37 THE ANT AND THE DOVE
“I want some water, ”an ant once said.
“I will go to the brook.
I can get some water there.”
So she went to the brook.
But she tumbled into the water.
“Help! Help! ”she cried.
“The water is cold! ”
A dove heard the ant.
“I will help you! ”cried the dove.
So she threw a leaf into the brook.
The ant got on the leaf.
“Ooo-oo-o-o! ”blew the wind.
It blew the leaf to the land.
Then the ant got off the leaf.
“Thank you, kind dove, ”she said.
“Sometime I will help you.”
Soon a man came by.
He saw the pretty dove.
He said, “I will catch her.”
So he kept very still.
He came very near to the dove.
“Coo, coo! ”said the pretty dove.
She did not see the man.
But the ant saw him.
She said, “I will help the good dove.”
So she bit the man and made him jump.
The man cried out, “Oh! Oh! ”
Then the dove saw the man.
Away she flew!
She was safe, and the ant was happy.
(Retold from a Fable by Æsop)
Word list
an t: a kind of insect that lives in very large groups—some are red and some are black
tumbled: fell
You Practice
A) Answer the following questions.
1) What was the ant's problem?
2) Why did the man keep very still while trying to catch the dove?
3) How did the ant help the dove?
4) Why was the ant happy that the dove was safe?
5) Tell about a time when someone helped you, and later you helped them.
B) The main idea—The main idea of a story is the most important thing that the writer wants to say. Below are four sentences about the story. One is the main idea, while the others are details about the story. Circle the main idea of the story.
1) An ant went to the brook.
2) The dove helped the ant.
3) Later the ant helped the dove.
4) The ant and the dove helped each other because they were friends.
C) True or false? Read these sentences carefully, write true or false for each one.
1) _____ The dove fell in the brook.
2) _____ The wind helped the ant.
3) _____ The dove was very kind.
4) _____ An ant is a kind of bird.
5) _____ The man helped the ant and the dove.