Our behaviour with others decides our standing and acceptability in the world. How we talk, react, and behave in certain social and personal situations exhibit a great deal about our inherent nature and personality. Empathy, compassion, kindness, and consideration for others are important, and kids must understand the same at an early age. They need to learn how to treat others so that they are treated well too. If we give love, we get love; if we give respect, we get respect. However, nothing is absolute in this world. Still, treating others with kindness never goes unnoticed and has its share of perks. The story ‘The Tiger and the Woodpecker’ in English can help them understand the same through a fun narrative. How the tiger gets punished due to his pride and selfishness is the highlight of the story. Read ‘The Tiger and the Woodpecker’ full story to know more.
Origin And History Of ‘The Tiger And The Woodpecker’
Stories like ‘The Tiger And The Woodpecker’ are passed on to us from generation to generation. We find the mention of this story in the works of the famous Telugu poet named Manchana. Each of his tales has a great lesson in wisdom, and so does this story.
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Story Type Of ‘The Tiger And The Woodpecker’
It is a wonderful moral story that can be narrated to kids to teach them about good deeds and karma. Try to get a hold of a book that has this story with pictures so your child can relate to the narration and enjoy it more.
Story Characters
There are two main characters in the story:
- The Tiger: The tiger in the story is a selfish animal who seldom helps others.
- The Woodpecker: He is a kind, considerate, and intelligent bird who is ready to help everyone but never shies away from teaching the bad ones a lesson they deserve.
Curious? What actually happened? Read the story below.
The Story Of ‘The Tiger And The Woodpecker’ For Children
A long time ago, there lived a tiger in the jungle. One day, the tiger went out in search of food and soon found something to eat. As he was relishing his treat, a tiny bone got stuck in his mouth.
“Ohh! What has happened? Something got inside my jaw,” the tiger thought with uneasiness.
He tried everything to get rid of that bone inside his jaw. He coughed and used his paws to take that thing out. But everything was in vain. His helplessness brought a tear to his eyes.
Many days passed, but the tiger’s agony didn’t end. The bone was still stuck in his jaw.
With each passing day, the tiger got weaker and weaker as he was unable to eat properly due to the bone stuck inside his mouth. The poor tiger would lie helpless under a tree and moan in pain.
One day, a woodpecker was flying around the tree. He noticed that the tiger was in discomfort. Out of empathy, he went to him and asked, “Is there something bothering you? Why are you lying with your mouth open?”
The tiger said miserably, “A bone got stuck inside my mouth a few days ago, and since then, I am unable to hunt and eat properly.”
Listening to his plight, the woodpecker, being the kind-hearted bird he was, offered his help.
The woodpecker said, “I can remove the bone from your mouth but I have a condition.”
“What is your condition?” asked the impatient tiger.
The woodpecker continued, “You will have to share some of your food with me.”
The tiger thought, “Let me get this bone out of my mouth first then I will handle this bird. I will not give him any food. But, right now, I must say yes to him to free myself from this trouble.”
The tiger said yes, and the woodpecker took the bone out at once.
The moment the bone got out of his mouth, the tiger went hunting. A few hours later, the woodpecker spotted the tiger enjoying a big feast. He went to him and asked for his share.
The tiger blasted the woodpecker, saying, “You should count yourself lucky that I didn’t swallow you when you were inside my mouth. Now, go away, puny little bird.”
The woodpecker felt insulted and angry. He went near the tiger and pecked at one of his eyes.
The tiger cried in pain. “My eye! My eye! You pecked my eye! I won’t spare you!” he cried.
The woodpecker, hovering midair, ready to fly away, said, “You should count yourself lucky, as I could easily peck the other eye too, but I spared you.”
Story Summary
Below is the summary of the story ‘The Tiger And The Woodpecker’.
Once, a tiger had a bone stuck in his jaw. He tried really hard to get the bone out but nothing worked. When a woodpecker noticed the tiger was sitting in pain under a tree, he inquired what was wrong. The tiger told him about the bone stuck in his jaw. The woodpecker offered to help. He said he would remove the bone from his teeth in exchange for some food. When the tiger agreed, the woodpecker used its pointed beak to remove the bone. A few hours later, the woodpecker saw the tiger eating and requested his share. In response, the tiger insulted the woodpecker and said, ‘You should be grateful that I didn’t kill you when you entered my mouth.’ The unappreciative tiger infuriated the woodpecker. He gave pecked at the tiger’s eye and left him in tremendous pain, saying, ‘You should count yourself lucky, as I could easily peck the other eye too, but I spared you.’
Moral Of The Story
The story is very rich in terms of morals. One of the most noted ones is – ‘You get what you give’, or ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’.
This story is very much relevant in terms of human relations. If you treat others kindly, they will treat you the same way. The tiger failed to repay the woodpecker’s kindness; instead, he was unkind, arrogant, and mean towards him. Thus, the woodpecker taught him a good lesson by giving back what he deserved.
How Can Children Apply The Moral Lesson Of The Story In Their Real Life?
Kids need to learn to take responsibility for their actions from an early age. They need to understand that kindness, empathy, care, sharing, and love are some of the most critical aspects of life and should be practised every day. They also need to understand the consequences of being selfish and mean. This story, thus, is one of the best short stories for kids to learn this important lesson.
Reading bedtime stories is a great opportunity to teach kids something meaningful that will help shape their personalities. ‘The Tiger And The Woodpecker’ story is one such story that will help teach kids some very crucial aspects of human behaviour.
