When, to my surprise, my very young son broke into tears while I was reading an old classic story to him, I came to realize that many old classic children's stories had elements in them of violence and brutality. I certainly did not intend to frighten my son and regretted not choosing my books for him more thoughtfully. One night soon after, I dreamed of the story that you just read. The following morning, the image of the whole story was quite clear in my memory and I immediately set out to write it in verse. It was an enjoyable task to describe the two friends, their pleasant lives, beautiful surroundings and what they learned from their dispute. The story has a strong moral of course. Without that element, much of the purpose of the work would be lost, and it would have a weak ending. I agonized over the need to include the part about animals eating other animals and I minimized it to the greatest extent that I could, using no pictures and minimal description. I hope that this story will delight children and the moral will not be lost on them. That was certainly my goal.