Page 1
'Twas the day before Zoo Day,
when all 'round the park,
the creatures felt restless and wished it were dark.
Zookeepers all scurried to get things prepared.
Flamingos stood antsy on one leg and stared.
Page 2
Soon the kids would arrive;
their cameras they'd bring.
The monkeys-they practiced to
dance and to sing. Kids like to
watch monkeys, and everyone
knows, that monkeys,
like children,
hang down from
their toes.
Page 3
The trainers begged llamas
to please be polite,
"Don't go around spitting.
It's just not all right!"
Giraffes used their blue tongues
to drink and to slurp.
"We might drool sometimes,
but we try not to burp."
Page 4
The rhinos were lazy and didn't roam far.
Did you know rhinos weigh as much as a car?
And the African meerkats watched from their dens,
while nibbling on bugs, huddled
close to their friends.
Page 5
When out in the swamp there arose such a shriek,
the toucans took cover and squawked with their beaks.
For a gator mistook a bee for a fly,
he opened his jaws but got stung in the eye.
Page 6
While out in the dirt,
naughty elephants rolled,
not listening at all
to what they'd been told.
They frolicked in mud to
cool down from the sun.
Their trunks became sprinklers
and soaked everyone.
Page 7
The lions just slept, not a care
to be found.
Their heads on their paws,
they nestled the ground.
When you're king of the jungle,
these things are okay.
So they sleep and they sleep
20 hours each day.
Page 8
Zebras stood griping, not happy at all.
Their black and white stripes had gotten quite dull.
They wished to be spotted, with big polka dots,
but zebras aren't meant to be covered with spots.
Page 9
Trainers coaxed turtles
gently out of their shells,
they cleaned up the doodoo
and rang mealtime bells.
The snakes shed their skin
while the geckos took cover.
The antelope grazed and
played with each other.
Page 10
With big wooly paws and eyes like the night,
the black bears look scary and cause a fright.
But they really like frolicking out in the sun.
It's true they roar loudly, but mostly for fun.
Page 11
With a flick of a hose and a soft, sturdy broom,
the elephants were bathed and looked shiny
and groomed. They knew they were ready for
tomorrow's zoo day, when the children would
come to point, watch, and play.
Page 12
Then the sun went down,
and the keepers went home,
and the animals stayed at the zoo on their own.
Some closed sleepy eyes, while others awoke.
Daddies shushed kids to sleep
while they whispered and joked.
Page 13
Then parents and babies
prepared for the rush,
as kids filtered out of
the yellow school bus.
And a mama gorilla
whispered in the light,
"It's Zoo Day my baby,
hold on to me tight."
