The Stork and Crab full story is a part of the Panchatantra collection of stories. The Panchatantra is an ancient Indian collection of animal fables written in Sanskrit. The fables are interwoven and depict anthropomorphized animals with the vices and virtues of humans. It is one of India’s most translated literary products and has been translated into over 50 languages worldwide. The author of the text is unknown, but it is widely credited to Vishnu Sharma and Vasubhaga. However, it is possible that these are fictitious pen names. These stories are usually accompanied by some form of moral or value. This is the reason that they are popular nursery stories as they help teach young minds the importance of living a morally rich and right life. Continue to read The Stork and Crab story in English and try to guess the moral it attempts to teach us.
Origin and History of The Stork and Crab
The story of the Stork and Crab comes from the series of Panchatantra. The work that survives today dates back to 200 BCE, but it is likely that the actual origin of the series is much older. The stories and fables are interrelated, and each story has some takeaway or moral that we can learn from. Before being written, it is possible that the stories were passed down orally for generations. The stories have been translated into many languages, and each culture has made the stories their own. Many scholars believe the tales were based on earlier oral folk traditions, which were finally written down. Regardless of the origins, the Panchatantra stories like the Stork and Crab teach us a lot about life.
Story Type of The Stork and Crab
The Stork and Crab short story is a Panchatantra Tale that has been told for generations to teach children the important morals and values of life.
Story Characters
- Cruel and cunning Stork
- Fish
- Frogs
- Crabs
- The Old and Wise Crab
The Stork and Crab Story For Children
Once upon a time, there lived an old Stork beside a fish pond. The Stork was very old and could no longer fish on his own. One fine day, he came up with a brilliant idea. He decided to stand still in the fish pond with a grim face. This caught the attention of the other aquatic animals in the pond.
The oldest crab in the pond went to the Stork and asked him, “Why are you so upset?”. To this, the smart Stork replied, “I’ll soon be leaving this pond as some people are coming to dry it up. I will move to a larger pond.”. After hearing this, the other aquatic animals in the pond requested the Stork, “Please take us with you too! We want to be saved!”.
The Stork agreed to help them. “I will take you all one by one to the large pond in my beak”, is what he said to the animals. He took a couple of fish in his beak and flew off. After reaching a certain distance, he stopped near a big black rock and ate the fish. Similarly, he made many trips to the pond and ate a lot of fish without having to fish for it.
One day, the oldest Crab came to the Stork and said, “Please save me now; take me to the big pond.”
The Stork picked the Crab up and started taking him to the big black stone. The Crab looked down, looking for the big pond but could not see any signs of water anywhere. All he could see were fishbones spread on the big black rock.
The crab immediately realised what the Stork was up to and clasped onto the Stork’s throat with his razor-sharp claws. The Stork moved around, trying to free his throat from the razor-sharp claws of the Crab. But the brave Crab held on.
The Stork fell onto the ground, and the Crab crawled back to the original pond and told everyone the truth about the Stork. Everyone was surprised and applauded the Crab for his bravery.
Story Summary
The summary of The Stork and Crab story with pictures:
There once lived an old Stork beside a fish pond. The Stork was too old to fish, so he came up with an idea. He told the aquatic animals in the pond that some humans were coming to dry up the pond and that soon they would not have a home. This upset the animals in the pond. The Stork then told them that he had seen a bigger pond nearby and that he was going to go there to save his life. The other animals begged him to save their lives, too; the Stork agreed to do so.
The Stork took the fishes one by one on the pretence of taking them to the new pond. However, in reality, he was taking them to a big black rock and eating them. After a few days, an old and wise Crab asked the Stork to take him. The Stork agreed to do so and took off with the Crab in his break. The Crab kept looking for a big pond but couldn’t see anything. However, he did spot the big black rock where there were fish bones scattered. The Crab instantly understood the Stork’s intentions and grabbed his neck with his razor-sharp claws. The Stork fell to the ground, and the Crab returned to his pond and told everyone about the Stork’s truth.
Moral Of The Story
From the story, the moral that we learn is that the “Presence of mind and the ability to act quickly when in trouble” go a long way. As we saw in the story, the Crab’s presence of mind saved his life and the lives of the other animals in the pond. The cunning Stork took advantage of the desperation of the other animals for his own advantage. But the Crab’s quick action taught the Stork a lesson.
How Can Children Apply The Moral Lesson Of The Story In Their Real Life?
This is an important lesson that we must teach little ones. The world is not a kind place, and one must be able to defend themselves from being taken advantage of. You must teach your child to be kind and humble but also to stand their ground and not allow people to push you over. They should know to keep their minds in the present and be alert when they sense any form of danger. They should know how to rationalise and think of the best way out of any form of trouble. In order to sense danger, one must be mentally connected to the present, connected to the people and events that occur around them. This gives them enough time to rationalise the situation and the people involved and act quickly, just like the Crab did in this story!
Also Read:
Little Red Hen Story with Moral for Children
Goldilocks And The Three Bears Moral Story for Kids
The Elephant And The Ant Story for Kids with Moral
