Little Bird
Ann Masibo
Microsoft Clip Art,
Wiehan de Jager and
blackmoondev.com
English
Once upon a time, there lived a little
bird in a warm, cozy nest.
Once upon a time, there lived a little bird in
The Little Bird
lived in
thenest.
middle of a
a warm,
cozy
broad, green tree surrounded by big,
strong
branches.
The little
bird loved to sing every morning
from its big tree with strong branches.
1
When she looked up, she could see the
Every
day when
Little Bird
highest branches
where
the monkeys
lived and swunglooked
away.up, she could see
monkeys swinging high up in
themonkey
tree.
One day, she saw a little
danced
and climbed on
swinging highThey
up on
the branch
the branches.
laughing gleefully.
Little bird wished that she
Little bird felt jealous.
could swing like them high up
in the tree and dance like
She wished she could swing
them.like that
little monkey on the highest branches
of the tree.
2
The next morning, Little Bird woke up
to =nd her wish had been granted.
She wished and wished and wished,
She haduntil
been
into
Little that her
oneturned
morning,
sheafound
Monkey!
wish had been granted.
When she woke up, she was a Little
Little Bird ran up the
tree like a Little
Monkey!
Monkey and swung on the branches.
She ran up the tree and swung on the
highestshe
branches
Oh how happy
felt! and chattered:
oo-ooh a-aah o-ooh a-aah o-ooh a-aah
Oh how happy she felt!
3
But one night, there was a big storm
But that night, there
came
a storm
in the
forest.
with a very strong wind.
Little Monkey tried to hide in a nest
Little Bird
to =ttoo
into
nestcould
but she
but tried
- she was
big!a She
not
was too
fitbig!
into a nest - she was a monkey, not
a bird!
She tried to hide with the other
hide with
other–
monkeys She
but tried
theyto
chased
herthe
away
monkeys
but they did
understand
they said
she sounded
toonot
chirpy.
when she tried to talk to them; she
toowas
chirpy!
She sounded
Oh, littlewas
bird
so sad.
She gotlike a
bird, so they chased her away.
rained on and rained on until she
could not feel her skin.
Little Bird became so sad. She got
rained on and rained on, until she got
If only she was a Little
Bird again.
a cold.
If only she was a Little Bird again.
4
The next morning, the Little Bird found
for been
Little Bird,
the next
that herLuckily
wish had
granted.
Sheday
was better.
was a Little Bird again!
She had
turned
intoher!
a Little
Oh, how joyful
that
made
SheBird
again.
stayed in her nest and played all day.
Oh, how joyful she now was! She
But then, she
saw
squirrel
sung
all a
day
long in running
her nest.
on the ground.
Little Bird soon forgot all about her
The squirrel
ran when
playfully
witha squirrel
his
ordeal
she saw
friends and laughed
running away.
on the ground.
The squirrel ran playfully with his
friends and jumped around.
5
“Oh,” wished Little Bird, “if only I could
run on the ground with my friends
“Oh,” wished Little Bird, “if only I too
too.”
could run on the ground with my friends.”
The next morning, Little Bird found
“Oh, how I want to be a squirrel.”
that she had been turned into a Little
Squirrel!
Little Bird wished and wished and wished
some more, until she was turned into a
Oh, how happy
she
felt.
Little
Squirrel!
She
onthe
theground
ground
in glee
She ran
ran on
in glee
and and
chased
chased other
squirrels.
the other
squirrels.
6
But alas! What did she hear behind
ButShe
alas!
What did
her?
turned
justshe
in hear
timebehind
to seeher?
a
She turned just in time to see a big snake
big snake almost eat her!
almost eat her!
Oh,
SheShe
tried
Oh,poor
poorLittle
Little Bird.
Squirrel.
ranto
asrun
fast as
as
fast she
as she
could
as
the
snake
followed
could to look for a place to hide.
her so fast.
The snake followed her so fast.
No squirrel wanted her get into their
hole
– they
hadtried
longtoshut
their
doors
Little
Squirrel
get into
a hole,
but
was
already
of other squirrels.
and itdid
not
wantfull
strangers
there.
No-one wanted her there – they shut their
door and shooed her away.
7
Little Squirrel ran and ran until her feet felt
Little Squirrel was left to fend for
so sore and tired.
herself!
How she wished she had wings to fly away.
After
fora what
But running
she was not
bird - seemed
she was alike
squirrel!
forever, she found a bush to hide her
trembling
self. for so long, she found a big
After running
bush to hide in.
She managed to escape the snake
Shevery
trembled
as sheher
hoped
thatheart
the snake
very,
narrowly,
little
would
not see her.
pounding in her
chest.
slithered
andtohiss-ssed
If The
onlysnake
she had
wings
>y far, as
farit came
closer and closer.
away from this hideous creature!
Little Squirrel tried to keep very, very still
But she
hadthe
not.
so that
snake would not see her.
Suddenly, she heard something jump in
front of her. Little Squirrel knew that she
had been found out and she closed her eyes
very tight and waited - to be eaten.
8
Luckily
the
snake
didsure
notthat
catch
It wasfor
sooher,
silent
that
she was
the
her
as
she
hid
behind
the
bush.
snake had swallowed her and she was in the
snake’s stomach.
But how she wished she could >y
again!
She opened her eyes slowly, the left eye,
then the right.
When she looked up, she saw a hare
running away. It was the hare that had
jumped and frightened her so. The snake
was now chasing hard after the hare.
Little Squirrel stood up slowly, her little
heart pounding in her chest.
She was so glad that she was alive.
9
The next morning, Little Squirrel woke
up to =nd that she was a Little Bird
again.Little Squirrel promised that if she
became a bird again, she would never,
ever complain. She would be grateful
She felt very grateful as she sat in her
because she could fly, and that she
little nest and
never
could
fit complained
in her nest. again.
No matter
goodwhen
the lives
other
The nexthow
morning,
LittleofSquirrel
animals
seemed,
Little
Bird was
happy
woke
up, she was
a Little
Bird again.
to be just a Little Bird.
She sang in her little nest and happily
stayed content.
10
You are free to download, copy, translate or adapt this story and use the illustrations as long as you attribute in the following way:
Little Bir
Bird
d
Author - Ann Masibo
Illustr
Illustration
ation - Microsoft Clip Art, Wiehan de Jager and blackmoondev.com
Language - English
Le
Level
vel - Longer paragraphs
© Ann Masibo, 2015
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
Sour
Source
ce www.africanstorybook.org