Ollie's Forest Song

A little owl finds his voice.

Grade 1: Early readers10 pages

Ollie the owl is too shy to sing. Can he find his voice to join the forest choir?

Characters

Ollie

Barnaby Bear

Naive & Childlike

Story Arc

The moon shone bright. Ollie the owl sat high in a tree. He watched the forest.

Other animals sang sweet songs. Their voices filled the air. Ollie wished he could sing too.

But Ollie was too shy. He did not make a sound. He just listened to the music.

Barnaby Bear walked by. He smiled a big, friendly smile. Barnaby loved to sing.

Barnaby saw Ollie in the tree. “Hello, Ollie!” he called. Ollie just blinked his eyes.

“Want to sing?” Barnaby asked softly. Ollie shook his head a little. He looked at his feet.

“It’s okay,” Barnaby said. “Just try a little sound.” Ollie took a deep breath.

Ollie made a soft, small “Hoo.” It was a tiny sound. Barnaby clapped his paws.

Ollie felt a little brave. He sang a bit louder. “Hoo, hoo!” he sang.

Ollie sang his own sweet song. He kept trying his best. Barnaby smiled from below.

Make one of your own next.

shone: It means to send out light, like the sun or moon does.; The moon shone bright.
forest: This is a big place with lots of trees and animals.; He watched the forest.
voices: These are the sounds people or animals make when they talk or sing.; Other animals sang sweet songs. Their voices filled the air.
shy: This means you feel a little nervous or quiet around others.; But Ollie was too shy.
sound: This is anything you can hear, like a noise or a song.; He did not make a sound.
friendly: This means being kind and nice to others.; He smiled a big, friendly smile.
blinked: This is when you quickly close and then open your eyes.; Ollie just blinked his eyes.
softly: This means to say or do something in a quiet, gentle way.; “Want to sing?” Barnaby asked softly.
breath: This is the air you take into your body and then let out.; Ollie took a deep breath.
tiny: This means very, very small.; It was a tiny sound.
brave: This means not being afraid, even when something is a little scary.; Ollie felt a little brave.
tried: This means to work hard and do your best to do something.; He kept trying his best.