The Lion and the Mouse: NCERT Class 1 English Story (Raindrops Ch. 16)

etmantra4 Feb 20206 min read

This well-loved story shows that even the smallest friend can be a big help. Children enjoy the roaring lion and the brave little mouse, and they remember the lesson for a long time.

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From the NCERT English book Raindrops for Class 1, chapter 16. NCERT’s newer Class 1 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Raindrops.

Watch: The Lion and the Mouse

Play the video three or four times. The first time, just listen. Then point at the pictures, and from the third time, say the lines along with the video. Short, repeated listening is how CALP builds a child’s English.

What your child learns

Opposites: big and small
Polite words: 'please' and 'thank you'
Past tense with -ed: rolled, roared, nibbled
The lesson that small friends can help too

What the story is about

A lion is sleeping, and a little mouse is playing nearby. The lion wakes up and catches the mouse. The mouse begs to be let go and says it will help the lion one day. The lion does not believe it. He says he is big and the mouse is small, so the mouse cannot help him, and he tells it to go away.

Some days later, the lion is caught in a large net. He rolls and roars, but he cannot get out. The mouse comes running and nibbles at the net until the lion is free. The lion thanks the mouse. The story teaches that size does not matter when it comes to helping.

New words, with Hindi meanings

nearby: close by; not far away (हिंदी: पास में)
caught: held so that it could not get away (from 'catch') (हिंदी: पकड़ लिया)
someday: at some time later (हिंदी: किसी दिन)
net: a trap made of strings tied together with holes in between (हिंदी: जाल)
roared: made a loud deep sound, like a lion (हिंदी: दहाड़ा)
nibbled: bit off small pieces again and again (हिंदी: कुतरा)
free: able to move and go; not trapped (हिंदी: आज़ाद)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

What did the lion do when he woke up?
What did the mouse promise the lion?
How did the mouse help the lion?
Has someone small ever helped you? Who was it?

Answers for parents

He caught the little mouse.
The mouse promised to help the lion someday.
The mouse nibbled at the net until the lion was free.
For example: My little brother helped me find my lost ball.

Grammar corner: Past tense with -ed

The story happened before, so many action words end in -ed. Roar becomes roared, roll becomes rolled. Some words change in a different way: catch becomes caught.

The mouse played under the tree.
The lion roared very loudly.
The mouse nibbled the rope with its teeth.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: The lion ___ inside the net. (roll / rolled)
Choose the opposite of 'big': (small / free / large)
Say aloud what the lion said at the end, and say it to someone at home who helped you today.

Answers: 1. rolled · 2. small · 3. Thank you.

Try this

Act out the story. One person is the lion and one is the mouse. Use a bedsheet or dupatta as the net. The lion roars and rolls inside it, and the mouse 'nibbles' to set the lion free. End with the lion saying thank you.

Tip for parents

First tell the story in Hindi: 'छोटे से चूहे ने बड़े शेर की मदद की.' Then point to big and small things at home and say 'big' and 'small' in English. Let your child mix languages while retelling the story, and praise every English word they use.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of The Lion and the Mouse?

Even a small friend can be a big help. The lion thought the mouse was too small to help, but the mouse set him free from the net.

Who are the characters in The Lion and the Mouse?

A lion and a little mouse.

Which book is The Lion and the Mouse from?

This version is from NCERT's older Raindrops book for Class 1 (Chapter 16). The newer NCERT books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

Learn every Class 1 lesson with CALP

Every lesson of Mridang, NCERT’s new book, with read-along videos, new words with Hindi meanings, and listen-and-say practice with a score, made for young children with a parent nearby. ₹999 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →