Icarus and Daedalus

A boy named Icarus lived on a sunny island. The island had a big, blue sea all around it. Splash, splash, went the waves. Every day, Icarus watched the big white birds fly in the sky. Up, up, up they went! Icarus wished he could fly, too. He wanted to soar like a bird. His father, Daedalus, was a super smart inventor who could build anything. This is the story of Icarus and Daedalus.

Daedalus had a big, bright idea. He saw the birds and said, 'We can fly, too!' He gathered feathers that had fallen on the ground. He found white feathers, gray feathers, big feathers, and small feathers. They were all so soft. He used some sticky wax, like a yellow crayon, and some long string to put them all together. He worked all day and all night, making big, beautiful wings. He made one pair of wings for him and one smaller pair for Icarus. Flap, flap, flap! The wings worked just like a bird's wings.

Before they flew, Daedalus gave Icarus a big hug. 'Listen carefully,' he said. 'Don't fly too low, or the water will make your wings wet. And don't fly too high, or the hot sun will melt the wax.' Icarus nodded and promised to remember. Whoosh! They jumped into the air and started to fly! It was so much fun! Icarus giggled as he flew through the fluffy white clouds. He felt so happy and free that he forgot his father's words. He flew up, up, up toward the big, warm sun. The sun felt so warm and cozy, but it made the wax on his wings soft and drippy. One by one, the feathers came loose and floated away. Down, down, down floated Icarus, landing with a gentle splash in the warm sea. His father flew right down to help him. He was just happy his boy was safe. It is always good to listen, but it is also wonderful to dream of flying.