The Fox and the Grapes

Part One · Sour Grapes

One sunny afternoon, a fox walked along a dusty road. He was hungry and thirsty.

He came to a tall garden wall. A beautiful, curly vine grew over it.

Up high on the vine hung a bunch of grapes. They were purple and round and shiny.

"Oh my," said the fox, licking his lips. "Those grapes look delicious and juicy. They are exactly what I need!"

He stood up on his back legs. He stretched his nose up, up, up. But the grapes were too high.

So he wiggled his whiskers, and he jumped. Snap! His teeth closed on nothing but air.

"That was only a little jump," said the fox. "This time I will jump higher."

He raced toward the wall and leaped really high. He missed again! He landed on his tail.

A crow sat on the wall and watched. "Caw!" said the crow. It sounded a lot like a giggle.

The fox brushed off his orange fur. He pushed a rock over to the wall. Then he climbed on top.

He jumped once, twice, eleven times! But the grapes were always just out of reach.

Finally the fox sat down in the dust. He was hot and tired, and his paws were sore.

He looked up at the delicious grapes one final time. Then he lifted his nose in the air.

"Who wants those silly grapes anyway?" he said. "Anybody can see they are not ripe. They are sour!"

Then he trotted away down the road. He held his tail high. He pretended he did not care.

The crow laughed and laughed. Then he hopped over and ate a grape. It was very sweet.

Sometimes people pretend they never wanted something they cannot get. We call that "sour grapes."