Ulla Bird and the Pit Ponies – Digital

Description

“Sing Ulla bird, Mum.” In my childhood, these words always made my Mum smile and she would sing about the ill-fated love between a canary and a sparrow.

A wild sparrow flew into a mansion and saw a beautiful yellow canary in his cage. The canary fell instantly in love and sang, “I’ve been struck by Cupid’s arrow. Will you share my cage with me?”

The sparrow sang “Goodbye, little yellow bird. I would rather face the cold, on a leafless tree than a prisoner be, in a cage of gold.”

Ulla Bird and the Pit Ponies

An engaging children’s story about canaries, with references to canaries in art and poetry of days gone by.  It’s a brief history of how the birds and pit ponies were used in the coal mines until recent times and tells of pit ponies in Australia until the 1950’s

This story is gently told and introduces young readers to the virtual slavery of women and children in coal mines, before being replaced by pit ponies. It opens the door for discussion and learning, without being confrontational.

With questions at the end, and links to appropriate websites, Ulla Bird and the Pit Ponies is ideal for anyone with a reading age of 10 and over, equivalent to grade 7.

About the Author

Lesley Dewar writes bright and breezy adventure stories at Stories My Nana Tells, with WOW moments to entrance and surprise her readers. Stories for children who are between seven and twelve years of age and every story has something which will have your child turn to you and say “Wow, I didn’t know that!”

A passionate storyteller and skilled researcher, Lesley teases out extraordinary facts to make things of ordinary life become an inspiration and wonder. Lesley also campaigns for wildlife protection, particularly our Australian wildlife.

Lesley is adventurous if nothing else. She has been bungy jumping in New Zealand; taken helicopter flights across icy mountains and rocky deserts; went white water rafting in Bali and swimming with dolphins in Hawaii – Her quirky ideas make Stories My Nana Tells very engaging for the whole family.

Read more about Lesley here.