Fur and Feathers: A Bedtime Story for Kids

Bedtime stories are an amusing way to develop good reading habits among kids. The kids’ bedtime stories with colourful pictures instil a visual effect opening up the world of imagination for them. Also, most folktales or short stories for kids, from all around the world, which have an embedded moral are now available in English narratives. Kids have a wider range of classic short stories and folktales to delve into. So, here’s a beautiful story of Mama Ostrich and her little chicks that has an important moral.

The Two Precious Chicks of Mama Ostrich: Pride and Joy

Once upon a time, there was a mama Ostrich who lived in a forest by a village. One sunny morning, her eggs hatched in her nest and two little chicks were born. Mama Ostrich gleamed with happiness when she looked at her chicks and named them Pride and Joy. She went to gather food for her little ones from the village every day. Pride and Joy snuggled in her arms when she returned and fed them.

Mama Ostrich could not find her chicks

One day, when Mama Ostrich returned with the food, she was not able to find her two little chicks. She found footprints of wide paws around her nest and was certain that it was the king of the jungle who took her chicks away from her nest. She was alarmed.

Yet, she mustered the courage to get her little ones back and went to the lion’s den. When she arrived at the den, she saw Pride and Joy resting on the furry arms of the lion. She was scared that the lion might harm them. She gathered herself and asked the lion to return her chicks. 

The lion was not very happy to see Mama Ostrich at his den. He replied to her that Pride and Joy were his cubs and he would not give them away. As Mama Ostrich reasoned with the lion, he asked her to get any animal from the rest of the forest who would agree with her. 

The lion was not ready to return the chicks

She went to the bear, giraffe, antelopes, zebras, and flamingoes, but every animal was scared to speak the truth in front of the lion. At last, the tired Mama Ostrich went to the mongoose and narrated her story. 

The clever mongoose

The mongoose was very clever and he decided to find a way to help his friend. He had a great idea for the Ostrich and planned with her to dig a hole that led to the lion’s den beneath the anthill. Mama Ostrich had asked all the animals of the forest to gather at the anthill outside the lion’s den. 

Mama Ostrich asking for help

When the animals gathered, the lion came out of his den with Pride and Joy, the two little chicks. Mama Ostrich told her story in front of the animals assembled there. She went to each animal and asked them to speak the truth and tell the lion that Pride and Joy were her little chicks. However, no one was ready for it. When she asked the Mongoose, he took a close glance at the little chicks, and said, “Have any of you ever seen a mama with fur having babies with feathers? These two little chicks have feathers on their body, whereas the lion has fur on his body. Pride and Joy belong to my friend, Ostrich!” 

The lion was angry and growled and jumped at the mongoose. The mongoose jumped into the hole in the anthill and disappeared. The two little chicks walked to their mother and snuggled together. The lion was not aware of the other exit through the hole. He waited at the anthill for the mongoose to come out of the hole. And his wait never ended. Mama Ostrich took her little chicks, Pride and Joy, to her nest and lived happily.

Pride and Joy with their Mama

Summary of Fur and Feathers

One day on returning to her nest, Mama Ostrich found her chicks were missing. She saw tracks of the lion’s paws behind her nest and followed them up to the lion’s den. She was alarmed to see her little ones, Pride and Joy, wrapped in the warm arms of the lion. She asked the lion to give them back to her. However, the lion told her that Pride and Joy were his cubs, so he would not give them away. She retaliated and asked him to return her chicks, once again. The lion asked the Ostrich to bring any animal from the forest to his den who would agree to her and say that Pride and Joy were her chicks. The mongoose helped the Ostrich with a brilliant idea. They dug a hole all through the anthill to the lion’s den and asked all the animals to gather in front of the den.

When everyone arrived, the mongoose said that Pride and Joy had feathers whereas the lion had fur. So, it was Mama Ostrich who was their mother. The lion became angry at this and tried to jump to get hold of the mongoose. But the clever mongoose had already escaped through the hole in the anthill and reached his home at the other side of the anthill. While the lion kept waiting to hunt down the mongoose at the anthill, the two little chicks were safely wrapped in their mother's feathery wings and went to their nest.

Moral of the Story: Fur and Feathers

The lion was mighty enough to scare away all the animals but the clever mongoose found a way to get through the issue. Therefore, the moral of the story is: wisdom and wit can help you win over tough situations.  

Reading bedtime stories in English is a good practice, as it enhances the creativity and language skills of kids. It helps them learn new words and sentence formation easily. Also, when you read bedtime stories to your kids, it improves their listening skills. So let your kids enjoy reading stories like “Lion and Mouse”, “Pinocchio”, “A little boy and a kind tree”, etc. on Vedantu and encourage easy and fun reading.