The Paper Bird That Would Not Fly
Preschool (ages 3-5) · 4 pages · 3 min read · Free to read
Meriel has fallen out with her neighbor Nella over a yellow ribbon and made a paper bird to say sorry. But the bird won't fly until Meriel says her apologies out loud. A bedtime story for children learning to say sorry and be brave about making up with friends.
The update this story came from
Every Weeloom story starts with one short note from a parent. This is the note behind this one.
Meriel and the girl from two doors down, Pia, fell out on Tuesday over whose turn it was with the yellow scooter and Meriel came inside and wouldn't talk about it. She spent the next two days walking past their gate very fast and pretending not to look. Thursday she made a card with a bird on it and then wouldn't take it over. I had to walk her to the gate and she pushed it through the mail slot and ran.
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Meriel stood very still by the back step. In her hands was a paper bird, folded neat and tidy, with a red crayon heart on one wing.
On the other side of the tall green hedge lived Nella. Yesterday, Meriel and Nella had both wanted the yellow ribbon. There had been cross words. There had been a stomp. Now Meriel had a sorry-card, and no way over the hedge.
Hodge sat by his hutch, chewing a dandelion. His floppy ear twitched.
"I'm not scared," said Meriel, who was a little bit scared. "I just don't like being rushed."
Meriel crept to the hedge. She lifted the paper bird up high. She counted to three. She counted to three again.
Then she tucked the paper bird under her arm and marched back to the flowerpot.
"I will do it in a minute," she told Hodge. "A proper minute. Not a quick one."
Hodge thumped his back foot. Thump. Thump. Thump. It sounded a lot like: Meriel, the minute is now.
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The paper bird wriggled.
Meriel blinked. Paper birds do not wriggle.
But this one did. It lifted its little paper head and looked right at her.
"I would like to fly," said the paper bird, in a small, crinkly voice. "But I can only fly on sorry-words. Real ones. Said out loud."
Meriel looked at her pink boots. She looked at Hodge. She looked at the red crayon heart.
"That is a lot to ask," she whispered.
"I know," said the paper bird. "Try one."
Meriel took a big breath. She held the paper bird up to the hedge.
"I am sorry I stomped," she said. "I am sorry I said the ribbon was mine when it was your turn. I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry."
The paper bird gave a little shiver. Then it lifted, all by itself, up and up, over the tall green hedge.
Meriel held her breath.
From the other side, quiet as a feather, came a voice.
"Thank you," said Nella. "Do you want to come and play?"
Meriel's cheeks felt warm. Her boots felt light. And somewhere in the hedge, a real sparrow sang.
A question for afterwards
What do you think helped Meriel's paper bird finally fly over the hedge?
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