The Lion and the Mouse: an Aesop fable for kids, with its moral and questions

The story

A great lion was asleep in the warm shade of a tree. A little mouse, hurrying home, did not see him and scampered right over his nose.

The lion woke with a growl and trapped the mouse under his huge paw. “Who dares wake the king?” he roared.

“Please forgive me, Your Majesty,” squeaked the mouse. “I did not mean it. Let me go and one day I will repay your kindness.”

The lion laughed. How could a mouse ever help a lion? But he lifted his paw and let her go.

A few days later, the lion walked into a hunters' net hidden in the grass. The more he pulled, the tighter the ropes became. He roared and roared, but he could not get out.

The mouse heard the roar and knew the voice at once. She ran to the net. “Hold still, Your Majesty,” she said, and she began to gnaw. Nibble by nibble, rope by rope, the net came apart.

The lion stepped out, free at last. “Thank you, little friend,” he said softly. “I laughed at you once. Now I see that even a mouse can help a lion.” From that day, the two were friends.

What is the moral?

The lesson is that kindness comes back to us, and that size does not decide who can help. The lion could have squashed the mouse, but he chose mercy. Later it was the smallest animal in the forest who saved the strongest. It also teaches us not to laugh at someone for being small.

Meet the characters

The lion is big and proud, and he learns not to look down on others. The mouse is small, brave and true to her word. The hunters are only heard about, through the net they leave behind.

Six questions to ask

1. Why did the lion wake up angry?
2. Why do you think the lion let the mouse go?
3. What promise did the mouse make?
4. How did the mouse use her small teeth to help?
5. Why did the lion say that even a mouse can help a lion?
6. Can you think of a time when a small helper made a big difference?

Compare with an Indian tale

India has famous lion stories too, but they come from a different tradition. In the Lion and the Rabbit, from the Panchatantra, a small rabbit outwits a fierce lion with a clever plan. Aesop's mouse and lion become friends through kindness and a promise kept. The two stories are different tales that teach different lessons, even though a small animal and a lion appear in both.

Where does the story come from?

This is one of Aesop's fables. Aesop is the name tradition gives to a storyteller of ancient Greece. The Lion and the Mouse is number 150 in the Perry Index, a standard catalogue of the fables. The tale is very old, and the words here are our own.

More to explore on Rangooo

Let the story picker suggest what to read next, try the moral quiz, browse more moral stories for kids, or visit Indian folk tales for kids. You might also like the Elephants and the Mice or the Tortoise and the Hare.

Questions

What is the moral of the Lion and the Mouse?

Kindness is never wasted, and nobody is too small to help. The lion was merciful to a tiny mouse, and the mouse later saved him.

Is the Lion and the Mouse a Panchatantra story?

No. It is one of Aesop's fables, which come from the ancient Greek tradition. The Panchatantra is a separate collection from India, with its own stories.

Who wrote the Lion and the Mouse?

The fable is traditionally credited to Aesop, a storyteller of ancient Greece. Nobody knows exactly who first told it, and many writers have retold it since.

Is the Lion and the Mouse story in the public domain?

The old fable itself belongs to everyone. Our words are our own retelling, written for children of five to nine.

How did the mouse help the lion?

The lion was caught in a hunters' net and could not get free. The mouse gnawed through the ropes with her small sharp teeth until he was loose.