Animal Stories for Kids. For Kids. Valerio Larcheni

grains whispered from their ears, “Now, sparrow, take some of us and take us to the mill. They can grind us into flour, and you can make something yummy to eat!”

      So the sparrow gathered some of the ripe wheat. He carried it carefully to the mill (which felt like a very long trip for a little bird!). The miller ground the wheat into soft, white flour.

      The sparrow took the flour back to his little house. He mixed it with water and other goodies, and then… he baked pancakes and pies! The smell was delicious!

      The sparrow sat in his house, eating his warm, fluffy pancakes and sweet pies. He wasn’t cold or hungry anymore. He felt so happy and grateful.

      “Thank you very much, grains!” he chirped to the field outside.

      And the grains rustled in the wind, “This is for you, sparrow! Thank you for taking care of us, pampering us, and cherishing us! Thank you very much for everything!”

      The sparrow smiled. He learned a very important lesson that day: Good always comes back with good. If you are kind and helpful, good things will happen to you too!

      How Squirrels Saved a Chick

      High up in a tall pine tree, a fluffy squirrel was busy. He was jumping from branch to branch, twig to twig, looking for the best, ripest pine cones. He was a very busy squirrel!

      “Chirp, chirp! Phew, phew!”

      The squirrel stopped. What was that sound? It sounded like crying! He peeked down through the green needles.

      There, sitting on a branch, was a little bird. She was sobbing, tiny tears rolling down her face. She looked so sad!

      “What happened? What happened?” squeaked the squirrel. “Why are you crying so bitterly?”

      The little bird sniffed. “Oh, Mr. Squirrel,” she chirped sadly, “I’m so upset. I have a cozy nest in the branches, right above the wild raspberry bushes. And my little chicks, my little rascals, live there.”

      She took another shaky breath. “Today, my chicks were playing and being a bit naughty, and one of them fell right out of the nest!”

      More tears welled up in her eyes. “Some children from the village came to pick raspberries. They saw my chick and… and they took him home with them! Now he’s all alone!”

      “Oh dear!” said the squirrel.

      “I’m so worried,” the bird sobbed. “My little chick will perish. He won’t survive in a cage. I don’t even know what to do.”

      “Don’t you worry your little feathers!” said the squirrel. He puffed up his chest. “We’ll think of something! We won’t let your baby perish!”

      The squirrel started to chirp and cluck, a special squirrel call. Soon, squirrels from all the nearby trees came scampering over. He told them all about the bird’s misfortune.

      “We need to help our neighbor!” he said. “We can’t leave her alone with her sadness!”

      So, the squirrels set off on a rescue mission! They jumped along the branches, ran along the twigs, with the little bird flying ahead to show them the way.

      Finally, they arrived at the house where the bird’s son was. The squirrels scurried up to the window.

      “There he is!” whispered one of the squirrels. On the windowsill, outside the window, was a little cage. The chick was inside, all ruffled and sad. He looked like he was in a really bad state.

      “We need to save the baby right now!” declared the squirrel.

      Suddenly, one of the squirrels noticed something. “Look!” he squeaked. “The window… it’s open a little bit!”

      Quick as a wink, the squirrels pushed the window open wider and jumped into the room! They ran around the cage, chattering excitedly.

      “But… how do we open it?” asked a small squirrel with extra fluffy tail. “I don’t know how to open a cage!”

      They all looked at the cage, tilting their heads. It had a little latch, but it was too small for their paws to grab. The squirrels buzzed around, trying to figure out how to work it.

      A clever squirrel, with a particularly bright and curious eye, noticed that the latch could be pushed from the side. He nudged a twig through the bars of the cage, wiggling it until it pressed against the latch.

      “We need to gnaw through the wooden bars!” squeaked Old Whiskers, the wisest squirrel of them all. His bushy tail twitched, and his little eyes twinkled with a clever idea.

      No sooner said than “YUM! YUM! YUM!” The squirrels, with their busy little teeth, started gnawing and chomping. They gnawed so fast, wood chips flew everywhere! And guess what? They made a HOLE!

      Out flew… “CHIRP!” A tiny little chick.

      But oh no! “He can’t fly yet!” cried a little squirrel named Nutsy. The chick wobbled and flapped, but he just couldn’t stay in the air.

      Quick as a wink, the squirrels scooped up the chick in their paws, being very, very careful. “We have to get him home!” squeaked Chippy.

      They rushed through the trees, the little chick nestled safe and sound. Above them, a mother bird flew, “CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!” She was chirping so happily!

      Kids Hedgehogs and Old Hedgehog

      The little hedgehogs were running through the forest, pitter-patter, pitter-patter! It was a busy time of year. They were picking up yummy mushrooms and bright red apples. They carefully poked the mushrooms and apples onto their prickly backs – like putting little hats on their thorns!

      Winter was coming soon, “brrr!” They needed lots and lots of food to keep them warm and full all winter long. Their mommy and daddy hedgehogs were working hard too, but it was a BIG job, and the little hedgehogs wanted to help.

      Suddenly, they saw someone sitting on a tree stump. It was old Mr. Hedgehog! He was leaning on his walking stick and looked a little bit sad.

      “Hello, Mr. Hedgehog!” they chirped.

      “Hello, little ones!” Mr. Hedgehog said in a raspy voice. “Where are you hurrying off to so quickly?”

      “The apples are super ripe on the apple trees!” one hedgehog squeaked. “And the forest is bursting with mushrooms!” another hedgehog added. “We’re picking them up, curling into spiky balls, and carrying them home on our backs. We need to have lots of food for winter!”

      “And why aren’t you getting food, Mr. Hedgehog?” a little hedgehog asked, tilting its head.

      Mr. Hedgehog sighed. “Oh, my dears! It’s hard for me to run anymore. And it’s even harder to curl up into a ball! My old spines don’t prick the mushrooms and apples very well. I’m just too old. I might have to go hungry this winter.”

      The little hedgehogs looked at each other with worried little eyes.

      “No, Mr. Hedgehog!” one cried. “You won’t be hungry!”

      “We won’t let you go without food!” another added.