The Owl and the Grasshopper

This story is called The Owl and the Grasshopper by Aesop. This is a LibraryCall adaptation and recording. Owls always sleep during the day. After sundown, when the light fades from the sky and shadows rise slowly through the woods, owls wake up. They emerge from tree hollows, blink their big eyes, and fly into the night sky. As they fly, their sounds-- hoo-hoo-hoo- echo through the quiet woods as they begin to hunt for the bugs, beetles, frogs and mice that they love to eat. Now, there was a certain old Owl who was cranky and hard to please, especially if anything disturbed her daily sleep. One warm summer afternoon, as she dozed away in her den in an old oak tree, a Grasshopper nearby began a joyous but very raspy song. Hearing this annoying noise, the Owl woke up and popped her head out of the opening in the tree that served as both her door and her window. "Go away," she complained to the Grasshopper. "Don’t you have any manners? You should be more respectful and let me sleep in peace!" The Grasshopper was quite comfortable exactly where he was. He wasn’t going to let an old Owl scare him away. He answered boldly, “I have just as much right to be here as you do.” Then he started singing again, but this time he sang louder and in an even raspier voice, just to annoy her. The wise Owl knew quite well that it would do no good to argue with this impertinent Grasshopper. Besides, her eyes were not sharp enough in daylight to allow her to punish the Grasshopper as she thought he deserved. So she tried a different approach, this time speaking very kindly to him. "Well, Mr. Grasshopper," she said, "if you must make music right here, I suppose I will just stay awake and settle down to enjoy your singing. You do have a most beautiful voice!” The Grasshopper beamed with pride at these flattering words from the Owl. The Owl continued, “To thank you for your beautiful concert, I would love to share some delicious cider with you. Please come up and toast with me. I know the cider will make you sing even more like an angel!" The Grasshopper, foolishly believing that the Owl’s words were sincere, jumped up to the Owl's den. “Thank you for the invitation, Mrs. Owl. I’ve been singing for a while. I could use a refreshing drink.” The clever bird smiled. And as soon as the Grasshopper was close enough for the Owl to see him clearly, she opened her sharp hooked bill and swallowed him whole. Morale: Flattery is like bubble gum. Chew it, but don’t swallow it. This was The Owl and the Grasshopper, a fable by Aesop. This has been a LibraryCall adaptation and recording.