The Crab and the Crane by Ellen C. Babbit
This
story, I also think, is meant to be a children’s book. Although, I don’t think
it is a very nice read for children and I do not agree with its message. In the
story there is a pond with very little water because of lack of rain and over
consumption from other animals. In that pond lived many fish that were beginning
to struggle because there was no water in their pond. The crane showed
compassion to the fish, or at least that’s what they thought, and offered to take
the fish to a new pond that had lots of water. At first the fish were hesitant because
they thought the fish would just eat them all but the crane took one of the fishes
to check out the new pond and when they came back the fish told the others that
the pond was great and full of water. So, all the fish trusted the crane to
take them to the pond one by one but instead he took them to a different place
and ate them one by one. Eventually all the fish were gone and the crane became
hungry again. He saw a crab by the pond where the fish once lived and he
decided to play his game again. He told the crab there was a pond in a
different place he could take him to with more water and food. The crab agreed
to go and check it out, but the only way the crab could travel was to hold onto
the cranes neck very tightly with is sharp claw. The crane took the crab to the
place where he ate the fish instead of the pond where he promised. The crane
said he was going to eat the crab and leave his shell with the fish bones but
the crab still had a hold of his neck. The crab then killed the crane to avoid being
eaten. I think this lesson teaches kids that even though you are smart and ask
the right questions you still can trust people which I don’t think this should
be taught to the young, no matter how true it is. I also don’t think that
teaching the lesson that you should kill the problem instead of fixing it
should be taught to the young.
(Crab: Image from Wikimedia Commons)
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