In a beautiful and peaceful forest, many cute animals live together. Birds sing on the branches, squirrels jump through the trees and hares peek out of the grass. The whole forest is full of life and energy. This story takes place in spring and tells how a bird couple faces an unexpected challenge.
1. The new life of the bird couple
Spring has come, and Mom Bird and Dad Bird are full of anticipation as they prepare to welcome a new life. They have chosen a large tree with lush branches, and between the branches they have built a warm and sturdy nest. Every day, Mom Bird lies in the nest, carefully incubating the eggs with her soft belly, while Dad Bird scours the area for food and returns to feed the hardworking Mom Bird.
As the days go by, the little beings inside the eggs gradually become more active. Mother bird is looking forward to the moment when her babies will hatch. However, an unexpected event occurs.
2. An unexpected discovery in the nest
One day, when Mother bird is adjusting her position as usual, she suddenly feels something unusual at the bottom of the nest – it seems as if something is pushing its way up. At first, she thinks it is just her imagination, but soon the movement becomes louder and louder, even causing the whole nest to shake slightly.
The father bird flew back quickly to check it out and was surprised to find a small, tender green bud growing right in the middle of the nest! This was a small sapling growing stubbornly. The couple had never encountered anything like this before and were both surprised and anxious. If they let the tree continue to grow, the nest would definitely be stretched to breaking point and the eggs they had worked so hard to incubate might fall to the ground and shatter; but if they uprooted it, they felt bad about harming this little living creature.
3. The wise owl’s advice
In order to find a solution, the father bird flew to the forest to seek help from the wisest owl, Grandpa Owl. After putting on his reading glasses and taking a close look at the nest, Grandpa Owl said, “This is an acorn. It may have been blown into the nest by the wind before, and it happened to meet the spring rain, so it took root and sprouted.”
Grandpa Owl continued his analysis: “If we forcibly pull out the sapling, we may damage the structure of the nest and endanger the eggs. But if we leave it alone, it will grow too quickly and cause trouble indeed.”
Bird mother listened, tears welling up in her eyes, choking as she said, ”Our baby is about to be born, we can’t do without this home!”
After a moment’s thought, Grandfather Owl suggested, “Let’s observe the tree for a few days and see how fast it grows. Maybe we can find a better solution.”
4. The young tree’s growth crisis
In the days that followed, Dad Bird and Mom Bird guarded the nest with trepidation every day. The sapling seemed oblivious to the trouble it was causing, growing higher and higher, unfurling its young green leaves and growing stronger and stronger. The nest was stretched to the limit, and the eggs were teetering in the tilted nest.
The father bird is so worried that he runs around, asking the other animals in the forest for help. The woodpecker volunteers to fly over and tries to peck the sapling off with its sharp beak. However, as soon as it gets close, it notices that the sapling is surrounded by dense fibrous roots, which are tightly entwined with the branches of the nest. If it acts rashly, the nest will collapse in an instant.
The baby monkey also came to help, hanging upside down from the tree and trying to pull the sapling out by hand. However, despite all their efforts, the sapling did not budge, and instead made the nest shake even more violently, scaring the mother bird with its incessant screaming.
5. The rabbit’s brilliant idea
Just when everyone was at their wits’ end, the timid little rabbit, who had been silent up until then, said timidly, “Can’t we just plant the sapling somewhere else? Let’s move it, along with the soil around it, to a clearing in the forest.”
This idea was a revelation to everyone, but it wasn’t easy to implement. If they weren’t careful, they could still destroy the nest. After some discussion, the animals decided to try their best together.
The squirrel found a large, flexible leaf, and everyone carefully placed it under the nest to prevent the eggs from falling. Then the woodpecker used its beak to chip away at the soil around the sapling, while the monkey gently held the sapling and, together with the father bird, used all their strength to lift it up inch by inch, along with the clod of earth.
During the whole process, the mother bird clenched her eyes tightly, too nervous to breathe. Finally, the sapling was successfully removed from the nest! Everyone hurriedly transplanted it to an open and fertile plot of land by the forest.
6. The beginning of a new life
Relieved, the parents hurried back to the nest and used twigs and leaves to repair the damaged and deformed areas and make it cosy again. Within a few days, the little ones in the eggs hatched one after the other. With their little yellow beaks, the birds chirped and twittered, and although they were busy, the parents felt incredibly happy.
Life returned to normal, and the forest was once again full of laughter. The sapling that had been transplanted to the clearing thrived under everyone’s care. A few years later, it grew into a tall, straight oak tree, providing a cool, green shade for the little animals that passed by.
Sometimes the birds would fly down to its branches and sing cheerful songs, as if telling the story of that thrilling and heartwarming time.
Words to tell children
1. Think calmly when faced with difficulties
Life is full of unexpected problems, just like the tree growing in the bird’s nest that the bird couple discovered. Don’t panic, learn to calm down and find a solution to the problem.
2. Cooperation is important
In the story, the animals in the forest worked together to help the bird couple solve the problem. This teaches us that working together can overcome many seemingly insurmountable difficulties.
3. Treat every life with kindness
Whether it is the life in the bird’s egg or the little sapling growing tenaciously, they both deserve to be treated with kindness. We must learn to respect and protect every life in the natural world.
Through this story, I hope children will understand that no matter what difficulties they encounter, as long as they face them with all their heart and are willing to seek help, they will always find a way to solve the problem.
