The Thirsty Crow: A Tale of Wit, Perseverance, and Hope
The Scorching Summer
The sun blazed high in the sky, its golden rays turning the forest into an oven. The once-glistening streams had dried up, and the leaves on the trees hung limp and lifeless. Animals of all kinds—bunnies, deer, squirrels, and birds—scurried about, searching for water to quench their thirst. Cora, too, felt the heat pressing down on her. Her throat was as dry as the cracked earth beneath her feet, and her wings felt heavy as she flew from tree to tree, searching for even a single drop of water.
“Oh, how I wish it would rain!” Cora thought, her voice hoarse. “If only I could find a little water to cool my throat.”
She flew higher and higher, scanning the forest below. Just as she was about to give up, something caught her eye. In the distance, she spotted a glimmer—a tiny sparkle that made her heart leap with hope.
The Discovery
Cora flapped her wings with renewed energy and soared toward the glimmer. As she got closer, she realized it was a pitcher—a tall, narrow pitcher made of clay, sitting on a wooden table outside a small cottage. Her eyes widened with excitement. “Water! There must be water inside!”
She landed on the edge of the pitcher and peered inside. Sure enough, there was water at the bottom! But her joy quickly turned to dismay. The pitcher was tall, and the water level was too low for her to reach. She stretched her neck as far as she could, but her beak couldn’t touch the water.
“Oh no,” Cora sighed. “What am I going to do now?”
.png)
The Clever Plan
Cora sat on the edge of the pitcher, her mind racing. She wasn’t one to give up easily. “There must be a way,” she thought. “I just need to think like a crow!”
She looked around for inspiration. Nearby, she noticed a pile of small pebbles scattered on the ground. An idea began to form in her mind. “If I can’t reach the water, maybe I can bring the water to me!”
With a determined gleam in her eye, Cora hopped down from the pitcher and began picking up pebbles, one by one, in her beak. She flew back to the pitcher and dropped the pebbles inside. Plop! Plop! Plop! Each pebble sank to the bottom, displacing a tiny bit of water.
At first, it didn’t seem like much. But Cora didn’t give up. She kept going, flying back and forth, picking up pebbles and dropping them into the pitcher. Her wings ached, and the sun beat down on her, but she refused to quit.
The Reward
After what felt like hours, Cora noticed something amazing. The water level in the pitcher was rising! Little by little, the pebbles were pushing the water higher and higher. Finally, the water reached the top of the pitcher. Cora’s heart soared with joy.
She perched on the edge of the pitcher, dipped her beak into the cool, refreshing water, and drank deeply. The water was the sweetest she had ever tasted, and it filled her with energy and hope.
The Lesson
As Cora sat by the pitcher, feeling proud of her accomplishment, she realized she had learned an important lesson. “No matter how hard a problem seems, there’s always a way to solve it if you use your brain and never give up,” she thought.
From that day on, Cora became a legend in the forest. Animals of all kinds would come to her for advice, and she would always tell them the story of the thirsty crow and the pitcher of water.
The Moral of the Story
The story of the thirsty crow teaches us that no challenge is too great if we approach it with creativity, perseverance, and a positive attitude. Just like Cora, we can overcome any obstacle by thinking outside the box and never giving up.
The Thirsty Crow story
Moral stories for kids
Short stories with pictures
Crow and the pitcher
Kids’ bedtime stories
Inspirational stories for children
Problem-solving stories
Classic fables for kids
Stories about perseverance
Educational stories with morals