Page 22 - Stories for Thinking Children 1

amal had always wanted to keep a pet bird at home.
J He couldn't believe his eyes that day when his father

came home carrying a large cage. He took off the cover and saw a
bright yellow and purple parrot inside. Jamal was so happy. That
first evening, Jamal and the parrot had a deep conversation.
Jamal said: "Hi pretty parrot. I want to feed you really well, so I
need to learn everything about you. First of all, can you tell me what
your favorite food is?"

"My favorite food is seeds," said the parrot.
"How do you eat them?" Jamal asked.
The parrot explained: "I can hold my food with my two feet and
eat it just like a sandwich. I am an expert at opening the two halves
of the seed shell with my tongue. The fact that I can satisfy my

hunger in this way is a grace and blessing from Allah."
Jamal then asked: "I'm very curious. How did you get those in-
credibly beautiful colors in your feathers?"
"Like all birds," said the parrot, "my rich colors come from a sub-
stance stored inside my feathers when they first begin to form, and
is related to the way light bounces off them. Did you know that when

my feathers fall out they are replaced with new ones? And every
time they grow back they have the same color. This is another proof
of the perfection of Allah's creation."
Jamal nodded: "That's really wonderful. Can you also imitate the

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