13 Of The Most Important Virtues That Children Need To Know (Part 1)

Homespun and Hands-On® recently hosted a forum for parents of children ages 5–13. We served refreshments and presented a panel of mothers to anecdotally share their homeschool experiences with ‘newbies,’ as well as folks seriously considering the homeschool route, and the more faint-at-heart — those attending with a friend, simply out of sheer curiosity.

I opened the forum with, “So, nice to see all of you tonight. We have quite a gathering. Before we get to our panel discussion, the crowd is manageable enough, let’s go around the room and say your name, the town you’re from, and why you’re here tonight. Are you presently homeschooling? If so, why? Are you pondering homeschooling? If so, why? Are you just here for the refreshments? If so, I get it! We have some fabulous sweet treats!”

I imagined that I would get a pretty good variety of reasons that these parents were intrigued with homeschooling — perhaps even some of the very same reasons that I had outlined in our recent blog entitled ‘To Be, or Not To Be (Homeschoolers) — That is the Question.’

What surprised me (but probably shouldn’t have) was that one of the dads who was the first to comment said that the primary reason he and his wife had decided to homeschool was merely for the fact that they sincerely want to be the biggest influence on the people their children become. This particular fellow and his wife wanted to pass their morals and values to their children and felt that homeschooling was the best way to ensure this. Once he shared his thought with the group, in the typical mob mentality, other moms and dads began vehemently agreeing with his comments.

Before I knew it, the discussion had turned into a very particular conversation about teaching children virtues. I thought it was fascinating — although not at all what I expected. I have conducted these events for years, and parents are usually eager for curriculum tips, local field trip ideas, resources for online classes, and almost always there are several specific questions relating to navigation through the ‘Department of Education Guidelines for Home Study in Vermont.’ This comment presented such an interesting turn of events that I decided to encourage the discussion to continue organically, rather than guiding it towards the more common homeschool topics.

Helping it along, however, I chimed in, “So, you all seem to share a passion for making sure that you remain the most significant influence on your children — to make sure their moral compass is always pointing in the right direction! Well — I must say that the world could use a few more upstanding human beings, in tune with their moral compass! Just think, if every parent taught ‘virtues’ in the home — what a wonderful world it would be!” I continued, “Mahatma Gandi actually said of parenting, ‘There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.’ Out of curiosity, what are some these virtues, which you feel important to teach your children.”

At that moment, I pulled an old-school, rolling-style chalkboard from the corner of the community room at the library — thinking it would be interesting to have a visual list of these virtues as it came together. Within a few minutes, between all the parents in the room that evening, we had come up with a pretty solid list of 13 important virtues to teach children before 13 years of age.

These parents wanted to teach their children —

  • Responsibility
  • Gratitude
  • Respect
  • Honesty
  • Courage
  • Kindness
  • Mindfulness
  • Perseverance
  • Love
  • Patience
  • Generosity
  • Wisdom
  • Ingenuity

We went on to talk about how they planned to instill these virtues in their children. Most agreed that homeschooling would prove beneficial. First of all, the parents felt like being the primary caregivers throughout the day; it would be more likely that children would adopt their morals and value system — rather than a teacher’s or someone else’s. Avoidance of ‘school playground socialization’ was relevant to this group of parents too. They seemed to agree that peer pressure and the influence of other children could potentially diminish a parent’s ability to instill certain virtues in their children.

The forum proceeded, and we did end up getting back on track and addressing all the ‘usual’ homeschool topics that I would have expected. However, I was still left thinking about our discussion and our list of virtues for several days. I began to wonder, “What IS the best way to teach children virtues?” After all, concepts like being responsible or loyal or patient — not to mention generous and mindful and kind — are entirely abstract ideas for the young mind that simply has not encountered an excess of life experiences from which it can develop. Thus, making it difficult for any parent to explain or define a concept like ‘gratitude’ to a child and hope that it will leave its ineradicable impression. However, take a story with interesting characters (especially of the furry, feathered, or finned variety) for whom a child can empathize; add to that a perplexing scenario that needs a solution; plus a virtue as the means to solve it; then, shake it all up. In the end, you’ll have a moral to the original story based a particular virtue that the child is not likely to soon forget.

So started my blog series with our last post entitled, ‘Why Is Storytelling Such an Effective Way to Teach Children?’ which explored the reasons that folklore through the telling or reading of stories is a fabulous way to introduce virtuosity to children and reinforce the concepts for them. As a follow-up for the next few weeks, I thought we would take an in-depth look at the very list of virtues generated by our group of parents at the homeschool forum and pair each with a classic fairy tale or fable that touts and teaches it. Please bear in mind that often these stories can be interpreted to include more than just one virtue and in the end, they could be more than one ‘moral to the story.’ But for this blog, we are going to be highlighting one virtue per story; however, don’t be surprised if we mention a couple of others in the process!

And the absolute best part about this blog series is that it’s going to provide some great content over the next few weeks that you can read with your children! Just another way that Homespun and Hands-On® helps you create fun together time with your family.

*CAVEAT:

The fables and fairy tales attached to this blog are adaptations created by the staff at Homespun and Hands-On®. In so doing, we have tried to be extremely sensitive to certain topics included in the original versions that we consider potentially disconcerting to a child. However, having said that, we recognize that every child’s (and parent’s) tolerance level is unique, so we do recommend that parents preview each story before reading them aloud to children.

*The original versions of these fables and fairy tales can be found at Project Gutenberg.

THE LITTLE RED HEN — A TALE OF RESPONSIBILITY

One of my all time favorite stories is ‘The Little Red Hen!’ So, let’s start with Little Red Hen, the wheat seed she sowed, the bread she baked, the friends that refused to help her, and ‘responsibility!’

The story of ‘The Little Red Hen’ is folklore of the fable type, most likely of Russian origin. The best-known version in the United States is, that which most of us grew up with, published by Little Golden Books. In the tale, Little Red Hen discovers a ‘wheat seed’ and asks some of the other farmyard animals — namely Pig, Cat, and Rat — to help her plant the seed, harvest the wheat, mill the flour, and bake the bread; however, to no avail. Little Red Hen discovers they are all too lazy and have no interest in lending a hand. Throughout the story, Little Red Hen is continually conflicted between her responsibility to her ‘chickies,’ for whom she must care and to the wheat seed, to which she also feels obliged. In the end, Little Red Hen resolves the struggle over responsibility to her babies and the seed, when she realizes that she can be (and must be) responsible for both and that all it will take is her commitment to a lot of hard work and a little self-reliance!

Little Red Hen lived in a barnyard. She spent almost all of her time walking about the barnyard in her picketty-pecketty fashion, scratching everywhere for worms. She dearly loved fat, delicious worms and felt they were absolutely necessary to the health of her children. As often as she found a worm, she would call “Cluck-cluck-cluck!” to her chickies. When they were gathered about her, she would distribute choice morsels of her tid-bit to them. A busy little body was she!

There was a pig, who lived in the pigsty and scarcely cared what happened in the barnyard, just so long as he could eat and eat and eat. And a cat usually napped lazily in the barn door, not even bothering to scare the rat, who ran here and there as he pleased.

One day Little Red Hen found something strange. It was a wheat seed, but Little Red Hen was so accustomed to bugs and worms that she supposed this to be some new and perhaps very delicious kind of bug or worm. She bit the wheat seed gently and found that although it resembled a worm because of its long, slender appearance — which easily fooled Little Red Hen — in no way whatsoever did it taste like a worm.

Carrying it about, she made many inquiries as to what it might be. Finally, she found it was a wheat seed and that if planted in earth, it would grow and ripen; then, it could be made into flour; then, into bread. When she discovered that it was a seed, she knew it ought to be planted.

She was so busy hunting food for herself and her family that she naturally thought she ought not to take the time to plant it. However, she thought of Pig — upon whom time must hang heavily, and of Cat — who had nothing to do, and of the great Rat — with but idle hours on his hands. She called loudly, “Who will plant the seed?” But — Pig said with a grunt, “Not I,” and Cat said with a meow, “Not I,” and Rat said with a squeak, “Not I.” “Well, then,” said Little Red Hen with a cluck, “I will.” And she did.

Then she went on with her daily duties through the long summer, scratching for bugs and worms to feed her chickies; while Pig laid around, and Cat laid around, and Rat laid around, and the wheat grew tall and became ready for harvest. So, one day Little Red Hen chanced to notice how large the wheat was and that the grain was ripe; then, she ran about calling briskly, “Who will cut the wheat?” But — Pig said with a grunt, “Not I,” and Cat said with a meow, “Not I,” and Rat said with a squeak, “Not I.” “Well, then,” said Little Red Hen with a cluck, “I will.” And she did.

She got the sickle from among the farmer’s tools in the barn and proceeded to cut-off all of the big plants of wheat. Finally after much hard work, on the ground lay the nicely cut wheat, ready to be gathered and threshed. But the newest, most yellow and downy of Little Red Hen’s chickies set up a “peep-peep-peeping” in a most vigorous fashion, proclaiming to the world at large (but most particularly to their mother) that she was neglecting them.

Poor Little Red Hen! She felt quite bewildered and hardly knew where to turn. Her attention was sorely divided between her duty to her children and her duty to the wheat, for which she felt responsible. So, again, in a very hopeful tone, she called out, “Who will thresh the wheat?” But — Pig said with a grunt, “Not I,” and Cat said with a meow, “Not I,” and Rat said with a squeak, “Not I.” “Well, then,” said Little Red Hen with a cluck, “I will.” And she did.

Of course, she had to feed her babies first, though, and when she had gotten them all to sleep for their afternoon nap, she went out and threshed the wheat. Then she called out, “Who will carry the wheat to the mill to be ground?” Pig, Cat, and Rat all turned their backs with snippy glee. And — Pig said with a grunt, “Not I,” and Cat said with a meow, “Not I,” and Rat said with a squeak, “Not I.” “Well, then,” said Little Red Hen with a cluck (for what else could she say?), “I will.” And she did.

Carrying the heavy sack of wheat, she trudged off to the distant mill. There she asked the miller to ground the wheat into beautiful white flour. After the miller brought her the flour, she started back home in her own picketty-pecketty fashion. She managed, in spite of her cumbersome load of white flour, to catch a nice juicy worm here and there, even saving one for her chickies. Upon her return, Little Red Hen’s sweet little fluff-balls were ever-so glad to see her, and for the very first time, they really appreciated their mommy!

After this very strenuous day of hard work, Little Red Hen retired to her slumbers earlier than usual — indeed, long before the colors came into the sky to herald the setting of the sun, which was her usual bedtime hour.

She would have liked to sleep late into the next morning, but her chickies, joining in the early chorus of the hen yard, drove away all hopes of such a luxury. Even as she sleepily half-opened one eye, the thought came to her that today that flour must, somehow, be made into bread. She was not in the habit of making bread, although of course, anyone can make it by following the recipe with care — and she knew perfectly well that she could do that.

So after her children were fed and made sweet and fresh for the day, she looked for Pig, Cat, and Rat. Still confident that they would surely help her on this day when she sang out, “Who will make the bread?” Alas for Little Red Hen! Once more her hopes were dashed! For — Pig said with a grunt, “Not I,” and Cat said with a meow, “Not I,” and Rat said with a squeak, “Not I.” “Well, then,” said Little Red Hen, this time (it must be admitted) with a rather discouraged cluck, “I will.” And she did.

Feeling that she should have known all along that she would have to do it all herself, she went and put on a fresh apron and spotless cook’s cap. First, she set the dough, as was proper. When it was time, she brought out the molding board and the baking tins. She molded the bread, divided it into loaves, and put them into the oven to bake. The whole time, she could hear the long-drawn snores of dozing Pig, while lazy Cat sat giggling and chuckling, and close at hand vain Rat powdered his nose and admired himself in a looking-glass.

At last the wondrous moment had arrived! A delicious smell wafted with the autumn breeze. Everywhere the barnyard animals sniffed the air with delight. Little Red Hen ambled in her picketty-pecketty fashion toward the source of all this excitement. Although she appeared to be perfectly calm, in reality only with great restraint could she resist the impulse to dance and sing, for she (and she alone) had done all the work to make this divine bread! And this filled her with pride.

It was no small wonder that she was the most excited person in the barnyard! And deservedly so! She was not confident that the bread would be fit to eat, but — joy of joys — when the lovely brown loaves came out of the oven, they were done to perfection. Then, probably only because she had acquired the habit, Little Red Hen called out, “Who will eat the bread?” All the animals in the barnyard were watching hungrily and smacking their lips in anticipation. And, of course — Pig said with a grunt, “I will,” and Cat said with a meow, “I will,” and Rat said with a squeak, “I will.” But this time Little Red Hen said with a cluck, “No, you won’t. I will.” And she did.

FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR YOUR LITTLE ONES

‘THE LITTLE RED HEN’

  1. What words would you use to describe Little Red Hen?
  2. What words would you use to describe Pig, Cat, and Rat?
  3. How did it make Little Red Hen feel every time she asked the other barnyard animals for help, and they said, “No” to her?
  4. In the end, Little Red Hen chose to not share her freshly baked bread with the other animals in the barnyard — would you have done the same? If not, why? If so, why?
  5. Did the other barnyard animals learn a lesson from Little Red Hen? If so, what lesson did they learn?
  6. How did it make Little Red Hen feel in the end to know that she (and she alone) was responsible for the lovely loafs of freshly baked bread?
  7. Next time Little Red Hen asks for help from the other barnyard animals, will they be more apt to help her?
  8. What does ‘responsibility’ or ‘being responsible’ mean to you?

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE — A TALE OF GRATITUDE

Perhaps one of the finest stories I’ve ever run across for teaching children to be grateful is ‘The Fisherman and His Wife.’ In it, a magical fish has the power to grant all the riches and power of the world and does so for the fisherman and his wife. However, nothing in the eye’s of the fisherman’s wife is ever quite good enough to make her understand the true meaning of ‘gratitude’ — until it’s too late!

‘The Fisherman and His Wife’ is folklore of the fairy tale variety. Originating in Germany, it became most popular when the Brothers Grimm added it to their collection of fairy tales. In the story, a poor fisherman catches a magical and princely fish; however, releases him back to the bright blue sea. Goaded by his greedy wife, the fisherman goes back to the bright blue sea to find the fish and presents him with his wife’s desires for riches and power — one by one. Each time the fish grants a wish for the fisherman’s wife, the fisherman recognizes that he should be grateful and content — but for his wife, he finds her always wanting more. With each request for a wish, the fish becomes more frustrated, and the sea grows more and more fierce. Finally, the fish becomes so annoyed with the fisherman’s wife’s thanklessness that he takes everything away — and with that, the fisherman’s wife finally understands that her greed was insatiable and that her lack of gratitude caused her to lose everything she had gained!

There was once a fisherman who lived close by the seaside, very modestly with his wife. One day, from the bright blue sea, he caught a great and magical fish in his net. But the fish said, “Please, let me live! I am not a real fish; I am an enchanted prince. Please, put me back in the water and let me go!” “Oh, ho!” said the fisherman, “I want nothing to do with a fish that can talk — so swim away, sir, as soon as you please!” The fisherman put him back into the water, and the fish darted straight away.

When the fisherman went home to his wife he told her the story of how he had caught a great fish, that was really an enchanted prince, and how upon hearing the fish speak, he let it go. “Did you not ask it for anything in return?” said his wife, “we live very wretchedly here, in this one-room, nasty hovel. Go back and tell the magical fish that we want a snug little cottage to live in, for sparing his life.”

The fisherman did not much like this business; however, he went to the shore, where the sea was no longer of bright blue and instead looked of pale yellow and sea-foam green. There he stood at the water’s edge, and said, “O princely fish of this great sea! Hearken my words and swim to me!”

Immediately, the fish came swimming to him, and said, “Well, what is your will?” “Ah!” said the fisherman, “my wife thought that when I caught you, I ought to have asked you for something before I let you go.” “What is it that your wife desires?” said the fish. The fisherman replied, “She does not like living in a one-room, nasty hovel. She wants a snug little cottage.” “Go home, then,” said the fish, “your snug cottage awaits you.” So the man went home and saw his wife standing in the doorway of their new home. “Come in, come in!” said she, “is this not much better than that one-room, nasty hovel we had?”

The fisherman looked around to see there was now a parlor, and a bedchamber, and a kitchen; and behind the cottage, there was a little garden, planted with all sorts of flowers and fruits; and there was a courtyard, full of ducks and chickens. “Ah!” said the fisherman, “how happily we shall live now!” “We will try to do so, at least,” said his wife.

Everything went well for a time, until the fisherman’s wife said, “Husband, there is not near room enough for us in this cottage. The courtyard and the garden are too small — I should like to have a grand stone castle in which to live. Go to the fish again and this time tell him to give us a castle.”

“My dear wife,” said the fisherman, “I don’t want to go to him again, for perhaps he will be angry! We ought to be grateful with this snug little cottage in which to live.” “Nonsense!” said the wife, “the princely fish will do it willingly! I know! Now, go along and try!”

The fisherman went, but his heart was very heavy. When he came to the sea this time, it looked blue and gloomy. But he stood at the water’s edge, and said: “O princely fish of this great sea! Hearken my words and swim to me!”

“Well, what does she want now?” said the fish. “Ah!” said the man, dolefully, “my wife wishes to live in a grand stone castle.” “Go home, then,” said the fish, “your grand castle awaits you.” So away went the fisherman, and he soon found his wife standing before the gate of a grand stone castle. “See,” said she, “is this not grand?”

With that, they went into the castle together. Inside the fisherman and his wife found many servants and rooms lavishly furnished with golden chairs and tables; and behind the castle was a garden; and around it was a park half a mile long, full of sheep, and goats, and hares, and deer; and in the courtyard were stables and barns. “Now we will live cheerfully and grateful in this grand stone castle for the rest of our lives,” said the fisherman. “Perhaps,” said the wife.

However, the very next morning the fisherman’s wife awoke and said, “Get up, get up husband! Bestir yourself! Now that we live in a grand stone castle, you must be king of all the land.” “Wife, wife,” said the man, “I wish not to be king.” “Then I shall be king,” said she. “But, wife, wife,” said the fisherman, “the fish cannot make you a king.” “Husband,” said she, “say no more about it, but go and try! I will be king.”

So the fisherman went away quite sorrowfully to think that his wife should want to be king. When he came to the sea this time, it looked a deep, dark, and grey — overspread with angry curling waves and the ridges of stormy foam. But he stood at the water’s edge, and said: “O princely fish of this great sea! Hearken my words and swim to me!”

“Well, what would she have now?” said the fish. “Alas!” said the poor fisherman, “my wife wants to be king.” “Go home,” said the fish, “you will find that your wife, the king, awaits you.” Then the fisherman proceeded to return home. As he approached the grand stone castle — he knew something had changed — suddenly the fisherman saw a troop of soldiers banding, and he heard the banging of drums and the sounding of trumpets.

Inside the castle, the fisherman’s wife was sitting upon a throne of gold and diamonds, with a golden crown on her head. To either side of her stood six fair maidens, each a head taller than the other. “Well, wife,” said the fisherman, “now you are king.” “Yes,” said she, “I am king.” And after he had looked at her for a long time, he said, “Now we shall never have anything more to wish for as long as we both shall live.”

“I am king, it is true,” said she, “but I have already begun to tire of it, and now think I should like to be emperor.” “Alas, wife! Why should you wish to be emperor?” said the fisherman. “Husband,” said she, “go to the fish! I say I will be emperor.” “Ah, wife!” replied the fisherman, “I am sure the fish cannot make an emperor. I should not like to ask him for such a thing.” “I am king,” said she, “and you are my subject, who as such must obey me! Now, go at once!”

So the fisherman was forced to go; and he muttered as he went along, “This will come to no good! It is too much to ask of the fish, he will be tired at last, and then we shall be sorry for what we have done.” The fisherman soon came to the seashore, where the water was quite black and muddy. There was a mighty whirlwind that blew over the waves and rolled them about. But he stood at the water’s edge, and said: “O princely fish of this great sea! Hearken my words and swim to me!”

“Well what would she have now?” said the fish. “Alas!” said the poor fisherman, “my wife wants to be emperor.” “Go home,” said the fish, “You will find that your wife, the emperor, awaits you.” So the fisherman returned home again. This time as he neared the grand stone castle he saw his wife sitting upon a very lofty throne made of solid gold, with a great crown of jewels on her head — a full two yards high. To either side of her stood guards and attendants in a row. Each one smaller than the other — from the tallest giant down to a little dwarf, no bigger than a man’s finger. And directly before her — stood princes, and dukes, and earls.

As the fisherman approached his wife, he said, “Wife, you are emperor.” “Yes,” said she, “I am emperor.” “Ah!” said the fisherman, as he gazed upon her, “what a fine thing it is to be emperor!” “Husband,” said she, “why should we stop at being emperor? I want to be pope next.” “Oh wife, oh wife!’ said he, “how can you be pope? There is but one pope at a time.” “Husband,” said she, “I will be pope this very day.” “But,” replied the fisherman, “the fish cannot make you pope.” “What nonsense!” said the fisherman’s wife, “if he can make an emperor, he can make a pope! Go and command him to make me pope.”

So the fisherman reluctantly went to the seaside. But when he came to the shore the wind was raging, and the sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves. The ships were in trouble as they fearfully rolled upon the tops of the billows. In the middle of the heavens there was a little piece of blue sky, but towards the south, all was red, as if a dreadful storm was rising. At this site, the fisherman was terribly frightened. He trembled so that his knees knocked together. But still, he stood at the water’s edge, and said: “O princely fish of this great sea! Hearken my words and swim to me!”

“What does she want now?” said the fish. “Ah!” said the fisherman, “my wife wants to be pope.” “Go home,” said the fish; ‘“You will find that your wife, the pope, awaits you.” Then the fisherman went home, and found his wife with three great crowns on her head, sitting upon a throne that was two miles high! Surrounding her was nothing less than pomp and circumstance set aglow by two rows of burning lights to either side of her. They were of all sizes, the greatest as large as the tallest tower in the world, and the least no larger than a small rushlight.

“Wife,” said the fisherman, as he looked at all this greatness, “are you now the pope?” “Yes,” said she, “I am the pope.” “Well, wife,” replied the fisherman, “it is a wonderful thing to be pope. You must be satisfied now, for you can be nothing greater.” “I will think about that,” said the fisherman’s wife, as she went to bed. However, much to her dismay, she could not sleep a wink for thinking about what she would next demand of the magical fish. At last — just as she was dozing off to sleep — morning broke, and the sun rose. “Ha!” thought she angrily, “I cannot prevent the sun rising.” At this thought, she awakened the fisherman, and said, “Husband, go to the fish and tell him I must be lord of the sun and moon.” The fisherman was still half-asleep, but the thought frightened him so much that startled, he near fell right out of bed! “Alas, wife!” said he, “cannot you be grateful for being pope?” “No,” said the fisherman’s wife, “I will be very unhappy as long as the sun and the moon rise without my say-so. Go to the fish at once!”

This time the fisherman went shivering with fear! As he was going down to the shore, a dreadful storm arose. The trees and even the rocks shook, as all the heavens surrounding him became black with stormy clouds, while lightning struck, and thunder roared. Meanwhile, in the sea, great black waves, swelled up like mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads. The fisherman was petrified. But he crept slowly towards the water’s edge, and said, “O princely fish of this great sea! Hearken my words and swim to me!”

“What does she want now?” said the fish. “Ah!” said the fisherman, “she wants to be lord of the sun and moon.” “Go home,” said the fish, “there you’ll find your lowly and ungrateful wife in your one-room, nasty hovel.” And, with that, the fish disappeared into the once again bright blue sea.

To this very day — close by the seaside, in the one-room, nasty hovel — the fisherman lives very modestly (and incidentally, quite happily) with his wife, who has learned the meaning of gratitude and to be grateful for what she has.

FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR YOUR LITTLE ONES

‘THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE’

  1. How did you imagine the fish looked?
  2. What words would you use to describe the fisherman?
  3. What words would you use to describe the fisherman’s wife?
  4. If you found a fish that granted wishes, for what would you wish?
  5. Although the fisherman was grateful and seemingly content after the each of the wishes granted by the fish, why did he keep asking the fish for more?
  6. Why does the sea change throughout the story?
  7. What does ‘gratitude’ or ‘being grateful’ mean to you?
  8. What are some of the things for which you are grateful?

THE FOUR MUSICIANS — A TALE OF RESPECT

I love this story of one feathered plus three furry friends, who all meet along the roadside, embark upon a journey together, and in the process learn the true meaning of loyalty and ‘respect!’

Like ‘The Fisherman and His Wife,’ this story can also be found among the Brothers Grimm collection. What brings the four musicians together, sadly, is that they were all seen as aging and no longer useful; therefore, they were no longer wanted. However, they quickly become loyal friends, respecting and believing in each other’s usefulness. Eventually, loyalty helps the new-found friends work together to outwit a band of thieves. We see that even though the animals in this story may not be as strong as they once were, they prove themselves to be very wise in the end. These four musicians and loyal friends, teach us a valuable lesson about older folk in our lives — like grandparents — that with the weakness of age comes the wisdom of life and although they are getting older, they very much still deserve our respect.

An honest farmer once had a donkey that had been a faithful servant to him a great many years but was now growing old and every day more and more unfit for work. His master, therefore, was tired of keeping him and began to think of putting him out to pasture; but the donkey, who would have none of that, took himself slyly off, and began his journey towards the great city. “For there,” thought he, “I may become a musician.”

After he had traveled a little way, he spied a dog lying by the roadside and panting as if he were tired. “How do you do, my friend?” said the donkey. “Alas!” said the dog, “I am not well. My master thinks I am old and weak, and no longer able to make myself useful to him in hunting. He wished to replace me with a puppy so, I am running away, but I know not how I shall earn my livelihood?” “Hark ye!” said the donkey, “I am going to the great city to become a musician. Suppose you go with me, and try to make music too? You are a new friend, and we will be good friends — loyal to one and other — so, we may live together and perform concerts.” The dog said he was willing, and the two new friends jollily jogged down the road together.

They had not gone far before they saw a cat sitting in the middle of the road and making a most rueful face. “Pray, my good lady,” said the donkey, “what’s the matter with you? You look quite out of spirits!” “Ah, me!” said the cat, “how can one be in good spirits when one has nowhere to go? My mistress thinks I am beginning to grow old and would rather lie at my ease by the fire than run about the house after the mice. She set her sights upon a young kitten so, I am running away, I know not where I shall live or what I am to live upon.” “Oh,” said the donkey, “by all means travel with us to the great city! I am sure you are a good night singer, and you too can make your fortune as a musician, as we plan to do. You are a new friend, and we will be good friends — loyal to one and other — so, we may all live together and perform concerts.” The cat was pleased with the thought and joined the donkey, and the dog on their journey and the three new friends jollily jogged down the road together.

Soon afterward, as they were passing by a farmyard, they saw a rooster perched upon a gate, and screaming out with all his might and main. “Bravo!” said the donkey, “upon my word, you make a famous noise; pray what is all this about?” “Why,” said the rooster, “I was just now saying that we should have fine weather for our washing-day, and yet my master thinks I am too noisy for the farm. He threatened to make a stew of me so, I am running away, but I worry about how I shall earn my keep?” “Heaven forbid!” said the donkey, “Come with us Master Chanticleer; you shall be revered for your beautiful voice in the great city, and it will be better than staying here to be dinner! We are all going to become musicians there. You are a new friend, and we will all be good friends — loyal to one and other — so, we may all live together and perform concerts.” “I will come with all my heart,” said the rooster; so, he joined the donkey, the dog, and the cat on their journey and the four new friends jollily jogged down the road together.

They could not, however, reach the great city the first day; so when night came on, they climbed atop a wooded knoll to sleep. The donkey and the dog laid down under a great tree; the cat climbed up into the branches; while the rooster, thinking that the higher he sat, the safer he should be, flew up to the very top of the tree. Then, before he went to sleep, according to his custom, he looked out on all sides of him to see that everything was well. In doing so, he saw something bright and shining far off into the distance and calling to his companions said, “There must be a house not a great way off, for I see a light.”

“If that be the case,” said the donkey, “we had better change our quarters, for this lodging is not the best in the world!” “Besides,” added the dog, “I should not be the worse for a bone or two or a bit of meat.” So off they went together towards the spot where the rooster had seen the light. As they drew near it became larger and brighter, till at last, they came to the house in which a band of thieves lived. The donkey, being the tallest of the group of friends, marched up to the window and peeked in. “Well, Donkey,” said the rooster, “what do you see?” “What do I see?” replied the donkey, “why, I see a table with shiny gold coins, and other treasures, and a delicious spread of food, and a band of thieves sitting round it all — making merry.” “That sounds like noble lodging for us,” said the rooster. “Yes,” said the donkey, “if we could only get in.”

So, they consulted together about how they should contrive to get the thieves to leave; and at last, they came upon a plan. The donkey placed himself upright on his hind legs, with his forefeet resting against the window; the dog got upon his back; the cat scrambled up to the dog’s shoulders, and the cock flew up and sat upon the cat’s head. When they were all in place and ready, a signal was given, and they began their music. The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat meowed, and the rooster cock-a-doodle-dooed; and then they all broke through the window at once, and into the room, they tumbled (amongst the broken glass) with a most hideous clatter! The thieves, who had been horribly frightened by the opening concert, had now no doubt that some frightful hobgoblin had broken into their abode. This caused them to scamper away as fast as they could.

Once the coast had cleared, the hungry travelers sat down and ate the spread of food with as much eagerness as if they had not expected to eat again for a month. With full stomachs, they put out the lights, and each once more sought out a resting-place to his liking. The donkey laid himself down upon a heap of straw in the yard; the dog stretched himself upon a mat behind the door; the cat rolled herself up on the hearth before the warm ashes; and the rooster perched upon a beam on the very top of the house. And, as they were all rather tired from their long journey, they soon fell asleep. But little did they know, trouble was afoot!

About midnight, when the band of thieves saw from afar that the lights were out and all seemed quiet, they began to think perhaps they had been in too great a hurry to run away; and one of them, who was bolder than the rest, went to see what was going on. Finding everything still at the house, he marched into the kitchen, and groped about till he found a match in order to light a candle; and then, espying the glittering fiery eyes of the cat, he mistook them for live coals and held the match to them to light it. But the cat, not understanding this error, sprang at his face, and spat, and scratched at him. Dreadfully frightened, the thief ran away to the back door, where he stepped on the dog. Startled from a sound sleep, the dog jumped up and bit the thief in the leg. Hearing the commotion in the house, the donkey came sprinting across the yard and toppled the thief as he was running away. And the rooster, awakened by the noise, cock-a-doodle-dooed with all his might. At that, the frightened thief ran all the way down the road, never once looking back.

When he arrived to his comrades, he told them of the scary witch that was living in the house. How she had spat at him and scratched his face with her long bony fingers. How a gremlin had hidden behind the door and bit him in the leg. How a black monster stood in the yard and struck him down to the ground. And how the very devil himself had sat upon the top of the house and cried out, “Throw that rascal up here!”

After hearing this, the band of thieves never dared to go back to the house. And — as for the musicians, you ask? They were so pleased with their quarters, and the fact that they had become such grand and loyal friends that they never did travel to the great city. Rather — they continued living in their newfound abode, taking care of and respecting one another. I dare say, you’ll find them there still to this very day.

FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR YOUR LITTLE ONES

‘THE FOUR MUSICIANS’

  1. Why did the donkey leave the farmer?
  2. Who no longer wanted the dog and why?
  3. Why did the cat run away from her home?
  4. What was the rooster cock-a-doodle-dooing about when the donkey, the dog, and the cat came upon him?
  5. How did the four musicians know that the men in the house were a band of thieves?
  6. Did the donkey, the dog, the cat, and the rooster become good friends? Did their loyalty (support of one another) help them to outwit the thieves?
  7. What did these four animals teach you about older people in your life — like your grandmother and grandfather?
  8. What does ‘respect’ or ‘being respectful’ mean to you?

Add a hands-on activity — try these fun printable coloring sheets for each of the stories.

We sincerely hope that you have enjoyed a blog post that contains shareable content and helps you create fun together time with your children. Please let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. By all means, feel free to stay tuned — same ‘Hands-On’ website, same ‘Hands-On’ blog series — for more ‘simply perfect’ virtues that you can teach your children and the compelling stories that will make it ‘perfectly simple’ to do so!

This blog was originally posted at homespunandhandson.com.

)
Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade