The Girl and the Seabirds

Maya lives in a little house on the coast where the sea crashes against tall cliffs. Every morning she puts on her red rubber boots and mustard-yellow raincoat, grabs her sticker-covered satchel, and runs out to watch the seabirds. She knows every kind by heart: puffins with their orange beaks and funny walk, squawking gulls, and terns that dive like arrows. The cliffs are her favorite place in the whole wide world.

One spring morning Maya meets Sam, a volunteer in a green fleece who is on the coastal path to help the seabirds while they nest. Sam explains that the birds come every year to lay eggs and raise their chicks, and that people who leave the path can step on hidden burrows or scare the parent birds away. Maya listens carefully and is given a special job: explaining to visitors why they should stay on the coastal paths. When a visitor in a blue anorak steps off the trail for a better photograph, Maya must find the courage to speak up politely and show him what is at stake. This gentle story by Jane MEADOW follows a young bird lover as she learns that conservation can begin with one small, careful step. You can read this tale on Kids Tale Book.