The Girl and the Rescue Bird

Sophie is out in the garden in her yellow rain boots when a faint, unhappy chirp leads her to a bush. There she discovers a small canary with lemon-yellow feathers and a bare patch on one wing, and she brings it indoors to her mother. Her mother explains that the bird is a rescued canary that has either escaped or been released, and the two of them prepare a wicker cage with a perch, a water dish and a soft blue cloth. Sophie gives the bird the name Pip, yet Pip stays huddled on its perch and stays silent.

With her mother beside her, Sophie borrows a library book on canaries and discovers that the birds need calm, routine and gentle music before they can feel secure. She draws up a daily plan of fresh seeds and water, soft radio music and a covered cage at night. This gentle tale by Jane MEADOW follows the small changes that come with steady care, and it can be read on Kids Tale Book.