The Girl and the Sparrow

Olivia, an eight-year-old girl, passes a large brick building on her way to school each morning. There she watches the small brown sparrows that flutter beneath the eaves and tend to their chicks. She greets them daily and picks up on details that others overlook. One day a sign announces that repair work will soon begin on the roof and walls, and Olivia starts to worry about the nests and the tiny birds that live there.

In class, Mr. Bennett describes the repair plan, and Olivia raises her hand to ask what will happen to the sparrows. Her question grows into a class project: the children paint signs asking the workers to take care, place them near the eaves, and set up a quiet nesting corner away from the noise. This gentle story by Jane MEADOW follows a child who notices something important and speaks up, and it can be read on Kids Tale Book.