Folktale

Truthfulness Folk Tale: The Boy who cried 'Wolf'  (Aesop)               https://sites.google.com/site/valueslessons             

There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the villagers sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and cried out, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!"The villagers came running up the hill to help to drive the wolf away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no wolf. The boy laughed at the sight of their angry faces."Don't cry 'wolf' when there is no wolf!" said the villagers. They went grumbling back down the hill.Later, the boy got bored, and again cried out, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!" To his delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill to help him drive the wolf away. When they saw no wolf they sternly said, "Save your cries for when there is really something wrong! Don't cry 'Wolf' when there's NO wolf!" But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down the hill once more.Later, he saw a REAL wolf prowling about his flock. Alarmed, he leaped to his feet and yelled as loudly as he could, "Wolf! Wolf!" But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, so they didn't come.

At sunset, everyone wondered why the shepherd boy hadn't returned to the village with their sheep. They went up the hill to find the boy. They found him alone, weeping.

"There really was a wolf here! It carried a lamb off and the flock has scattered! I cried out, 'Wolf!' Why didn't you come?"

An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to the village.

"We'll help you find the lost sheep in the morning," he said, putting his arm around him. "You've learned an important lesson today. Nobody believes a liar...even when he tells the truth!"

Discussion Questions

1. What did the boy gain from yelling 'Wolf" when there wasn't one? (Relief from boredom, entertainment, attention, fun.)

2. What did he lose? (Trust, his good reputation, respect) Was it worth it?

3. Why did he stay up the hill weeping until the villagers came looking for him? (Shame, guilt, embarrassed to tell what had happened, fear of being punished etc.)

4. What was the lesson he learned that day? (Nobody believes a liar...even when he tells the truth)

Optional Colouring In: Picture of a boy crying wolf is found at: http://azcoloring.com/coloring/6cp/LRp/6cpLRpzei.jpg

Image source: http://img.speakaboos.com/images/assets/videos/thumbnails/200x150/the-boy-who-cried-wolf.jpg