Turtle and Peacock Folktale

Multiple Choice

What Genre are we working on this week?

• poetry
• biography
• folktales

• Realistic Fiction

In the heart of a vibrant jungle, where vines swung lazily and the sun sparkled on a quiet pond, a group of animals gathered every morning. They came not just for the sunshine—but for the show.

Every day, Percy the Peacock pranced into the clearing, feathers fanned wide, shimmering like a living rainbow.

“Behold!” Percy called. “The forest’s finest bird has arrived!”

The animals clapped and cheered. Milo the Monkey swung from a branch shouting, “Encore, Percy!” Polly the Parrot squawked, “Spin and shine! Spin and shine!”

Word Cloud

What is one word that describes Percy the Peacock?

But one animal stayed quiet—Tara the Turtle. She watched from a shady rock, her wise eyes calm as the breeze. Ruby the Rabbit hopped over to Tara and whispered, “He’s so… loud. Doesn’t he know he’s not the only one here?”

Tara smiled gently. “Some animals shine with sound. Others shine in stillness.”

One day, as Percy twirled and posed, dark clouds crept over the treetops. The air thickened. A storm was coming.

Ruby twitched her nose. “It smells like rain.”

“Rain? Pfft,” Percy scoffed. “Rain only makes my feathers glisten more!”

Tara blinked slowly. “Storms don’t care about feathers.”

While the others chatted, Tara began digging a small burrow near the pond’s edge. She tucked inside just as the first raindrops fell.

Then came the wind....

Open Ended

Time for a prediction... What happens to Percy the Peacock and Tara the Turtle?

It howled through the jungle, shaking trees and sending leaves spinning. Lightning cracked. Thunder boomed. And Percy, standing proud in the middle of the clearing, suddenly didn’t look so grand.

A mighty gust blew through—and Percy’s beautiful feathers lifted into the air like kites. He shrieked and ducked behind a log, his colors scattering across the jungle.

When the storm passed, the clearing was quiet. Trees were bent. Feathers were tangled in branches and puddles. The animals emerged slowly, blinking in the bright morning sun.

Tara crawled out of her burrow, her shell still damp but her spirit steady.

Behind a rock, Percy sat—no feathers, no flair, just a wet, shivering bird.

Milo crept over. “Percy… is that you?”

Percy turned his head. “I’m just a bird now. No one wants to see a plain peacock.”

Tara approached, something bundled in her front legs. “I saved these,” she said, placing a woven crown made of Percy’s fallen feathers in his lap. “Even broken beauty can be rebuilt. What matters is who you are in the storm—not just who you are in the spotlight.”

Percy blinked. “You… saved my feathers?”

Tara nodded. “You don’t need them to shine. But if you wear this, let it remind you to be kind, even when all eyes aren’t on you.”

The other animals gathered close.

“You okay, Percy?” Ruby asked softly.

Percy stood tall, placing the feather crown on his head—not with a proud strut, but with a humble smile.

“I think I’m ready to be more than just feathers,” he said.

From then on, Percy still danced—but now, he listened too. He cheered for Milo’s vineswinging, clapped for Ruby’s high jumps, and even helped Tara dig safe burrows for others.

And in the clearing by the pond, where the jungle met the sky, Percy the Peacock shone brighter than ever

Open Ended

What is the lesson of this story?

Reorder

Put the events of the story in order from first to last.

• Percy the Peacock performs for the jungle animals

• Tara warns of an approaching storm

• The storm hits and Percy loses his feathers

• Tara gives Percy a feather crown

• Percy learns to be humble and kind

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Draw

Can you draw the Colorful Feather Crown?