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The Fox and the Grapes: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Aesop, a storyteller in Greece, told this about 2,600 years ago. People still say "sour grapes" today.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). A hungry fox sees a bunch of juicy grapes high on a vine. He jumps again and again but cannot reach them. At last he gives up and says they were probably sour anyway, and a crow nearby eats one and finds it sweet.
The lesson, in one line. Don't pretend you never wanted what you couldn't get.
Reading plan. Read it together at the meeting: about 2 minutes aloud, or ahead of time at home.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of The Fox and the Grapes?
The story's answer: Do not pretend you never wanted something just because you could not get it. The fox calls the grapes sour only after he fails to reach them. - Where does the saying “sour grapes” come from?
The story's answer: It comes from this fable. A person who says something is not worth having after failing to get it is said to have sour grapes. - Were the grapes really sour?
The story's answer: No. The fox only says so. In this telling a crow eats one afterward, and it is very sweet. - Who wrote The Fox and the Grapes?
The story's answer: It is credited to Aesop, a storyteller from ancient Greece who lived about 2,600 years ago. Many writers have retold it since. - 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, told in Greece about 2,600 years ago.
- The saying “sour grapes” comes from this story. It means pretending you did not want something you could not get.
- Later writers, including the French poet La Fontaine, retold it.
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
- The fox tries jumping many times before he gives up.
Words to teach before you start
- vine: climbing plant
- juicy: full of juice
- leaped: jumped
- reach: touch by stretching
- ripe: ready to eat
- sour: not sweet
- pretend: act like
Questions leaders ask
How long does a The Fox and the Grapes book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 2 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 Fox and the Grapes 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 Boy Who Cried Wolf (level 7)
- The Dog in the Manger (level 7)
- The Fox and the Crow (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.