Hi there! I’m excited to share a wonderful story with you. It’s called “Lotus and Feather,” written by Ji-li Jiang and illustrated by Julie Downing. Let’s dive into this magical tale!
Lotus was a little girl who often walked home from school all by herself. She felt lonely because she couldn’t talk after getting sick during the winter. Lotus lived with her kind grandpa, who made beautiful baskets from reeds. He understood how she felt and often took her boating on the nearby lake.
Grandpa told Lotus how the lake used to be full of life with flowers, fish, birds, and foxes. But now, it was quiet because people had taken over the land and scared the animals away. Lotus played a sad tune on her reed whistle, and the sound floated over the empty lake.
One day, while collecting reeds, Lotus saw a beautiful white bird with black-tipped wings and a red crown on its head. It was a crane! She had heard stories about these rare birds from Grandpa but had never seen one before. Suddenly, a loud gunshot scared her. A hunter was aiming at the crane!
Lotus couldn’t shout, but she made a loud noise by banging her pail, scaring the hunter away. She rushed to the crane, who was hurt, and carried him home. Grandpa helped bandage the bird’s wound, and Lotus named him Feather. She took care of Feather, feeding him and keeping him company until he got better.
As Feather healed, he started following Lotus everywhere. She played her whistle, and Feather danced along, making everyone happy. The other kids at school loved watching Feather’s dance, and they all joined in, dancing in a circle. Lotus felt proud and joyful.
One night, Feather’s loud crows woke Lotus and Grandpa. The lake had flooded the village! They quickly warned their neighbors, and everyone was saved, thanks to Feather’s alertness. Feather became a hero and was even featured in the local newspaper.
As spring arrived, birds began flying back north. Feather watched them, and Lotus knew he wanted to join them. Even though she didn’t want him to leave, she understood that Feather needed to be with his family. One day, Feather spread his wings and flew into the sky, finally ready to go home.
Lotus missed Feather, but she knew he was happy. Then, one autumn morning, she heard a familiar crow. Feather had returned with his own family! Lotus was overjoyed, and soon, the sky was filled with cranes, singing and dancing around the lake. It was a beautiful sight, and Lotus knew the lake would never be lonely again.
Lotus learned that sometimes, we have to let go of the things we love so they can be free. It’s a special lesson about caring for wild creatures and understanding their needs. Thank you for joining this storytime. Keep exploring more stories and enjoy reading!
Crane Dance Party: Gather your friends or family and have a dance party inspired by Feather the crane! Play some music and try to imitate the graceful movements of a crane. Can you make up your own dance moves that tell a story, just like Feather did with Lotus? Share your dance with others and see if they can guess what part of the story you’re dancing about.
Nature Observation Walk: Take a walk in your local park or garden with an adult. Bring a notebook and pencil to draw or write about the animals and plants you see. Can you find a bird, like Lotus found Feather? What sounds do they make? How do they move? Try to imagine what their story might be and share it with someone at home.
Storytelling with Reeds: Just like Grandpa made baskets from reeds, you can create something special too! Collect some safe, flexible materials like paper strips or yarn. Weave them together to make a small mat or a simple bracelet. While you work, think about the story of Lotus and Feather. How did they help each other? Share your creation and the story behind it with your class or family.
Welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. I’m Michelle Yeoh, and today I’m going to read “Lotus and Feather,” written by Ji-li Jiang and illustrated by Julie Downing.
Lotus walked home from school by herself yet again. These days, no one invited her to play. Ever since a winter illness had taken her voice, the other kids treated her differently. Lotus lived with her grandfather, a craftsman who made beautiful baskets out of reeds. Grandpa understood Lotus’s loneliness. He stroked her hair and invited her to go boating with him on the nearby lake.
“This lake used to be so alive,” Grandpa said. “Lotus flowers swayed in the breeze, fish jumped into the boat, birds sang in the sky, and foxes watched from the shore. But now,” he looked around the deserted landscape and sighed, “it has been affected by greedy fishermen and hunters, and by people who took over land where animals once lived.”
Lotus blew a whistle made out of a reed. The sound drifted around the empty lake like a wisp of sorrow. One morning, Lotus went to collect reeds for Grandpa. She stopped in awe when she saw a big bird, as white as fresh snow, standing in the marsh grass. Its wide wings were edged with black feathers, like lace on a dress. Above the long, curved neck, its head was crowned with a red top like a dazzling ruby. A crane! Lotus shouted silently. She had heard many stories about the endangered cranes from Grandpa, but she had never seen one. They had stopped coming because the wetland was disappearing.
A loud gunshot startled her. Lotus turned around and saw a man aiming his barrel straight at the bird! Lotus couldn’t utter any sound, but she crouched down and drummed her metal pail with her reed cutter, making a noise like thunder. The hunter fled, dropping his hat and never looking back. Lotus hurriedly waded across the wetland toward the bird. When the crane spotted her, it tried to run but collapsed instead. Lotus gathered up the heavy bird. “Hold on, please,” she pleaded silently. She tottered home to Grandpa, who had rescued other animals before. Carefully, Grandpa wrapped the bird’s wound. “He’s lost a lot of blood, but he will survive,” he said. Lotus trusted Grandpa, but still she was worried. The crane barely moved and didn’t open his eyes, not even when Grandpa fed him rice soup.
Lotus tucked the bird into the soft nest she had made for him and gently stroked him, just like Grandpa used to do when she was sick. For two days, Lotus watched the bird anxiously and hardly slept. On the third day, she fell asleep by the nest. She awoke when she felt the air stir. The crane lifted his head for the first time and looked straight at her. Gingerly, Lotus put her small fingers on his head. The bird stretched his neck and rubbed her cheek gently. Lotus’s heart pounded, and tears sprang to her eyes. “Feather” was the name Lotus chose for her new friend.
When she helped wash his wound, Feather stared at her. When she whistled with her reed, Feather rubbed her cheek with his head. Filled with happiness, Lotus searched the rocks and climbed trees to find food for him. At night, she often stroked him until he fell asleep. One day, slowly and cautiously, Feather took his first step. Lotus jumped and hugged Grandpa blissfully. Soon, Feather was following Lotus everywhere. Her reed whistle, like a magic wand, made him move up, down, slow, and fast. Lotus loved her new friend so much that she didn’t want to leave him for school. Grandpa shook his head firmly. Feather, as if he understood what was happening, pushed her outside with his long neck. Then he followed her all the way to school.
Feather waited outside Lotus’s classroom. As soon as school was over, Lotus blew her whistle, and here came Feather. When Lotus whistled short notes, Feather pranced on his long, thin legs in rhythm. When Lotus whistled long notes, he dipped his neck and opened his wings wide. He could not yet fly, but he could dance! The astonished kids clapped and cheered. They all joined in, dancing in a circle. Lotus’s heart swelled with pride. She blew her whistle long and high, like the melody at the Chinese New Year celebration.
Feather walked to school with Lotus every day after that. And every day, the other kids danced with them. Lotus’s whistle was no longer sad but full of joy. One night, Lotus was awakened by Feather’s urgent crows. Grandpa opened the door to find their front steps underwater. A faraway earthquake had vibrated the lake and flooded the village. “We have to alert the neighbors,” said Grandpa. He and Lotus jumped into their boat. Feather stood tall on the bow. “Wake up! The lake has flooded!” Grandpa shouted as they poled past the dark homes. Lotus struck the metal pail with a bamboo stick, again making a noise like thunder. Feather crowed. House by house, neighbors came out and jumped into their boats. Over three hundred villagers were saved. Feather was the hero.
Feather’s story was reported in the local newspaper, and he became famous throughout the province. People stopped by to see the rare bird and hear the story again. Grandpa told them how the crane had been shot. He asked for their help in keeping hunters away from the lake. Lotus always blew her whistle and let Feather dance for the guests. March arrived. Birds began appearing in the sky, migrating back north. Feather’s wings were still too weak for flying, but he watched the flocks until they disappeared. “Will Feather leave us?” Lotus asked Grandpa with her hands. She was frightened by Feather’s longing stare. “That’s where his home is,” Grandpa said. Lotus looked down. She didn’t want her friend to leave, but she knew she would never separate him from his home and family.
Quietly, she searched for more rocks and climbed more trees to find him food; at night, she stroked him longer and hugged him tighter. Then, one day, Feather spread his wings wide and leaped into the sky. He didn’t go far, but Lotus could see that he was completely healed. She stroked his wing, and her tears dripped onto his soft feathers. She knew the time had come for him to leave. Lotus walked slowly behind Grandpa as he carried Feather to the lake. He held Feather high and tossed him gently into the air. Feather flew up, circled a few times, but landed back at Lotus’s feet. Grandpa tried again. Again, Feather returned. “He is waiting for you,” Grandpa said, handing Feather to Lotus. Lotus buried her head in Feather’s warm body for a long time. When she heard another flock of birds passing overhead, she hugged Feather one more time and then threw him into the sky. Feather hovered and circled, circled and hovered. Lotus waved goodbye, holding her tears back. With a long crow, Feather flapped his big wings and soared north, disappearing into the horizon.
Lotus missed Feather. So did her schoolmates. When Lotus climbed up the hill that faced north, her friends followed. They sat around her and listened to her whistle. Her notes, filled with love and yearning, floated into the sky. They all believed Feather could hear them, wherever he was.
One early morning in autumn, Lotus heard a crow outside. She jumped off her bed, ran to the door, and pushed it open… Feather, as white as snow, stood on the doorstep. Behind him was a beautiful red-beaked female and a chick. Feather’s family! Moving slowly, so as not to frighten the birds, Lotus held out her hand. Feather stretched his neck over and rubbed her palm. Then, Lotus heard a commotion. She looked up and gasped. She tugged on Grandpa’s arm, and they ran to the lake. The sky turned white as it was filled with hundreds of cranes. They were circling and diving, singing and dancing around them. “Feather has brought his entire flock! Another miracle!” Grandpa said. “The lake will not be lonely this year.” Lotus grinned. She twirled and pranced with Feather and his friends. Her whistle, accompanied by the birds’ singing, echoed far, far away in the golden sky.
I think my favorite part of the book was when Lotus realized that she had to let Feather go back to join his family; and we always have to remember they are wild creatures and they deserve to be free as we all do. So for me, for a young child to come to understanding with that was very special. Thank you for watching Storyline Online. Make sure to check out all of our stories. Keep watching, and keep reading.
