Aesop (1867) Aesop’s Fables
A Crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a jug which had once been full of water; but when the Crow put its beak into the mouth of the jug he found that only very little water was left in it, and that he could not reach far enough down to get at it. He tried, and he tried, but at last had to give up in despair. Then a thought came to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it into the jug. Then he took another pebble and dropped it into the jug. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the jug. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the jug. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the jug. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the jug. At last, at last, he saw the water mount up near him, and after casting in a few more pebbles he was able to quench his thirst and save his life.
Little by little does the trick.
Questions to think about
What are the messages in this Aesop’s Fable?
- Why was the crow in despair?
- How did the crow save his life?
- What does little by little does the trick mean?
- Is there a time in your life that you have achieved something by taking the same approach as the crow?
Clever Crows
Crows have been observed using basic tools. For example, some crows in Japan use cars on the road to crack open nuts. In some instances, crows have even been observed using sticks to access food out of reach.