Piccola

Part One · The Little Wooden Shoe

Piccola was a little girl.

Her home was small. Her family was poor.

It was the night before Christmas.

"We have no gift for you," said her mother.

"No gift at all," said her father.

But Piccola was not sad.

"A good thing will come," she said.

"A good thing comes to every child."

She had no stocking to hang up.

So she took off her little wooden shoe.

She put the shoe by the warm fire.

"Saint Nicholas will see my shoe," she said.

Her mother and father said nothing.

Piccola went to bed. She slept all night.

In the morning she ran to her shoe.

Something in the shoe moved.

"Oh! Come and see!" said Piccola.

Her mother and father came to see.

A little bird sat in the shoe!

The bird had come in at the window.

It was cold. It was very little.

Piccola took the bird in her hands.

She gave it food. She gave it water.

"See what the good saint brought!" said Piccola.