Ann and Friends - Yuki

A bird story and questions for Beginning Braille Readers by Ann Gelles.

18. Yuki

I met Pat today before sunrise. We ate together. Pat told me all about Yuki. Pat is a friend of a friend. Pat has two cats, two love birds and two cockatoos. Yuki is Pat's favorite bird. Yuki is a cockatoo. Yuki is 15. Cockatoos can live 5 decades. He is a foot and a half tall. Yuki is just one color, ivory.

Pat gives Yuki food twice a day. He snacks all day on the food Pat gives him. Yuki loves fruit like bananas and apples. He also eats corn or lettuce. He is quite messy. Pat is Yuki's maid. I bet Yuki wouldn't eat bugs or worms like other birds.

Yuki's cage sits behind the sofa. Pat lets him go free at home every day between 4-9 o'clock. Yuki flies round all the rooms of Pat's home. Sometimes Yuki sits beside Pat on the sofa. Sometimes Yuki sits on Pat's right knee. Yuki looks at television with Pat. I bet Yuki has a favorite television program. Pat says he doesn't like the news. Together they view the world beyond the panes of glass. Yuki looks at the wild birds above and below.

Yuki makes dog sounds with the doorbell. He squawks a lot if new friends visit. He dives at people beneath him. It seems that he wants an ID before he will let you in. Pat's friends like Yuki because he is the life of the party. He can talk. He can say "hello," "good-bye," and "want some."

Sometimes he plays tag with the other cockatoo. He plays hide-and-seek with Pat. Sometimes he will flirt with the two love birds. But they only have eyes for one another.

The love birds like their cage so they never go free. Yuki usually poops before he exits the cage. Birds can poop 15 times a day. Fortunately for Pat, he uses the toilet if he is free. "Cool bird," I say. I hope I can meet Yuki soon.

Yuki Questions

  1. Who is Yuki?
    (a bird or cockatoo)
  2. How long can cockatoos live?
    (50 years)
  3. What does Yuki like to do when he is not in his cage?
    (He likes to look outside, play games, watch TV, visit friends, and fly free.)
  4. What does Yuki do when the doorbell rings?
    (Yuki makes barking sounds.)
  5. What show on TV does Yuki hate?
    (the news)
  6. How does Pat care for Yuki?
    (She feeds him, cleans his cage, gives him attention and loves him.)
  7. Why might Pat have a pet bird like Yuki?
    (Pat might like birds. She might think he is entertaining or fun to watch.)
  8. What does Yuki want before he will let someone in?
    (your ID)
  9. Would you like to own a bird like Yuki? Why or why not?
  10. What does Yuki do that most birds don't?
    (He gets to fly free in Pat's house. He watches TV with Pat.)
  11. What makes Yuki amazing?
    (He uses the toilet.)
  12. What does Yuki look like?
    (He is ivory and a foot and a half tall.)
  13. How often do birds poop?
    (15 times a day)

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