What The
Bluebird Sang
Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor
Her
ncourage your child's imagination.
rent or caregiv
the child this story, then let him complete it
fig ht wan -•`• ash
as y
to draw a picture illustrating her idea.
methIng especially terrific, please send it our way.
pPleTree 27676 Franklin Road aouthfield
48034)
, MI 48034).
,
did not come to the window sill, did not
nce upon a time, a long, long
place a coin in her tzedakah box. And
time ago in a place far, far from
then another day passed and another
here, there lived a bluebird. She
day and another. The bird watched and
was small, but she had a strong heart
waited, but only the doctors came. The
and a strong voice. She lived in a slen-
bird did not sing. The skies grew dark.
der tree across from the home of a girl
The streets were gray. The clouds were
named Shoshana, who was as beautiful
I
heavy,
as with despair.
and as pure as a rainbow.
The bird found it could no longer eat
Each morning before she left for
and
it, too, grew sick. One day it tried to
school Shoshana placed a coin in her
lift its tiny wings, but instead of flying it
tzedakah box, which sat on the window
fell,
fell to the ground. And there it
sill in the kitchen. The bluebird would
stayed, unmoving.
watch as Shoshana stood on her tiptoes
This very moment a man was passing on
and dropped in a coin. Then the little
the street. He was tall and handsome,
bird would sing a song that filled the
garbed in a rich suit of black. Only
whole street; it was loud and clear and
those with the keenest eye
people would stop and look around and
would
have recognized him
feel grateful to hear such a lovely
as the beggar Shoshana had
melody.
once helped. He bent down and
When Shoshana's tzedakah box was
gently picked up the bluebird.
filled, she brought it to a man who had
"Come," he whispered in the bird's
nothing to eat and nowhere to live. He
ear.
"We must do something
was dirty and ragged, and most who
together, you and I." Sud-
passed him turned up their noses. When
denly the bird sprang
Shoshana left her gift she did not hand it
back to life, perching
to the man — not because she could not
on
the man's shoulder.
bear to look at him but because she did
"Do you know who
not want to embarrass him and because
I
am?"
the man said
she did not want any honor. Instead, she
to the little bird. Just
left it in a place she knew he would find
then, he knocked on
it, and then she disappeared.
Shoshana's door ...
Then there came a day when Shoshana
4/24
1998
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