The peacock is a handsome bird! He has beautiful feathers, with many colours.

The crane is a plain

bird, with dull feathers. His feathers are black and grey. One day, a peacock was in the forest and he
met a crane. The peacock looked the crane up and down. Then, he pulled a face.
‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ the crane asked.
‘You are so plain!’ the peacock replied. ‘Your feathers are dull and they don’t shine at all! They are just
black and grey. Look at me! My feathers are all the colours of the rainbow!
And they shine! ’
The crane smiled, because he was happy with himself and his dull feathers.
At that moment, a playful lion cub came along. He ran up to the two birds.
The crane didn’t really want to play with
a lion! He spread his wings and he flew up
into the sky. The peacock preened his
feathers and then, he began to run. Too late! The lion cub caught
him! He grabbed him by the tail. The crane reached the clouds and
he looked down. He saw the lion cub and the peacock. The lion cub
had the peacock’s beautiful feathers in his mouth!
‘What a shame the poor peacock isn’t very fast! I
hope his feathers will grow back,’ the crane said to himself.
The crane had dull feathers, just black and grey, but he could fly and he was kind.
As for the peacock, yes, he was beautiful, but he couldn’t fly very well and he wasn’t
very nice! Will his feathers grow back? Pah! Who cares anyway? The crane does. He
cares.

Answer TRUE or FALSE and correct the false sentences. Answer the questions in full sentences.

1) The peacock has beautiful feathers. a) Describe the peacock.

2) Cranes have shiny, multi-coloured feathers. b) Describe the crane.

3) One day, a peacock was at school and he met a c) Where did they meet?
teacher.
d) What question did the crane ask the peacock?
4) The peacock complimented the crane.
e) What comparison did the peacock make between
5) The crane didn’t care much about what the peacock himself and the crane?
said, because he was happy with himself.
f) Who came along as they were talking?
6) A playful adult lion came along.
g) What did the peacock do?
7) The crane quickly took flight
h) What did the crane do?
8) The peacock preened his feathers before running
i) What did the lion cub do?
away.
j) How did the crane feel about what happened to
9) The lion cub grabbed the peacock by the neck.
the peacock?
10) The crane reached the clouds before looking down.
This is a FABLE. Fables have a moral, a lesson to
11) The crane laughed about the peacock’s situation
teach us. What is the moral of this story? Write
12) The crane is the kindest bird between those two.
down 3 possible morals.
KEY:

T/F
1. T
2. F – They have dull, black and grey feathers.
3. F – He was in the forest and he met a crane.
4. F – He didn’t compliment him./ He insulted him.
5. T
6. F – A playful cub came along.
7. T
8. T
9. F – He grabbed him by the tail.
10. T
11. F – He didn’t laugh. He was sorry/he sympathised.
12. T
Questions.
a. He is a handsome bird, with beautiful, multi-coloured feathers/of many colours.
b. He is a plain dull bird with black and grey feathers.
c. They met in the/a forest.
d. He asked him why he was looking at him like that.
e. He said that his feathers were shiny and colourful, (like a rainbow) but the crane’s feathers were dull and just
black and grey.
f. A lion cub came along as they were talking.
g. The peacock preened his feathers and then ran.
h. He flew into the sky/flew away quickly.
i. He caught the peacock. He grabbed him by the tail.
j. He felt sorry./He thought it was a shame.

POSSIBLE MORALS
1. Looks aren’t everything.
2. It’s better to be kind than good-looking.
3. Vanity is dangerous and stupid.
4. Be caring and kind.
5. Always be aware of your surroundings.
6. It’s what’s inside a person that counts, not how they look.
7. Lion cubs can be dangerous;-)
8. Having a talent is better than being good-looking.
9. It’s better to be beautiful inside than out.

Etc………………………..