A grasshopper is playing the fiddle in a meadow full of wildflowers, and all the animals are dancing to his tunes: the butterflies, the frogs, a squirrel, a mouse, the caterpillars and the bugs. Only the busy ant refuses the joyful grasshopper's invitation: "Dancing? You must be joking! I don't have time for that. The winter is near and I have to build up reserves!".

No one is thinking of winter yet. But then one day, the joyous summer is finally over and fierce northern winds begin to blow. While the grasshopper is suffering from famine and cold, the ant is sitting in her warm parlour. The grasshopper knocks at her door, but she refuses him.

Were it not for the mouse, who found the motionless musician in the snow and, aided by the squirrel, brought him to her warm home, he would have frozen to death. They narrowly succeed in bringing him back to life. He immediately seeks his fiddle and starts to play.

Then, the ant knocks at the door, seeking company. The mouse and the squirrel refuse, but the grasshopper generously consents. "Do come in, Miss Ant! You've been working all summer, but now it is winter, and you can dance!"

Christel Strobel