The Country Mouse and the City Mouse

A fable retold from Aesop

This fable comes from Aesop, a storyteller who lived more than two thousand years ago in ancient Greece. His animal tales teach lessons about choices and consequences. In this story, a mouse who lives simply in the countryside discovers that a fancy life in the city can come with frightening dangers. The fable reminds us that safety and peace can matter more than excitement and riches. Aesop's fables have been retold in every language and remain loved by children and adults today.

Band

Purple · Pre-readers and first readers, about 4 to 5

Length

short · about 309 words in 5 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse, Harrison Weir · Project Gutenberg

First published

see the About page in the reader

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (6 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script

Readers are engineered from the original public-domain text with AI under HummingRead’s published canon and Content Philosophy, checked by automated audit and sampled by a person. Pictures are made with AI to HummingRead’s brief for each story. How a reader is made.