The Woodpecker

Te presentamos este cuento en inglés para que tus hijos aprendan jugando.

One day, all the birds of the forest were together under a lush tree when
suddenly, they heard a noise. They look like hammer blows. Thrilled, they went
to pry. What a surprise! They saw a small bird they did not know, which was on
a tree’s trunk hammering insistently with its beak.

The parrot came to him and ask him

-“Hello little friend, what are you doing?”.

The laborious bird stopped his work for a moment and answer him

-“I’m building a nest for my family, my friend!”

The parrot continued the conversation:

-“It’s very strange what you are doing, we built our nests on the tree’s
branches!”

The laborious bird laughed:

-“What a mistake, my friend! That’s why you get wet when it rains and I imagine
you are cold at night as well as the danger you are in, since you are exposed
that any fierce harm you while you are sleeping. Me, on the other hand, I sleep
very secure in this nest and my chick aren’t cold and don’t get wet. Do you
understand the advantages of these nests?”

Surprised for those words, the parrot proposed him a deal:

-“ Good grief, my friend! I admit that you’re absolutely right. I propose you a
deal. If you build me a nest like yours, I’ll pay you whatever you ask me for”.

The labourios bird accepted de deal and answered him

-“It’s OK, my friend parrot. I promise to give you this nest in three months, when
the summer starts. Until then, you must bring food to my wife and child for the
time I’m absent far from home working”
The parrot accepted the conditions and the small bird kept on working.

The rest of the birds waited anxiously for the parrot to return and when he
arrived the macaw asked him.
-“Hey cousin, what did you talk about with that strange bird?”

The parrot answered aloud so the rest could hear.

-“Don’t worry, it is a friend bird and very hard working. He’s building a nest for
his family and I came to a deal with him. He promised to give me that nest in
trhee months time and in exchange I promised to feed his family for the time he
is absent working in the wood."

The macaw exclaimed

-“It’s a fair deal! I’ll see if I can talk to him."

Days passed and the strange bird had finished building the nest and was settled
with his wife. Then the macaw came and asked them
-“ Good afternoon, how are you?. I would like to talk to you my friend, how much
would it cost to me a nest like this?”

Out of the nest for a moment, the little bird answered her:

-“That depends of the type of nest and tree that you want my friend. The harder
the tree is, the more expensive would be for you."

The macaw thought for a moment and the small bird said to her:

-“Well, let’s do one thing. Since I’ve seen that you are a good bird and you’ve
come here in peace, I promise to build you the nest if you promise to come
every afternoon to entertain my child with your song while I’m absent.”
The macaw accepted the deal pleased and she returned to the forest to tell the
rest of the birds what had happened. Months passed and the strange pair of
birds had their child, the parrot bring them food everyday and in the afternoon,
the macaw entertained them with their joyful song.

Far from that place, the small laborious bird was building the nest for the
macaw, but the strong noise attracted to the place to a huge
sparrowhawk who landed on a branch asked
-“With which permission are you building a nest in this tree?"

Surprised by the question, the small laborious bird answered:

-“Well, as far as I know, the forest doesn’t have an owner and in cany case, you
should ask the macaw who hired me”.

When hearing that answer, the fierce sparrowhawk exclaimed

-“So the macaw hired you! It’s strange she didn’t inform me about this. Well, we
shall settle it”.

The huge sparrowhawk kept with his flight while the small bird kept with his
work.

Few days later, the toucan came and said:

-“Listen, good friend. Be very careful with that sparrowhawk, he ‘s very
dangerous and he thinks he is the owner of the forest”.

After listening to those words of warning, the small bird was more careful and
sometimes he averted his eyes from the wood to look at the sky.

One month later, he finished building the nest and he gave the new house to
the macaw who, very happy, thanked him and concluded the deal. Then, the
small bird returned to his nest to sleep with his family.