Once upon a time, there was a girl named Emma. Emma was an explorer. She wore a big yellow hat and shiny red boots. Today, Emma had a special mission.
She wanted to find out who lives at the zoo. Emma stood at the big gate of the zoo. The gate was green and very tall. She looked at her magic map.
The map sparkled in the sun. It showed her exactly where to go. Who lives here? Let's go see!
said Emma. This was her favorite thing to say. First, Emma walked on a bumpy path. Crunch, crunch went her boots on the gravel.
She saw a big rock. It was very hot here. Suddenly, she heard a loud sound.
ROAR! Who was that? Emma looked behind the big rock. A big furry face looked back.
It was a lion! The lion had a golden mane that looked like the sun. The lion opened his mouth wide. Hello, Mr.
Lion! said Emma. Do you live here? The lion shook his big head.
He looked happy. Emma was not scared. The lion was just saying hello. Emma waved goodbye and walked on.
Next, Emma heard a flapping sound. Whoosh, whoosh. She saw some tall trees. She looked up.
High in the trees, something was jumping. Ooh ooh! Aah aah! It was a monkey!
The monkey had a long tail. He swung from branch to branch. Swish, swoop, swish, swoop. Then the monkey stopped.
He looked at Emma. He held a yellow banana. Peel, peel, went the monkey. He ate the banana.
Yum! You are silly, Mr. Monkey, said Emma. She giggled.
The monkey danced. It was so funny. Can you dance like a monkey? Emma walked a little more.
She felt the ground shake. Thump, thump, thump. She saw a very big gray leg. She looked up, and up, and up.
It was an elephant! The elephant had big floppy ears. They went flap, flap in the wind. The elephant had a long nose called a trunk.
Toot toot! went the elephant. The elephant picked up water with his trunk. Splash!
He sprayed the water on his back. It looked so cool. Can you make a long trunk with your arm? Try it!
Emma kept walking. She saw a sign that said Cold Place. It was getting colder. Brrr!
She saw white ice and blue water. She saw black and white birds. They were standing very still. Waddle, waddle, waddle.
The birds were penguins! They did not fly in the sky. They swam in the water. Splash!
One penguin jumped in. He was fast. Zoom! He swam like a rocket.
Look at that go! said Emma. She clapped her hands. The penguins seemed to dance on the ice.
Slip, slide, slip, slide. Finally, Emma saw the tallest trees she had ever seen. She saw a pattern of black and white. It was a giraffe!
The giraffe had a very long neck. He was eating green leaves at the top of the tree. Munch, munch, munch. The giraffe chewed the leaves.
He looked down at Emma. He had big, gentle eyes. His tongue was purple! You are so tall, whispered Emma.
The giraffe blinked slowly. He was peaceful. Emma looked at her map. She had seen so many animals.
She saw the lion, the monkey, the elephant, the penguins, and the giraffe. She learned that every animal has a special home. The sun started to go down. The sky turned orange and pink.
The zoo was quiet now. The animals were getting sleepy. Who lives here? I know now!
said Emma softly. She walked to the gate. She felt happy in her heart. She learned so many new things today.
She waved goodbye to the sleepy zoo. Goodnight, Lion. Goodnight, Monkey. Goodnight, Elephant, said Emma.
Emma went home. She took off her yellow hat. She could not wait to explore again tomorrow. Learning about animals is the best adventure of all!