THE LITTLE GRAY PARROT
A Fletcher Publishing Children's Book
PAGE 2
oon she came to a tree stump. The Jungle Bird was standing on the stump
calling to his brother in the sky. He stamped his orange feet on his stage and
rose up very tall. He called so loud his shiny red wattles shook. He opened his
yellow eyes very wide, and crowed. Wrapped in his cloak of black, purple, green
and gold he sang, "I! Me, me, me, I! I! Me, me, me, I!"
When the Jungle Bird stopped singing the Little Gray Parrot said,
"Jungle Bird, you sing a very beautiful song. You have the color of the sky
in your tail. The soles of your feet shine like the sun. Your red head glistens
with the warm color. Your throat is wrapped in green. I am a very plain parrot.
Please give me some of your colors so I can be beautiful, too."
But the Jungle Bird only rose up on his long orange toes. He opened his
yellow beak tipped with black. And he sang, "I! Me, me, me, I! I! Me, me,
me, I!"
The Little Gray Parrot stamped her small gray foot. But the Jungle Bird
continued to sing his song to the sun. Finally, the Jungle Bird shook his head
to rearrange his wattles and jumped down from his perch. The Little Gray Parrot
fluffed her gray feathers. She said, "Jungle Bird. You sing a very
conceited song."
The Jungle Bird preened a blue feather in his tail. Then he preened a green
one. Then a bronze. Finally he answered the Little Gray Parrot. "Do you
think so?" was all he said.
"Yes," said the Little Gray Parrot. "For you are singing about
yourself."
The Jungle Bird walked to the Little Gray Parrot. He circled her and looked
at her empty wagon. He pecked on the wagon. It rang like a cymbal. He stood very
tall and near to the Little Gray Parrot, and she began to regret her words.
But the Jungle Bird was a king in his realm, and he simply said, "Little
Gray Parrot, my song is about me. I wake the sun up every morning so it will
shine on men. I sing about my place on the earth. I remind man of his place,
too. We are all so high. If man knew his own worth, the forest would be full of
my song every morning! Every throat would cry out, singing my song."
The Little Gray Parrot looked at the Jungle Bird. She knew what he said was
true. The Little Gray Parrot bowed her head and said, "Jungle Bird,
everyone says how beautiful you are. And it is true. Your brilliant tail sweeps
the ground mixing the rainbow with dust. But, your true beauty is in reminding
man that he is not dust. You rise while it is yet dark to do this service.
Please forgive me."
The Jungle Bird clucked slightly in his throat and said, "I have
promised my hens some grubs today, so I must go." And he left. Mother’s
green arms embraced him, and he was gone. The Little Parrot said, "I came
to beg some beautiful colors from the Jungle Bird to take home. But his true
beauty is in his service. I will put that in my wagon instead." And she
did, and pulled the little red wagon behind her down the path.
