Table of Contents
20 Class 9th, Class10th Best Stories in English
1: A farmer and his sons
Once there lived an old farmer in a village. He had 3 sons who always quarrelled among themselves. The former advised them not to quarrel but all in vain. At last, when the former realized that his end was near, he wanted to teach them a lesson. He sent for his servant and ordered him to bring a bundle of dry sticks. When the bundle was brought, he asked his sons one by one to break the bundle. All of them tried their best but failed. The former then untied the bundle and asked them to break the sticks one by one. Everyone broke the sticks easily. The former then advised them that if they were united, no one would harm them. This example had a good effect on them. After that day they never quarrelled among themselves.
Moral: Union is strength.
United we stand divided we fall.
2: The greedy dog
Once there was a dog who felt very hungry. He wandered here and there in search of food but could not find anything to eat. At last, he sat down in front of a butcher’s shop. When the butcher was attending a customer, the dog at once stole a piece of meat from the shop and ran away to save himself and the piece of meat. On his way, there was a bridge over a stream. When he was crossing the bridge, he saw his own reflection in the water. He thought that it was another dog with a piece of meat in his mouth. He wanted to have it..too. As soon as he barked at him, his own piece of meat fell into the water. In this way, the greedy dog lost his own pace of meat and had to go home hungry.
Moral: Greed is a curse.
Be contented with what you have.
3: The fox and the grapes
Once a fox was very hungry. He went out in search of food but did not get anything. At last, he reached a vineyard. He saw some ripe branches of grapes hanging high up. His mouth watered at their sight. He jumped up to get the grapes but they were beyond his reach. He jumped again and again but failed each time. He was very tired and disappointed. At last, he gave up the struggle and went away saying, “these grapes are sour and not worth eating”.
Moral: The grapes are sour OR What cannot be cured must be endured.
4: The foolish stag
Once a stag was drinking water in a pond. He saw his own reflection in the clear water. He was delighted and felt proud of his beautiful horns. He was full of phrase for them. But when he saw his legs, he became sad because they were thin and ugly. He hated them for their ugliness. In the meantime, he heard the sound of hounds. He realized the danger and ran away at full speed to save his life. His thin and ugly legs carried him away beyond the reach of the hounds. But unfortunately his beautiful horns were caught in a bush. He tried his best to free himself but all in vain. Soon after that, the hounds caught him and for him into pieces.
Moral: Pride hath a fall.
Do not find fault with the ways of God.
5: A strange hen
Once a woman had a very strange hen. It laid a golden egg daily. It was a source of richness and happiness to her. She sold the eggs and got a lot of money. But she was foolish and greedy. She thought that the stomach of the hen was full of golden eggs. She wanted to get all the eggs at once and wanted to become a millionaire overnight. She, therefore, killed the hen and opened her belly with a knife. But she was greatly disappointed to find only one egg there. She was greatly sorry over her folly but now nothing could be done.
Moral: Greed is a curse. Haste makes waste.
6: An angel and the woodcutter
Once there was a poor woodcutter. He used to go to a nearby forest to cut woods. He brought them to the market and earned his living by selling them. One day when he was cutting a tree on the bank of the river, his axe slipped out of his hand and fell down into the river. It was a great loss for the poor man because it was his only source of income. He did not know what to do. Suddenly an angel appeared before him in the shape of a kind-hearted man. He asked him why he was sad. The woodcutter told him about the loss of his axe. The angel took pity on him and dived into the water. He brought out a golden axe. The Woodcutter said that it was not his axe. The angel dived again and brought out a silver axe but the woodcutter again refused to take it as that was not his axe. Then the Angel dived for the third time and brought out an iron axe. The
The woodcutter was overjoyed when he saw his own axe. The Angel was so pleased with the honesty of the poor woodcutter that he gave him all the three axes.
Moral: Honesty is the best policy. OR Virtue has its own reward.
7: The bear and the two friends
Once two friends set out on a journey. They promised to help each other in the time of danger. When they were passing through a forest, they saw a bear coming towards them. On seeing the bear, they were frightened. When the bear came near, one of them ran away and climbed up a tree. The other did not know how to climb up a tree. He was greatly surprised at the strange behaviour of his friend. He lay down on the ground and held his breath. He pretended to be dead as he had heard that beer does not eat dead bodies. The bear came near him. He sniffed at him and took him for a dead body and went away. When the beer disappeared, the other friend came down and asked his friend “what did the bear say in your ear?” He replied, “the bear advised me not to trust a false and selfish friend “. Saying this, he left him and went on his way alone.
Moral: A friend in need is a friend indeed.
8: The hare and the tortoise
Once a hare and tortoise lived in a Jungle. The hare was very proud of his fast speed and he always laughed at the slow speed of the tortoise. One day the tortoise got angry and challenged him to a race. A tree, at a great distance, was chosen as the victory point. When the race started, the hare ran as fast as he could. Very soon he was out of Sight. There was a shady tree on the way. The hare decided to take some rest under it. A cold wind was blowing and the hare fell asleep. The tortoise went on crawling. She moved slowly but steadily. On the way, he saw the hare fast asleep. Although he was dead tired, he did not stop to take a rest. At last, he reached the winning post. When the hare got up, he began to run very fast but when he reached his destination, he was greatly ashamed to see the tortoise already present there. He had lost the race.
Moral: Slow and steady wins the race. OR Pride. Hath a fall.
9: The king and the spider
Robert Bruce, the king of Scotland was a brave and courageous man. Once he was badly defeated by the English army. His army was dispersed and he hid in a cave. He was extremely sorry for the defeat and did not know what to do. One day, he was lying there in the cave. He saw a spider trying to reach its web. It tried again and again to reach the ceiling of the cave but could not succeed in its mission. The spider made attempts but could not reach its web. The king thought that the spider would try no more. But to his surprise, the Spider made another attempt. This time it was successful in reaching its web. This successful attempt of the spider gave the king new hope and courage. He said to himself, “If a small insect-like spider can succeed by trying, again and again, I can also try again and succeed”. The king came out of the cave, gathered his soldiers and fought a decisive battle against the English army. This time he was successful and drew the English army out of his Kingdom.
Moral: Try to try again.
God helps those who help themselves
10: Thirsty crow
It was the month of June. A crow was very thirsty. It flew here and there in search of water but could not find it anywhere. At last, it reached a garden and saw a pitcher containing some water. It sat at the pitcher. It tried to drink the water but its beak could not reach there. It looked around and saw some pebbles nearby. It picked the pebbles and dropped them into the pitcher one by one. Slowly and gradually the water rose up to the mouth of the pitcher. The crow drank the water and flew away.
Moral: Necessity is the mother of invention. God helps those who help themselves. Where there is a will there is a way.
11: The farmer and the snake
Once on a cold winter morning, a farmer was going to plough his fields. On his way, he saw a snake that was almost frozen with intense cold. He took pity on it and carried it home in a basket. He placed it near the fire. The farmer’s children gathered around it. After a few minutes, the snake got a new life and began to move. All of a sudden, it rushed at one of the children but the former killed it before it could bite the boy.
Moral: Nature cannot change. OR Nip the evil in the bud.
12: The lamb and the wolf
Once a wolf felt very thirsty. He went to a stream to quench his thirst. While the wolf was drinking water in the stream, he saw a lamb drinking water down the stream at some distance. On seeing the lamb, his mouth watered. The wolf wanted to kill the lamb. So he made up his mind to devour that lamb. The wolf hit upon an excuse. He said to the lamb, “why are you making the water dirty?” The lamb replied, “Sir how it is possible? The stream flows from you to me and not from me to you.” The wolf then said, “why did you abuse me last year? “. Then lamp replied, “sir I was not born last year because I am 6 months old.” When the wolf did not find any excuse, he ran towards the lamb. “Then it must be your father or mother.” Saying this, he sprang upon the lamb and tore him into pieces.
Moral: Might is right.
Any excuse is good enough for an evildoer
13: The loin and the mouse
Once there lived a lion in a Jungle. A mouse also lived nearby. One day when the lion was enjoying sound sleep, the mouse climbed up his body. The lion woke up and was very angry with the mouse. He caught the mouse and was about to kill it when it began to request the lion for mercy. It said, “One day I will also help you”. The lion laughed at these words. He took pity on it and let it free. After a few days, the lion was caught in a net. He roared and tried his best to free himself but it was all in vain. The mouse heard his roar and realized the serious situation. It went straight to the lion and began to bite the ropes with its sharp teeth. Soon the line was free from the net and thanked the mouse for its timely help.
Moral: Do good and have good. OR kindness begets kindness.
14: The bee and the dove
Once a bee was flying to its hive. A gust of wind threw it into the stream. The fast current of the water carried it here and there. A dove, sitting in a tree nearby, saw the bee in danger. She took pity on it. She plucked a leaf from the tree and dropped it near the bee. The bee climbed on the leaf, dried its wings and flew away safe and sound. It was thanks to the dove for her kindness. A few days later, the dove was sitting on the branch of a tree. A hunter came there and was about to shoot the dove with his gurr. The bee saw the hunter by chance and flew away towards him in the nick of time. The bee, at once sat upon the hunter’s hand and stung him. He fired but trembled and missed the mark. Thus the life of the dove was saved and she flew away safely thanking the bee.
Moral: Do good have good.
Tit for tat
15: The slave and the lion
Once upon a time, there lived a king. He had many slaves. He was very cruel and treated them harshly. One of his slaves could not bother his cruelties and so he ran away. When he was passing through a forest, he saw a lion crying in pain. The lion had a thorn in his paw. The slave pulled out the thorn and the lion took a sigh of relief. After a few days, the slave was arrested by the men of the king. The king ordered that he should be thrown before a hungry line. He was thrown before a lion. As soon as the loin saw the slave, he began to lick his hand. It was the same lion whom the slave had helped in the forest. The king and the people were greatly surprised to see this. The slave told that he had helped this lion by pulling out a thorn in his paw. The king, on hearing this, was very much moved and set the slave free.
Moral: kindness begets kindness.
Virtue has its own reward. OR kindness never goes unrewarded.
16: The fox and the goat
Once a thirsty fox went here and there in search of water. At last, he found a well with some water at its bottom. He jumped into it and drank water. He then
tried to get out of the well but all in vain. By chance, a thirsty goat passed by. She looked into the well and saw the fox. She said, “what are you doing there?” He replied, “I am drinking cool water. If you like, you can also come and enjoy drinking cool water. The boat was foolish. She at once jumped into the well. The fox finding opportunity used the back and horns of the goat and climbed out of the well. The goat realized her mistake. She requested the fox to help her but the fox laughed and said, “go on bleating till your master comes to your help. In the meantime, you may enjoy the cool water.” Saying this, he ran away to the forest.
Moral: Look before you leap
17: Three friends and a bag of gold OR Greed for gold
Once upon a time, three friends set out on a long journey on foot. When they were passing through a jungle, they found a bag full of gold. They decided to divide it equally among themselves. When they reached a town, they sent one of them to the market to bring food. In his absence, the other two decided to kill him on his return from the town and divide the gold equally between them. The third man was not less greedy than the other two. He mixed poison in the food to kill them as he wanted to get all the gold. As soon as the man from the town came, the other two killed him. But when they ate the poisonous food, they also died.
Moral: As you sow, so shall you reap.
Greed is a curse. OR. He who digs a pit for others, himself falls into it.
18: A little fish
There was a poor old fisherman. He lived in a certain village near the bank of a river. One day he got a little fish. It greeted him with respect and said, “Please sir, I am too small to be any use for you. Throw me back into the river. I should grow much bigger within a few months. You can then get me over again and sell me for a handsome prince.” But the fisherman was not a fool. He said, “Certainly you will grow bigger in a few months. But perhaps I may not be able to catch you again. He put the fish into his basket and took it home.
Moral: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
19: The shepherd and the wolf
Once there lived a shepherd boy in a village. He used to graze his sheep in a nearby forest. He was very naughty. He wanted to make others fool. One day he climbed up a tree and shouted at the top of his voice, “wolf wolf”. The villagers heard this and rushed to the forest. But when they reached, the boy laughed at him. He told them that he was joking. The people got angry and returned to the village. After a few days, a wolf actually came there. The boy got frightened and began to shout for help. The villagers heard his voice but did not come for his help. They thought that the boy was again joking. The wolf killed many of his sheep and went away.
Moral: Once a liar always a liar OR Never tell a lie.
20: The fox and the crane
A fox and a crane were fast friends. Once, the fox invited his friend to dinner. He prepared some soup and served it in a flat dish. The crane, with its long beak, could not eat anything and had to go without dinner. The fox was very happy in his heart. She enjoyed a hearty meal. The crane was very angry. He decided to teach the fox a lesson. He invited the fox to dinner. He boiled some rice and served it in an arrow necked jar. The fox tried his best to eat something but his mouth could not pass through the narrow neck of the Jar. The crane was very happy. He put his beak into the jar and enjoyed a good dinner. The fox looked at the crane in an angry mood. He felt ashamed and went home disappointed.
Moral: Tit for tat. As you sow, so shall you reap.
