t was a beautiful spring day in a forest in ancient China. The air was crisp and fresh, and the sun was shining brightly. In the dense forest, tall trees stood side by side. The sun’s rays hit the treetops and scattered through their branches. They cast shadows of light and dark on the forest floor.
High up in a tree, a mother bird was resting in her nest. She had just hatched six baby birds, called nestlings. The nestlings were covered with soft fluffy down. They didn’t have flight feathers yet, so they weren’t ready to leave the nest.Five of the baby birds were strong. They chirped loudly. The one that had hatched last, though, was not strong at all. Mama Bird called him Xiao Liu, or Little Six. He was frail and quiet. Xiao Liu’s older brothers and sisters teased him often.“Chirp, chirp, look at Xiao Liu,” said Oldest Brother. “He’s so weak, he can barely move.”“Chirp, chirp,” said Fourth Sister. “I know. He wouldn’t budge. I had to climb over him to get to Mama.”“Chirp, chirp, I couldn’t sleep,” said Second Sister.“Xiao Liu was trying to move around. He’s so slow and clumsy! He kept stepping on me.”The older siblings pushed Xiao Liu around. They took his food.Sometimes they even snatched it right out of his mouth!“Chirp, chirp. That’s mine,” said Third Brother.“Chirp, chirp,” said Second Sister. “That worm looks yummy. I want it.”“Chirp, chirp, but I’m hungry!” cried Xiao Liu as his sister took the worm from his mouth.Xiao Liu’s brothers and sisters would call him names too. They gave him the nickname Clumsy Bird.“Chirp, chirp. Move out of the way, Clumsy Bird,” they chirped together.Xiao Liu did not like being laughed at or pushed around by his brothers and sisters.Xiao Liu was not physically strong when he hatched. But he did have a strong will. He decided he would get stronger. He would do exercises every day. Soon, his brothers and sisters would not laugh at him anymore!Every morning, Xiao Liu would rise before the sun even came up. Before his brothers and sisters woke, Xiao Liu would be finished with all his exercises and breakfast.“Chirp, chirp. What are you doing, Clumsy Bird?” asked Oldest Brother.Then he fell back asleep again.“Chirp, chirp, it’s too early, Clumsy Bird,” Second Sister complained.“Stop moving around so much.”Xiao Liu worked hard morning after morning after morning.He flapped his wings over and over and over again to make them stronger. He always got the first worms and bugs Mama brought back to the nest. All through the spring Xiao Liu woke up earlier than his brothers and sisters. He worked harder than they did, week after week. He ate big meals and did not go hungry, week after week.After a couple of months, all the birds had grown flight feathers. Mama Bird gathered her babies to teach them to fly. To everyone’s surprise,Xiao Liu was the first one to start flying! “Chirp, chirp, look at me!” Xiao Liu cried happily while his brothers and sisters struggled to fly from the nest.
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