What is the moral of The Wolf and the Lamb?

A bully always finds an excuse, and being right is not always enough to stop him. The lamb answers every excuse correctly and the wolf jumps anyway. The lesson for small children is simple: don't stand and argue with someone like that, go and get help.

Who wrote The Wolf and the Lamb?

It is one of Aesop's fables, number 155 in the Perry Index, from ancient Greece around the 6th century BC. The French poet Jean de La Fontaine later retold it in verse.

How does The Wolf and the Lamb end in the original?

In Aesop's version the wolf stops arguing and eats the lamb. Our bedtime retelling changes the ending: the sheepdog and the mother sheep arrive just in time, the wolf runs off, and the lamb is safe beside her mother.

Is there a Chinese version of The Wolf and the Lamb?

Yes. It is called 狼和小羊 (láng hé xiǎo yáng). This page has our Chinese retelling with Mandarin narration next to the English one.

The Wolf and the Lamb Story

Ages 3–7
English audio 2 min
Mandarin audio 2 min

The Wolf and the Lamb is a classic story from Aesop's Fables for Kids, for children aged 3–7. This page has the English story with a native English narration (about 2 min), plus the Chinese version with Mandarin narration (about 2 min). Free to read and listen, no sign-up.

Aesop's fable of a wolf who invents one excuse after another to eat a lamb, and the lamb who calmly answers each one, told with a safe ending for bedtime. With native English narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.

0:001:03

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A narrator, and a voice of its own for each character: The Wolf, The Lamb, Mother Sheep

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Read The Wolf and the Lamb

One sunny day, a little lamb was drinking from a stream. She did not see the wolf standing by the trees upstream.

The wolf wanted an excuse to eat her. He came closer and growled, "Lamb, you are making my water muddy!"

The lamb looked up and said calmly, "Sir, the water runs from you to me. How can I muddy your water from down here?"

The wolf blinked. "Well, last year you called me names!" "Last year I was not even born," said the lamb. "Then it was your father. It's all the same!" said the wolf.

He opened his big mouth and jumped. Just then there was loud barking. The sheepdog raced down the hill, and the mother sheep called, "Come to me, my darling!"

The wolf ran off as fast as the wind. "Mother, nothing he said was true," said the lamb. Her mother said, "A bully always finds an excuse. You did nothing wrong. Next time, take the dog with you."

The Chinese version: 狼和小羊

一个晴朗的中午，小羊在小河边喝水。河水清清的，凉凉的。她不知道，上游的树丛后面，正站着一只大灰狼。

狼想吃小羊，又想先找个借口。它走过来，板着脸说：“小羊，你把我喝的水弄浑了！”

小羊抬起头，不慌不忙地说：“狼先生，水是从你那边流到我这边的。我在下游，怎么会弄浑你上游的水呢？”

狼眨眨眼睛，又说：“那……去年你骂过我！”小羊说：“去年我还没有出生呢。”狼说：“那就是你爸爸骂的！反正都一样！”

它张开大嘴，往前一扑。就在这时，草坡上传来汪汪的叫声，牧羊犬大黄飞奔而来。羊妈妈跟在后面大声喊：“宝宝，快到妈妈这儿来！”

狼一看，掉头就往树林里跑，跑得比风还快。小羊靠在妈妈身边，说：“妈妈，它说的都不对，可是它还是要吃我。”羊妈妈说：“想做坏事的人，总能找到借口。你没有错，下次喝水，记得叫上大黄。”

The Wolf and the Lamb Story: the moral of the story

A bully always finds an excuse, and being right does not always stop him. When someone like that comes along, don't argue for long: go and find a grown-up or a friend.

Chinese words in The Wolf and the Lamb

Play the Chinese narration and listen for these words. The pinyin shows the tones.

狼láng
wolf
小羊xiǎo yáng
lamb
河水hé shuǐ
river water
上游shàng yóu
upstream
借口jiè kǒu
excuse
牧羊犬mù yáng quǎn
sheepdog
妈妈mā ma
mother
跑pǎo
to run

For families learning Mandarin

Mandarin learning pack

Print the story, read it together, then listen and say it back. Made for heritage families and children learning Mandarin.

A printable PDF (3 pages): the Chinese story with pinyin over every character, the words to know, the English version, questions to talk about, and character writing practice.
Slow Mandarin audio (3 min): every sentence at a gentler pace, followed by a pause long enough to say it back.

Buy once, download again any time. The story itself stays free to read and hear. Try the free sample pack (The Tortoise and the Hare) first.

Page one of the The Wolf and the Lamb learning pack: the Chinese story with pinyin over every character

Bedtime storytelling tips

Give the wolf a big, gruff voice for every excuse and keep the lamb light and steady, so your child can hear who is being reasonable.
Pause after "He opened his big mouth and jumped," then bark suddenly. Children sigh with relief and giggle.
Afterwards, say it plainly: the lamb was right about everything, but when there is real danger, finding a grown-up matters more than winning the argument.

Things to talk about afterwards

What excuses did the wolf make? What did the lamb answer?
Was anything the wolf said true? Why did he jump anyway?
If someone made excuses to be mean to you, what would you do?

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The Wolf and the Lamb Story: common questions

What is the moral of The Wolf and the Lamb?: A bully always finds an excuse, and being right is not always enough to stop him. The lamb answers every excuse correctly and the wolf jumps anyway. The lesson for small children is simple: don't stand and argue with someone like that, go and get help.
Who wrote The Wolf and the Lamb?: It is one of Aesop's fables, number 155 in the Perry Index, from ancient Greece around the 6th century BC. The French poet Jean de La Fontaine later retold it in verse.
How does The Wolf and the Lamb end in the original?: In Aesop's version the wolf stops arguing and eats the lamb. Our bedtime retelling changes the ending: the sheepdog and the mother sheep arrive just in time, the wolf runs off, and the lamb is safe beside her mother.
Is there a Chinese version of The Wolf and the Lamb?: Yes. It is called 狼和小羊 (láng hé xiǎo yáng). This page has our Chinese retelling with Mandarin narration next to the English one.

Source and how we retold it

Aesop's fables, number 155 in the Perry Index. Aesop is said to have been a storyteller in ancient Greece around the 6th century BC; the fables were passed on by word of mouth and collected later, and they have long been in the public domain. Our retelling keeps the wolf's excuses (muddying the water, insults from last year) and the lamb's calm answers, and uses no existing translation. In the original the wolf gives up arguing and eats the lamb; for bedtime we have the sheepdog and the mother sheep arrive in time, so the wolf runs off and the lamb is safe.

The narration on this page is AI-generated: the English is read by our narrator and the Chinese by our narrator. The audio files are labeled as AI-generated.

If you liked The Wolf and the Lamb Story, there are more stories in Aesop's Fables for Kids. You can also read this one to your child in your own voice.