Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Nikki.
One day, Nikki saw Donkey and Ass playing together in the field. They looked very similar, but they had some differences. Donkey had longer ears than Ass, and his coat was a little darker. Ass was a little smaller than Donkey, but he was faster. She went up to them and asked, “What’s the difference between you two?”
Donkey replied, “Well, I’m a donkey, and he’s an ass.”
Nikki looked confused. “What does that mean?”
Donkey explained, “We’re both part of the same family of animals called equids. But we’re different species. I’m a domesticated donkey, and Ass is a wild ass.”
Nikki still looked confused. “What’s the difference between domesticated and wild?”
Donkey smiled. “Domesticated means that humans have trained us to work with them. We help them carry things and do other jobs. Wild animals live on their own in nature.”
Ass added, “And we’re different species because we have different numbers of chromosomes in our cells.”
Nikki looked at them both with wide eyes. “Wow! You guys are so cool!”
Donkey and Ass smiled at each other. They were happy to have made a new friend.
Short stories for kids 