FOR YOUNG READERS: "The Fox and the Grapes"

This article is designed for younger readers, with activities more suitable for children and young teens.

This very short story has been told by Aesop, by the French fabulist ("fable writer") Jean de La Fontaine, and many others.

A hungry fox saw a bunch of grapes hanging up high and tried to get them. He ran toward them and jumped as high as he could, but he missed! He tried again and again, but he became tired, and his jumps became lower and lower. At last he walked away, muttering, "I didn't really want them. They're probably sour anyway."

The moral is: When people are disappointed, they often blame the thing they hoped for. From this we get the expression, "sour grapes":

Gene: I didn't get the bike wanted for my birthday, but that's okay. It probably wasn't a good bike anyway.

Dean: Oh, Gene, that's just sour grapes! I know you really wanted it.

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SOME WORDS TO TALK ABOUT:

• fox: like a small, wild dog
• muttering: speaking quietly to yourself, usually because you are upset
• sour: not ready to be eaten; not ripe

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Questions to Answer:

Choose the best answer. Correct answers are in the first comment below.

1. Why couldn't the fox get the grapes?
   A. Because they were too sour.
   B. Because didn't try hard. 
   C. Because they were up too high.

2. What happened to the fox when he kept trying?
   A. He jumped higher and higher?
   B. He got more and more tired.
   C. He got the grapes, but they were sour.

3. How did the fox feel when he couldn't get the grapes?
   A. He felt happy.
   B. He felt like trying more.
   C. He felt unhappy.

Questions to Think About:

These questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only ask your opinion.

1. How do you act when you can't get something you want?
2. What can you say to a friend who expresses "sour grapes"?