Three Friends of the Cherry Tree – A Chinese Fairy Tale about Friendship and Helping
A Chinese fairy tale about three birds who helped children gather cherry harvest to organize a village festival. A story of kindness and joy.
Short Description: This fairy tale tells the story of three birds who helped children from the village gather ripe cherries for a festival. A story about friendship, care, and the joy of working together.
In the village at the foot of the hills, there was a large cherry orchard. Every year, it produced juicy and sweet fruits. When the cherries ripened, the village children would gather the berries to hold a big festival. But this year, the harvest was so abundant that the children couldn’t collect all the berries in time.
The sun was already setting, and many ripe fruits were still hanging on the tree. "If we don’t make it, the cherries might spoil," sighed a girl named Lin. Her friends nodded but were too tired to continue working.
At that moment, three birds were sitting on a branch of the cherry tree: a chirpy sparrow, a colorful starling, and a swift swallow. They watched the children’s efforts and decided to help. "These children have worked so hard, we must help them!" said the sparrow.
The birds began to act. The sparrow carefully pushed the berries to the edge of the branches so the children could easily pick them. The starling caught the falling berries and helped place them in baskets. The swallow, with its quick flight, showed the children where else they could reach.
The children were amazed to see the birds working alongside them. "They’re helping us!" exclaimed a boy named Bo. Inspired, the children resumed their work, and soon all the baskets were filled with juicy cherries.
When the harvest was complete, the birds chirped happily and flew away into the sky, leaving the children with grateful smiles. The next day, a big festival was held in the village. Everyone enjoyed the sweet berries, and the children told stories about the three birds who had become their friends.
Since then, every year when the cherries ripened, the children always looked forward to the help of the three birds. And although the birds sometimes came and sometimes didn’t, the story of friendship remained in the memories of all the village residents.
Moral of the Story: Even a small help, done from the heart, can bring great joy. Working together unites and makes any task easy.
Discussion Questions for Children:
- Why couldn’t the children gather the entire harvest by themselves?
- How did the birds help the children?
- What does this fairy tale teach us?
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