Original: The pelican’s pouch is like a magic fish-pocket: the water slips back out but the fish stay inside—yum!
Two rephrasings (each 3 words shorter):
- Option 1: The pelican's pouch is a magic fish pocket: water pours out but fish stay inside—yum! (15 words)
- Option 2: The pelican's pouch is like a fish net: water drains out and fish stay inside—yum! (15 words)
Note: I made short, simple swaps (for example, "slips back out" → "pours out" or "drains out") so the meaning stays the same but the sentence loses three words—good for a 6-year-old reader.