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The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Aesop, a storyteller in Greece, told this about 2,600 years ago. In his telling, the story ends much more sadly for the goose.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). A poor farmer finds that his goose lays one golden egg every day, and his family becomes comfortable. But the farmer grows greedy and wants all the gold at once. He grabs the goose and shakes her to make the gold fall out. She wriggles free and flies away, and the golden eggs stop.
The lesson, in one line. Greed can make you lose the good thing you already have.
Reading plan. Read it together at the meeting: about 4 minutes aloud, or ahead of time at home.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs?
The story's answer: Greed can make you lose the good thing you already have. The farmer had plenty from one egg a day, but he wanted everything at once. - Why did the farmer shake the goose?
The story's answer: He thought the goose must be full of gold and wanted it all right away instead of waiting for one egg each day. - What happens to the goose in this story?
The story's answer: She slips out of the farmer's hands, flies over the hills and never comes back. There are no more golden eggs after that. - Who wrote The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs?
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?
- It is one of Aesop's fables, told in Greece about 2,600 years ago.
- People still say “don't kill the goose that lays the golden eggs”, meaning do not ruin a good thing by being greedy.
- In the old Greek fable the goose is killed. This telling lets her fly away, but the farmer still loses the eggs.
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
- A real goose cannot lay golden eggs, so this is a fable and not a true story.
Words to teach before you start
- plump: round and soft
- goldsmith: gold worker
- restless: never satisfied
- patient: willing to wait
- wriggled: twisted and squirmed
Questions leaders ask
How long does a The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 4 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 Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs for?
It is written at Peabody level 8, a grade 3 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 North Wind and the Sun (level 8)
- The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (level 8)
- 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)
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.