Why The Crow Is Black Reading

Level: B1

Crow was once the most beautiful bird in the world. Not was she only beautiful, but she had grace and charm and a flutelike-voice.

Little Canary was devoted to Crow and was her ardent admirer.

Bluebird kept Crow’s feathers brushed and clean, and all of the other birds worked for her, hovering near so they could gaze upon her loveliness.

Crow was very proud, indeed. But, as the time passed, the more the birds did for her, the more Crow demanded of them and she became arrogant and selfish.

When the moulting season was at hand and Crow’s feathers began to fall out, she blamed Bluebird and punished her by angrily plucking all her feathers. Little Canary tried to please her but one day she suffered the same fate from Crow’s angry temper. When the other birds saw what Crow had done to Bluebird and Canary they quickly flew away and would have nothing to do with her.

They only kept busy raising their families and paid no attention to Crow.

Crow pretended not to care, but her hate grew until she decided to eat their babies. The other birds soon learnt who had done this terrible thing, and they agreed that Crow would have to be severely punished. They decided that all of them would try to think of a plan to do it, and one day Sparrow discovered a way.

Now, Sparrow had found a plant with a beautiful pod the roots of which he set deeply in the bank of a pond where the vain and arrogant Crow liked to shriek at her reflection.

When she saw it, her greedy claws tried to pull it from the ground, but it wouldn’t be pulled out. Again and again she tried, but with no success. She gave one more desperate pull and fell into the pond. Crow screamed for help and all of the birds gathered nearer. But before they could pull her from the water the beautiful pod slowly broke open and the water became black.

When they got her on the shore, the once proud Crow, shivering with cold, had turned an inky black and all that was left of her beautiful voice was: “Caw, Caw, Caw!”