​In a bright green valley, nestled among the tall mountains, lived a very important rooster named Red. Red had a sunny yellow body, a beautiful blue tail, and a bright red comb that stood up proudly on his head. His job was simple: to wake up the farm every single morning with the loudest, happiest “Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!”
​Red loved his job. He loved to stand on the fence post and feel the cool morning air on his feathers as he greeted the sun.
​But one morning, Red woke up and felt a little different. He climbed up to his post, took a deep breath, and opened his beak for his big morning call. But instead of a booming “Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!”, a tiny little “peep!” came out.
​He tried again, puffing out his chest. “Peep! Peep!” he squeaked. He had lost his big voice!
​All the other farm animals were still asleep. The sun was starting to peek over the mountains, but no one was stirring. Red felt worried. If he couldn’t crow, how would anyone know it was morning?
​Red decided he couldn’t give up. He knew he didn’t have a loud voice, but he still had to help the sun rise! He jumped down from the post and ran to the sleeping pig, pushing the pig’s nose with his beak. “Peep, peep!”
​The pig snorted and woke up. Red then ran to the sheep and pushed his woolly side. “Peep, peep!” The sheep slowly opened its eyes.
​The pig and the sheep looked at each other, confused. They looked at Red, who was running around, pointing his wing toward the rising sun. They finally understood: Red was telling them it was morning, even without his big voice!
​The pig let out a big oink, and the sheep gave a loud “Baa!” Slowly, the noise spread, and soon the whole farm was awake, thanks to Red.
​When the farmer came out, he smiled at Red. “Good morning, Red!” he said. “You were a little quiet today, but you still got the job done!”
​Red realized that morning. Even though he didn’t have his biggest voice, he still had his heart and his determination. He learned that being a good leader isn’t always about being the loudest; sometimes it’s about being the first to try and finding a new way to help.