Androcles lives a miserable life as the slave of a cruel and unjust master. Even though runaway slaves face the death penalty, he flees to the nearby woods. There Androcles delights in his new-found freedom. He also makes an unusual friend: a lion with an injured paw. The two live together happily, but the lion gets captured, and shortly afterwards Androcles, too. Androcles is punished by being fed to a lion.

To Millie, the whole world is unfair. Even though Millie has a loving family and a nice home, she’s always miserable. She hates to be told what to do, and when things don’t go her way, she complains. Millie finally has enough! She runs away so that she can do whatever she wants to do.

Individuals with a sunny attitude understand that the ending of one opportunity in life often opens the door for a new one. Carrying big loads of grain is easy for young donkeys, but what happens when they get too old to be of use? One old donkey takes off on a journey of rediscovery, picking up an old dog, cat, and rooster along the way.

When Jane complains to Sam about the crooked rows he has plowed, they decide to switch jobs for a day on their family farm. Both Sam and Jane expect to have lots of free time after each finishes the other’s “easy” job. In this hilarious story, Sam and Jane encounter one calamity after another doing each other’s “easy” chores.