The Baby Bird

are you laughing at?’ she asks.

She turns around to see what Jack is looking at. A big bird swoops down from the tree towards the baby bird. Then another bird swoops down, too. Billie and Jack hide behind a bush to watch. From where they sit, they can see everything.

First, the mama bird pecks a bit of sausage. She hops over to the baby bird. Then she pops some sausage into its open beak.

The papa bird hops over with some sausage, too. The baby bird squawks hungrily. Its beak opens wide to gulp down the sausage.

‘Look how greedy it is!’ Jack giggles.

‘They must have been there the whole time,’ Billie whispers. ‘They were waiting for us to go so they could look after their baby.’

‘Oh, look,’ Jack says. The little bird flaps its wings. ‘It’s trying to fly again!’

They watch the bird flip and flap its wings. Finally it lifts up into the air and lands on a branch of the tree.

Billie and Jack cheer. ‘You were right,’ Billie says. ‘Sometimes it is best to leave wild animals alone. Come on!’ She takes Jack’s hand. ‘I’ve got something to show you.’

A little bit later, Jack and Billie are in her nest. They are playing Mama Bird and Papa Bird.

‘Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!’ says Billie.

‘Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!’ says Jack.

‘Beebee! Beebee!’ comes a noise from outside their tree.

Oh no! You know who that is, don’t you?

‘Dad!’ Billie yells. ‘Noah’s going to wreck our game.’

Noah crawls into the space under the table. He climbs into their nest.

‘Beebee! Beebee!’ he says happily.

Billie’s dad pops his head under the blanket. But Noah puts his arms around Billie’s neck and holds on tight.

‘Beebee! Beebee!’ Noah says. He looks up at Billie with his big brown eyes.

‘Aw, he’s so cute!’ says Jack. ‘He sounds just like a baby bird.’

Billie realises Jack is right. Noah does sound like a baby bird!

‘Come here, Noah,’ Billie’s dad says. ‘You can help me in the garden.’

But Billie smiles. ‘That’s OK,’ she tells her dad. ‘He can stay.’

‘Are you sure?’ Billie’s dad asks.

Billie nods. ‘We can’t play Mama Bird and Papa Bird without a baby, can we, Jack?’

Jack smiles. ‘And he’s much easier to look after than a real bird!’ he whispers to Billie. Billie giggles.

‘Well, that’s very kind of you both,’ says Billie’s dad. He walks off to finish tidying up the kitchen.

Billie looks at her baby brother. Noah looks up at Billie. Then she slips a cold sausage out of her pocket and breaks some off for him. Noah gulps it down in one mouthful.

Just like a real baby bird would!

The Baby Bird

published in 2021 by

Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing

Wurundjeri Country

Ground Floor, Building 1, 658 Church Street

Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia

www.hardiegrantchildrenspublishing.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

Text copyright © 2021 Sally Rippin

Illustration copyright © 2021 Aki Fukuoka

Series design copyright © 2021 Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing

eISBN 9781743587232

Hardie Grant acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the country on which we work, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation and the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, and recognises their continuing connection to the land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

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