The following fable, Flattery Will Get You Nowhere, was written by the one of Jean Kamuf's classes and can be used by students as they create fables of their own.  The opening paragraph includes the setting and a description of the main characters.  The second paragraph is the problem, and the following paragraphs are the events that lead up to the solution.

Flattery Will Get You Nowhere

Long, long ago in a moist savanna in East Africa, there lived a family of very proud warthogs.  Mr. Warthog was brave and willing to tackle anyone or anything that threatened his family.  In adoration of his wife, Mr. Warthog frequently complimented her hair and eyes.  The family also included three fat, bouncing piglets.  With such a perfect family, Mrs. Warthog was very content, especially since she loved all the attention poured on her by her adoring husband.  And, of course, Mrs. Warthog was most certain that she was the luckiest and loveliest creature in all of Africa.

Eventually, all of the flattery that Mrs. Warthog received from her hubby caused her to become overly vain.  Soon, she began to think that she was all that and more.  In fact, Mrs. Warthog loved all the flattery so much that she sometimes acted stuck up and even did stupid, careless things to get more attention.    However, what she didn't realize was that someone else in the jungle was paying very close attention to her snobby, careless attitude.

One day, after taking a good long look at her husband, Mrs. Warthog thought, "My, he surely is fat and ugly.  Too bad he doesn't have my good looks.  My beauty is so evident that he tells me every day.  Too bad I can't say the same for his looks.  Evidently, I deserve better than him and can find a much more handsome fellow."

Walking right up her husband, she began, "Mr. Warthog."

"Yes, my most beautiful, precious, darling wife, what is it?" he inquired.

"I'm leaving you, Mr. Warthog.  You are just too ugly for words.  No only are you overly obese, you also have hideous warts covering your big head.  You disgust me so."

"But Dddd....dearest," Mr. Warthog stuttered in disbelief.

"Don't dearest me," she responded.  With her children following behind in a straight line, Mrs. Warthog immediately set out on her quest into the deep, dark jungle to find her knight in shining armor, the one worthy of such a dazzling wife.

Nearby, camouflaging himself in the tall brush, someone overheard the conversation.  It was none other than Leopold, the lazy, lying, low down leopard.  After eavesdropping on the warthogs' conversation, he began to plan for a succulent supper of juicy warthog.

Later that day as Mrs. Warthog and her children trotted leisurely through the jungle, Leopold burst forth from a nearly tree and greeted them.  "Good day!  What a lovely lady you are!  Your teeth are so white and your eyes sparkle like sapphires."  Now any other time, Mrs. Warthog would have feared for her life, but all this flattery was music to her ears.

Promising her fresh flowers, the cunning leopard invited the warthogs to dinner.  Wallowing happily in her success at finding a worthy suitor, Mrs. Warthog readily accepted his invitation, and with her children in tow, proceeded to follow Leopold to his home.  

Poor foolish Mrs. Warthog did not know what lay ahead of her on the other side of the jungle.  As she ran behind Leopold, her head was full of images of her impending marriage to this handsome Prince Charming.  Leopold's head was also full of images.  Licking his lips, he saw delicious raw meat that would fill his rumbling stomach for many nights to come.

Beside Leopold's home was a crystal clear, blue river.  It was very unlike anything the warthogs had ever seen.   The water in the savanna where the warthogs resided was always murky from the family’s frequent wallowing.  Anyway, this pool was so crystal clear that one could see their own reflection, just as if looking in a mirror.

As they strolled past the river, Mrs. Warthog caught a glimpse of herself in the water, and at the same time, caught her breath.  "My goodness!" she shouted.  "Why are you here, Mr. Warthog?  You go away!  I have a new beau now."

Not able to control his laughter, the leopard crackled, "Do you think I would go out with someone as hideous looking as you?  You silly old warthog, you are staring at your own reflection in the water."

In shock, Mrs. Warthog stuttered, "Mine!  Why I am uglier than Mr. Warthog?  Why in the world did you compliment my looks?"

“To me, you are beautiful, especially when I am hungry.”  Licking his lips again, Leopold added, "Yum, yum, you will all make a most delicious dinner."

"Dinner!  Never!” screamed Mrs. Warthog.  ""Run, children, run for your lives.  We must get back to your father."

Knowing that she was no match for the sharp toothed leopard, Mrs. Warthog backed into a nearby ravine and fearfully waited for her own demise.  However, right at that moment, Mr. Warthog had been strolling miserably through the jungle.  At first, when he heard loud squeals, he just ignored the commotion, more intent on his own sorrow.  However, he soon realized that the sound was his own dear wife.  Racing to the rescue, Mr. Warthog gouged the lying leopard with his ugly, yet powerful tusks.  Being one of the best fighters ever, Mr. Warthog was finally able to scare Leopold away. 

Realizing her near fatal mistake, Mrs. Warthog begged her husband for forgiveness, explaining that she never realized that she too was ugly. 

 "Oh no, my dear, to me you are very beautiful.  I still love you very much."

In warthog fashion, the loving couple rubbed noses.  From that day forward, Mrs. Warthog took all of her husband’s compliments for what they were, professions of love.  She even found it in her heart to compliment his strong tusks and tough hide.

The moral of this story is to never trust a flatterer.

Using the story above as a touchstone, students can analyze its strengths and weaknesses and create fables of their own.