37 THE NEW VOICES

Once the birds and the beasts all grew tired of their voices.

The fox said, “I want to crow like the cock.”The hawk said,“I want to chirp like the sparrow.”The wolf said, “I want to bleat like the sheep.”

Every bird and every animal in the world wanted to change.

So they went to the wise man. “We are all tired of our voices, ”they said, “We want to change them. You are wise and know how to teach us. Will you help us to get our wish? ”

“I will teach you, ”said the wise man, “But you must make good use of your new voices.”

So he taught each bird and each animal how to change his voice. They all went back to their homes as happy as they could be.

Soon afterwards, the fox went to the barnyard. “Cock-adoodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo! ”he called, “See this fat worm. Come and get it! Come and get it! ”

When the hens heard him, they thought it was the cock. They ran to get the worm, and the fox ate them up.

Then the wolf went to the sheepfold. “Baa-baa! baa-baa! ”he called, “It is late, and I am tired. Open the door, my little lambs, and let me come in. Please do not keep me waiting.”

The lambs heard him. “That is Mother, ”they said, as they ran to open the door. Then the wolf ate them up.

The hawk went to the sparrows' nest. “Tweet-tweet! tweettweet! ”he called. He tapped on the side of the nest.

“That is Father, ”said the little sparrows, “He has something nice for breakfast.”As soon as they put out their heads, the hawk ate them up.

Soon many beasts and birds began to do harm to each other.

Then the Wise Man was sorry that he had taught them how to get new voices. So he called them together and said, “This will never do. You must take back your own voices, because you have not made good use of your new ones.”

“Everything you learn should help you to do good.”

(A Tale from India)

Word list

bleat: the sound that a sheep makes

sheepfold: a shelter for sheep

You Practice

A) Answer the following questions.

1) What did every bird and every animals want to do?

2) The wise man agreed to teach the birds and animals how to change their voices if they would do what?

3) Did the birds and animals use their new voices for a good use? Why or why not?

4) What time of day does the hawk trick the sparrows? How do you know?

5) What does the wise man tell the animals they must do at the end of the story? Why?

B) What's the word? Using the clues, write the correct words from the story.

1) smart from experience: w _ _ _

2) wild animals: b _ _ _ _ _

3) a large hunting bird: h _ _ _

4) a large wild dog: w _ _ _

5) hurt, injury: h _ _ _

C) Fill in the blanks—Read these sentences carefully. Choose the correct words from the story.

1) The bird and animals wanted to change their v _ _ _ _ _.

2) The hawk wanted to sound like a s _ _ _ _ _ _.

3) The wolf wanted to sound like a s _ _ _ _.

4) The fox wanted to sound like a h _ _.

5) The wise man was s _ _ _ _ he taught the animals to change their voices.