Third Grade
Worksheets
The Flying Panzer
Panzer sat in the penguin creche [KRESH] with many other young penguins his age. The hot South African sun baked the sandy beach.
The small group of baby penguins rested in the shade of a tree. They kept their eyes open for predators and their returning parents.
Panzer was large enough now that kelp gulls would not bother him. He thought it was boring in the creche just watching the world go by.
He watched the gulls as they soared over the beach and water. He admired the long wings that let the birds glide in the air.
Panzer held up his own wings and looked at them. They were nowhere near as nice as the gulls' wings. He'd tried flying several times before quitting. He'd run back and forth across the sand, flapping wildly and hopping into the air. He didn't get airborne, but he did get laughed at by the other young penguins. Finally, he quit.
Panzer could not fly, but he admired birds that did. Recently, he had seen his first sacred ibis. The sacred ibis was much taller than he was. The bird was tall with wide wings, long legs, and was mostly white with some black feathers. Her long neck and beak made her appear quite elegant in the young penguin's eyes.
Panzer wished he could talk to her, but she never gave any sign that she saw him. When his parents brought him food, they never looked at the ibis. It was as if she did not exist to them. One day he asked them about her.
"Are you talking about that flyer?" asked his father.
