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Mama polar bear lay on her back. Her
two cubs, Snowball and Icicle climbed on top of her. They giggled and
tickled their mama's paws.
Mama said, "Are you two ready to
learn how to catch a fish?"
"Yes, Mama," said Snowball. "I want
to catch a fish."
"But Mama, there's nothing but ice.
Fish don't live on the ice, do they?" Icicle rolled over her mama's leg
and fell to the icy ground.
"Ah, my cubs, fish live under the
ice, in t he water," she said.
"But Mama, the ice is so thick,"
Icicle said.
"Not everywhere. Come with me." Mama
stood and walked across the ice. It crunched under her huge paws. She
stopped in a puddle. "As you can see, cubs, the ice is not thick here.
Stand back." Mama kicked a hole in the ice. Water rushed around her paws.
"Look, Mama. There's water. Are
there any fish?" Snowball crept closer to the hole. "The water is so dark
and blue, like the night sky."
"How do we catch the fish, Mama?"
Icicle stuck her paw in the water.
"Stay here." I'll go and catch you
some fish." Mama slipped through the hole into the water.
Where did Mama go?" Snowball plopped
down on his bottom and stared into the hole in the ice.
"Mama! Mama!" Icicle sat next to her
brother. "Come back, Mama."
A few minutes later Mama's head
burst through the water. She held a fish in her mouth. She spit it out on
the ice. The fish wiggled about, coming closer and closer to the cub's
paws. "Here's a fish for you, Snowball. I'll get one for you, Icicle."
Mama disappeared under the water.
Snowball stood and put his paw on
top of the fish. It wiggled and flipped itself about.
Mama came back with a fish for
Icicle and then swam back to get one for herself.
They ate their fish. Mama lay on her
back and her cubs cuddled close; their fat bellies full. As they lay
there, fish jumped out of the water. "Next time you can catch your own
fish," Mama said, closing her eyes. The cubs watched the fish leaping out
of the water for a while and then snuggled against Mama and fell asleep. |
