The Book
Deep in the woods, Owen the woodpecker made a cozy home in a tall redwood tree. Owen liked to tap and dig into the wood of the tree.
He looked for bugs and sap to munch on. With his sharp bill, he made lots of holes in the bark. He ate a bunch of bugs from the tree and felt full.
One misty morning, Owen spotted an odd thing on the path near the brook. "What is that?" he wondered.
Owen flew down to have a look. It was a big, bright book with a red cover. Owen had not seen such a thing in the woods.
With a flap of his wings, Owen got close. He gave the book a push with his bill. The book opened. It had lots of words and drawings.
Just then, a gust of wind rushed past him. The pages in the book turned. Owen pecked at the pages, but they kept turning over and over.
At last, the pages stopped. A fox came over and said, "What have you got there, Owen?"
"I do not know," said Owen. "Oh! It's a book," said the fox. "Books tell stories and help us learn. I can read it if you want."
Owen said, "Yes, please!" The fox read a story about a king on a ship fighting monsters in the sea. It was all so strange and grand.
When the tale was done, Owen thanked the fox. "Are there more books in the woods?" Owen asked the fox. "Yes! Tomorrow, I can take you to a library with lots of books like these," said the fox.
"Yes, I would love that," Owen replied. Owen could not wait. He was happy that the fox helped him read. This book opened up his world. He wondered how many more books there were in the library.
As the sun set, Owen flew back to his home. He could not wait to find more books. As he fell asleep, he dreamed of kings and monsters.