Once there was a smart little monkey named Momo who lived with a man and his wife in a small town in Japan. The man made money by showing off Momo’s tricks at parks and schools. Momo could ride a tiny bike, do somersaults, and even count to ten!

But Momo was getting older. One evening, the man came home frowning.

“Momo doesn’t do tricks like he used to,” he grumbled. “He messed up twice today. I think I’ll sell him.”

His wife looked shocked. “Sell him? Why?”

“He’s no help anymore,” the man said. “I’ll find someone who wants an old monkey. Or maybe… I’ll call the animal shelter.”

Momo was sitting nearby and heard everything. His little heart sank. He had lived with the man for years. He had worked hard and tried his best. Now he was being tossed away?

“I need help,” Momo whispered to himself. “Someone who’s smart. Someone who knows what to do.”

Then he remembered. In the woods outside town lived a wild boar named Boro. Everyone said Boro was very wise. Maybe Boro would know what to do.

That night, Momo sneaked out of the house and ran to the woods. Boro was there, sniffing around for berries.

“Boro!” Momo called. “Please help me!”

Boro turned around. “What’s wrong, Momo?”

Momo told him everything—about the man, the bad day, and the threat to send him away.

Boro nodded. “I have an idea,” he said. “Does the man have a child?”

“Yes,” said Momo. “A baby boy.”

“Good,” said Boro. “In the mornings, does the baby play on the porch while the mother works?”

“Yes, every day.”

“Then here’s the plan,” said Boro. “Tomorrow, I’ll sneak into the yard. I’ll pretend to take the baby. You chase me and ‘rescue’ him. The family will be so grateful, they won’t want to lose you.”

Momo’s eyes lit up. “That might actually work!”

The next morning, Momo got up early. His heart beat fast as the sun rose. He waited on the porch as the man’s wife set the baby in a playpen nearby.

Suddenly, there was a rustle near the fence—Boro! He quietly stepped into the yard, gently picked up the baby, and began to trot off.

The baby let out a cry.

The woman ran out. “My baby!” she screamed. “Some animal took my baby!”

She woke her husband, and both ran outside. That’s when they saw Momo sprinting after Boro through the yard and out the gate.

Boro made sure to move slowly enough for Momo to catch up. A minute later, Momo returned, holding the baby safely in his arms.

The man and woman gasped.

“You saved him!” the woman cried, hugging both her baby and Momo.

“You’re a hero,” said the man. “I thought you were just an old monkey, but I was wrong.”

The woman gave Momo a banana and some toast. “You’re not going anywhere,” she said. “You belong with us.”

Later that day, the man canceled the call to the shelter. He even ordered boar-shaped cookies to celebrate.

From that day on, Momo didn’t have to perform tricks unless he wanted to. He spent his time relaxing in the backyard, playing with the baby, and visiting Boro in the woods now and then.

And the man never talked about giving him away again.

_{“The Clever Monkey and the Wild Boar” by Bright Bunny Books © 2025. Retelling of “THE SAGACIOUS MONKEY AND THE BOAR” from Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki originally published in 1908.}

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“The Clever Monkey and the Wild Boar” is intended for students in grades 3 to 5, offering accessible language, clear moral themes, and engaging animal characters that support comprehension and empathy-building at an upper elementary level.