About the The goose that laid the golden egg story
“The goose that laid the golden eggs” tells the story of a man who is given a goose that lays a golden egg every day. Instead of being patient, the farmer lets his greed get the better of him and loses his fortune.
This story, originally from Aesop’s Fables, was written around 600 BCE and has been teaching generations about the dangers of impatience and greed. In this article, you’ll find two versions of the fable: the full story and a simplified graded reader for younger English learners. Fun questions at the end help boost comprehension and vocabulary.
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Let’s leap into the fable and see how one man’s greed turns a golden opportunity into regret!
The story of “The goose that laid the golden eggs”
Once upon a time, there was a poor farmer who lived with his wife in a small cottage. One morning, as the farmer was collecting eggs from his geese, he discovered something extraordinary.
One of the geese had laid a shining, solid gold egg!
The farmer could hardly believe his eyes.
“Look!” he exclaimed to his wife, holding up the golden egg. “We’re rich!”
Every day after that, the same goose laid one golden egg.
The farmer and his wife couldn’t believe their good fortune.
They sold the eggs and soon became quite wealthy.
But as their wealth grew, so did their greed.
One day, the farmer said to his wife, “Why should we wait for the goose to lay just one egg a day? There must be a whole store of gold inside the goose. Let’s cut it open and get all the gold at once!”
His wife agreed, even though she felt a little uncertain.
Together, they killed the goose and cut it open—only to find that, like any other goose, there was no treasure inside.
The golden eggs were gone forever.
The farmer and his wife were left with nothing but regret.
In their greed, they had destroyed the very source of their wealth.
The moral of “The goose that laid the golden eggs”
Greed can lead to the loss of everything.
The farmer and his wife had a steady source of wealth, but their greed pushed them to ruin it. This story teaches us that being too greedy can make us lose the good things we already have. Patience and gratitude are the keys to lasting happiness and success.
Questions about “The goose that laid the golden eggs”
What did the goose lay that made the farmer and his wife rich?
- How did the farmer and his wife become wealthy?
- Why did the farmer and his wife decide to kill the goose?
- What did they find when they cut the goose open?
- What lesson does this story teach us?
Answers
- The goose laid golden eggs, which made the farmer and his wife rich.
- They became wealthy by selling the golden eggs that the goose laid every day.
- They wanted to get all the golden eggs at once, so they decided to kill the goose, thinking there was gold inside.
- They found nothing inside the goose—there were no golden eggs, just a regular goose.
- The story teaches us that greed can lead to losing everything, and we should be patient and grateful for what we have.
Words to learn
- Goose: A large bird that lays eggs. In this story, the goose lays magical golden eggs.
- Golden egg: An egg made of solid gold. The golden eggs made the farmer and his wife rich.
- Greed: A desire to have more than you need. The farmer and his wife’s greed led them to kill the goose.
- Rich: Having lots of money or wealth. The golden eggs made the farmer and his wife rich.
- Patience: The ability to wait for something without getting upset. The farmer and his wife lacked patience, which caused them to lose everything.
What type of story is “The goose that laid the golden eggs”?
The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs is a fable, a short story that teaches a moral lesson, often using animals as characters.
Who wrote “The goose that laid the golden eggs”?
The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs is a fable by Aesop, a famous storyteller from ancient Greece. Learn more about Aesop here.
When was “The goose that laid the golden eggs” written?
The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs was written more than 2,500 years ago as part of Aesop’s Fables.
Who are the main characters in “The goose that laid the golden eggs”?
The main characters are the farmer, his wife, and the magical goose that lays golden eggs.
What lesson can we learn from “The goose that laid the golden eggs”?
We learn that greed can lead to loss, and that we should be patient and grateful for the good things we already have. Chasing too much too quickly can cost us everything.
”The goose that laid the golden eggs” story for young English learners (ages 2-5, Pre-A1 graded reader)
Once upon a time, there was a farmer who had a special goose.
Every day, the goose laid one golden egg.
The farmer sold the egg and became rich.
The farmer was happy, but soon, he became greedy.
He thought, “If the goose can lay golden eggs, there must be lots of gold inside her.”
One day, the farmer decided to cut open the goose.
“I will get all the gold at once!” he said.
But when he opened the goose, there was no gold inside.
The goose was dead, and the farmer could no longer get any golden eggs.
The farmer was very sad.
His greed made him lose everything.
Fun fact!
Did you know? The phrase “killing the goose that lays the golden eggs” is still used today as a way to describe someone who destroys a valuable resource through greed or impatience!
