The boy who cried wolf

“The boy who cried wolf” tells the story of a young boy who tricks his village into believing a wolf is attacking their sheep. But when a real wolf appears, no one believes him. It’s a classic lesson in honesty and trust.

“The boy who cried wolf” is one of the most famous fables from Aesop, a storyteller from ancient Greece. This short but powerful story has been teaching kids the importance of telling the truth for more than 2,500 years.

It’s a simple tale, but the lesson lasts a lifetime: lying can lead to big trouble.

This article features two versions of the story: the full tale and a simplified graded reader, great for younger English learners. With questions at the end, your child will practice vocabulary and comprehension while learning an important life lesson.

Want more engaging stories to help with learning? Check out the Studycat Learn English app for more interactive stories and lessons.

Let’s leap into the fable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf and see how honesty can save the day!

The story of “The boy who cried wolf”

Once upon a time, there was a shepherd boy who took care of a flock of sheep in a peaceful little village.

Every day, the boy would take the sheep to graze in the nearby meadows and hills. But looking after sheep all day was very boring, and the boy often wished for some excitement.

One day, feeling particularly restless and wanting to have some fun, the boy thought of a mischievous idea. He climbed to the top of a hill, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted as loud as he could, “Wolf! Wolf! There’s a wolf attacking the sheep!”

The villagers heard the boy’s cry and came running to help.

They grabbed their tools, hurried up the hill, and asked, “Where’s the wolf? Where’s the danger?”

But when they arrived, they found no wolf. Instead, they saw the boy laughing and rolling on the ground.

“Ha ha! I fooled you all!” the boy chuckled.

The villagers were annoyed.

“Don’t cry wolf when there’s no danger,” they warned. “One day, when you really need help, no one will believe you.”

But the boy didn’t listen and thought it was the funniest prank ever.

A few days later, the boy became bored again. Remembering how much fun it was to trick the villagers, he once more climbed the hill and cried, “Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is attacking the sheep!”

Once again, the villagers rushed to the meadow to help the boy. But when they arrived, they found no wolf, just the boy laughing even harder than before. “I tricked you again!” he said, holding his belly from laughing so much.

This time, the villagers were angry.

“We won’t be fooled again,” they said sternly, walking back to the village.

“You shouldn’t lie about something so serious.”

The very next day, as the boy was watching over his sheep, a real wolf appeared from the forest! Its sharp teeth glistened as it crept closer to the flock. Terrified, the boy jumped to his feet and screamed, “Wolf! Wolf! Please help! The wolf is attacking the sheep!”

But this time, the villagers didn’t believe him.

“He’s just trying to fool us again,” they said to one another.

“There’s no wolf.”

The boy kept shouting, but no one came to help.

The wolf attacked the sheep, and the boy was helpless to stop it. When the villagers finally came to check on the boy later, they saw the wolf had really been there and had taken many of the sheep.

The boy was very sad.

“I lied, and now no one believes me, even when I’m telling the truth,” he said quietly.

From that day on, the boy learned a valuable lesson: if you tell lies, people will stop trusting you, even when you really need help.

The End.

The moral of “The boy who cried wolf”

If you lie too often, people won’t believe you when you tell the truth.
The boy’s constant lying caused the villagers to lose trust in him, so when he really needed their help, they didn’t believe him. This fable teaches us that honesty is important, because once people stop trusting you, it’s hard to regain that trust.

Questions about “The boy who cried wolf”

1. Why did the boy cry “Wolf!” the first time?
2. How did the villagers react when they found out there was no wolf?
3. What happened the second time the boy cried “Wolf!”?
4. What did the boy see on the third day when he called for help?
5. Why didn’t the villagers come to help when the real wolf appeared?

Answers

1. The boy cried “Wolf!” the first time because he was bored and wanted attention.
2. The villagers were angry and told the boy not to cry “Wolf!” unless there was really a wolf.
3. The villagers came to help again, but the boy had tricked them, and there was no wolf.
4. On the third day, the boy saw a real wolf attacking the sheep.
5. The villagers didn’t come to help because they didn’t believe the boy after he had lied before.

Words to learn

• Shepherd: A person who takes care of sheep. The boy in the story was a young shepherd watching over his flock.
• Flock: A group of sheep. The boy’s flock was threatened by a wolf.
• Wolf: A wild animal that hunts in packs. The boy lied about seeing a wolf, but a real one eventually appeared.
• Villagers: People who live in a small village. The villagers tried to help the boy until they stopped believing him.
• Lie: To say something that isn’t true. The boy’s lies caused the villagers to lose trust in him.

What type of story is “The boy who cried wolf”?

The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a fable, a short story that teaches a moral lesson. In this case, the lesson is about the importance of telling the truth.

Who wrote “The boy who cried wolf”?

The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a fable by Aesop, a storyteller from ancient Greece. Learn more about Aesop here.

When was “The boy who cried wolf” written?

The Boy Who Cried Wolf was written more than 2,500 years ago, as part of Aesop’s Fables.

Who are the main characters in “The boy who cried wolf”?

The main characters are the boy (a young shepherd), the villagers, and the wolf.

What lesson can we learn from “The boy who cried wolf”?

We learn that telling the truth is important, and that lying can cause people to lose trust in you. When you lie too much, people won’t believe you, even if you’re telling the truth.

”The boy who cried wolf” story for young English learners (ages 2-5, Pre-A1 graded reader)

Once upon a time, there was a young boy. He worked as a shepherd. His job was to watch over the sheep.

One day, the boy was bored. He thought it would be fun to play a trick. He ran to the village and shouted, “Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is attacking the sheep!”

The villagers ran to help him. But when they got there, there was no wolf. The boy laughed. “I was just joking,” he said.

The next day, the boy was bored again. He ran to the village and shouted, “Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is attacking the sheep!”

Again, the villagers ran to help. But there was no wolf. The boy laughed again. “It was just a joke!” he said.

On the third day, a real wolf came. The wolf began to attack the sheep. The boy was scared. He ran to the village and shouted, “Wolf! Wolf! Please help! A wolf is attacking the sheep!”

But this time, the villagers didn’t come. They thought the boy was joking again.

The wolf took all the sheep. The boy learned a lesson. No one believes a liar, even when they are telling the truth.

Fun fact!

Did you know the phrase “cry wolf” is now a common expression in English? When someone says you are “crying wolf,” it means you are raising a false alarm, just like the boy in the story.