The Ant and the Dove
螞蟻與鴿子
A little ant is swept away by the current and saved by a dove's falling leaf — and soon repays that small kindness with an even smaller, braver one.
The story
Once, beside a clear little stream, there lived a small ant. On summer mornings she liked to wander along the grassy bank, stop for a few sips of the cool water when she was thirsty, and then make her way slowly back home to the anthill.
One day, as the ant was drinking by the water's edge, the soft mud gave way beneath her feet, and with a splash she tumbled straight into the stream. The current caught her at once and spun her round and round. She kicked all six of her tiny legs as hard as she could, but she could not swim back to the bank, and she was about to go under.
Just then, a dove perched on a branch overhead saw what had happened. Without a moment's thought, she plucked a small round leaf with her beak and let it drop into the water, right beside the struggling ant. The ant seized the edge of the leaf at once, and rode it like a tiny boat, drifting along the current until, at last, she washed up safely on the bank. Looking up, she called her thanks to the dove, who only gave a gentle flutter of her wings and flew off with a smile.
A few days later, the ant was resting in the shade of that same big tree when she saw a man with a curling moustache creep quietly toward the trunk, a net slung over one shoulder and a long pole smeared with sticky birdlime in his hand. He looked up, narrowed his eyes at the dove perched high above — who had noticed nothing at all — and slowly raised the pole, a satisfied little smile spreading across his face.
The ant recognized her at once — the very dove who had saved her life! Without stopping to think, she scurried quickly up the man's heel and bit down as hard as she could. The birdcatcher let out a sharp cry of pain, and the long pole clattered loudly to the ground.
Startled by the sudden noise, the dove spread her wings and flew off swiftly toward the distant woods, safe from harm. The birdcatcher rubbed his aching, swelling heel and looked all around, but he could never have guessed where that one small, stinging bite had come from.
The evening sun turned the stream a warm gold, and the little ant made her way slowly back to her spot on the bank, watching the direction the dove had flown, her small heart warm and glad. A little kindness, it seems, will always find its way back around someday.
Story takeaway
A small kindness is never wasted — the help you give today may return to you when you least expect it.
Talk together
If someone has helped you before, how would you like to thank them?
For grown-ups
Parent note
This story is a good way to talk with your child about gratitude and kindness returned. The dove saved the ant without expecting anything back, and the ant later did the same for the dove — neither one helped the other in hopes of a reward. Talk about a time someone helped your child, or a time they helped someone else. You might remind them that kindness isn't given in order to be repaid, but that it often really does find its way back around, just as it did in this story.
Words to learn
- current: the fast-moving flow of water in a stream or river. e.g. The ant was swept away by the current.
- birdlime: a sticky substance spread on branches or poles to trap birds. e.g. The birdcatcher carried a pole smeared with birdlime.
- rescuer: someone who saves another from danger. e.g. The ant recognized the dove as her rescuer.
Reading activity
Play a quick "who helped whom" game with your child — talk through a few situations and think about how to return a kindness: "A classmate lends you a pencil." → Lend one back when they forget theirs. "Grandpa picks you up from school every day." → Give him a little shoulder rub and say thank you. "A friend shares half their snack with you." → Save a bit of yours for them next time. Finish by wondering together: how did the ant repay the dove's kindness in the story?
Source information
Aesop · Project Gutenberg public-domain fables
Public-domain fables and short tales from Project Gutenberg.
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