Online flipbook

One day, Birdie noticed dark clouds in the sky.

A wind began to blow - whooo-hoooo!

"That looks like a storm coming," said Mr Frog.

Birdie and Mr Frog have to take shelter from a noisy, scary storm.  Birdie and the storm is a story to help young children:

  • Learn about hail, thunder, and lightning
  • Learn how to stay safe in a storm
  • Work through sad, scary, or angry feelings
  • Understand they will feel safe and happy again

Birdie and the storm book cover

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Videos

Watch the animation of Birdie and the storm

Duration: 03:47

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 day, Birdie noticed dark clouds in the sky. A wind began to blow.

That looks like a storm coming, said Mr. Frog. We should put away everything that might blow around and get broken.

A flash of lightning lit up the clouds. Thunder, boomed. Mr. Frog said we need to stay in the safest part of our home and wait for the storm to end.

Birdie was surprised to see white balls bouncing on the grass. Those are hailstones. Mr. Frog explained. They're like frozen raindrops. Sometimes they're small and sometimes they're big. But they're all just bits of ice.

The hail sounded very loud in the branches. Birdie felt worried the hailstones might break her tree.

It got very dark rain, drummed and thrummed on the pond. Wind whooshed and whirled through the branches. Thunder roared and rumble in the sky.

Let's count the seconds between the lightning and the thunder said, Mr. Frog. More seconds mean the lightning is further away. One second, two seconds. Boom.

The lightning's right on top of this Birdie wailed. I'm scared.

All this noise does feel scary, Mr. Frog agreed. But we're safe here. And the storm will be over soon.

Click. Mr. Frog turned on a torch. He made a shape with his hands and a shadow friend appeared on the wall. Birdie laughed. She didn't feel so scared anymore.

Soon the storm was over. The rain and wind stopped. The thunder and lightning stopped. White hailstones lay all over the ground. Birdie picked up a cold, hard little hailstone. It melted into a puddle in her hand.

Oh, no. Part of Birdie's nest had been broken in the storm. Birdie felt angry and sad. She started to cry.

We're here, Birdie, her friend said. We'll mend your nest. And you can stay with us until it's fixed.

Other helpers came. They cleaned up all the broken branches.

Birdie's friends brought sticks to mend her nest and feathers to make it soft inside.

It looked a bit different now, but it was strong and cosy.

Birdie and Mr. Frog were safe and happy again.

Watch the Auslan translation of Birdie and the storm

Duration: 03:47

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 day, Birdie noticed dark clouds in the sky. A wind began to blow.

That looks like a storm coming, said Mr. Frog. We should put away everything that might blow around and get broken.

A flash of lightning lit up the clouds. Thunder, boomed. Mr. Frog said we need to stay in the safest part of our home and wait for the storm to end.

Birdie was surprised to see white balls bouncing on the grass. Those are hailstones. Mr. Frog explained. They're like frozen raindrops. Sometimes they're small and sometimes they're big. But they're all just bits of ice.

The hail sounded very loud in the branches. Birdie felt worried the hailstones might break her tree.

It got very dark rain, drummed and thrummed on the pond. Wind whooshed and whirled through the branches. Thunder roared and rumble in the sky.

Let's count the seconds between the lightning and the thunder said, Mr. Frog. More seconds mean the lightning is further away. One second, two seconds. Boom.

The lightning's right on top of this Birdie wailed. I'm scared.

All this noise does feel scary, Mr. Frog agreed. But we're safe here. And the storm will be over soon.

Click. Mr. Frog turned on a torch. He made a shape with his hands and a shadow friend appeared on the wall. Birdie laughed. She didn't feel so scared anymore.

Soon the storm was over. The rain and wind stopped. The thunder and lightning stopped. White hailstones lay all over the ground. Birdie picked up a cold, hard little hailstone. It melted into a puddle in her hand.

Oh, no. Part of Birdie's nest had been broken in the storm. Birdie felt angry and sad. She started to cry.

We're here, Birdie, her friend said. We'll mend your nest. And you can stay with us until it's fixed.

Other helpers came. They cleaned up all the broken branches.

Birdie's friends brought sticks to mend her nest and feathers to make it soft inside.

It looked a bit different now, but it was strong and cosy.

Birdie and Mr. Frog were safe and happy again.

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

How to support your child in a natural disaster

Read our natural disaster resilience resources for more help.

Buy a copy

You can buy a print copy of Birdie and the storm 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: 2021

Author: Andrea Baldwin

Illustrator: Anil Tortop

Format: e-book, paperback

ISBN: 9780648817376

Last updated: May 2025

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