Coco the Clever Crow

One bright summer morning, Coco the Crow was flying through the countryside when she felt the most tremendous thirst. Her throat was dry and scratchy, and all she could think about was a long, cool drink of water.

She flew over the meadows and she flew over the hills, until at last she spotted something wonderful sitting near the edge of a garden — a tall clay pitcher with a wide round tummy.

Coco swooped down and landed beside it. She hopped up onto the rim and peeked inside. There was water at the bottom! But the pitcher was tall and Coco's beak was short, and no matter how far she stretched, she could not reach the water at all.

She tried tipping the pitcher. It was far too heavy.

She tried flapping her wings to lift it. That didn't work either.

Coco sat on the rim of the pitcher and thought hard. She looked at the pitcher. She looked at the garden. She looked at the little pebbles scattered in the soil all around her. Then she had an idea.

One by one, Coco picked up a pebble in her beak and dropped it into the pitcher. Plink! The water rose just a tiny bit. She picked up another. Plink! And another. Plink, plink, plink!

It was slow work, and her wings were tired, but Coco didn't give up. She kept on collecting pebbles — small ones and medium ones and smooth round ones — and each one she dropped in made the water rise a little higher.

Plink. Plink. Plink.

And then, at last, the water reached the very top of the pitcher, and Coco dipped her beak in and drank the most delicious, refreshing drink she had ever tasted in her whole life.

She ruffled her feathers happily and looked at all the pebbles inside the pitcher.

"When one way doesn't work," she said to herself, "you just have to think of another way."

Then she spread her wings and flew home, cool and content and very, very pleased with herself.