WHO LIKES ANIMALS ?

• Recognize that people in all cultures have special feelings about animals and pets.
• Describe a special experience of their own involving animals.
• Strengthen their awareness of basic human commonalities.

Comments to the Teacher

Simply reproduce the stories and poem for student reading or for reading aloud. Talk with the class about what the feelings are and point out that the readings come from three different countries. Ask volunteers to write their own stories or poems about special experiences they have had with wild animals or pets. You don't have to lean too hard on the goal of the lessonöthat people everywhere share common, special feelings about animals; the students will grasp the idea readily enough. This will be especially true if you follow through with other stories from around the world that deal with other common themes.

Extending the lesson

STORY 1

The Sparrow
by Ivan Turgenev (A Russian writer who lived in the 19th century.)

I was returning home from a day's hunting, walking toward the house along a path in my garden. My dog was running ahead of me. Suddenly, the dog slowed her pace and crept forward. She had caught the scent of game.

I looked down the path and saw a young sparrow. It had a streak of yellow near its beak and a bit of puff on its head. Clearly it had fallen out of its nest. (A strong wind was swaying the birch trees.) The tiny bird sat there, trying helplessly to flap its wings. But it was too young and the wings were of no use.

My dog was stealing closer when suddenly an older black-chested bird fell like a stone right in front of the dog' s face. All its feathers were standing on end and it was uttering a desperate, pitiful chirp. It hopped once and then again in the direction of the dog's jaw.

The bird had thrown itself in front of the dog to shield its young one. But its own small body was trembling with terror. Its little voice was frenzied and hoarse, and it was numb with fright. The bird was sacrificing itself!

What a huge monster the dog must have seemed to the mother sparrow! Even so, it could not bear to stay on its high, safe perch in the tree. A force stronger than its will to remain alive made it hurl itself to the rescue.

The dog, named My Treasure, stopped still and then backed up. He, too, seemed to recognize this force.

I quickly called off the dog and we continued on our way. I was awed.

Yes, do not laugh. I was awed by that small, heroic bird, by its impulse of love.

Love, I felt more than ever, is stronger then death or the fear of death. Only through love is life sustained and nourished.

STORY 2

Goodbye Mr. Chip!*
by Kavita Kapur, age 10, India

Squirrels are lovely little creatures, as I have leamt from experience. It had always been my greatest wish to pick up a squirrel, but my wish seemed never to come true.

But the other day I was taking a walk alone in my garden when I heard a soft thud, and looking down I saw a baby squirrel had fallen out of a tree and was on the ground beside me. The little thing was too stunned to move, so I gently picked it up and carried it in. I quickly prepared a box with some soft cotton-wool inside, and placed the squirrel in it.

By this time my family came, and since we are all animal lovers we were greatly excited and happy. We watched over it like birds over their eggs, and soon the tiny ball of fur stirred. I dashed to the kitchen, warmed some milk and put some into a dropper. Unfortunately the first time we put it into the animal's nose!

At last the poor fellow, obviously tired and fed up of seeing us standing there helplessly, caught hold of the dropper and began to suck milk with great tranquillity.

As days passed it grew disgustingly fat, but could still rush about at a remarkable pace. We christened it "Chippy."

Chippy, I am sorry to say, did not have good manners. I once woke up in the middle of the night to see Chippy scampering up and down my father who was asleep, peacefully unaware of what was happening. I tried in vain to catch the little fellow, but did not succeed. At last I lured Chippy into a trap by offering him bread soaked in milk which made his mouth water. As he came nearer I pounced on him and put him back in his box.

Every member of our family used to come home from school, office, etc. and enquire about Chippy. Even my father talked to him!

One day, I upset the sugar bowl and before I could say "Christopher Columbus" Chippy was on the tea-tray eating sugar! After this he got very spoilt for everyone fed him sugar.

I came home from school one day and could not find Chippy! I searched frantically and at last found him curled up, fast asleep, in my father's coat pocket.

I knew I was lucky to have him, but I had a feeling he was going to leave us and run away soon. I was right, for on coming home one day, I learnt that the "bird had flown." I was not very unhappy for I knew that Chippy was supposed to be a wild, free animal. We went to have a look at his family tree, but there were so many squirrels there it was hard to tell which one was my very own Chippy, I then realized it was "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" forever.

*Shanker Pillai, Children's Book Trust, New Delhi, India.

THE POEM
Don Gato*

Traditional Mexican rhyme English words by Margaret Marks

1. Oh, Senor Don Gato was a cat,
On a high red roof Don Gato sat.
He went there to read a letter, meow, meow, meow,
Where the reading light was better meow, meow, meow, 'Twas a love note for Don Gato!

2. "I adore you!" wrote the lady cat,
Who was fluffy, white, and nice and fat.
There was not a sweeter kitty, meow, meow, meow,
In the country or the city, meow, meow, meow,
And she said she'd wed Don Gato!

3. Oh, Don Gato jumped so happily
He fell off the roof and broke his knee,
Broke his ribs and all his whiskers, meow, meow, meow,
And his little solar plexus, meow, meow, meow,
"Ay caramba!" cried Don Gato!

4. Then the doctors all came on the run
Just to see if something could be done,
And they held a consultation, meow, meow, meow,
About how to save their patient, meow, meow, meow,
How to save Senor Don Gato!

5. But in spite of everything they tried
Poor Senor Don Gato up and died,
Oh, it wasn't very merry, meow, meow, meow,
Going to the cemetary, meow, meow, meow,
For the ending of Don Gato!

6. When the funeral passed the market square
Such a smell of fish was in the air.
Though his burial was slated, meow, meow, meow,
He become reanimated, meow, meow, meow,
He came back to life, Don Gato!

?????????*From Making Music Your Own 3, @ 1964 Silver Burdett Company. Reprinted by permission.