Petit Bodiel tells the story of the Bodiel family, a family of hares. Little Bodiel, a young hare belonging to this family, is so lazy, greedy and rogue that he causes his mother to despair. He is inhabited by a desire for power and recognition, and dreams of becoming the King of the Savannah. To do this, he decides to seek help from God, who gives him powers and as much cunning as necessary to help him achieve his goal. He thus manages to fool the most imposing and strongest animals by manipulating them.

 But Petit Bodiel's desire for power takes on such a scale that he believes he can compete with God, who, in order to punish him, gives him a bent look and a feeling of fearful cowardice.