The Clever Jackal Story in English for Kids

Some stories entertain us, and then there are some which provide us more than entertainment. These stories give us insight into human behavior and its endless potential. The story of the clever jackal is a story that kids would love to read again and again because of the interesting way it has been told through various animals.

The narrative of the story also stimulates kids as they get to know the various ways the jackal deals with different sorts of animals to finally get what he wants. It is one of the most loved stories by preschoolers and kindergarten kids, which would make them laugh and also understand how they can use their brains to come out of any difficult situation.

The Origin of Frog and Snake Story

The story is part of one of the most influential literary works in India, the Panchatantra. There are around 87 stories in Panchatantra divided into five chapters that show various aspects of human beings, such as greed, deceit, courage, wisdom, bravery, cruelty, wickedness, and more. Panchatantra stories are extremely important for kids in their formative years as they allow children to learn moral values as well as smartness to tackle any kind of problem that exists in the world.

Most scholars believe that Panchatantra was written around 300 CE (Common Era) but there are a few folk tales in this book that go way back to 1500 BCE. The exact author of the stories is not established with certainty, but a brahmin called Vishnu Sharma has been attributed as the author. Vishnu Sharma was an eminent scholar in the court of the king of Mahilaropya, Amarshakti. A distinguishing feature of Panchatantra stories is "story within a story."

The Clever Jackal Story Summary

Mahachaturaka (extremely clever) was a jackal who lived in a dense forest. One day he was wandering to find some food and found a dead elephant. The jackal's teeth were not strong enough to cut through the thick and tough skin of the elephant, so he started thinking of how he can get the elephant torn into pieces and at the same time obtain the entire share of it without giving it to anyone.

He sees a lion approaching and decides to act upon his plan. The jackal requests the lion to eat the elephant, which he says he was guarding for him. The proud lion says he does not eat animals killed by anyone else except him and walks away. The jackal is happy that he would still get the entire elephant to eat. After that, a tiger arrives, and the jackal now fears that he might lose his meal. He cooks up a story to tell the tiger that a hunter killed the elephant with a poisoned arrow and that if you eat the animal you would die. The tiger gets scared and runs away.

Next came two vultures to whom the jackal told another story that he had hunted and sold the elephant to two hunters. If the vultures ate the elephant, the hunters would kill them. The vultures flew away after hearing this.

Finally, a leopard comes, and the jackal now weaves a brilliant story that would help him get the tough part of the elephant's skin broken down and also allow him to devour the whole animal. The Jackal tells the leopard that he seemed hungry and is welcome to have a bite of the dead elephant which was killed by a lion. The jackal also promises that if he sees the lion coming, he will warn the leopard so that the leopard can run away and escape the wrath of the lion. The leopard started cutting the elephant's tough hide, and as soon as he was done, the jackal shouted that the lion was approaching. This made the leopard run away without taking a bite of the elephant. The jackal then happily feasted on the dead elephant for many days.

The Hungry Leopard Eating a Dead Elephant with a Jackal Looking at Him

The Clever Jackal Story Moral

The most important lesson of this story for students is that your own wisdom is your best weapon. With your acumen and tactfulness, you can gain victory in any circumstance. It also tells us that it is not important to have physical strength, but with mental sharpness, you can be a winner in most life situations.

Note to Parents

This is a funny as well as an enlightening story, so parents must bring forth both the elements of the story while reading it with their children. You can also include more animals and ask kids how they can deal with new situations, which will allow children to think out of the box.