Home in the_forest_web_ready (1)

Home in the Forest

Written by Kosha Patel

Illustrations by Kay Grimes

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It was a crisp, clear day in the forest. “Brrr…,” said Sugarpop, as a blast of cold air ruffled his red-gold leaves.It will soon be time for me to go to sleep, he thought. The days were getting shorter, and there wasn’t enough sunlight to make food.

Lost in his thoughts, Sugarpop did not notice the little creature on his branches. But her fluttering from branch to branch made him look up. “Hello there. Are you new here?”

“Yes, I’m new here,” said the beautiful cardinal. Her wings and back were olive- green. Her head was golden brown with a reddish crest on top. Her beak was a bright red. “My name is Olivia. What’s yours?”

“I’m Sugarpop. As you must have guessed from my red-gold leaves, I’m a sugar maple tree. Welcome to the Sheldon Forest.

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“Thank you. I am really glad to be here. This forest looks like a pleasant place to build a home. Okay, I’ll see you later.” Olivia lifted off the branches and was soon flying over the forest. White birch trees, multi-colored maple trees, and jade green pines stood tall in the forest. Ferns and baby oak trees lined the floor. Scattered here and there were fallen, rotting tree trunks, mossy rocks, and mushrooms with umbrella heads.

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Sugarpop saw Olivia land on top of his friend, the Mighty Oak. She fluttered her wings in excitement and quickly flew away.

The days began to grow shorter, darker, and colder. Time to go to sleep, thought Sugarpop, as tiny snowflakes covered his bare branches. The forest became quiet as soft, white snow covered every part of it.

The winter had been a long, snowy one. But now birds were chirping, tiny buds were unfurling, and busy squirrels were jumping up and down the trees. Tiny rivers of melted snow were making their way down the forest floor. A striped chipmunk was bathing in the sun’s warm rays.

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Sugarpop woke up and looked around at the buds covering his branches. They were slowly beginning to open and grow into leaves. He looked up at the shining sun; then down at the freshly melted snow. Ah, I can make fresh food again, thought Sugarpop.

“Good morning, Sugarpop. Did you have a good winter sleep?”

“Good morning, Mighty. Yes, thank you, I did,” replied Sugarpop. Just then, he saw Olivia perched on one of Mighty’s branches. Next to her was another cardinal.

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“Good morning, Sugarpop. This is my husband, Scarlet,” said Olivia. “We have made our new home here.”

“Really? Where is it?” asked Sugarpop. Scarlet and Olivia pointed to a bush on the edge of the forest. Sugarpop leaned over and saw three spotted blue eggs in their nest.“Congratulations!” he said. “You must be so excited.”

Sugarpop watched Olivia and Scarlet lovingly care for their eggs. Every day they would bring in soft grasses to line the nest they had built of twigs and bark. They were always looking for seeds to eat. They had to be strong to take care of the babies when they were born.

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“Drr-drr-drr,” a loud noise interrupted the happy forest.“What was that?” asked Scarlet. He and Olivia flew towards the noise. As they got closer, a huge yellow bulldozer came into view. “Thwack…crash,” a huge oak tree fell to the ground.

“They’re cutting down the forest,” said Olivia trembling.“It’s happening again. What will happen to our babies?”They flew swiftly to their nest to make sure their eggs were safe.

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A soft crack made Olivia turn. She smiled and for a brief moment, her mother’s heart filled with joy. Little beaks began to pop out. Soon three fluffy brown balls emerged, flapping their baby wings. “Chirp, chirp, chirp,” they sang, as the forest celebrated their birth.

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A few days later, Sugarpop, Mighty, Olivia, and Scarlet heard the sound of machines disturbing the peace of the forest. “Broom, br…oo…m.” The bulldozers were back.

Olivia panicked. “The babies are too small to fly. What should we do?” Scarlet flew off in search of an answer.

Sugarpop noticed the birds and asked, “Is there a problem, Olivia?”

“They’re cutting down the forest. The babies are so small. We are so worried. We don’t know what to do.”

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“That is a problem for us all. If the trees are cut down, many animals will lose their homes. The soil will wash away.We have to stop them,” said Sugarpop angrily.

“But how can we do that?” asked Scarlet who had just returned. “We are so small. The machines are so big.” “I have an idea.” said Sugarpop. “Let’s ask Grandfather Tree. He is the oldest and wisest of us all.”

Scarlet and Olivia flew over to Grandfather Tree and explained their problem.

“They will not cut down all the trees,” said Grandfather Tree reassuringly. “The school allows the loggers to cut down some trees when they get too thick. This makes room for the baby oak trees and other plants to get sunlight, so that they can grow.”

“But how can you be so sure?” asked the birds. “It could be different this year. We just saw our woods in St. Albans cut down to build a big store.”

“I have seen it happen before. But here, the children will never allow it,” said Grandfather Tree calmly.

“The children?” the puzzled birds asked.

“Yes, don’t you know that this forest belongs to the school? The children love the forest. What you love, you do not destroy.” Grandfather Tree knew what he was saying to be true.

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Suddenly, silence greeted them. All was quiet. Scarlet and Olivia looked at each other, as did Sugarpop and Mighty. What was happening? Scarlet and Olivia lifted their wings and circled once, then twice over the trees. The bulldozers were gone. The loggers had left, taking with them the logs they had cut down.

The sun’s rays shone through the trees lighting up every part of the forest. Sugarpop listened to the faint voices in the distance.Who could resist the warm spring sunshine?The children were coming to enjoy what they loved.

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The Sheldon Forest was given as a gift to the Sheldon School in 1996 by the Rock-Tenn Company. This wonderful resource is an outdoor classroom for the children of Sheldon. Learning about nature hands-on makes it exciting and builds a love for the natural world. This lifelong love, we hope, will preserve this forest for the generations to come.

Home in the Forest: Kosha Patel © 2011

Author’s Note

I wrote this story as a model for all young writers. I am awedby the changes taking place in the forest as I walk through it infall, winter and spring. The hope is that children are inspired towrite after walking in the woods. I know that I was.

In 2009 2010, the final goal for the students in my WritingEnrichment Class for grades 2 4, was that they would publish abook by the end of the year. And so, I had to fulfill that goalmyself, too.

The fabulous illustrations are done in water colors by KayGrimes, who works as a paraeducator in the Sheldon School.Kay spent hours and hours photographing the forest and thencapturing its beauty in each painting. Her illustrations makethis story come alive.

I would like to thank all the people who helped in thepublishing of this story.

Kosha Patel, Ph.D.

Literacy Specialist