HONORS
DIANA, 9
California
The German International School of Silicon Valley
I would like to thank teachers and my mom.
How the Quail Got His Plume
Once upon a time, there was a little quail named PJ. His mother and father were very happy that they had a healthy bevy of chicks. One day, amongst his brothers and sisters, he went for a walk in the woods. He stayed in the bushes, walking along like his mother and father taught him. However, his curiosity overcame him and he walked out of the bushes, looking at a beautiful rose. A hungry fox came along and wanted to eat him. The little quail saw him and ran for his life! The fox caught up to him and wanted to grab him up in his claws. But PJ jumped!
The fox had one chance and swiftly swiped at the quail. He scraped some of his feathers on the top of his head upwards. PJ ran into the bushes and looked into a puddle that was there. He liked his new head feathers, so he kept them that way.
When he was grown and had little chicks of his own, he saw that all of the boys had the same upward feathers on their heads too.
He thought to himself, “Now we can finally tell the boys and the girls apart!”
And that’s how the male quail got his little plume on his head.
The End.
I was inspired to write this story because my mom had a quail as a pet, who was also named PJ. Sometimes in spring I see lots of quails in my front yard. It’s fun to see them and I think they’re really extraordinary birds.
HONORS Karina Eide Young Writers Awards