The Rabbit And The Lion Story

The little rabbit loved getting advice from his wise mother.

"Always take only what you need, sweetie," she would often say. "If you eat too much, you’ll be slow, and it will be hard to run away from a fox or a lion!"

The little rabbit was usually very careful about not eating too much food. But sometimes, when the food was extra delicious, he would forget his mother's advice and everything around him.

One sunny afternoon, the young rabbit found a wonderful sight: a few crunchy carrot pieces had tumbled out of a big passing truck.

"Wow! Today is my lucky day!" he whispered to himself. "I will gobble up this carrot before anyone else sees it!"

As he munched, he didn't notice the enormous shadow creeping closer. A hungry Lion was walking by!

"Hmm, I smell a very tasty rabbit nearby," the Lion thought, sniffing the air. He walked a little further and saw the young rabbit busy eating the carrots.

"Gotcha!" the Lion roared, stepping out from behind a tree. "I've finally caught you. Don't even try to run, or I'll finish you right now!"

The rabbit's heart hammered against his chest. He scolded himself for forgetting to look around! He was so focused on the carrots that he hadn't noticed the danger.

"P-Pardon me, Mr. Lion," the rabbit stammered. "You can certainly eat me, but first, could we play a little game?"

The Lion smiled a big, toothy smile. "A game? Of course! I love challenges!"

"Okay, let's have a race," said the quick-thinking rabbit. "If you win, I'm yours to eat. But if I win, you must promise to let me go free."

"HA HA HA!" The Lion laughed so loudly that the trees shook. "I am the King of the Jungle! There is no way a tiny rabbit can beat me!"

"Ready, set, go!" shouted a little Monkey sitting high in a tree, who had been watching the whole scene.

The Lion and the rabbit both took off running. Within just a few seconds, the powerful Lion had run far ahead and was nowhere in sight.

But the clever rabbit had darted in the opposite direction, toward a thicket of bushes he knew well. He ran faster than he ever had before and escaped the Lion!

When he finally made it home, his mother rushed to him.

"Sweetheart, why are you so worn out?" his mother asked, seeing him panting.

"Oh, Mother," he gasped, catching his breath. "I was almost caught by a big, nasty Lion! I was so busy eating the carrots that I didn't see him coming. But I escaped!" He told her everything that had happened.

"Oh, thank goodness you are safe!" his mother cried, hugging him tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I learned my lesson, Mother," the rabbit promised. "I will never be obsessed with food again, and I will always be alert to my surroundings!"

His mother smiled proudly, gave him another big hug, and served him a small plate of the most delicious, fresh clover leaves she had saved just for him.