Image of Rockefeller Christmas tree lit by lights
emin kuliyev/Shutterstock.com
Nonfiction,

Tiny Owl in the Big City

A tiny owl made a trip to the big city. It was stuck in a giant Christmas tree. Would it ever get home?

By Janice Behrens
From the December 2023/January 2024 Issue

Learning Objective: Children will follow the story of an owl that was rescued from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

Lexiles: 540L
Featured Skill: Main Idea, Key Details,
Vocabulary: evergreen tree, huddled, stowaway, X-rays, traditions
Topic: Social Studies, Science,
Common Core Standards
  • RF.1.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words RI.1.3 Describe the connection between two ideas or pieces of information in a text RI.1.4 Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meanings of words RI.1.5 Know and use various text features to locate information RI.1.6 Distinguish between information from words and information from images RI.1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with peers and adults
TEKS Standards
  • Social Studies
    Social Studies (1) History. The student understands the origins of customs, holidays, and celebrations. The student is expected to: (A) describe the origins of customs, holidays, and celebrations of the community, state, and nation such as Constitution Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day. (14) Culture. The student understands the importance of family and community beliefs, language, and traditions. The student is expected to: (A) describe and explain the importance of beliefs, language, and traditions of families and communities. Science (9) Organisms and environments. The student knows that the living environment is composed of relationships between organisms and the life cycles that occur. The student is expected to: (C) gather evidence of interdependence among living organisms such as energy transfer through food chains or animals using plants for shelter. (10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and processes that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to: (A) investigate how the external characteristics of an animal are related to where it lives, how it moves, and what it eats.

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It all started in a quiet forest. A tiny owl found the perfect place to hide. It was a huge evergreen tree with thick branches. This was a great place to sleep, hidden from bigger birds that might try to eat it. 

The little owl didn’t know it, but the tree was about to be cut down. It had been chosen to be the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The tree would be taken to New York City, where millions of people would visit it. 

Workers chopped down the giant tree and strapped it to a big truck. No one saw the little owl deep in its branches.

PAUSE AND THINK: Where were the workers taking the big tree?

Courtesy of Ravensbeard Wildlife Center 

Whooo was hiding in the tree? This little owl was.

Owl in the City

The truck drove nearly 200 miles. It was a long, windy ride, and the little owl must have been scared as it huddled in the branches. 

Finally, the truck arrived in the biggest, busiest city in the country. Cars honked while crowds of people rushed on the sidewalks. 

This was a very different place from the quiet forest.

PAUSE AND THINK: How do you think the owl felt on the ride?

Courtesy of Ravensbeard Wildlife Center

A worker found Rocky!

Surprise Visitor

ethan.gosnell2/Flickr

Now it was time to set up the tree. But the workers still had no idea there was a little stowaway hiding in it.

Then one worker saw two bright-yellow eyes peeking out. Surprise! The man reached in and plucked the owl from its secret spot. 

It was so small, he thought it was a baby. He also thought the tiny owl needed help. It didn’t even try to fly away. What if the owl was hurt? 


PAUSE AND THINK: What did the worker find in the tree?

Courtesy of Ravensbeard Wildlife Center

Rocky arrived at the animal rescue center.

Rocky Gets Help

The worker named the owl Rockefeller, or Rocky for short, and took her to an animal rescue center.

Luckily, the director of the center, Ellen Kalish, knew just what to do. She realized that Rocky was not a baby but a saw-whet owl. That is one of the smallest kinds of owls. 

“The cuteness factor is just off the charts,” says Ellen.

A veterinarian gave Rocky a checkup and took X-rays. She was not hurt. But she had not eaten for three days. So the people at the center gave her water and “all the mice she could eat,” says Ellen.

After about a week, Rocky was strong again. She was ready to go back to a forest, where she belonged.

PAUSE AND THINK: How did the people at the center help Rocky?

Courtesy of Ravensbeard Wildlife Center

Rocky is set free. Bye-bye, little owl.

Back to the Forest

Ellen took Rocky to a safe forest and held her up. Rocky looked around. After a moment, the owl raised her wings and flew into the trees. Her big adventure was over. 

But Rocky is not forgotten! Her story spread, and now she is part of new holiday traditions. There are Rocky ornaments and a book. If you visit the Rockefeller Center tree, you can see an owl character walking around. That way, people can always remember the little owl’s trip to the big city. 

Happy owl-idays!

Shutterstock.com (Branches); Courtesy of Ravensbeard Wildlife Center (Set Free, Ornament); Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Book); Taylor Hill/Getty Images (Costume)

Whooo can you meet at Rockefeller Center?

Do You See the Saw-Whet?

Rocky is a saw-whet owl. Which one of these owls is a saw-whet? Read the clues below to figure it out!

BRAD WILSON

1

BRAD WILSON

2

BRAD WILSON

3

BRAD WILSON

4

Gerrit Vyn/NaturePL.com

5

BRAD WILSON

6

It has yellow eyes.

It does not have tufts. Tufts are feathers that stick up and look like ears.

It has a black beak.

It has a brown and white face.

Which one is the saw-whet owl? 


The saw-whet is number 5! The other owls are 1. barred owl, 2. western screech owl, 3. snowy owl, 4. Eurasian eagle owl, and 6. spectacled owl.

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More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Comprehension

Science Focus

Animal behaviors

Vocabulary

evergreen tree, huddled, stowaway, X-rays, traditions

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation

  • Whole Group: Plan to read the article twice. The first read will focus on comprehension of Rocky’s journey, while the second read will invite inference and exploration of how Rocky might  feel about her journey.
  • Technology Time: After reading the story with a teacher, students can listen to the Video Read-Aloud of the article and follow along in their magazines.

Pairings and Text Connections

  • In this issue: “Background Builder: Wow! A Tree-mendous Tree.”
  • From the Storyworks archive: “Big Read Aloud: The Grandpa and the Penguin,” May/June 2023
  • Suggested book: The Christmas Owl: Based on the True Story of a Little Owl Named Rockefeller by Ellen Kalish and Gideon Sterer

Before-Reading Resources

  • Video: Fiction and Nonfiction (5 minutes) Use this video when pairing this article with the Big Read-Aloud.
  • Vocabulary Slideshow: (7 minutes)  evergreen tree, huddled, stowaway, X-rays, traditions

Suggested Reading Focus

Comprehension/inference (20 minutes)
  • As you read the article aloud, stop at each Pause and Think to check comprehension and facilitate discussion. You can ask students to give one- or two-sentence summaries of the section you just read. 
  • When you read the article a second time, prompt students to imagine they are experiencing  this story from Rocky’s perspective. What do they think the journey was like for her? What might Rocky be feeling and thinking? Have students share their ideas in think-pair-share format or as a group discussion.

After-Reading Skills Practice

  • Skills: Inference/key details (15 minutes)

Extension Activity

Skills: Caring for animals (20 minutes)

  • Have students brainstorm what it would be like to take care of an owl.  Where would they keep it? What would they feed it? This can spark conversation about what owls need to survive. 
  • Students can showcase this exploration through art or writing.

Text-to-Speech