The MAGPIE –

There’s a magically sunny children’s book, How the Sun Was Brought Back to the Sky, written by Mirra Ginsburg and illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey…

The story is about a day when huge, gray clouds cover the sun… and the sun disappears for three days.

On the third day, a mother hen and her chicks become very worried and begin their journey to find the sun.

The mother hen and chicks walk a long way before finding a large snail who carries his house on his back.  The chicks ask the snail if he knows where the sun lives.

The snail tells them to ask the Magpie.  The Magpie joins their journey, but says they must ask the rabbit.

The rabbit doesn’t know where the sun lives, but leads them to a brook where a duck lives.

The duck doesn’t know where the sun lives, but suggests that the chicks and mother hen, the Magpie and the rabbit ask the hedgehog.

The hedgehog does know where the sun lives… on top of a mountain, over a cloud, to the silver moon, and a short walk from there.  The hedgehog agrees to lead the way.

When they reach the place where the sun lives, the Magpie chatters loudly and the other animals join in to wake up the sun.

The tired, grumpy sun explains that gray clouds had shut him out of the sky and he had forgotten how to shine.

The rabbit, the duck, the hedgehog and the Magpie wash and spiff up the sun until he’s clean, fresh and golden, spreading light and warmth everywhere.

All of the animals, proud of their work and delighted with the brilliant sun’s work, slide down the sun’s rays and head back to their homes.

What we discover in How the Sun Was Brought Back to the Sky is the power of teamwork and accomplishing a goal, led by the mother hen, the chicks and the Magpie.

But what is the real tweet-tweet on the Magpie in real-life ?  Here are a few little tidbits to pass along to your kids and grandkids to combine literature and life:

– Magpies are common to the United States, Europe, eastern parts of Asia and parts of Africa.

– Magpies have black heads, necks, backs, upper throats and bellies… and white plumage on the abdomen. The Magpie’s wings are black, glossed with purple or green with a white stripe on their end.

– The male Magpie has a longer tail than the female.

– The Magpie has a unique way of walking with its tail up.

– Magpies like slightly woody areas, thickets along streams and rivers, or open meadows, fields and grasslands.  But the Magpie can also adapt to urban areas near human beings.

– Magpies eat grain and fruit, but are known to catch and eat frogs, snakes, bats, mice, lizards and animals as large as rabbits.

– Magpies also chase other birds for their food, causing the birds to drop their food.

– Magpies nest in trees and shrubs.  The Cuckoo has been known to lay eggs in the Magpie’s nest.

– A pair of Magpies might take up to 40 days to build their nest. The nest is made of sticks, shaped with mud into a dome shape and lined with grass.

– A Magpie will generally lay 5 – 9 bluish-green eggs in its clutch and only the female Magpie incubates her eggs… 24 or so days.

– Young Magpies leave their nest about 27 days after hatching.

– Magpies are known to raid the nests of other birds.

– Magpies will hoard food for future use.

– When in danger or threatened, the Magpie will gather with other Magpies for protection.

– Magpies are known for their noisy chatter and can be taught to mimic words.

Ah.  The Magpie in real-life.

Reading the book How the Sun Was Brought Back to the Sky with your kids and grandkids, with a little knowledge of the Magpie in real-life, gives you so much to discuss… and your kids so much to think about as they embrace the literature.

The story gives us a great opportunity to talk with our kids about teamwork and going after something that’s important… no matter how difficult it seems or how many obstacles must be overcome.

The story also gives us a little reminder of how warm and wonderful the sun really can be!

Join me here each day in August for AUGUST TWEET-TWEETS on 365 Days of Literacy for Kids! A little fun, a little learning and a bit of “tweet-tweet”!