The Thirsty Pigeon
A thirsty pigeon mistakes a painting of water for real, crashes into it and breaks her wing, getting caught by a boy.
Audio available for B1 version
One sunny day, a thirsty pigeon was looking for some water to drink.
She was flying around when she saw a picture of a glass of water on a sign.
The picture looked very real, so the pigeon thought it was a real glass of water.
She flew down quickly, thinking she could get a sip of water.
But when she tried to drink, she hit the sign with a loud crash.
The pigeon didn't realize it was just a picture and not real water.
She hurt her wing when she hit the sign and couldn't fly anymore.
A boy nearby saw what happened.
He saw that the pigeon was hurt and couldn't fly.
He walked over and carefully picked her up.
The pigeon, who used to be free to fly anywhere, was now in the boy's hands because she made a mistake.
One sunny day, a parched pigeon was searching for a drink. She spotted a glass full of water painted on a sign. Thinking it was real, she swiftly swooped down to get a sip.
With a loud crash, she slammed into the sign. She had mistaken the painting for a real glass of water. Her wing hit the hard surface, and broke. Now, she couldn't fly anymore.
A boy watching nearby saw everything. Seeing the pigeon hurt and unable to fly, he came over and gently picked her up. Now, the pigeon, who was free to fly wherever she wanted, was in the hands of the boy, caught due to her mistaken choice.
Once upon a sunny, sunny, super-sunny day, a pigeon was flapping her wings through the big blue sky. "Oh man, it's so hot, I feel like I'm flying over a barbecue! I'm so thirsty I could drink a pond!"
So she squints her little pigeon eyes and starts scanning the ground below. Fields of flowers, trees, kids playing—but wait! What's that over there? "Ooh, a glass of water, my dream come true!" she squawks excitedly, thinking it's her lucky day.
But ah, what she sees isn't a thirst-quenching glass of water. Nope, it's a tricky painting on a sign that looks so real you'd want to dive right into it. And that's exactly what she decides to do!
"Time for a pigeon pit stop! Here comes the Thirst-Buster 3000!" She lines up her descent and makes airplane noises. "Vroom, vroom! Prepare for landing!"
SWOOSH! CRASH! KAPOW! She smacks right into the sign like a cartoon character hitting a wall. "Oof! Double oof! That was NOT the splashy landing I was dreaming of! Talk about 3D art!"
She tries to flap her wing, but oh no, it's all wonky. It's broken. "Aw, pickles and peanut butter! Now how am I gonna do my fancy sky dances?"
Just then, a boy who's been watching the whole flappy fiasco walks over, a big, goofy grin on his face. "Hee-hee, looks like you're having a flap-tastrophe, huh? More like a flap-disaster!"
The boy reaches down and gently cradles the pigeon in his hands. "No worries, Feathered Friend. We're gonna get you fixed up, OK?"
So there she is, the pigeon who was once the queen of the sky, now hanging out in the royal court of the boy's hands—all because she got a bit too excited about a painting that looked like water. "Well, on the bright side," she thinks, "at least I made a new friend. And hey, maybe he knows where to find real water. Like, the kind you can actually drink!"
And that's how they became the best, unexpected buddies—one pigeon, one boy, and one super-duper tricky sign that fooled everyone but taught them a lot.
In the sky so clear and blue,
Lived a pigeon, not a few.
But one bird felt thirsty, oh so much,
Dreaming of water's cooling touch.
She saw a sign, "Ah, what a sight!"
A glass of water in the light.
She dove right down, quick as a whip,
Hoping to take a nice, cool sip.
Crash! Bang! Oh, what a sound,
The poor bird hit the sign and tumbled to the ground.
Her wing was hurt, she couldn't soar,
A simple mistake, but oh, so much more.
A caring boy saw her fall,
He couldn't just watch, not at all!
He picked her up, oh so grand,
Holding her gently in his hand.
Now the pigeon learned that day,
Not all you see is real, okay?
And though her wing was sore and spry,
She was thankful for the boy, under the sky.
Word Finder
Flapping
Moving wings quickly to fly or stay airborne.Squints
Narrowing eyes to see something more clearly.Scanning
Looking carefully at something to find something specific.Thirst-quenching
Something that makes you stop feeling thirsty.Descent
The action of going down from a higher place.Swoosh
A sound made when something moves quickly through air.Crash
A loud noise when something hits or breaks suddenly.Wonky
Not working correctly, wobbly or twisted.Cradles
Holds something gently and protectively.Flap-tastrophe
A funny word for a big, wing-related disaster.
Thirsty
Wanting to drink water very badly.Sign
A thing that gives important information or directions.Dove
Flew down quickly toward something.Whip
Something that moves quickly, fast like a whip.Sip
A small drink, not a lot of water.Crash
A loud noise when something hits hard.Tumbled
Fell down and rolled around by accident.Soar
To fly high up in the sky.Caring
Someone who is kind and helps others.Thankful
Feeling happy because someone helped you.
Reflection Questions
- Why do you think the Pigeon thought the painting of the water was real?
- What happened when the Pigeon realized the water wasn't real?
- Can you think of a time when something looked real to you, but it wasn't?
- What does this story teach us about being careful and understanding what's real and what's not?
- How can we use the lesson from this story in our own lives to make sure we understand situations better before acting on them?
Fable Quotes
Strong desire without thought can lead to a thorny path.
Caution is the shield that guards us from the illusions of our desires.
A moment's mistake can bring about a lifetime of change.