fables folktales · Ages 6-8

The Monkey Who Judged Two Cats and One Cake

Two cats ask a monkey to divide their cake fairly, and he keeps nibbling each side until nothing is left for them.

The whole story

1. On a sunny afternoon, a slim young brown monkey with warm russet fur, a cream muzzle, round amber eyes, a small tuft of dark brown hair, a yellow vest, green shorts, and a red scarf tied around his neck stirred lemonade beside a picnic table.

2. Two cats arrived with one round cake. The small white cat with orange patches said, “It is mine.” The small gray cat answered, “No, it is mine.”

3. The cats tugged the plate from side to side. Then they asked the monkey, “Please divide the cake fairly.”

4. The monkey nodded wisely. He cut the cake into two pieces, but one piece was a little bigger.

5. “This side is too big,” said the monkey. He took a nibble to make it smaller.

6. “Now this side is too big,” he said. He took a nibble from that side, too.

7. The pieces became smaller and smaller. Each time the cats protested, the monkey found another edge that needed fixing.

8. At last, the monkey licked his paws. The plate was empty, and not one crumb was left for the cats.

9. The cats looked at each other. Next time, they would share the cake themselves—and keep the monkey away from the plate.

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