Birdie and the drought

One summer there was no rain for a long, long time. Mr Frog's pond began to dry up and he had to move away.

Day after day, it did not rain. There were no worms to eat. Birdie missed her friend Mr Frog.

"I need to find somewhere else to live," said Birdie. "I will come back when it rains again."

A terrible drought means Birdie has to leave her home and friends. Birdie and the drought is a story to help young children:

  • understand what happens when it doesn't rain
  • learn what happens to the world around them and food supplies in a drought
  • work through sad or lonely feelings
  • learn they can be safe and happy when they are away from home.

Birdie and the drought

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Videos

Watch the animation of Birdie and the drought

Duration: 02:27

Transcript

This is Birdie. Birdie is a happy bird who likes to sing.

She lives in a nest in a tall tree near a forest.

Birdie feels cosy and safe in her nest.

Birdie likes to catch worms and talk with her friend Mr Frog.

Mr Frog lives in a pond with green lily pads.

One summer, there was no rain for a long, long time. Mr Frog's pond began to dry up. The lily pads wilted.

"I need to go and find another pond to live in," said Mr Frog.

"I will come back when it rains again, and my pond is full and the lilies bloom."

Birdie felt sad because her friend had gone away.

Day after day, it did not rain. There were no worms for Birdie to eat, because the ground was too dry and hard.

Birdie felt hungry! And she felt lonely, too.

"I need to find somewhere else to live," said Birdie. "I will come back when it rains again, and the ground is soft and there are lots of worms."

Birdie travelled for a long time. Birdie came to a waterhole. The ground was nice and soft. Some other birds helped Birdie find worms to eat.

But Birdie still felt sad. She missed her tree. She missed her nest. She missed her friend Mr Frog.

One day Birdie was standing by the water when she saw a face she knew. "Mr Frog!" Birdie cried out.

"Birdie!" shouted Mr Frog.

They were so excited to see each other again.

One day Birdie will go back to her nest, and Mr Frog will go back to his pond.

But for now they are happy at the waterhole, with all their new friends.

Watch the Auslan translation of Birdie and the drought

Duration: 02:27

Transcript

This is Birdie. Birdie is a happy bird who likes to sing.

She lives in a nest in a tall tree near a forest.

Birdie feels cosy and safe in her nest.

Birdie likes to catch worms and talk with her friend Mr Frog.

Mr Frog lives in a pond with green lily pads.

One summer, there was no rain for a long, long time. Mr Frog's pond began to dry up. The lily pads wilted.

"I need to go and find another pond to live in," said Mr Frog.

"I will come back when it rains again, and my pond is full and the lilies bloom."

Birdie felt sad because her friend had gone away.

Day after day, it did not rain. There were no worms for Birdie to eat, because the ground was too dry and hard.

Birdie felt hungry! And she felt lonely, too.

"I need to find somewhere else to live," said Birdie. "I will come back when it rains again, and the ground is soft and there are lots of worms."

Birdie travelled for a long time. Birdie came to a waterhole. The ground was nice and soft. Some other birds helped Birdie find worms to eat.

But Birdie still felt sad. She missed her tree. She missed her nest. She missed her friend Mr Frog.

One day Birdie was standing by the water when she saw a face she knew. "Mr Frog!" Birdie cried out.

"Birdie!" shouted Mr Frog.

They were so excited to see each other again.

One day Birdie will go back to her nest, and Mr Frog will go back to his pond.

But for now they are happy at the waterhole, with all their new friends.

You can watch other Birdie's Tree videos in our resources section.

How to support your child in a natural disaster

Find out about getting help during a drought on the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries website. You can also read our natural disaster resilience resources for more help.

More Birdie's Tree books

Buy a copy

Buy a print copy of Birdie and the drought for $10 plus shipping using our online order form.

You can also buy hand puppets of Birdie and Mr Frog for $15 each plus shipping.

Buy online

Publishing information

Published: 2017

Author: Andrea Baldwin

Illustrator: Anil Tortop

Format: e-book, paperback

ISBN: 9780994600646

Last updated: May 2025

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