Bobby at the Zoo

4.9

All children like to go to the Zoo. Bobby likes to go to the Zoo, too. He goes there very often and makes friends with many animals. They tell him many interesting things.

Donkey is speaking to Bobby

“No, there is nothing strange about me. I’m sure that you know the donkey, and love him, too. I think that most of the children have met me in the Zoo and had a ride on my back. People often call me silly and stupid and other names like that, but I’m not so foolish as some of them think I am, and I often have to put up with bad treatment from some of you, people. That is why you sometimes say, ‘As patient as a donkey.’

We, donkeys, live in many parts of the world. Some of us are still wild and live away from men and run where they like and do what they like.

When I lived at the seaside I had a saddle for quite small children. It looked like a little basket-chair, so that the children couldn’t fall out.

Sometimes we had races. Children liked them very much. Of course my friends and I always arranged who had to win each time, but the children never knew anything about it.

There was one girl, I remember, who loved me very much. She brought me sugar, which she gave me out of her hands. She was a nice little girl. But that was a long time ago. I am quite an old donkey now.”

Camel is speaking to Bobby

“Of course you know who I am. I am a camel— and a very fine camel too. Do you see that I have two humps on my back? Well, not all camels have two humps, some poor camels have only one.

Africa is the name of the place that I came from; if you ever go there, you’ll see some of my friends.

When I lived in Africa, we used to start out on a journey across the desert, where you know there is nothing but sand — hot sand — and for days, and days, and days; sometimes you see a tree, but not often, and all the time the sun shines and tries to make everything as hot as it can.

You say that it’s hot today. Oh, it’s nothing! You always have shady places here, where you can lie down and rest and you have plenty of water.

Do you know what people call me besides the camel? They call me the Ship of the Desert — and I think it’s a very good name, too.

I can go very fast, when I like. You see I have such fine, long legs.

Now, I’m going to have dinner. So I think I’ll say good-bye to you.”

Giraffe is speaking to Bobby

“I am a giraffe and my name is Daisy. I come from a hot country called Africa. There is no other animal which is as tall as I am. I am taller than the elephant or the camel, but, of course, I am not as strong as the elephant is.

You need not be at all afraid of me because I’ll not hurt you. No, thank you, I do not want to eat you up at all. I don’t like to eat little boys and girls. Indeed, I don’t think that I can if I try, and I am sure I don’t want to try. I eat leaves and grass and hay. I can get to the leaves of the trees because I have such a long neck.

One day a lady came to see me here and she had some very nice green things on the top of her head, and I wanted to eat them as they looked so nice. So I bent my head and took a bite of them. But they were not at all nice, really, and the lady began to shout loudly. She thought I was going to eat her up. I heard afterwards that those things were the flowers on her hat and they were not real flowers at all. I don’t think people must have such things on their hats if they don’t want us to eat them. Of course I thought the lady had them for me, so I didn’t see why I couldn’t eat them. But I don’t think that lady will come near my cage again.

Are you asking me about my horns? We all have horns, both gentleman and lady giraffes, but they are always quite small. They are not very useful to us, for when we want to fight we use our feet — we can give very strong kicks with our feet if we like. But we don’t like to fight, we find that it’s much safer to run away — you see, we can run so fast that there are not many animals who can catch us.

Well, I must go now. Good-bye.

I was very happy to meet you.”

Frog is speaking to Bobby

“I’m a frog, a poor little creature. But there are grown-up people who run away as fast as they can if they see me. If you ask them why they are running away, they say, ‘Oh, there is a horrid, ugly frog there!’ This may be all very well, but as I am a frog I must say that I object to this. I think you will not like if people call you ‘horrid’ and ‘ugly’ all the days of your life. It’s not pleasant, I can tell you.

I remember my poor mother (who died when I was young) usually said, ‘My children, when you see anybody or anything that you think very ugly, don’t judge by appearances.

Well, life is not all honey when you are a frog.”