ILLUSTRATIONS: LUCÍA ÁLVAREZ LÓPEZ.

TEXT: SONIA CASTILLO ROGEL

A thief in the zoo

The city zoo is a peaceful place. All the animals live in harmony and they all get on with each other. The hippo and the penguins are

friends. The lion and the zebra share common interests. The seals and the eagles greet every morning. The zoo keepers are kind and

happy to look after the animals.

On day the tiger woke up in anger ‘Where’s my golden collar?’ ‘I can’t find it!’ ‘Who has my beautiful collar?’ he roared.

The monkeys were frightened, the kangaroos couldn’t believe their eyes, and the zoo keepers were surprised to find the tiger without his

collar.

Is there a thief in the zoo? The alligator wondered.

‘Oh, no, It can’t be!’ cried the giraffe ‘This is a tragedy!’

Nobody had a good time that day. The lion didn’t speak with the zebra, the seals didn’t greet the eagles and the penguins looked down on

the hippos. At night, they all went to sleep, but they all had nightmares!

The following day, the camel let out a sad cry:

‘Where is the silver chain that holds the blanket round my hoop?’ ‘I can’t find it! Who has got my beautiful chain?’

The rhinos were suspicious; the ferrets couldn’t believe their ears! All the zoo keepers were worried to find the camel without her chain.

There must be a thief in the zoo, the alligator said.

‘Oh, no, It can’t be!’ cried the giraffe ‘This is a tragedy!’

‘We must do something’ said the snake ‘we must find the thief.’

‘We must be on guard day and night’ said the koala.

‘I’ll do the day shift’ offered the bear.

‘I’ll do the night one’ agreed the owl.

So all the animals felt a bit safer. The bear didn’t see anything during the day, so she went to sleep, and the owl flew over the zoo all

night long. Just at dawn, he went to sleep, sure that the thief wasn’t there.

On the third day, everybody saw the ostrich sobbing. ‘Where is my silver necklace?’ I can’t find it! Who has my beautiful necklace?

‘Nobody came during the day’ said the bear.

‘I didn’t see anyone at night’ the owl said.

Suddenly the robin came and said:

‘I saw something at dawn’

Everybody kept silence.

‘I saw a magpie with something in its beak’

‘Oh no, a magpie’ said the bear, And where is it?’

‘She’s hidden in its nest’ said the robin ‘in that chestnut tree.’

‘I’ll go and see’ offered the owl ‘Would you come with me?’

‘Yes, of course’, said the robin.

Five minutes later everybody was happy, as the owl and the robin found all the missing things inside the nest. The evil magpie was

arrested and evicted from the zoo, and everybody lived happily ever after.