What is the theme for the story, "For the Birds?"
When Philip got home from school, he noticed that the birdhouse he'd made had fallen off the maple tree in the front yard.

He picked it up and looked at the tree. The hook he'd used to hang the birdhouse had come loose in the wood, pulled down by the weight. Philip removed the hook and screwed the pointy end into a new spot in the branch. The wood seemed to grip it tightly. Then Philip put the birdhouse back on the hook.

The next morning, Philip saw that it had fallen again. He was late for school, but he couldn't just leave it there. He pulled out the hook and screwed it deeper into the wood. Then he carefully hung the birdhouse again.

When Philip got home that afternoon, he saw that the birdhouse was still hanging. A blue jay was even perched at the entrance. Philip beamed.

Suddenly, a breeze shook the birdhouse, and it fell onto the grass yet again. The bluejay shot away like an arrow.

This time Philip brought the birdhouse inside. He threw away the hook without a second thought. Digging through the junk drawer, he found an extra-long shoelace. He tied it around the birdhouse. Then he brought the birdhouse outside and tied it to a branch. He tugged on it to make sure it would stay. It seemed pretty secure.

The birdhouse was still hanging the next morning. And the next week. A week after that, Philip saw signs of a bird's nest inside. The birdhouse was finally a home.

If one way of doing something keeps failing, try another way.


Some events are simply out of your control.