Everyone in Whistlewood Forest is getting ready for the annual fall talent show. Sabra is helping her older sister Elda and their two friends; twin sisters Mia and Pia practice their dance routine. The autumn wind blew Mia’s feather boa away. “I’ll get it!” Sabra shouted as she flew after it. Mia’s feather boa landed on a branch. Sabra freed the feather boa from the branch and wrapped it around her neck; but before Sabra could fly back to rejoin her friends, she was pecked in the head. “Ouch!” she said as she quickly looked around to see that it was her big brother Erie who had pecked her. “Erie! Why did you peck me in the head?” Sabra demanded to know. Erie did not answer. He just laughed at Sabra as he disappeared into another tree. Sabra returned the feather boa to Mia. “Thanks Sabra see you tomorrow at the talent show,” Mia said as she and Pia flew home for dinner. On the journey home Sabra turned to Elda and said, “Erie pecked me in the head.” “Are you sure it was him?” Elda questioned. “Yes! Erie pecked me hard in the head, then laughed about it as he flew away.” Sabra explained. “Well, just don’t tell mama and papa, or Erie will get in big trouble. He won’t be allowed to perform in the talent show tomorrow and you know how everyone is looking forward to his routine.” “Then what should I do?” Sabra asked. “You have to keep it a secret,” Elda warned. Sabra didn’t want to get her big brother into trouble, so she listened to her sister and kept what Erie did to her a secret. At home, the little sparrow family sat down to eat dinner. The little sparrows took turns around the table sharing their adventures of the day. While everyone around the table was listening to Elda’s story; Erie sneakily pecked Sabra in the head. “Ouch!” Sabra cried out. “Sabra, what’s wrong?” papa asked. Sabra knew she had to keep up with the secret so she sadly replied, “Nothing is wrong Papa.” After dinner everyone took turns brushing their teeth before bedtime. Erie brushed first, then Elda, then Gideon, and then Sabra. Each sparrow exited the bathroom one by one to head for bed. As Sabra lifted her head up from the sink, Erie was perched directly behind her and once again rudely pecked her in the head. “Ouch!”Sabra shouted. “Erie! Why do you keep pecking me in the head?” she asked. “I don’t know,” Erie replied and then quickly flew out of the bathroom to go to bed. Sabra laid in bed and thought about Erie pecking her when no one was looking. “Maybe I should tell mama and papa,” she thought. If Sabra told on Erie he would get in trouble, and she did not want that. At recess the next day, even as Sabra played with many of her friends, she still felt all alone inside. She sat underneath the Willow tree because she couldn’t stop thinking about the secret she was keeping. It made Sabra feel yucky and scared on the inside. Sabra’s teacher came over and sat with her at the base of the tree. “What’s the matter Sabra?” Miss, Caroline asked. “I have a problem,” Sabra answered. “We all have problems and when there’s a problem, there’s always a solution,” Miss Caroline encouraged. Sabra looked down at her feet and whispered, “I have a secret.” “What kind of a secret?” Miss Caroline asked. “There are different kinds?” Sabra inquired. “Yes. There are good secrets and bad secrets,” Miss Caroline replied. “What’s the difference?” Sabra questioned. “A good secret is like when you give a friend a birthday gift and you must keep what’s inside the box a secret or you’ll ruin the surprise. With a Good Secret, you can’t hardly wait to share it because keeping a good secret makes you feel happy on the inside,”Miss Caroline explained. “A bad secret is like when someone is hurting you or someone else and you’re too scared to tell anyone. You can’t stop thinking about the bad secret and it makes you feel all alone and yucky on inside. Keeping a bad secret can be dangerous, because no one can help you if they don’t know that you need help,” Miss Caroline explained to Sabra. Sabra thought about what Miss Caroline said about good secrets and bad secrets. Erie hurts Sabra whenever he pecks her in the head. She felt yucky on inside because she was frightened to tell anyone and had to keep this a secret. She realized she was keeping bad secret. Sabra now understood to get help she would have to tell someone about the bad secret she’d been keeping and knew just how she would do it. “Thank you for listening to me Miss Caroline, I learned a lot,” Sabra said. “You’re very welcome, but what are you going to do about your problem?” Miss Caroline asked. “It’s a secret,” Sabra replied. “What kind of a secret?” Miss Caroline asked. “Oh, it’s a good secret,” Sabra said smiling. AT the talent show it was now time for Sabra’s big moment. She stepped out to the center of the stage and sang with all her heart. “Good secrets and bad secrets are two secrets of different kinds,One makes you feel good the other makes you feel bad inside.A surprise party, a birthday gift hiding an Easter egg behind a broomstick are all secrets you can keep for a time.But bad secrets are harmful for you and for me.They can make us feel Yucky,and scared, you see?If you’re keeping a bad secret tell someone, tell quick.We’ll come help and fix what’s wrong.then you’ll no longer have to feel like you’re all alone.” Her song had ended and Sabra breathed a sigh of relief as the audience exploded in roars of applause. She walked off stage with a smile and met mama and papa back stage. They hugged her tightly and told Sabra how proud they were of her performance. “Great song Sabra,” papa said. “Why did you sing a song about good secrets and bad secrets,” asked mama. She realized the solution to her problem was to tell mama and papa about the bad secret she’d been keeping. “Mama, papa; I have something to tell you. I’ve been keeping a bad secret,” Sabra said. Sabra told mama and papa about all the times Erie pecked her in the head. She explained that she was scared to tell them because when she told Elda, she was warned that she must keep it a secret or else Erie would get into trouble. “Sabra, you are brave and did the right thing by telling us about the bad secret you were keeping,” papa said. “Now that we know someone is hurting you we can help, and correct Erie for his bad behavior,” mama assured Sabra. “What about Elda, does this mean she’s in trouble too?” Sabra asked concerned. “Elda needs to learn what you have learned. That there are good secrets and bad secrets, and if someone is being hurt, that’s not a secret that should be kept,” papa said. The music started for Erie’s acrobatic aerial routine, but when the curtain opened Erie was not on stage. Instead he was backstage with mama and papa learning a well needed lesson. “Son, we need to talk,” papa said. Papa talked to Erie about his bad behavior, and all the extra chores he was going to have to do around the house for the next month. Mama sat down with Sabra and Elda to talk about the difference between good secrets and bad secrets. The next day, Miss Caroline watched all the Whislewood students playing at recess from high above a tree. Sabra played happily with Elda and Miss Caroline’s twin daughters, the parrot twins by the swing set. Erie was not pecking Sabra in the head. In fact, Erie was nowhere to be seen. Miss Caroline climbed higher up the tree to get a better view of the playground. She spotted Erie behind the Oak tree with three older boys. One of the boys pecked Erie in the head, and another boy snatched his lunch from his hands. Miss Caroline hurried over to where the boys were. “You three boys are in big trouble! Go back inside the classroom, I’ll be right in. We’re all going to have a little talk,” Miss Caroline yelled sternly. “Erie are you OK?” she asked. “No Miss Caroline,” Erie replied. “For a long time, I’ve been keeping a bad secret.”