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The Ant and the Grasshopper: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Aesop, a storyteller in Greece, told this about 2,600 years ago. In his telling, the ants did not share.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). All summer Grasshopper sings and plays his fiddle while the ants work to store food. When winter comes, he is cold and hungry and begs at their door. The ants tell him he can dance all winter, but then they kindly let him in. Next summer he gathers food too.
The lesson, in one line. Get ready for hard times, and share what you have.
Reading plan. Read it together at the meeting: about 3 minutes aloud, or ahead of time at home.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of The Ant and the Grasshopper?
The story's answer: Get ready for hard times, and share what you have. The ants plan for winter, and they are kind enough to share with Grasshopper. - Who wrote The Ant and the Grasshopper?
The story's answer: It is a fable credited to Aesop, a storyteller from ancient Greece. Other writers, such as La Fontaine, have told it again. - Do the ants help the grasshopper?
The story's answer: In this telling, yes. They tease him first and then let him in to share their warm fire. In Aesop's old version the ants do not share. - What does the grasshopper learn?
The story's answer: He learns to plan ahead. By the next summer he gathers food too, and he says there is a time to work and a time to play. - Do you agree with the lesson? Can you think of a time it would not be true?
Listen for: Any answer with a reason is a good one; listen for a real example from their own lives. - Which animal would you rather be in this story, and why?
Listen for: Children often pick the winner; ask what the other animal could have done differently.
Did you know?
- It is an Aesop fable, told in Greece about 2,600 years ago. In his telling, the ants did not share.
- It is also called The Grasshopper and the Ants.
- The French poet La Fontaine made it famous again in a poem, with a cicada instead of a grasshopper.
Activity: Act it out, then swap the ending
Two readers play the animals and the rest are the narrator. Then play it again where the other animal wins: what is the lesson now?
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- This telling ends kindly, and the grasshopper learns that there is a time to work and a time to play.
Words to teach before you start
- fiddle: a violin
- marched: walked in step
- rumble: low growl
- shivered: shook from cold
- gathered: picked up
Questions leaders ask
How long does a The Ant and the Grasshopper book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 3 minutes in all, so plan one meeting of 30 to 45 minutes, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is The Ant and the Grasshopper for?
It is written at Peabody level 7, a grade 2 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- The Boy Who Cried Wolf (level 7)
- The Dog in the Manger (level 7)
- The Fox and the Crow (level 7)
- The Fox and the Grapes (level 7)
- The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse (level 7)
- The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs (level 8)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.