The Ant and the Grasshopper
- Ages 3–7
- English audio 2 min
- Mandarin audio 2 min
The Ant and the Grasshopper 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.
A grasshopper sings all summer while the ants store wheat. When winter comes, he knocks on their door. Aesop’s fable in simple English with narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.
Tap any sentence in the story to start reading from there. It stops at the end.
A narrator, and a voice of its own for each character: The Grasshopper, The Little Ant, Mother Ant
Record about a minute of your voice, and every story here can be read to your child in it. Credits come back automatically if it fails.
Read The Ant and the Grasshopper
It was a warm summer day. A grasshopper sat on a tall blade of grass and sang in the sun. Below him, little ants carried grains of wheat home.
The grasshopper laughed. "Little ant, why don't you play? Come and listen to my song!" The ant wiped her face. "Winter is coming. We must store food first. You should too."
"Winter is far away!" said the grasshopper, and he sang even louder.
Summer ended. Autumn ended. The north wind blew and snow fell. The grass was dry, and the grasshopper had nothing to eat. He shivered.
He crept to the ants' door. "Little ant, I am so hungry. Could you share a little food?"
Mother Ant opened the door and pulled him inside. She brought a small bowl of warm porridge. "Eat first, and get warm." The grasshopper's eyes were wet. "Thank you. Next summer, I will help you carry the wheat."
The little ants smiled. Outside the snow kept falling, but the tiny ant house was warm.
The Chinese version: 蚂蚁和蚱蜢
夏天的太阳暖洋洋的。草地上，一只蚱蜢坐在高高的草叶上，一边晒太阳，一边唱歌。草叶下面，一群小蚂蚁正排着队，把一粒一粒的麦子搬回家。
蚱蜢低头一看，笑了：“小蚂蚁，天气这么好，你们怎么不玩呀？过来听我唱歌吧！”小蚂蚁擦擦汗，说：“冬天快来了，我们要先把粮食存好。你也存一点吧。”
蚱蜢摇摇头：“冬天还远着呢！”说完，它又蹦到另一片草叶上，唱得更响了。
夏天过去了，秋天也过去了。北风呼呼地吹，雪花飘了下来。草叶都枯了，蚱蜢找不到一点儿吃的，冷得直发抖。
它想起了小蚂蚁，就一步一步挪到蚂蚁家门口。它小声说：“小蚂蚁，我好饿，能分我一点儿吃的吗？”
蚂蚁妈妈打开门，看见蚱蜢冻得缩成一团，就把它拉进屋里。她端来一小碗热乎乎的麦粥：“先吃点儿，暖一暖。”蚱蜢吃着热粥，眼睛湿湿的：“谢谢你们。明年夏天，我一定来帮你们搬粮食。”
小蚂蚁们围着它，笑了。窗外的雪还在下，小小的蚂蚁家里，却暖和极了。
The Ant and the Grasshopper: the moral of the story
Do the work first, and the play feels better. And when someone is in trouble, sharing a little is the warmest thing you can do.
Chinese words in The Ant and the Grasshopper
Play the Chinese narration and listen for these words. The pinyin shows the tones.
蚂蚁mǎ yǐ
ant
蚱蜢zhà měng
grasshopper
唱歌chàng gē
sing
粮食liáng shi
food, grain
冬天dōng tiān
winter
饿è
hungry
暖和nuǎn huo
warm
帮bāng
help
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 (4 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.
Bedtime storytelling tips
- Hum a little tune for the grasshopper’s song, then drop your voice low and slow when the north wind blows, so your child feels winter arrive.
- Pause when the grasshopper knocks on the door and ask: “Do you think the ants will open it?” Then read Mother Ant’s part.
- Play a movement game after the English version: say “ant” and your child mimes carrying wheat; say “grasshopper” and they hop. In Chinese the two words are 蚂蚁 (mǎ yǐ) and 蚱蜢 (zhà měng).
Things to talk about afterwards
- What did the ants do all summer? What did the grasshopper do?
- Why was the grasshopper cold and hungry when winter came?
- If you were the little ant, would you open the door? Why?
Read this story to your child in your own voice
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The Ant and the Grasshopper: common questions
- What is the moral of The Ant and the Grasshopper?
- Do the important work first, so you are ready when hard times come. In our retelling the ants also share their food, so the story has a second lesson: when someone is in trouble, a little kindness goes a long way.
- Who wrote The Ant and the Grasshopper?
- It is one of Aesop’s fables, number 373 in the Perry Index, from ancient Greece. The French poet Jean de La Fontaine retold it as “The Cicada and the Ant.”
- How does The Ant and the Grasshopper end?
- In the original, the ant tells the grasshopper to go on dancing through the winter. Our bedtime version is gentler: Mother Ant brings him warm porridge, and he promises to help carry the wheat next summer.
- Is there a Chinese version of The Ant and the Grasshopper?
- Yes. It is called 蚂蚁和蚱蜢 (mǎ yǐ hé zhà měng). This page has our Chinese retelling with Mandarin narration next to the English one.
Source and how we retold it
Aesop’s fables, number 373 in the Perry Index. Aesop is said to have been a storyteller in ancient Greece around the 6th century BC; the fables were collected by later writers and have long been in the public domain. The original ending is stricter: the ant asks the grasshopper why it didn’t store food in summer and tells it to go on dancing. For bedtime we let Mother Ant bring the grasshopper a bowl of warm porridge, and the grasshopper promises to help next summer. Mother Ant is our addition.
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 Ant and the Grasshopper, there are more stories in Aesop's Fables for Kids. You can also read this one to your child in your own voice.
More Aesop's Fables for Kids
- Aesop's Fables for KidsAges 3-72 min
The Tortoise and the Hare龟兔赛跑
A boastful hare naps in the middle of a race, and the slow tortoise keeps going and wins. Aesop’s fable in simple English with narration, plus the Chinese version read in Mandarin.
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The Boy Who Cried Wolf狼来了
A bored shepherd boy shouts “Wolf!” twice as a joke. When a real wolf comes, nobody believes him. Aesop’s fable in simple English with narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.
- Aesop's Fables for KidsAges 3-72 min
The Fox and the Grapes狐狸和葡萄
A hungry fox can’t reach the grapes, so he says they must be sour. The fable behind “sour grapes,” in simple English with narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.
- Aesop's Fables for KidsAges 3-72 min
The North Wind and the Sun北风和太阳
The North Wind and the Sun compete to get a traveler’s coat off. The wind blows hard and fails; the gentle sun wins. Aesop’s fable in simple English and in Chinese, both with narration.
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The Crow and the Pitcher乌鸦喝水
A thirsty crow can’t reach the little water left in a pitcher, so he drops in pebbles one by one until it rises. Aesop’s fable in simple English and in Chinese, both with narration.
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The Farmer and the Viper农夫和蛇
On a freezing day a kind farmer warms a frozen snake inside his coat, and when it wakes up, it bites him. Aesop’s fable, gently told, in simple English and in Chinese, both with narration.