The Fox and the Sheep

The Old Woman and the Bear

An Old Woman lives all alone. One day she goes to the market and buys some sheep.

"Now," says the Old Woman, "I must find somebody to look after my sheep."

So she walks and walks through the wood, but she cannot find anybody to look after her sheep. At last she meets a Bear.

"Good morning," says the Bear. "Where are you going, Old Woman?"

"I'm looking for a boy to look after my sheep," says the Old Woman.

"I can look after your sheep," says the Bear.

"Can you be good to them?" asks the Old Woman. "Can you talk softly to them?"

"I can talk very softly," says the Bear. And he begins, "Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!" All bears talk like that.

"No! No! No!" cries the Old Woman. "You cannot talk like that to my sheep. They may run away."

The Old Woman and the Wolf

So the Old Woman leaves the Bear in the wood, and she walks and walks till she meets a Wolf.

"Good morning," says the Wolf. "Where are you going, Old Woman?"

"I'm looking for a boy to look after my sheep," says the Old Woman.

"I can look after your sheep," says the Wolf.

"Can you be good to them?" asks the Old Woman. "Can you talk softly to them?"

"I can talk very softly," says the Wolf. And he begins, "Wow! Wow! Wow!" Wolves always talk like that.

"No! No! No!" cries the Old Woman. "You cannot talk like that to my sheep. They may run away."

The Old Woman and the Fox

So the Old Woman leaves the Wolf in the wood, and she walks and walks till she meets a Fox.

"Good morning," says the Fox. "Where are you going, Old Woman?"

"I'm looking for a boy to look after my sheep," says the Old Woman.

"I can look after your sheep," says the Fox.

"Can you be good to them?" asks the Old Woman. "Can you talk softly to them?"

"I can talk very softly," says the Fox. And he begins, "O-oo! O-oo! O-op!" Foxes always talk like that.

"You talk very softly," says the Old Woman. "You may look after my sheep."

So the Fox goes home with the Old Woman, and she takes him to the field.

In the field, the sheep are eating grass. All day long, the Fox looks after the sheep. At night, he brings them safely home.

But the next night, one of the sheep is missing.

"Where is my sheep?" asks the Old Woman.

"I don't know," says the Fox.

The next night, another sheep is missing.

"Where is my sheep?" cries the Old Woman.

"I don't know," says the Fox.

The next morning, the Old Woman goes to the field to give the Fox some milk. And there, the Fox is standing over a dead sheep. Now the Old Woman knows that the Fox kills her sheep.

"You bad, bad Fox!" cries the Old Woman.

The Fox is very much afraid, and he runs away. The Old Woman throws the milk at him, and some of it falls on the tip of his tail.

That is why every fox has a white tip to his tail.