The Talkative Tiger Read online

  “Goo! Goo! Goo!” he cried. Goo was his name for Great-Uncle Horace.

  Kiki gave a happy squawk and flew down to join them.

  “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen – and macaws and mouse lemurs,” chuckled Great-Uncle Horace. “Welcome to the Endangered Habitat Day. Today I would like to tell you all about tigers. The first thing you should know about tigers is that they love to eat. A fully-grown tiger will eat around five kilograms of meat a day.” Great-Uncle Horace grinned. “That’s around forty hamburgers!”

  “Wow!” gasped Zoe.

  “I wish I was a tiger and could eat all that food,” sighed Meep.

  “But when they live in the wild a tiger can go for up to two weeks without eating a thing,” continued Great-Uncle Horace.

  “I don’t think I’d like to be a tiger after all,” muttered Meep.

  Great-Uncle Horace went on to talk about Teddy and why he’d needed to rescue him. Listening to how so many tigers had lost their homes made Zoe even more determined to do a good job with her talk. She wondered how the little cub was getting on. Hopefully he’d let the other animals sleep last night!

  Great-Uncle Horace finished his talk. Zoe cheered, Meep clapped his paws and Kiki flapped her wings.

  “Thank you very much!” he said as he came down from the stage to join them. “I hope my audience tomorrow are just as pleased.”

  “It was great,” replied Zoe.

  “How are you feeling about your talk?” asked Great-Uncle Horace. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes,” replied Zoe, but as she looked at the rows of chairs her tummy began to flutter again. She decided to go and see Teddy to take her mind off it.

  When Zoe and Meep got back into the zoo a crowd of people had gathered outside the monkey enclosure. They were all pointing and staring up into the trees.

  “Why are the monkeys moving so slowly?” a little boy asked his mum.

  Zoe peered inside the enclosure. A spider monkey called Mickey was crawling as slowly as a snail along the ground. Above him a howler monkey called Harry hung from a branch of a tree giving an enormous yawn.

  “Why aren’t the monkeys running about?” asked Meep, pressing his face to the enclosure fence.

  “I don’t know. They look really tired.”

  “Uh-oh,” said Meep.

  “Hi Mickey, are you OK?” Zoe said to the spider monkey.

  Mickey trudged over. His tail was drooping between his legs.

  “What’s wrong?” whispered Zoe. “Why do you all look so tired?”

  Mickey gave a weary grunt.

  “Oh dear,” said Zoe.

  “What is it?” asked Meep.

  “Teddy spent all of last night talking about the moon and stars again.”

  Mickey grunted again.

  “And talking about all the people who came to visit him during the day,” Zoe continued. “I’m so sorry you’re so tired,” she said to Mickey. “I’ll go and have another talk with him.”

  As they hurried over to Teddy’s enclosure Zoe noticed that Bertie the elephant was standing with his eyes closed, snoring softly. “Oh dear,” she said. “It looks like he kept Bertie awake too.”

  Teddy didn’t seem tired at all. As soon Zoe let herself into his enclosure he came bounding over, chattering excitedly.

  “It’s lovely to see you too,” replied Zoe as Teddy leapt into her lap. “But the other animals are all really tired again from you talking last night.”

  Teddy gave a sad little yelp.

  “It’s wonderful that you find it so exciting living here,” said Zoe, “but is there any way you can stop getting so excited at night-time?”

  Teddy yelped again and patted his head with his paw.

  “My head gets full of thoughts sometimes too,” replied Zoe. She thought of the night before when her head had been full of thoughts about her talk. If Lucy hadn’t told her a bedtime story, Zoe probably wouldn’t have slept at all. Then she had a brilliant idea. “Don’t worry, Teddy, I think I know how I can help.” She gave him a quick cuddle then picked up Meep. “I’ll be back later.”

  That evening, when the zoo was closed and all the visitors had gone home, Zoe set off back to Teddy. A round silver moon was shining and the sky was full of stars. Zoe was wearing her cosiest pyjamas and slippers and holding a sleeping bag. Meep skipped ahead of her along the winding footpath.

  “We’re having a sleepover!” he chattered excitedly.

  Zoe giggled. She was excited too. She always loved having sleepovers with her friends but tonight she was having a sleepover with some animals! When she got to Bertie’s enclosure the little elephant trumpeted in surprise.

  “I’m coming to stay the night with you!” replied Zoe.

  Mickey the spider monkey swung through the trees over to the fence, chattering down to Zoe.

  “I’ve thought of a way to help you all get a good night’s sleep,” called Zoe.

  Mickey gave a happy shriek. Over in the sea otters’ enclosure Nina, Alex, and Sasha splashed the water with excitement.

  Zoe went over to a tent by Teddy’s enclosure. Lucy had set it up earlier after Zoe had asked if she could stay the night with Teddy to help him settle in. Lucy had also promised to come and check in on Zoe and Meep every couple of hours, just in case they needed anything. Teddy came scampering over to the fence, chattering away about all the zoo visitors he’d seen. Then he remembered that he wasn’t supposed to be talking and gave a sad yowl.

  “It’s OK, Teddy,” said Zoe. “I know how to get your thoughts out of your head without keeping everyone awake.”

  Teddy looked at her hopefully.

  “I’m going to show you how to turn them into a bedtime story,” said Zoe. “That way, you’ll get them out of your head and help the other animals fall asleep.”

  Bertie gave an excited trumpet, the monkeys squealed and the sea otters splashed about joyfully. Meep ran between each of the enclosures, his long tail bobbing up and down.

  “We’re having a story! We’re having a story!” he exclaimed.

  Teddy yelped at Zoe.

  “Don’t worry, all you have to do is tell me your thoughts and I’ll turn them into a story,” replied Zoe. She sat on her pillow just outside the tent. “Settle down everyone, it’s time for your bedtime story.”

  Meep scampered into the tent and lay down.

  Teddy started to chatter quietly, telling Zoe what he’d seen that day.

  “Once upon a time, there was a very neat and tidy man, with very shiny shoes,” began Zoe. She giggled. “I think he’s talking about Mr Pinch!” she whispered to Meep.

  Teddy continued to chatter.

  “One day, the man with the shiny shoes went on an adventure all the way to a place called India,” said Zoe.

  Bertie gave a contented sigh and lay down on his side.

  Teddy continued telling Zoe his thoughts.

  “When he arrived in India the man with the shiny shoes went to a forest in a place called Bengal. There were bad men in the forest,” said Zoe. “They wanted to chop down the trees to build farms on the land.”

  Over in the monkey enclosure, there was the rustle of leaves. Zoe looked up and saw that the monkeys were settling into the trees, getting ready to go to sleep.

  Teddy paced up and down, still telling Zoe his thoughts.

  “But the man with the shiny shoes was very brave,” continued Zoe. “He told the men they couldn’t have the land and he made them go away.”

  Over in the sea otters’ enclosure the sound of splashing quietened, and Zoe could see Nina, Alex and Sasha floating on their backs in the moonlight. Teddy yawned and gave a quiet little growl.

  “The tigers were so happy that the man with the shiny shoes had saved them they made him their king,” said Zoe. She couldn’t help grinning as she thought of Mr Pinch being king of the tigers. “They gave him a shiny golden crown and a long velvet cloak. And they called him King Pinch.” Zoe waited for Teddy to tell her some more of his thoughts, but the
little tiger was silent. She looked over to his enclosure and saw him curled in a ball, fast asleep! Zoe tiptoed over to Bertie’s enclosure. The little elephant was fast asleep too. And so were the monkeys, and the sea otters.

  “My plan worked!” whispered Zoe, as she went back to the tent. But Meep was fast asleep too! Zoe snuggled inside her sleeping bag and gave a contented smile.

  When Zoe woke the next morning, she poked her head out of the tent and looked around. She really hoped the animals had slept well! Over in the elephant enclosure Bertie was using his trunk to give himself a wash. The monkeys were shrieking happily and swinging through the trees and the sea otters were splashing around in their pool. Zoe grinned. They all looked as if they’d had a good night’s sleep. Meep sat up and rubbed his eyes.

  “Is it morning?” he asked.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “But I didn’t hear Teddy talking.”

  “That’s because he fell asleep.” Zoe got out of the tent and looked into Teddy’s enclosure. The little cub was still curled up, fast asleep.

  “He must have been tired out after all the talking he’s been doing,” giggled Zoe.

  Just then Jess arrived to feed the sea otters their breakfast.

  “Good morning, Zoe,” she called. “How was your sleepover?”

  “It was great,” replied Zoe.

  “Nina, Alex and Sasha seem to have enjoyed it too,” smiled Jess. “They seem very happy!”

  Zoe grinned. If only Jess knew the real reason! While Jess was feeding the sea otters Zoe went over to say good morning to Bertie.

  As soon as Bertie saw her he trumpeted joyfully.

  “I’m so happy my story helped you sleep well,” said Zoe.

  Mickey the spider monkey scampered over to the fence of his enclosure, chattering happily.

  “You’re very welcome,” replied Zoe.

  Just then Teddy woke up and came running over to the fence.

  “Good morning, Teddy,” called Zoe.

  Teddy yelped happily.

  Bertie gave a worried grunt.

  “No, I won’t be able to sleep here every night,” said Zoe.

  Mickey’s tail dropped and he gave an anxious squeak.

  “Don’t worry,” said Zoe. “I know how to stop Teddy talking at night – without me needing to sleep over.” She went to Teddy’s enclosure and let herself in with her pendant. The little cub came bounding over, chattering excitedly.

  “I’m really glad you enjoyed my story,” said Zoe. “You helped the other animals to sleep too.” She sat down and Teddy leapt into her lap. “I have a plan. Tonight, when I’m not here, I want you to make all of your thoughts into a story inside your head.”

  Teddy yelped.

  “No, don’t tell the story at night, tell it to me in the morning. Then I’ll tell the story to the other animals tomorrow evening before I go back home and you’ll all be able to sleep.”

  Teddy chattered happily and when the other animals heard Zoe’s plan, they were all really happy too.

  “Phew!” said Zoe as she packed up her sleeping bag and picked up Meep. That was one problem solved. But soon it would be time for Endangered Habitat Day and she would have to give her talk!

  Once Zoe had eaten breakfast and gotten dressed, she set off for Higgins Hill with Meep perched on her shoulder. It was another lovely sunny day and the zoo was bustling with visitors. Zoe knew that this was a very good thing. The more people who came to Endangered Habitat Day, the more money they would raise to help the animals. But the thought of having to get up and speak in front of so many people made her legs feel wobbly.

  When Zoe got to the hill people were crowding around the stalls, chatting to the keepers and looking at the animals. A lady was doing face-painting and lots of the children had stripes like Teddy’s on their faces. Sally, the manager of the café, had a stall too. She was selling cupcakes with stripy frosting.

  “Would you like a tiger cake, Zoe?” she called.

  Zoe shook her head. She was way too nervous to eat anything. She carried on walking around the displays until she found Great-Uncle Horace. He was standing in front of a giant map of the world. Kiki was perched on top of the map, squawking happily at the crowd.

  “Win a special prize if you can point to a country that tigers come from,” called Great-Uncle Horace.

  A little girl pointed to Africa.

  “I’m afraid tigers don’t come from any of the countries in Africa,” said Great-Uncle Horace. “But don’t worry, that’s a common mistake. Maybe my niece Zoe can help you?” he smiled at Zoe.

  “Of course.” Zoe went over to the girl and helped her find India on the map.

  “Congratulations!” cried Great-Uncle Horace and he gave the girl a cuddly tiger toy.

  Just then Mr Pinch arrived, muttering under his breath. “All these people everywhere, making the place look messy.”

  “Don’t worry, Mr Pinch,” said Great-Uncle Horace. “It’s time for us to give our talks. Maybe you could get everyone to sit in the chairs and then they’ll all look neat and tidy.”

  “Excellent!” exclaimed Mr Pinch. “Can everyone please take a seat,” he called to the crowd. “The talks are about to begin.”

  Zoe’s tummy churned. There were so many people that there weren’t enough seats and some of them had to stand!

  Great-Uncle Horace strode up on to the stage and Mark joined him with Teddy on a lead.

  Everyone clapped and cheered when they saw the little tiger cub. Teddy started happily chattering back at them.

  “Hello everyone, welcome to Endangered Habitat Day!” said Great-Uncle Horace. “I would now like to introduce you to our newest arrival at the zoo – if he’ll let me!” he chuckled as Teddy kept yelping excitedly. “This is Teddy, and he’s come all the way from Bengal in India,” continued Great-Uncle Horace. As he went on to tell the crowd his interesting tiger facts the words all blurred together in Zoe’s head. What if she forgot what to say? What if she messed up her talk? Meep scampered on to her shoulder. She couldn’t mess it up. Other mouse lemurs like Meep needed her help to keep their habitats safe.

  “But tigers like Teddy aren’t the only animals whose homes are endangered,” continued Great-Uncle Horace. “Many other animals are facing extinction because of this. One of those animals is the mouse lemur.

  Ladies and gentlemen, I would now like to welcome my great-niece Zoe to the stage. Zoe is going to tell you all about the endangered habitats of mouse lemurs like her special friend Meep.”

  As the audience clapped and cheered Zoe went on to the stage, her heart pounding.

  Zoe gazed out at the audience. Everyone had fallen silent and they were all staring up at her. Even Teddy wasn’t making a sound as they waited for her to speak.

  “Hello, everyone.” Zoe’s voice came out like a little mouse’s squeak.

  “I can’t hear you,” someone called.

  “Neither can I,” said another.

  Zoe remembered what Teddy had said about how to be brave. She stood up tall and puffed out her chest. “Hello, everyone.” Her voice was much clearer this time. But now her mind had gone completely blank. Zoe tried and tried but she couldn’t remember how her talk was meant to begin.

  Teddy let out an encouraging little yelp.

  “I wonder what that tiger just said,” said a little boy in the front row.

  Zoe knew exactly what Teddy was saying. He was wishing her good luck with her story. But Zoe wasn’t telling a story, she was supposed to be giving a talk. Unless… She remembered how well the animals had listened last night when she told them a story. Maybe she could do the same now. She had to say something.

  “Once upon a time,” she began. “There was a little mouse lemur named Meep.”

  Meep hopped down from her shoulder and scampered to the front of the stage. The audience cheered. Seeing their smiling faces made Zoe feel braver. “Meep lived on an island near Africa called Madagascar,” continued Zoe. “It was a beautiful island, full
of unusual plants and wildlife that can’t be found anywhere else on earth.”

  Meep stood on his hind legs proudly.

  “Meep and the other mouse lemurs lived in a forest in Madagascar and they loved having fun and climbing trees,” said Zoe.

  Meep chattered excitedly and scampered up on to Zoe’s shoulder as if he was climbing a tree.

  “Meep and his family lived in a cosy hole inside one of the trees,” continued Zoe. “His friends lived in other trees nearby and they loved to play together and go on a hunt for food.”

  At the mention of food, Meep ran in a circle chasing his tail. The audience started to laugh and clap.

  “But then something really sad happened…” Zoe continued. The audience fell totally silent. Even Mr Pinch looked really interested. “Some men came to the forest and they started cutting down the trees.”

  “Oh no!” gasped a little girl. Meep pulled a sad face and his ears and tail drooped.

  “They didn’t stop chopping the trees until they’d all gone,” continued Zoe.

  “But why?” called the girl.

  “They wanted to make farms on the land,” explained Zoe. “So poor Meep lost his home.”

  “This is a really sad story,” said the little girl.

  “Don’t worry, it has a happy ending.” Zoe picked up Meep. “My Great-Uncle Horace flew to Madagascar in his hot air balloon and he rescued Meep and brought him back here.”

  “Hurray!” cheered the girl. Meep clapped his paws together.

  “But there are lots of mouse lemurs just like Meep who might not be so lucky,” said Zoe. “Unless we do something to help.”

  “Mum, can we do something to help?” cried the little girl. Her mum nodded.

  “I want to help too,” called a boy.