Stories About Survival

Explore a collection of true and fictional tales that delve into survival across varied landscapes, species, and situations. These stories highlight resilience in nature and humanity through harsh winters, natural disasters, and isolated journeys.

Winter Survival:
In Protective Wings, pigeons in a harsh winter shelter vulnerable sparrows under their wings, risking their own safety until a man finds and rescues them. In A Bumblebee Queen’s Winter Tale, only the queen bumblebee survives winter, ensuring her colony’s survival by hibernating alone before establishing a new nest come spring. Similarly, The Snail’s Hideaway follows forest snails that seal themselves underground to conserve moisture and energy, emerging only when warmer weather returns. The Alligators’ Frozen Snouts tells of alligators in Oklahoma who hibernate partly submerged, waiting for spring despite one of them accidentally freezing his tail.

Disasters and Escape:
The devastating Watersnoodramp flood of 1953 forces Maria and her family in The Big Flood to flee to their rooftop. Rescued by soldiers, they must rebuild their lives and remember the flood’s impact each year. In Bianca’s Fall Through the Ice, friends Bianca and Douglas experience a close call on an icy lake; when Bianca falls through, Douglas’ quick action with a rope saves her, highlighting the importance of preparedness.

Endurance and Companionship:
In The Lonely Crawler, Cockroach, the last of his kind, finds a friend in a moth, with whom he shares stories and a meaningful companionship until the moth’s passing. The Arctic Explorer recounts a sailor’s Arctic expedition, where his crew learns survival techniques from the Inuit, leading to a deep friendship and mutual respect. Finally, in The Baby Snow Owl, a young snow owl leaves his nest and learns essential survival skills with guidance from his parents, eventually mastering the hunt in his cold habitat.

Each story offers a unique insight into survival’s challenges, from finding warmth and companionship to rebuilding after loss.