The Crow and the Pitcher

A Very Thirsty Crow

One hot summer day, a crow flew across the sky. Flap, flap, flap. The sun was bright and the air was dry. The crow was very, very thirsty.

"I must find water," he said. "My throat is so dry!"

He flew over fields. He flew over hills. He looked everywhere. But he could not find a pond, or a river, or even a puddle.

Then, at last, he saw something in a garden below. It was a tall pitcher! The crow swooped down to take a look.

A Tricky Problem

The crow peeked inside the pitcher. There WAS water — but only a little, right at the very bottom.

He stretched his neck down into the pitcher. He opened his beak wide. But the water was too far down. His beak could not reach it. Not even close!

"Oh no," said the crow. "I can see the water, but I cannot drink it. What shall I do?"

He pushed the pitcher to try to tip it. But it was too heavy. It would not move.

The crow was tired and thirsty. He wanted to give up. But then he stopped and had a think.

A Clever Idea

The crow looked around. On the ground, he saw lots of little pebbles.

"I have an idea!" he said.

He picked up one small pebble in his beak. He dropped it into the pitcher. Plop! The water rose up, just a tiny bit.

So he picked up another pebble. Plop! The water rose a little more.

The crow worked hard. Plop! Plop! Plop! One pebble at a time, he dropped them in. And with every pebble, the water climbed higher and higher up the pitcher.

A Cool, Sweet Drink

The crow kept going. Plop! Plop! The water rose right up to the top.

At last, the water was high enough! The crow dipped in his beak and took a long, cool drink. Glug, glug, glug. Ahhh!

"That is much better," said the crow happily. "I was thirsty and stuck. But I did not give up. I had a think, and I found a clever way!"

Then he spread his wings and flew off into the cool evening sky.

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The moral: When something seems too hard, do not give up. A little careful thinking can solve a big problem.

Want more read-along tales? Try The Tortoise and the Hare or The Lion and the Mouse next.