ਸ਼ਹਿਰੀ ਚੂਹਾ ਅਤੇ ਪਿੰਡ ਦਾ ਚੂਹਾ
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
Bilingual Punjabi + English Aesop's Fables Ages 4-8
ਆਰਾਮਦਾਇਕ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ । , , , ਮਿਲਣ ।
A little Country Mouse lived in a cosy hole in the fields. One day, his cousin, the Town Mouse, came to visit.
— , । ", !" ਨਾਲ ।
The Country Mouse served his best food — fresh grain, seeds, and a few crumbs of bread. "Eat, dear cousin!" he said happily.
ਚੜ੍ਹਾਇਆ। " ?" । " ਨਾਲ ਚੱਲੋ। ਦਿਖਾਵਾਂਗਾ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ !"
But the Town Mouse turned up his nose. "How can you eat such plain food?" he said. "Come to the town with me. I will show you how to live well!"
ਗਏ। ਗਏ ' ਦਾਅਵਤ ਹੋਈ — , , ਫਲ ।
So the two mice went to the town. They crept into a grand house where a great feast was spread on the table — cheese, cake, fruit, and sweet treats of every kind.
" !" । ਖੁੱਲ੍ਹੀਆਂ ਗਈਆਂ।
"Now this is good food!" said the Town Mouse. The Country Mouse's eyes grew wide.
— ! ਦਰਵਾਜ਼ਾ । ਬਚਾਉਣ ਨਾਲ ਲੁਕ ਗਏ।
But just as they began to eat — bang! The door flew open and a big cat came rushing in. The two mice ran for their lives and hid, shaking with fear.
, , ", । , ਦਾਅਵਤ ਨਾਲ ।"
When all was quiet, the Country Mouse said, "Goodbye, cousin. Your food is fine, but I would rather eat plain seeds in peace than feast in fear."
- ਚਲਾ ।
And he went happily home to his quiet field.
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A public-domain Aesop's Fables tale, retold and translated into Punjabi (Gurmukhi) for diaspora families by Maastarji. Read together to build Punjabi reading confidence.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" written in Gurmukhi?
- Yes. The full story is written in Punjabi (Gurmukhi script) as “ਸ਼ਹਿਰੀ ਚੂਹਾ ਅਤੇ ਪਿੰਡ ਦਾ ਚੂਹਾ”, with the English shown alongside so you can read both together. You can hide the English to read in Gurmukhi only.
- Can my child read this if they are still learning Punjabi?
- Yes. Keep the English on so a new reader can follow the meaning while they sound out the Gurmukhi. As they grow more confident, switch to “Gurmukhi only” for reading practice.
- Is this story free to read?
- Yes — every story on Maastarji is free to read online, with no sign-up. “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse” is a public-domain Aesop's Fables tale, retold and translated into Punjabi for diaspora families.
