The Peacock, one of Aesop's fables, is retold here for modern day kids. Read online or scroll down for a printable version for later.
It is said that, a very long time ago, the peacock did not have the beautiful feathers of which he is now so proud.
One day he was talking to the goddess Juno, who loved him very much. He complained to her that he was tired of being like other birds, and begged her to give him a wonderful train of feathers to make him special. She agreed, and, with his fine tail of sparkling colours, he strutted proudly among the other birds. They were all jealous, even the pheasant, who until then had been the most beautiful bird.
Later, the peacock saw an eagle soaring high up in the blue sky and felt a sudden urge to fly up to join him. Lifting his wings he tried to take off, but the weight of his magnificent tail held him down! He could no longer fly like most birds, but had to walk around on the ground like a plain old chicken!
And the moral of the story is, do not give up your freedom just to look good and impress other people.
