Cuckoo Wants To Sing

Author: Meheruba Nisha

Illustrator: Biplob Chakroborty

Translator: Alisha Berger

Once there was a black cuckoo. He sung beautiful songs of the seasons in Bangladesh.

Then, in Baishakh, the first month of the year, the cuckoo got very sick. Suddenly, he could not sing anymore! He felt very sad.

In the month of Jaishtha, the mangoes and jackfruits became ripe. Cuckoo wanted to sing of their tastiness! He flew from tree to tree, trying and trying to sing his delicious song. But, not a noise came from his throat.

Summer came. Shimul Tree saw cuckoo was sad. The tree said: "Now the weather is very hot. Surely that is the reason you cannot sing. Just wait for Monsoon! Heavy rain will start then, and the drip-drop song of rain will help you sing, too."

Monsoon came. The rain fell in heavy sheets throughout the months of Ashar and Shrabon. Rivers, canals, lakes and fields all filled with water.

The kadam tree bloomed its round yellow bunches. The cuckoo flew in the rain from tree to tree, searching for his voice. But, he still could not sing.

Monsoon finished. Autumn arrived in the months of Bhadra and Ashwin. White Kash flowers bloomed. The ground was soon covered in petals.

Ripened palm fruits hung heavily from the tree. The cuckoo tried to sing of their beauty. But still, he could not.

Then came the late autumn. Farmers harvested new rice in the months of Kartik and Agryahayan. But, the cuckoo still could not sing of the bountiful harvest for the Nabonno festival. He was near-bursting with frustration!

The winter season arrived in the months of Poush and Magh. The weather turned very cold. People tried to warm themselves in the sun.

Women made jaggery from hot date juice. They made sweet cakes. Leaves fell from the trees. Fields were covered in yellow mustard flowers. The year had almost come to an end. And still, the cuckoo could not sing. He began to cry. What did it mean if his song was forever lost?

At last, the spring came. It was the final two months of the year, Falgun and Chaitra. New leaves sprouted in the trees. New buds grew in the mango trees. Honey-bees started flying and singing.

The honey-bee buzz stayed in cuckoo's ears. Cuckoo tried again to sing, to no avail. But the honey-bees' song did not stop. They buzzed and buzzed. So cuckoo kept trying to sing, too. At last, he found a squeak. Then a squawk!

And finally, the cuckoo sung a short song. His year of effort had not gone in vain! And now, the cuckoo is known as the bird of spring. When the people of Bangladesh hear his melodious song, they know spring has arrived.

This book was made possible by Pratham Books' StoryWeaver platform. Content under Creative Commons licenses can be downloaded, translated and can even be used to create new stories provided you give appropriate credit, and indicate if changes were made. To know more about this, and the full terms of use and attribution, please visit the following link .

Story Attribution:

This story:Cuckoo Wants To Singis translated byAlisha Berger. The © for this translation lies with Room to Read, 2012. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Based on Original story:'কোকিল গাইবে গান', byMeheruba Nisha. © Room to Read , 2012. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.

Other Credits:

This story 'Cuckoo Wants To Sing' has been published on StoryWeaver by Room to Read.

Images Attributions:

Cover page:Bird sitting on a branch, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 2:Bird calling ur, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 3:Bird flying, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 4:Bird singing, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 5:Tree talking to bird, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 6:Bird sitting on a branch in the rain, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 7:Bird watching from a tree, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 8:Children playing, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 9:Bird singing again, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 10:Bird looking at people in fields, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Disclaimer:https://www.storyweaver.org.in/terms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved. This book is CC-BY-4.0 licensed. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. For full terms of use and attribution, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This book was made possible by Pratham Books' StoryWeaver platform. Content under Creative Commons licenses can be downloaded, translated and can even be used to create new stories provided you give appropriate credit, and indicate if changes were made. To know more about this, and the full terms of use and attribution, please visit the following link .

Images Attributions:

Page 11:People sitting in front of hut, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 12:Bird looking at people and crying, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 13:Bees buzzing around flowers, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 14:Bird talking to bees, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 15:Two birds talking, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Page 16:Trees and feathers, byBiplob Chakroborty© Room to Read, 2015. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.Disclaimer:https://www.storyweaver.org.in/terms_and_conditions

Some rights reserved. This book is CC-BY-4.0 licensed. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. For full terms of use and attribution, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Cuckoo Wants To Sing (English)

Cuckoo has lost his song. He tries to find his voice throughout the seasons, as flowers bloom and rains come. Will he ever sing again?

This is a Level 2 book for children who recognize familiar words and can read new words with help.

Pratham Books goes digital to weave a whole new chapter in the realm of multilingual children's stories. Knitting together children, authors, illustrators and publishers. Folding in teachers, and translators. To create a rich fabric of openly licensed multilingual stories for the children of India and the world. Our unique online platform, StoryWeaver, is a playground where children, parents, teachers and librarians can get creative. Come, start weaving today, and help us get a book in every child's hand!