Autumn was ending. All the insects and animals worked hard to stock their larders with enough food for winter. They knew winter would be cold, food scarce, and days short, making foraging difficult.
Everyone worked hard—except Mr. Grasshopper. He loved autumn's beauty: the fiery red, yellow, and orange leaves, the pleasant breeze. He spent his days playing, jumping from leaf to leaf, singing, "Life is lovely! I want to play forever!"
Just then, Miss Ant passed by, dragging a heavy grain of rice. "Oh, do you need help?" asked Grasshopper.
"Yes, please! My anthill is just a few trees away," replied Ant.
"Come play first," said Grasshopper. "Why toil? Enjoy the beautiful weather!"
"You should collect food for winter too," warned Ant. "Otherwise, you'll have nothing to eat."
"Nothing doing! I'll find food when I'm hungry. Now is time to play!" replied Grasshopper. Ant shook her head and continued, "Huff, puff..."
Winter came. It was bitterly cold. The ants, with full stomachs, stayed warm and happy in their anthill. Everyone was content—except Grasshopper. He was cold and hungry. He only ventured out on slightly warmer days, found little to eat, and soon grew weak.
"Oh, why did I spend my days playing? I should have listened to the ant..." he thought with regret.