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The Boy Who Cried Wolf: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Aesop, a storyteller in Greece, told this about 2,600 years ago.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). A bored shepherd boy shouts “Wolf!” to make the villagers run up the hill, even though there is no wolf. He does it twice, and then a real wolf comes and nobody believes him. The sheep scatter, and the boy finds out that nobody believes a fibber, even when he is telling the truth.
The lesson, in one line. If you fib, people stop believing you.
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 Boy Who Cried Wolf?
The story's answer: Nobody believes a liar, even when the liar is finally telling the truth. The old Greek version of the fable puts it just that way: even if liars tell the truth, no one believes them. In this telling the boy learns it the hard way, and afterwards he tells only the truth. - Where does The Boy Who Cried Wolf come from?
The story's answer: It is attributed to Aesop and dates from classical times, in Greek. It was not translated into Latin until the 15th century, and a collection of fables by Heinrich Steinhöwel helped spread it across Europe. - Does the boy die in The Boy Who Cried Wolf?
The story's answer: Not in this telling: the wolf chases the sheep away, and the boy spends the night finding them. In the old Greek fable the wolf eats the sheep. Some later retellings in English verse have the wolf eat the boy as well. - What does “cry wolf” mean?
The story's answer: To “cry wolf” is to give a false alarm. If you do it often enough, people stop paying attention, even when the danger is real. It is just what the boy in this fable does. - 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?
- One of Aesop's fables. The old Greek version ends with the lesson that liars are not believed, even when they tell the truth.
- It was written down only in Greek and not translated into Latin until the 15th century.
- To “cry wolf” means to give a false alarm.
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
- In the Greek fable the wolf eats the sheep. Some later English verse retellings, such as John Hookham Frere's in 1830, have it eat the boy too.
Words to teach before you start
- village: small town
- bored: not having fun
- tricked: fooled
- cross: a bit angry
- fibber: someone who lies
Questions leaders ask
How long does a The Boy Who Cried Wolf 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 Boy Who Cried Wolf 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 Ant and the Grasshopper (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.