, ‘Oh no, what am I going to do now that I have eaten all the food?’
Crow looked all about the kitchen but could not find Little Bird. He called out once more, ‘Little Bird, Little Bird, I am here. Where is the dinner that you promised me?’
Crow soon realized that the pot was empty and that there was no dinner because Little Bird had eaten it all.
Crow was very angry and picked up a hot poker from the fire beneath the stove and shouted out, ‘Little Bird, Little Bird, come out wherever you are, or I shall hit you on the bottom with this hot poker!’
Little Bird let out a tiny yelp of fear and Crow found her hiding beneath the kitchen table. Little Bird wanted to escape, but she was unable to fly away because her belly was so full of the dinner she had promised to share with Crow.
Crow did not hit Little Bird on her bottom with the hot poker, but he did say to her in a very stern voice: ‘Little Bird, Little Bird, why did you invite me to dinner when you have eaten it all? Why did you leave none for me? Do you not know that it is very bad to say things that you do not mean?’
Little Bird felt very guilty indeed, and from that day on she never ate any of the dinner before her guests had all arrived. And she never ever said anything that she did not mean with all of her heart.
City Mouse
and
Country Mouse
There once was a tiny little mouse from the city. One day, the city mouse went to visit his friend from the countryside; the country mouse.
The two mice were best friends and being together made them both very happy.
The country mouse was simple yet generous. He offered his friend some food: bread, butter, cheese and beans.
However, as the city mouse started to eat the meal, he started to feel a little bit sick.
‘Aren’t you hungry?’ asked the country mouse.
‘Very. But this food is not like the food from the city. I don’t like it!’ said the city mouse.
The two mice spent the day together. They had fun walking around the countryside. When it grew dark they said goodbye.
Before he went home, the city mouse invited the country mouse to his home in the city, to try the incredible food there.
The following week, the country mouse scuttled all the way to the city. He found his friend.
‘Here in the city we don’t eat until six o’ clock,’ said the city mouse. ‘Wait until the evening and you’ll see how yummy the food is! It’s worth the wait!’
The evening arrived, and the sun set. The city mouse showed the country mouse his little den in a big human house.
The humans had set their dinner table with every dessert, meat and cheese a little mouse could imagine. It was heaven!
The mice started to gobble the cakes, the meats and the different cheeses. The country mouse loved the cured ham and salami. He gobbled it up.
As the mice started to feel full, they heard a bark!
‘What is that?’ screamed the country mouse. He was afraid of the loud noise.
‘Oh no! It’s the guard dog! Run!’ cried the city mouse.
They both ran quickly and tried to escape. The country mouse followed the city mouse back to the den.
It was a close call. The dog almost caught them.
‘Sorry city mouse but I’m going home now! See you!’ panted the country mouse.
‘Why? Don’t you want to eat more delicious food?’ asked the city mouse.
‘I’d rather eat bread, cheese and beans in peace, than eat desserts and meat in danger!’ called the country mouse.
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