# The Honest Woodcutter - Link: https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/moral-stories-and-fables/the-honest-woodcutter/ - Published: 2026-10-30T02:33:06+05:30 - Author: MAHENDRA MANCHIKALAPATI [English Language Lab](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/)/[Stories for Kids](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/)/ [Moral Stories & Fables](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/moral-stories-and-fables/)/ The Honest Woodcutter ✦A fresh retelling of a traditional fable # The Honest Woodcutter When a woodcutter loses his only axe, a river guardian offers him a choice between glittering treasure and a simple truth. 📖 4-minute read🍃 Ages 5–11✨ Honesty and contentment [Begin reading ](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/moral-stories-and-fables/the-honest-woodcutter/#sf-story-text) [More moral stories & fables](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/moral-stories-and-fables/) ![A woodcutter on a grassy river bank identifies his plain iron axe among gold and silver axes offered by a gentle river guardian.](https://thecuriosi.com/wp-content/ uploads/2026/10/honest-woodcutter-illustration.png) **The axe that was truly his**Read together · Retell · Imagine Settle in and read at your pace A story to read together ## The Honest Woodcutter Take your time. Let the story unfold. Dev lived at the edge of a village beside a broad river. He earned his living by cutting fallen branches into firewood. His iron axe was old, but he kept its handle smooth and its blade carefully covered whenever he carried it home. It was the only axe he owned, and he depended on it every day. Chapter one ### A splash in the river One morning, Dev worked near the river bank. As he moved a loose branch, the axe slipped from his hand and fell into the deep water with a splash. He stepped back from the slippery edge. The current was too strong to enter safely. Dev sat beneath a tree and wondered how he would earn enough to buy another tool. A voice rose softly from the river. “Why are you troubled?” A guardian of the river appeared among the ripples. Dev explained exactly what had happened. Chapter two ### Three different axes The guardian disappeared below the surface and returned holding an axe of shining gold. “Is this yours?” she asked. Dev stared at it. Its handle was decorated with tiny leaves, and it was worth more than anything he had ever owned. “No,” he said.“ My axe is plain iron.” The guardian returned with a silver axe. Dev shook his head again. At last she lifted his familiar tool from the river. He recognised the little dark mark on its wooden handle. “That is mine!” he said. “Thank you for finding it.” Chapter three ### An unexpected gift The guardian placed his iron axe safely on the grass. “You told the truth when a different answer might have made you rich,” she said. She offered the other two axes as gifts. Dev thanked her, surprised and grateful. He wrapped the tools before carrying them away. At home, he kept the iron axe for his work and sold the precious ones through an honest merchant. He repaired his roof, saved some money, and helped a neighbour buy winter blankets. He did not need a golden tool to do good work. Chapter four ### The truth is not a trick A neighbour heard the story and hurried to the river, hoping for treasure. He deliberately dropped an old axe into the water. When the guardian showed him a golden axe, he immediately claimed it. “This is not the tool you dropped,” she said. His plan brought him no reward. Ashamed, he asked how he could put things right. The guardian returned his own axe and told him to begin by telling the truth. When Dev heard about it, he said, “Honesty is not a trick for getting gold. It is how we show what really belongs to us.” The end ### Story path [01A splash in the river](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/moral-stories-and-fables/the-honest-woodcutter/#sf-chapter-a-splash-in-the-river) [02Three different axes](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/moral-stories-and-fables/the-honest-woodcutter/#sf-chapter-three-different-axes) [03An unexpected gift](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/moral-stories-and-fables/the-honest-woodcutter/#sf-chapter-an-unexpected-gift) [04The truth is not a trick](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/moral-stories-and-fables/the-honest-woodcutter/#sf-chapter-the-truth-is-not-a-trick) ### Word basket **current**water moving steadily in one direction **guardian**someone who protects or cares for something **recognise**to know something because you have seen it before **precious**very valuable or dearly loved **Read it together** This is an original retelling of a traditional fable. Discuss why honesty matters even when no reward follows. Remind children to ask an adult for help near deep or fast water. ## After the final page There is no single right answer. Invite young readers to notice, wonder and imagine. Remember How did Dev recognise his own axe? Think Why was the neighbour’s claim different from Dev’s answers? Imagine What could someone do after making a dishonest choice? **Make something:** Fold a page into three panels. Draw the gold, silver, and iron axes, then add Dev’s truthful answer under each one. [← Previous storyThe Golden Touch](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/moral-stories-and-fables/the-golden-touch/) [Browse all stories ↗](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/) [Next story →The Two Friends and the Bear](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/moral-stories-and-fables/the-two-friends-and-the-bear/) Share this