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Aesop's famous fable is read by the late Richard Briers in this adaptation combining text, audio and illustrations.

The video

The Boy who cried Wolf

A young boy gets a job with a shepherd looking after his flock of sheep and each day he takes them up into the hills to graze. If he sees a wolf he is to ring the bell he has been given and shout 'Wolf!'

Soon the boy is feeling bored: the days are long and there is no-one to talk to. So he decides to pretend there is a wolf. He rings the bell and shouts 'Wolf!' and the men from the village come running with their guns. The boy tells them the wolf has already run off and the men are pleased with the boy and pat him on the back.

A few days later the boy is feeling bored again and decides to cry 'Wolf!' once more. This time when the men arrive and discover no wolf they are unimpressed and the boy worries that they don't believe him.

Shortly after the boy is minding the sheep when a wolf really does appear and attacks the sheep. The boy rings his bell and shouts 'Wolf!' but no one comes. Down in the village the men hear the boy but presume he is lying. As the shepherd says that night: 'Nobody believes a liar鈥ven when he's speaking the truth.'

Reader: Richard Briers
Writer: Rob John
Illustrations: Jake Cawthray

Video questions

  • What job does the boy get? (He must take the sheep into the hills to graze and look out for wolves)
  • What must the boy do if he sees a wolf? (Ring his bell and shout 'Wolf!')
  • Why does the boy decide to pretend there is a wolf? (He is bored: he hasn't seen a wolf, the days are long and there's no one to talk to)
  • How do the men treat the boy the first time they come running? (They are pleased with him and pat him on the back)
  • How do they treat the boy the second time they come running? (They are not pleased with him; they don't thank him or pat him on the back)
  • Why do you think the men treat the boy this way? (They think he might be lying about the wolf)
  • What happens when the boy really does see a wolf? (He rings his bell but the men ignore him)
  • What do you think we can learn from the story? What is its moral? (That if you are known as a liar you won't be believed - even when you tell the truth)

Resources

Download / print the story as a pdf

The Boy who cried Wolf

Download / print the notes for this story as a pdf

Teacher Notes

See also...

The Hare and the Tortoise. video

Aesop's famous fable about a race between a hare and a tortoise is read by the late Richard Briers.

The Hare and the Tortoise

The Fox and the Crow. video

Aesop's fable about a wily fox and a proud crow is read by Jonathan Pryce.

The Fox and the Crow

The North Wind and the Sun. video

Aesop's fable about a competition between the wind and sun is read by Lindsay Duncan.

The North Wind and the Sun