A Tadpole admired a canebreak until a wind snapped off pieces at which point the Frog mother pointed out what looked good was pith and emptiness.
Looks are not everything.
JBR Collection
A little Tadpole sat on the banks of a river, gazing with wonder on a canebrake, and talking with its mother of the green leaves and great stalks. Suddenly a tempest swept over the country-side, and the winds tore the canebrake in pieces. A broken cane floating down the stream caught the eye of the mother, who drew her child’s attention to it. “See,” she said, “how strong and healthy the cane looked; but it is really only pith and emptiness.”