Chicka: The Bird Who Would(n't) Fly
Noa K.
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Chicka is a children’s story about a baby bird who is scared to try new things - especially flying. She isn’t afraid of heights, but she is afraid of failing and being judged by her siblings, who easily fly, chirp, and help out around the nest. Chicka finally realizes that her siblings didn’t do any of these tasks with ease. In fact, before they became good at those things, they failed… a lot. The only difference was, they loved the challenge of trying over and over again. The story ends with Chicka finally trying to fly… and failing… and trying again. Growing up, I have always been driven to succeed. But sometimes that drive has kept me from taking on challenges because I didn’t want to fail or look stupid. Chicka’s story is my story. Not only does my mom call me “Chicka,” but the story was inspired by my experience learning to drive. I was never scared of driving, but rather I feared the judgment from my peers if I failed the written test on my first attempt. I put off taking the test for nearly two years. When I finally took it… I failed. But I also learned something very valuable. It wasn’t a big deal. In that moment, I finally understood how failure is an important part of the journey to success. I wrote Chicka’s story because I want little kids to understand this important life lesson that failing is essential for growth.
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To me, creativity is empathy. It is putting yourself in the shoes of another, telling the story of another, and creating space for other voices to be heard. Creativity is the hope that - whatever the art - at least one person will feel seen and understood.
