"Nine!" grunted the pig. "Nine piglets, all in one morning!"
"Only nine?" squeaked the mouse. "I had twelve!"
All over the field the animals were arguing. Who had the most babies at one birth? Who deserved the most praise? The noise grew and grew, until someone cried, "Ask the lioness! She will settle it!"
Off they all rushed, pushing and shouting, to the rock where the lioness lay in the sun. She opened one golden eye. "Tell us who is best!" they cried. "And you? How many babies do you have at one birth?"
The lioness let them shout themselves out. When the whole hot, noisy crowd had run out of breath, she laughed, a low, deep laugh that rolled across the field.
"Why, I have only one," she said. "But that one is a lion."
What counts is how good something is, not how many.
One thing to talk aboutWould you rather have lots of something, or just one really special thing?
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Discussion questions
- Why do you think the animals wanted someone to settle their argument?
- Do you agree with the Lioness? Can nine piglets be as good as one lion?
- Why did the Lioness wait until they had run out of breath before she spoke?
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