Here is a short story about the mouse deer and the snail. This story teaches us that being clever is good, but being too proud can lead to failure.
The Mouse Deer and the Snail
Once upon a time, there was a clever mouse deer who lived near a quiet river. The mouse deer was famous among the animals because he was smart and quick. He could escape from danger and solve many problems with his clever ideas.
Because of this, the mouse deer became very proud.
One morning, the mouse deer walked along the riverbank. He saw a small snail moving slowly on the wet ground.
The mouse deer laughed and said, “Good morning, Snail. Why do you walk so slowly? At this speed, you will need a whole day just to cross this riverbank.”
The snail looked at the mouse deer calmly.
“I may be slow,” said the snail, “but being slow does not mean I am useless.”
The mouse deer laughed again. “Really? Do you think you can beat me in a race?”
The snail smiled. “Why not? Let us have a race tomorrow morning.”
The mouse deer was surprised, but he agreed. He thought it would be very easy to win.
That evening, the snail gathered his friends. He told them about the race.
“The mouse deer is fast,” said the snail, “but he is too proud. We must teach him a lesson.”
The snails made a plan. They would hide along the riverbank, from the starting point to the finish line. Each snail would wait at a different place. When the mouse deer called out, the nearest snail would answer.
The next morning, many animals came to watch the race. The mouse deer stood proudly at the starting line.
“Are you ready, Snail?” asked the mouse deer.
“I am ready,” answered the snail.
The race began.
The mouse deer ran as fast as he could. After running for a while, he stopped and shouted, “Snail, where are you?”
A voice answered from ahead, “I am here!”
The mouse deer was shocked. He ran faster.
After some time, he stopped again and shouted, “Snail, where are you now?”
Again, a voice answered from ahead, “I am here!”
The mouse deer could not believe it. “How can the snail be faster than me?” he thought.
He continued running. He ran and ran until he became very tired. His legs felt weak, and his breath became heavy.
Near the finish line, the mouse deer shouted one last time, “Snail, where are you?”
A snail near the finish line answered, “I am already here!”
The mouse deer was embarrassed. He finally realized that he had underestimated the snail.
The snail said, “You are fast, Mouse Deer, but you were too proud. Never judge others only by what you see.”
The mouse deer lowered his head and said, “You are right. I am sorry. I should not have laughed at you.”
From that day on, the mouse deer became wiser. He still used his cleverness, but he learned to respect other animals.
Moral Value
The moral value of the story is: do not be arrogant and never underestimate others.
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Someone may look small, slow, or weak, but they may have intelligence, teamwork, or patience. Being smart is good, but being humble is better.
Vocabulary List
Here are some useful words from the story:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| clever | smart |
| proud | feeling too great about oneself |
| riverbank | the land beside a river |
| slowly | not fast |
| useless | having no value or function |
| race | a competition to see who is faster |
| gathered | came together |
| hide | to stay where others cannot see you |
| shocked | very surprised |
| embarrassed | feeling ashamed |
| underestimated | thought someone was less capable |
| humble | not arrogant |
Reading Comprehension Questions
Answer the questions below based on the story.
- Where did the mouse deer live?
- Why was the mouse deer famous among the animals?
- Why did the mouse deer laugh at the snail?
- What plan did the snails make?
- Why did the mouse deer become embarrassed?
- What lesson did the mouse deer learn?
- What is the moral value of the story?
Answer Key
Try to answer the questions by yourself first. After that, click the box below to check your answers.
Show Answer Key
- The mouse deer lived near a quiet river.
- He was famous because he was smart and quick.
- He laughed at the snail because the snail moved very slowly.
- The snails hid along the riverbank and answered the mouse deer from different places.
- He became embarrassed because he thought he lost to the snail.
- He learned not to be arrogant and not to underestimate others.
- The moral value is that we should respect others and never judge others only by what we see.
Conclusion
The story of the mouse deer and the snail reminds us that speed and intelligence are not everything. Pride can make someone careless, while teamwork and patience can bring success.
This story is also a good reading practice for English learners because it uses simple vocabulary, clear sentences, and an easy-to-understand moral lesson.