Text copyright © 2012 by Melissa Wiley Cover art and interior illustrations copyright © 2012 by Sebastien Braun
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wiley, Melissa. Fox and Crow are not friends / by Melissa Wiley ; illustrated by Sebastien Braun.
p. cm. — (Step into reading. Step 3) Summary: Continuing Aesop’s fable, Fox and Crow tussle over pieces of cheese, but Mama, one of the three bears, outwits them both. eISBN: 978-0-375-98574-4 [1. Foxes—Fiction. 2. Crows—Fiction. 3. Bears—Fiction. 4. Characters in literature—Fiction.] I. Braun, Sebastien, ill. II. Title. PZ7.W64814Fox 2012 [E]—dc23 2011043350
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v3.1
For Kelly and Sean, who are good friends most of the time —M.W.
To Graham —S.B.
Fox and Crow
did not like each other one bit.
You might have heard about their very first fight.
It started over a piece of cheese.
Crow found it first.
She flew to a tree to eat it.
Fox spotted
the big hunk of cheese.
He loved a nice bit of cheese.
Crow was about to gulp it down.
Fox had to act fast.
“Hello, Crow!” he called.
“How are you on this fine day?”
Crow did not answer.
Fox tried again.
“How fine you look
up there in that tree!
Your feathers shine
in the sun.
You make the sky
look more blue.
What a lovely bird you are!”
Crow was pleased.
She gave her wings a proud flap.
Still, she did not answer.
Fox tried again.
“I bet your song is
as fine as your feathers.
I would love to hear you sing!”
Crow could not resist.
She opened her beak and sang.
“Caw! Caw! Caw!”
The cheese tumbled down.
It fell right into Fox’s mouth.
He gobbled it up, lickety-split.
He licked his lips and laughed.