Important Information
For which situations is it suitable?
For children who are trapped under rubble or debris after a disaster and are rescued after a while. The story contributes to the healing of children by first activating the difficult situation experienced and then emphasizing the healing after that situation.
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 child is not transferred out of the city after treatment, a more appropriate word such as “new home” may be preferred to “warm forest”.
The Little Woodpecker
Once upon a time, there was a forest with tall, majestic trees. Many animals lived among the branches, trunks, and leaves of these trees. The sounds of happiness from all the animals echoed throughout the forest.
One day, a very, very big storm hit this forest. Trees and branches shook, some bird nests fell to the ground, and some branches broke.
In this forest lived a little woodpecker. You may have never heard of woodpeckers. They are a type of bird. They live in their nests inside tree trunks. Moreover, they have pointed beaks.
Our little woodpecker also lived inside the trunk of a big tree. When the big storm hit, the tree he lived in fell over and its trunk broke. What happened to the little woodpecker, you ask? He got stuck in his nest. He couldn’t spread his wings. He was also in pain. Only his beak was visible from the outside.
All the animals who heard about the storm in this forest rushed to help. The monkeys brought bananas, the kangaroos carried the injured, and the storks transported those who wanted to go far away. One of the most helpful ones were the moles.
As a careful mole passed by the little woodpecker’s nest, what did he see? A small beak. When he came a little closer, he realized that there was also a sound coming from this beak. He immediately shouted loudly:
“My mole friends, come here! A little woodpecker needs help, he’s stuck inside.”
A bunch of moles came running immediately. They cut the tree with their teeth and rescued the woodpecker. Everyone applauded them and was very happy.
The little woodpecker stayed in the animal hospital until he recovered and gained strength. They took good care of him there. For his recovery, they gave him medicines that frankly didn’t taste very good. But when he took them, the woodpecker recovered faster.
When he was completely healed, his loved ones took him and rode on the storks to a safe, warm forest.
Of course, the big storm passed after a while. New nests were built. The fallen trees were fixed by the elephants. The sounds of happiness began to echo throughout the forest, just like before.
You can watch the animated video of the story or listen to the audio file.
