THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF
Adapted by Daniel Errico
Illustrations by StoryChimes
The Boy who cried Wolf
Adapted by Daniel Errico
Illustrations by Storychimes
A shepherd told his youngest son to tend the flock of sheep,
“The wolf will try to chase them, if he catches you asleep!”
The boy sat down beside a tree, and did as he was told.
By noon, the job of watching sheep was getting rather old.
They didn’t like his jokes, and wouldn’t let him ride their backs,
They only cared for eating grass and daffodils for snacks.
And then he had a great idea, a trick that he could play,
So brilliant and so simple, it would save his boring day!
“Wolf! The Wolf!” he cried aloud, “He’s hiding in a tree!”
You’ve got to come and help, before he makes a meal of me!”
The villagers came running when they heard the scary news.
The sight they found atop the hill left all of them confused.
The boy was not in danger and the wolf was not in sight.
It was clear the quiet, napping sheep were perfectly alright.
“I tricked you!” said the boy, as people went back down the hill.
When each of them returned to work, the boy was laughing still.
About an hour later, he was sick of lazy sheep.
He tried to start a choir, but they wouldn’t make a peep.
He had no choice, but once again, to play a clever trick.
He thought of something new to yell, convinced that he was slick.
“Wolf! The Wolf!” he cried aloud, “He’s got an air balloon!”
“He’ll grab the sheep and all their wool unless you save them soon.”
The townsfolk hadn’t any clue that wolves knew how to fly,
But if it had an air attack, they’d like to see it try.
Again the boy was laughing when they came upon the hill.
And some declared, “We won’t come back!” It seemed they had their fill.
All day long the boy kept on, and kept himself amused.
And each time fewer people came, to find that they’d been rused.
“Wolf! The Wolf” he cried aloud, “he’s come by submarine!”
“Wolf! The Wolf! He’s in a bush, and painted forest green!”
“He’s dug from underground. This time he has a robot army!”
“He’s got me, and he says to bring some cookies or he’ll harm me!”
By dusk a single woman came, and no one else was there.
She vowed to never come again. The boy said, “I don’t care.”
He took a bite of cookie and laid down to get some rest.
“No one tells such funny lies. It’s clear that I’m the best.”
But then from down below he saw the wolf approach his herd.
It captured seven sheep before he even said a word.
“Wolf! The wolf!” he cried aloud, “He’s here to take the flock!”
But all he got were yells that said, “Pipe down! It’s six o’clock!”
By night the wolf was full. It’d eaten every single one.
The shepherd came and scared him off and found his youngest son.
“The wolf took all the sheep,” the boy confessed, “and I’m to blame.”
“I lied about the wolf, so no one helped me when it came.”
“I’ll tell you,” said his father, “what I learned back in my youth.”
“No one trusts a liar, even when they tell the truth.”
The boy stopped playing tricks, and helped his dad when he was able.
The wolf went off to find more food, inside another fable*…
*A fable is a short story for kids which teaches a moral. Many fables feature animals, and the most famous storyteller to write fables was a Greek man named Aesop.