A monkey lived in a fruit tree beside a wide river. A crocodile often visited, and she shared fruit with him. One day he offered to take her to an island. She climbed onto his back. Halfway across, he admitted that he had not told her his real plan: he meant to carry her to his family, who wanted her to stay. The monkey knew she must get back to shore. “I left a gift for them in my tree,” she said. The crocodile turned around. As soon as they reached the bank, she jumped into the branches. “A friend should tell the truth,” she called. The crocodile swam away, thinking about her words.
A First Stories tale
The Monkey and the Crocodile
Slide left for a simpler telling and right for more detail. Your choice carries to the next story.
Open this version in the audiobook shelfA monkey lived in a fruit tree beside a river. She shared sweet fruit with a crocodile. One day he offered her a ride to an island. In the middle of the river, he said he was taking her somewhere else. The monkey stayed calm. “I left something important in my tree,” she said. He swam back, and she climbed safely home. After that, she chose her rides carefully.
A monkey lived in a fruit tree beside a wide river. A crocodile often visited, and she shared fruit with him. One day he offered to take her to an island. She climbed onto his back. Halfway across, he admitted that he had not told her his real plan: he meant to carry her to his family, who wanted her to stay. The monkey knew she must get back to shore. “I left a gift for them in my tree,” she said. The crocodile turned around. As soon as they reached the bank, she jumped into the branches. “A friend should tell the truth,” she called. The crocodile swam away, thinking about her words.
Beside a wide river grew a tree full of sweet fruit. A monkey lived among its branches. She often tossed a piece of fruit to a crocodile who rested near the bank, and they began to talk whenever he visited.
One day the crocodile offered her a ride to an island where, he said, even better fruit grew. The monkey climbed onto his back. In the middle of the river, far from either shore, the crocodile admitted that he had not told her the truth. His family expected him to bring the monkey home, and he had promised that he would.
The monkey was frightened, but she kept her voice steady. She said she had left a special gift in her tree and suggested that they fetch it first. The crocodile turned back. As soon as they reached the bank, the monkey sprang into the branches. “You could have asked me to visit,” she said, “but you should not have hidden your plan.”
The crocodile understood that he had lost her trust. He swam away. The monkey stayed in her tree, grateful that she had paused to think before acting.
A fruit tree leaned over a broad river. Its branches made a comfortable home for a clever monkey, who liked to watch the boats and birds pass by. A crocodile came to rest beneath the tree one afternoon, and the monkey tossed him a ripe fruit. He returned often, and they spoke so frequently that she began to think of him as a friend.
One morning the crocodile invited her to an island upstream. He promised new kinds of fruit and offered to carry her across. The monkey climbed onto his back. When the banks were distant, he grew uneasy and finally admitted the truth. His family wanted him to bring the monkey to them, and he had promised to do it without asking her.
The monkey knew a struggle in the river would not help. She took a breath and said she had left a special gift for his family in her tree. If he wanted to make a good visit, they should turn back for it. The crocodile agreed and swam to the bank.
The moment the monkey could reach a branch, she climbed high above the water. She had no gift hidden there. Her quick story had helped her return safely. “You shared fruit with me,” she told the crocodile, “but you did not share the truth. That is not how friends make plans.”
The crocodile had no answer. He left, and the monkey kept her distance. She remained generous with fruit, but she was more careful about whom she trusted to carry her across a river.
The monkey's tree grew beside a river so wide that the opposite bank looked blue in the morning mist. Its fruit ripened through much of the year. The monkey enjoyed sharing it with birds, passing boaters, and a crocodile who sometimes rested in the shallows. The crocodile had a patient way of listening, and she came to expect his visits.
He took fruit home to his family. They were curious about the monkey who supplied such sweet food and urged him to bring her across the water. Instead of asking whether she wanted to visit, the crocodile promised that he would deliver her. He feared she might refuse if she knew the whole plan.
The next day he described an island with fruit trees of its own and offered her a ride. The monkey accepted. Halfway across, where the current was deep, the crocodile confessed that he was taking her to his family because he had already promised them she would come. The monkey felt a sharp burst of fear. She could swim a little, but not strongly enough to reach the bank through that current.
She did not let panic choose her words. Instead, she said she had left a gift in her tree and would be embarrassed to arrive without it. The crocodile, eager to please his family, turned around. When they neared the shore, the monkey sprang from his back to a low branch and climbed beyond his reach.
There was no gift. The story had been her way home. From the tree, she told him that a visit should begin with an invitation, not a hidden promise. The crocodile saw that his wish to satisfy his family had made him dishonest with someone who trusted him.
He swam away, and the monkey stayed among the branches. She did not regret sharing fruit, but she understood that kindness and caution could live side by side. A familiar voice was not enough; a friend should also give her the freedom to choose.
Inspired by Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt. This text is a new adaptation.