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The Mouse, The Bird, And The Sausage

By Brothers Grimm


Once upon a time a mouse, a bird, and a sausage formed a partnership.

They kept house together, and for a long time they lived in peace and prosperity, acquiring many possessions.

The bird's task was to fly into the forest every day to fetch wood. The mouse carried water, made the fire, and set the table. The sausage did the cooking.

Whoever is too well off always wants to try something different! Thus one day the bird chanced to meet another bird, who boasted to him of his own situation.

This bird criticized him for working so hard while the other two enjoyed themselves at home. For after the mouse had made the fire and carried the water, she could sit in the parlor and rest until it was time for her to set the table.

The sausage had only to stay by the pot watching the food cook. When mealtime approached, she would slither through the porridge or the vegetables, and thus everything was greased and salted and ready to eat. The bird would bring his load of wood home. They would eat their meal, and then sleep soundly until the next morning. It was a great life.

The next day, because of his friend's advice, the bird refused to go to the forest, saying that he had been their servant long enough. He was no longer going to be a fool for them. Everyone should try a different task for a change.

The sausage was to fetch wood, the mouse became the cook, and the bird was to carry water.

And what was the result? The sausage trudged off toward the forest; the bird made the fire; and the mouse put on the pot and waited for the sausage to return with wood for the next day.

However, the sausage stayed out so long that the other two feared that something bad had happened. The bird flew off to see if he could find her.

A short distance away he came upon a dog that had seized the sausage as free booty and was making off with her.

The bird complained bitterly to the dog about this brazen abduction, but he claimed that he had discovered forged letters on the sausage, and that she would thus have to forfeit her life to him.

Filled with sorrow, the bird carried the wood home himself and told the mouse what he had seen and heard. They were very sad, but were determined to stay together and make the best of it.

The bird set the table while the mouse prepared the food. She jumped into the pot, as the sausage had always done, in order to slither and weave in and about the vegetables and grease them, but before she reached the middle, her hair and skin were scalded off, and she perished.

When the bird wanted to eat, no cook was there. Beside himself, he threw the wood this way and that, called out, looked everywhere, but no cook was to be found.

Because of his carelessness, the scattered wood caught fire, and the entire house was soon aflame. The bird rushed to fetch water, but the bucket fell into the well, carrying him with it, and he drowned.

"The Three Little Pigs" (Expanded Version)

Once upon a time, there were three little pigs who lived with their mother.

One day, she decided that it was time for them to leave the nest and build their own houses. So, the three pigs set out to do just that.

The first pig built his house out of straw, because it was the easiest and quickest material to use.

The second pig built his house out of sticks, because it was a little stronger than straw but still not too difficult to gather.

The third and smartest pig built his house out of bricks, because he knew it would be the most secure and sturdy material.

One day, a big bad wolf came along and saw the three houses.

He decided to try and blow down the straw and stick houses to eat the pigs inside.

The first two pigs ran to the brick house of their brother for safety, but the wolf caught up with them.

The wolf huffed and puffed and blew down the straw and stick houses with ease.

The pigs were now without a home and very afraid.

The third pig, who had built his house out of bricks, allowed his brothers to stay with him.

The big bad wolf tried to blow down the brick house, but he couldn't.

He then tried to climb down the chimney, but he landed in a boiling pot of water that the pigs had placed there.

The wolf scurried away and never came back.

The three little pigs lived happily ever after in their secure and sturdy brick house.

They were grateful to their clever brother for building such a safe home for them and for keeping them protected from the big bad wolf.

The end.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Peter who lived in a small village at the foot of a mountain.

Peter was hired to be the shepherd for the village's flock of sheep. His job was to watch over the sheep and make sure they were safe from any danger.

One day, while Peter was watching over the sheep, he grew bored. He thought it would be funny to play a trick on the villagers. So, he ran into the village, shouting, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is attacking the sheep!"

The villagers rushed to help Peter, but when they got to the field, they found no wolf. They scolded Peter for wasting their time and told him not to play such tricks again.

But Peter didn't listen. A few days later, he played the same trick again. And once again, the villagers rushed to help, but found no wolf. They were even more annoyed this time and warned Peter that he would be punished if he did it again.

However, Peter thought it was too much fun to stop. A few days later, he cried wolf again. The villagers were fed up with his constant false alarms and refused to come to his aid.

One day, a real wolf appeared and began to attack the sheep. Peter ran into the village, shouting, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is attacking the sheep!" But this time, no one came to his aid.

The wolf continued to attack the sheep, and many of them were killed or injured. When the villagers finally realized what had happened, they felt terrible for not helping Peter when he needed them the most.

They learned a valuable lesson that day: to always take someone's cries for help seriously, because you never know when they might be in real danger.

Peter was also humbled by his experience. He learned that it's never okay to play tricks on people, especially when it puts others in harm's way. He became a responsible and trustworthy person, and was respected by all the villagers.

From that day forward, whenever Peter cried "Wolf!", the villagers would immediately come to his aid, knowing that he would never play such tricks again.

And so, the story of the boy who cried wolf became a cautionary tale, reminding us to always be honest and to take the cries for help of others seriously.

The Toirtoise and The Hare

Once upon a time in a forest, there lived a hare who was known for his great speed. He loved to show off his fast legs and bragged about how he could run faster than anyone else in the forest.

One day, the hare met a tortoise and began to mock him for being so slow. "You will never be able to catch up to me!" said the hare with a sneer. The tortoise, feeling embarrassed, challenged the hare to a race.

"Ha!" laughed the hare. "That will be the easiest race of my life. I'll just take a nap halfway through and still beat you easily."

The hare thought that the race would be a breeze, but the tortoise was determined to show him that slow and steady wins the race. So, the two set off on the race, with the hare confident in his abilities and the tortoise taking each step with care.

As they ran, the hare felt so confident that he decided to take a nap. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Meanwhile, the tortoise kept on moving, one step at a time, never stopping for a break.

The hare slept for a long time, and when he finally woke up, he realized that the tortoise was much closer to the finish line than he was. Panicking, the hare raced as fast as he could, but it was too late. The tortoise crossed the finish line before him, proving that slow and steady wins the race.

The hare was humbled by his loss and realized that he should never have underestimated the tortoise. He learned that it's not always about being the fastest, but about being determined and never giving up.

From that day on, the hare changed his ways and became a kind and humble creature. He never bragged about his speed again and instead, admired the tortoise's determination. The two became good friends and often ran races together, with the hare cheering on the tortoise as he crossed the finish line.

And so, the story of the tortoise and the hare serves as a reminder that slow and steady wins the race and that it's never too late to change one's ways and become a better person. It teaches us that we should never underestimate those around us and that determination and hard work will always triumph over speed and arrogance.

So, next time you're in a race or facing a challenge, remember the tortoise and the hare and keep moving forward, one step at a time. Who knows, you might just surprise yourself and win the race in the end.

Goldilocks and The Three Bears

 

Once upon a time, there was a curious little girl named Goldilocks.

She lived in a small cottage with her family near a dense forest.

One day, while she was out on a walk, she stumbled upon a house that was not her own.

Intrigued, she approached the house and saw that it belonged to three bears: Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Baby Bear.

Goldilocks, being the curious and bold girl that she was, decided to go inside and have a look.

She went into the kitchen and saw three bowls of porridge on the table.
Without hesitation, she decided to taste the porridge from the first bowl.

However, it was too hot for her to enjoy, so she moved on to the second bowl.

Unfortunately, that one was too cold for her liking.

But, as luck would have it, the third bowl of porridge was just the right temperature.

Goldilocks took a big spoonful and savored the delicious taste.

After she finished the porridge, Goldilocks went into the living room and saw three chairs.

She decided to sit in the first chair to take a break, but it was too hard and uncomfortable.

The second chair was too soft and sunk too much.

However, the third chair was just right - it was soft but not too soft, and hard but not too hard.

She sat there for a while, enjoying the comfort.

Finally, Goldilocks went into the bedroom and saw three beds.

She was feeling tired from her walk and decided to lie down for a bit.

She lay down on the first bed and it was too hard for her liking.

The second bed was too soft, and she sank into it too much.

But, when she lay down on the third bed, it was just perfect.

She felt so comfortable and cozy that she soon fell asleep.

As time went by, the three bears returned to their home and were surprised to find a stranger, Goldilocks, sleeping in Baby Bear's bed.

They approached her cautiously and when she woke up, she saw the bears and ran out of the house as fast as she could.

From that day on, Goldilocks never went into someone else's house again.

She learned her lesson about respecting others' property and privacy.

But, she also learned about the importance of being kind and polite to others, even if they are strangers.

She continued to live her life, always being curious and adventurous, but also being mindful and respectful of those around her.

The end.

Please answer these questions to the extent or limit that you would like to:

1. Why did you choose to go with Read With Love audiobooks?

2. Why is reading stories to children important to you?

3. What is your favorite story to read to children? 

4. Anything you'd like to add?