Once upon a time, there was an enormous bird named Chuck who lived in a big nest on top of a tall tree. One day, while doing his homework, Chuck realized that he had forgotten to do his extension assignment!

With his talons, he immediately dug through his backpack and found the assignment. But before he could start working on it, he had a brilliant idea. He thought that if he could find a good enough excuse, maybe his teacher would forget to grade it!

So Chuck decided to fly down to the nearby town and search for a good excuse. He asked everyone he met, but no one had a good enough excuse for him. Just when Chuck was about to give up, he stumbled upon a wise old owl.

The owl told Chuck, "My dear boy, the best excuse for not finishing your homework is to simply say that you were too busy helping someone else with theirs."

Chuck thanked the owl and flew back to school, eager to try out his new excuse. When his teacher asked him where his homework was, Chuck proudly announced that he was too busy helping another bird with their own homework.

His teacher, impressed by his kindness, gave him an A+ on the assignment and Chuck lived happily ever after. The end.

Reflections

1. Do you think Chuck's excuse was a good one? Why or why not?
2. How do you think Chuck's teacher felt when he heard Chuck's excuse?
3. What do you think would have happened if Chuck didn't find a good excuse?
4. How do you think we can be kind to others, like Chuck was in the story?