Grades 3-5 reading level · Fable
A Boy was stung by a Nettle. He ran home and told his mother, saying, "Although it pains me so much, I did but touch it ever so gently." "That was just it," said his mother, "which caused it to sting you. The next time you touch a Nettle, grasp it boldly, and it will be as soft as silk to your hand, and not in the least hurt you."
Whatever you do, do with all your might.
From The Boy and the Nettles by Aesop, translated by George Fyler Townsend (1867). Public domain.
1. What happened when the boy touched the nettle gently?
2. What is the lesson of this story?
3. Retell what happened to the boy from the beginning of the story to the end.
4. Why did the mother say the nettle stung the boy?
5. Based on the mother's advice, what does it mean to 'grasp it boldly'?
6. The story ends by saying, 'Whatever you do, do with all your might.' Can you think of a time when you had to do something with all your might?