Fables (sample)

Classic fables impart a moral lesson to help children become wise to the ways of the world. One of the six fables we offer is The Sheep and the Pig, shown below. It is believed to have been written by Aesop, a Greek slave who lived between 620-564 BC.

The Sheep and the Pig

One day a shepherd discovered a fat Pig wandering in the meadow where his Sheep were grazing. He quickly attempted to catch it. But the porker squealed the moment the Shepherd came towards it. And when the Shepherd laid hands on it, it squealed so loud you would have thought that the Pig was being butchered alive.

Despite its squeals and struggles to escape, the Shepherd tucked his prize under his arm and started off towards his barn.

The Sheep in the pasture were much astonished and amused by the Pig's behavior and followed the Shepherd and his charge to the pasture gate.

One of the Sheep asked the Pig. “What makes you squeal so loud? When the good Shepherd catches and carries off one of us, none of us makes a blood-curdling fuss about it as you do."

With a squeal and a frantic kick, the Pig replied "Your behavior is very well and good and noble too. But you see, when he catches you, he wants only wool. But when he catches me, he wants pork chops, bacon, scrapple, and ham!"

Moral: It’s foolish to judge without considering possible ulterior motives.

Desktops

To listen to the fable, double left click on the first word of the beginning paragraph then, from the drop-down menu, right click and choose "Read aloud from here."
To get informed, be entertained, or increase culture awareness, double left click on any word, next mouse over the 3 vertical dots to bring up the pop-up menu then click "Search." That will have the sidebar appear, in which you can see definitions, images, and videos.
To hear definitions, double left click on a word, then mouse over the three dots that will appear above it, then click again on "define."

Pictures below pertain only to Desktops.

Shows "porker" highlighted when clicked on

Vertical menu (copy, search, define, etc.) is shown

Listen to pronunciation of "porker" or read its definition

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Smartphones

Pronunciations / Definitions

To learn how to pronounce a word properly, or to see its various dictionary entries, firmly press on the word that interests you. When you do, you'll feel a thump, the word will be highlighted in blue, and a horizontal menu will appear superimposed over the fable.

By tapping "Define" on the horizontal bar menu, you will be taken to a dictionary with the definition of the word along with examples of its usage and several pronunciation aids.

If you had tapped the three vertical dots on the horizontal menu, you would have been given several options. One of which is access to relevant Internet links, such as those shown on the bottom right picture.

As to Totally Literate, by tapping the encircled "B" or the blue line immediately to its right, Microsoft's new AI Co-pilot will attempt to answer any questions you may have about this page and/or our website.