The Sick Bird
By Eileen K.
"Mama! Mama! I think that bird is sick!" screamed my 6 year old didi, Ming, in our backyard. Didi means younger brother in Chinese and Mama means mom in Chinese.
"Ming, what's wrong with that bird?" Mama came running out of the kitchen and asked. It was obvious Mama was cooking Chinese food because when she opened the kitchen door, I could see steam coming from the wok. Ming jumped up and tried to catch the bird he thought was sick so he could find out what was wrong. He didn't catch the bird and fell on the grass. "What is Ming doing?" Mama said with curiosity. I explained to Mama why Ming was trying to catch the bird. Mama still had more questions. "Why does he think the bird is sick?" Mama asked. "I don't know, I am sure Ming can tell you." I whispered to Mama. When we finally got Ming to tell us why he thought the bird was sick, we found out that Ming thought the bird was sick because it was making a very high sound. Ming had never heard such a high bird sound before.
After we figured out the reason why Ming thought the bird was sick, all three of us sat down on the grass and carefully observed the bird, which was perched on a tree. It was a small, plump bird, gray with a black head and throat. "Oh! It's a beautiful chickadee!" exclaimed Mama. "A chickadee is a type of bird that makes a high sound. The bird made a normal chickadee sound." Mama added.
When Ming got older, he decided
to study birds. When he left home to be a bird specialist, Mama
told him, "Remember, every bird sings its own note. Every
bird is special in its own way. You will learn to evaluate each
bird's individuality." Just then, Ming's friend came to our
house and teased, "Only stupid people study birds. Birds
are just stupid, flying creatures." But Mama was wise and
said; "Everyone is different. You have to learn to do what
they want to do, no matter what you think of it." Then, Ming's
friend walked away, speechless.
