ਘਾਹ!
The Flying Lesson
Book five in the ਗਾਂ ਤੇ ਕਾਂ series. The crow has decided to teach the cow to fly — full technique, total commitment. The cow does not leave the ground. She has other plans. Uses the words you already know, plus one new one: ਘਾਹ (grass).
Words you'll read
- ਗਾਂ
- ਕਾਂ
- ਘਾਹ
How to read this book
This is a controlled-vocabulary reader — a little book your child can read on their own. It uses only a handful of Punjabi words, repeated often, so a brand-new reader succeeds from the very first page.
- Read it together first, pointing at each word as you say it.
- Then let them read it back to you — sounding out the Gurmukhi.
- Reread it. Kids reread what makes them laugh, and rereading is how reading becomes automatic.
- Turn the English captions off (button below) once they know the story, for pure Gurmukhi practice.
What this book is really about
For grown-ups: this one is quietly about being who you are. The crow is sure the cow is just one good lesson away from flying, and throws himself into teaching her — demonstrating, cheering, finally trying to hoist her off the ground himself — while the cow stays exactly, contentedly earthbound. In the end her one word isn't about flying at all: it's ਘਾਹ, grass, the thing she wanted the whole time. It's a gentle way to talk with your child about different creatures having different gifts — that you can't make someone be what they're not, and that the ordinary thing you love is enough. Funny first; the lesson is here for you, not printed over the fun.
“Cow!” says the crow. He has a big idea.
“Come!” He shows her how to fly.
“Crow?” says the cow.
“Come! Come!” He shows off a loop.
The crow flies his very best.
“No,” says the cow. She stays on the ground.
“Come! Come! Come!” He tries to lift her.
A very small crow. A very large cow.
The crow gives up. The cow leans down.
“Grass,” says the cow. That was the plan all along.
Words in this book
- ਗਾਂ gaan cow
- ਕਾਂ kaan crow
- ਘਾਹ ghah grass
After this book, your child can read 3 Punjabi words. Read it together, then let them read it back to you — the repetition is where the reading comes from.
Where to go next
- Sikh children's books Illustrated stories to read together — Fateh Singh, Simran Kaur, and the Gurus.
- Punjabi picture dictionary Hundreds of everyday Gurmukhi words with pictures, to grow the words they know.
- Learn Gurmukhi Letters, matras and tracing worksheets — the writing side of the same skill.