ILLUSTRATED STORY · FOUR READING LEVELS

The King-Crow and the Water-Snail

One river, many voices, and a clever race

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A water-snail was making his way upstream from the lower river. As he climbed the rapids, his calls carried through the trees.

A king-crow perched above the water heard him. The bird looked for a person below, but could not see anyone at all.

Unable to see the caller from his tree, the king-crow flew to the ground and walked along the bank. Then he spotted a little water-snail.

“Where do you come from?” asked the crow. The snail said he had come from the eddy below the rapids.

The king-crow proposed a race to the river mouth. He thought a bird could easily beat a snail. They agreed on a wager.

If the crow lost, he would tend the water-snail’s river plants. If the snail lost, the river would belong to the crow.

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Explore this illustrated story at four reading levels. Each level follows the same essential events.

Collection: Southeast Asian tales

Retelling: Malay-world fable · after The Talking Beasts

For parents: The 1922 “Malayan Fables” account ends with the crow bound to tend the snail’s river plants

Public-domain source: View the recorded source edition