Important Information
For which situations is it suitable?
It is a story that can be read in the aftermath of a disaster such as an earthquake, flood, fire, or in catastrophic situations such as war where houses are destroyed. In this case, the storm becomes a metaphor representing earthquake, flood, fire and war. After the destruction, it instills hope with its emphasis on cooperation and that everything will be alright. It gives the message that the difficult situation is temporary and contributes to healing.
Which age group should it be read to?
Suitable for children 4 years and older.
How should it be read?
You can read stories to children individually or as a group. For individual reading, it is recommended to read them in the evening before bedtime. You can read 2-3 nights. It can be read more often as the child requests. For collective readings in institutions such as schools, you can ask the children to draw a picture related to the story after reading the story. If you are going to read to a child who has been severely affected by a disaster in therapy, we recommend that you read the story 3 weeks in a row before entering the sessions.
What can be changed in the story?
If the disaster/disaster did not happen during sleep, it can be changed from while asleep to while playing or at school. If it is not winter, the parts about cold and being cold can be changed. Otherwise, temporal and seasonal arrangements can always be made.
The Great Storm
Once upon a time, there was a forest where various kinds of birds lived. There were many bird nests on the branches of the trees. Some nests were small, while others were large. The birds in this forest lived happily. The little birds played games and returned to their nests when evening came. When they felt sleepy, they would drift off to a cozy nap.
One day, while all the birds were asleep in their nests, noises were heard in the forest, and then the nests and tree branches began to shake rapidly. The birds woke up in fear, unable to understand what was happening. Along with their chicks, parents immediately flew out of their nests to the ground. The weather was chilly, and they were a bit cold. They were also very scared.
The cause of this noise and shaking was a storm. A storm means a very strong and fast blowing wind. The branches of the trees shook due to the big storm that hit this forest. Many nests were knocked over and fell to the ground during this wind. Some birds even got stuck under these nests.
In the morning, everyone heard about the storm. Those who heard about it immediately rushed to help. They took the little birds to a warm place. They fed the hungry birds and distributed bird blankets to those who were cold.
Moles dug out and rescued the birds stuck under the fallen nests. They rescued some injured birds and immediately took them to the hospital to heal them.
The storm blew from time to time, but its speed gradually decreased. Until it completely passed, the birds slept in safe places.
After some time, the storm was completely over. The big birds, with everyone’s help, built new sturdy nests for the little ones. Some nests were repaired. The injured birds healed and returned to their nests.
After a while, everything returned to normal in this forest. Like all difficult times, this difficult time too had passed. The fear inside everyone became smaller and smaller, then was over altogether. The little birds went to their schools and even had flying races in the forest. The big birds also returned to their work.
Everyone in this forest and all other forests were talking about this forest. Everyone was proudly telling each other that they overcame the difficulties of this big storm by helping each other. Everyone was saying the same thing: We can overcome all difficulties by helping each other.
You can watch the animated video of the story or listen to the audio file.
