The Fox and the Grapes – A Turkish Fairy Tale with a Lesson for Children

Brief Description: A Turkish fairy tale about a fox trying to reach grapes but realizing that trickery does not always bring the desired result. The story teaches children honesty and patience, explaining that perseverance is more important than excuses.

In a dense forest near a village, lived a clever fox. He was skilled and inventive, but he often used his wits to avoid work. Instead of searching for food honestly, he preferred to deceive other animals or sneak into others' gardens.

One day, the fox was walking along a field and came across an old vineyard. His attention was caught by large, juicy bunches of grapes hanging from the vines. The fox approached closer and noticed that the grapes hung high, out of his reach. "What a magnificent bunch of grapes! If I could reach them, I would have enough food for the whole day," he thought.

The fox tried to jump to grab the bunch, but it was too high. Then he decided to look for a way to climb onto the vineyard. He found an old tree stump, placed it next to the vine, and tried to climb. But the vine was too fragile to hold his weight, and he fell off.

The fox started to get anxious. He had used up a lot of energy, but still couldn’t reach the grapes. Then he thought, "If I can’t reach them, they must be sour and inedible. I didn’t even want those sour grapes!" With these words, he walked away, trying to hide his disappointment.

A little bird had been watching from behind the bushes. It laughed and called out, "Fox, you know the grapes are sweet. But instead of trying harder and finding a way to reach them, you just make excuses!"

The fox pretended he didn’t hear the bird, but the bird’s words made him think. He realized that instead of making excuses, he could have used his energy to find a better way to reach the grapes. In the end, he went off to search for another meal, but in his heart, he kept the lesson: failures are not a reason for excuses but an incentive to find new solutions.

The Moral of the Story: This story teaches that excuses bring no benefit. Instead of giving up, it is better to find new ways to achieve the goal.

Questions about the story:

• Why did the fox think the grapes were sour?
• What did the bird say, and how did it affect the fox?
• What lesson can be learned from this story?