The Boy and the Little Finch

The Boy and the Little Finch - Author : Aysel Banu YAVUZAL

In a small house with a big green garden lived a curious boy named Leo. He had warm light brown skin, short curly black hair, and big round dark brown eyes. A scatter of freckles danced across his nose. Every morning, Leo ran outside with his green cloth-covered nature journal and a pencil tucked in its strap. He loved watching the little birds that visited his garden. 1

One sunny morning, a plump little finch landed on the fence. It had soft brown and cream feathers with faint streaks, a bright orange beak, and tiny black eyes. Its white wing bars flashed as it hopped about. Leo froze and watched. The finch tilted its head and sang a short, sweet song: tweet-tweet! Leo smiled a quick bright smile and opened his journal. He wrote: First song — short and sweet. 2

Leo wore his mustard yellow t-shirt and blue shorts, with red sneakers on his feet. He sat very still on the garden bench and waited. The finch hopped on its perky upright legs and sang again. This time the song was longer, like a little wiggly line: tweet-tweedle-tweet! Leo's big round eyes grew wide with wonder. He wrote: Second song — long and wiggly. 3

Every day after that, Leo hurried to the garden with his nature journal. The little finch was always there, cheerful and bold. It sang a different song each morning. Some songs were short and sweet, like a tiny bell. Some were long and wiggly, like a curly ribbon. Leo listened closely and wrote down every new song he heard. 4

Leo began to wonder what the finch was saying. "Are you telling me about the weather?" he asked. The finch just sang: cheep-cheep-cheedle! Leo drew a little picture of the finch beside the notes. He drew its orange beak and its round brown body. His journal was filling up with happy notes and little drawings. 5

One day, the finch sang a song Leo had never heard before. It went up and down like a tiny roller coaster: zee-zee-zoo-zee! Leo's pencil flew across the page. He drew a curly line to show the tune. "That's a brand-new song!" he said. He felt proud that he had listened so carefully. The finch puffed up its chest and sang it again. 6

Leo decided to make a list of all the finch's songs. He wrote: Song One — short and sweet. Song Two — long and wiggly. Song Three — up and down. Song Four — fast and fluttery. Each song had its own little drawing. Leo's curiosity grew bigger every day. He wanted to know more about birds and nature. 7

Sometimes the finch sang softly, like a whisper: tweet-tweettweet. Leo wrote: Quiet song — like a secret. He wondered if the finch was talking to its friends. Then the finch sang loudly: CHEEP-CHEEP! Leo laughed. "That's your loud song!" he said. He drew a big exclamation mark next to it. His journal was becoming a treasure of songs. 8

Leo's mom saw him sitting quietly with his journal. "What are you doing?" she asked. "I'm writing down the finch's songs," Leo said. "Each one is different!" His mom smiled. "You're a real nature journal keeper," she said. Leo's quick bright smile spread across his face. He couldn't wait to hear more songs tomorrow. 9

One afternoon, the finch flew down to the birdbath. It splashed and sang a happy, bubbly song: tweet-splash-tweet! Leo wrote: Bath song — bubbly and bright. He drew the finch with tiny water drops around it. He noticed the finch's tiny black eyes shining. The more he listened, the more he wondered what the finch was saying. 10

Then something wonderful happened. The finch sang a song Leo had never heard before. It was long and wiggly and ended with a high chirp: tweedle-tweedle-cheep! Leo's pencil raced to keep up. He drew the tune as a curly line that went up and down. "You're a composer!" Leo told the finch. The finch hopped and sang it again. 11

Leo realized that the finch's songs changed with the weather. On sunny days, the songs were fast and fluttery. On cloudy days, they were soft and slow. He wrote: Sunny song — fast and fluttery. Cloudy song — soft and slow. His nature journal was full of patterns. Leo felt like a real scientist, discovering secrets of the garden. 12

Leo decided to share his journal with his class. He stood in front of everyone and opened his green cloth-covered journal. He showed them the short and sweet songs, the long and wiggly songs, and the little drawings. "The finch has so many songs!" he said. His classmates clapped. Leo's big round eyes sparkled with pride. 13

That evening, Leo sat in the garden and listened. The finch sang a gentle good-night song: tweet-tweet-tweedle. Leo wrote: Night song — soft and sweet. He drew a little moon next to it. He felt happy and calm. The finch's songs had filled his days with wonder. He knew he would keep listening and learning about birds and nature every day. 14

Leo's nature journal grew thicker and thicker. Each page held a new song and a new drawing. He learned that the finch sang to mark its territory, to call its friends, and to say hello. "You're talking all the time!" Leo said. The finch chirped in reply. Leo's curiosity had turned into a lifelong love of birds and nature.