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The Crow Loves His Mommy
By Tzu-yu
Translated by Angela Tsai
Illustrated by Lo Fang-chun
A big crow catches worms for his mommy.
I will do like the big crow,
And love my daddy and mommy.
How wonderful it is to be a good child!

--Children's Ballad

 

"Squawk! Squawk! Squawk!" A mommy crow searched far and wide and finally caught a big, fat worm. She thought happily, "It's really hard to find food in this cold season. This one looks delicious--my baby will love it." Picking up the worm, she hurried home.

The little crow in the nest was already screeching with hunger. He stared into the sky, waiting for his mommy's return. At that moment, a snake saw the little crow and slowly climbed up the tree. "Here's my lunch today!"

The little crow saw the snake. He flapped his wings with fear and squawked loudly, but he was so small that he couldn’t defend himself against the snake's attack.

The snake opened his mouth and prepared to swallow the little crow. "I won't let you hurt my boy!" The mommy crow returned just in time. "I'll have your baby for lunch today, have no doubts about that!" declared the snake.

The mommy crow fought the snake with her big beak. She fought hard to protect her baby, and she finally chased the snake away.

The little crow ducked under his mommy's wings and trembled with fear. The mommy crow comforted him. "Good boy, you are really brave. Everything's all right now."

 
<<<<<<

"Squawk! Squawk! Squawk!" With the passing of time, the little crow gradually grew into a big strong crow. He could fly fast and far, but the mommy crow was old and could not fly anymore.

The big crow was very good at catching worms and he would always bring big, fat worms home to his mommy before he ate any himself. All the birds in the neighborhood praised him for being such a good son.

One day, the forest was on fire and all the birds flew away. But the mommy crow was too old to fly. The big crow nervously circled the tree.

"Fly away, my child, don't worry about me," said the mommy crow. The big crow replied, "No, I won't leave you here. I'll think of a way to save you."

The other birds also tried to persuade the big crow to flee for his own life, but he wouldn't do so. He refused to leave his mommy. With the flames still roaring, the big crow decided to battle the forest fire by himself. He flapped his wings with all his might, trying to put out the fire. The other birds were deeply touched when they saw how he struggled, so they flapped their wings together with him to try to put out the fire.

They flapped their wings so hard that a strong gust of wind blew over the forest, bringing with it thick gray clouds that carried lots of rain. The rain put out the fire. With the help of the other birds, the big crow not only saved his mommy, but also the entire forest.