Article January 1, 2003 Issue

The little auk

Story and illustrations by Manfred Krüger,—<i>Germany</i>

Emma lives in Germany on the banks of a big river. Ships from many parts of the world sail up and down all day long. One winter, when it was very cold, thick blocks of ice collected on the banks of the river. After school, Emma and her friends Julia, Lukas, and Friedrich went out to climb around on the ice. Friedrich's dog, Leo, came along, too. The wind blew hard in their faces. So they pulled their hats over their ears and tied their hoods up tight.

That's why they could hardly hear Leo, who was suddenly barking a short distance away. Lukas and Julia rushed over to him first. Emma and Friedrich followed. Lukas was pulling Leo's collar to keep him away from something. Emma couldn't see m why he was barking. Julia was waving and shouting for her to hurry up.

Emma almost knocked over Friedrich, trying to push him aside. And then she saw it. Sitting on the ice, frightened and covered with oil, was a black and white sea bird. It was barely moving.

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