Lions Do Not Eat Worms!

Larry, the lion, lived in a cave. In the winter it was cold and dark and damp. In the summer, when
it was warm, the cave was still dark, but it was not cold and it was not damp. Larry lay asleep in
his cave in the winter. He didnt like the snow or the cold wind. In the summer, Larry came out of
his cave and felt the warm sun on his fur. I like summer. I like it when it is warm and I can see
the sun. I like the green grass too.
Larry lay in the grass out in the sun. One day he saw a bee fly past. Bee, where are you going?
The bee buzzed and landed on Larrys nose. I am going to find a poppy. I want to eat some pollen
and nectar.
Can I come with you? Larry asked. Id like to find a poppy too. Do you think I can eat nectar
and pollen?
Lions do not eat nectar! Lions do not eat pollen! Lions eat other things, the bee said. So long,
Larry, and the bee flew away.
Larry let out a yawn. Just then a bird flew past. Hi bird, Larry said. Where are you going?
Im going to find a worm to eat. I love to eat worms, the bird said.

Can I come with you and eat a worm too?

Lions do not eat worms. Lions eat other things, the bird said. Im off. So long, Larry. And it
flew away.
Larry let out a yawn. I cant eat worms and I cant eat pollen and nectar. When a bug ran past,
Larry said, Hello, bug. Where are you going?
The bug stopped and said, I am going to find a leaf and eat it. I want a green leaf. It is summer.
Can I come with you and eat a leaf too? Larry asked.
No, do not be so silly. Lions do not eat leaves. Lions eat other things. I must go, the bug said
and ran into a bush.
Larry let out a yawn. I cant eat worms, I cant eat pollen, and I cant eat nectar or a leaf. What
can I eat?
Just then a tiger ran by. Stop, tiger. Where are you going? Larry asked.
The tiger stopped. I am going to eat. I saw a zebra and I am going to eat it.
Larry said, What? You cannot eat a zebra!
Oh yes I can, said the tiger and it ran off.
Larry let out a yawn. I am not going to eat a zebra. If I cant eat worms and I cant eat pollen,
nectar or a leaf, then I will eat a fish. He went down to the pond and saw a fish jump out of the
water. He put his paw in the water and pulled out a fish. I will eat a fish. It is summer and I will
eat a lot of fish. From then on Larry ate nothing but fish. He didnt eat worms. He didnt eat
pollen or nectar or zebras. He lay in the sun out in the grass and was warm and ate fish.

Bears like honey, but not bees!

Bruce was a big bear that lived in the Highlands of Scotland. He was covered
with dark brown hair, had four large paws, a wet nose on the end of his snout,
and hazelnut colored eyes. Bruce spent most of his time in his cave, coming out
only when he was hungry. He was a rather lazy bear. Hed rather sleep than do
anything else.
One morning as he was curled up in a ball, trying to nap, he heard the rain
pouring down outside. The rain coming down reminded him that he was hungry
so he stood up, stretched, and walked to the entrance to the cave. He looked at
the rain. It was plopping and splashing in puddles on the ground, making a
muddy mess. He walked out and soon his hair was dripping wet. He started
shivering.
Bruce headed for the pine forest. The trees were so tall and there were so many
of them that not too much rain reached him. He pushed his way past the lowhanging branches, the soft pine needles brushing against his thick fur. He
looked around on the ground, searching for something to eat. He would be
happy if he could find some nuts or berries to nibble.
Up ahead he saw something hanging from a tree. He moved. It was a beehive.
Dozens of bees were flying around it. Bruce could hear their buzzing sounds as
their wings flapped quickly up and down. "Honey," he said, smiling. "I love
honey."

He stood underneath the beehive trying to figure out how to get the honey

without being stung. He knew that the bees gathered nectar and pollen from
heather flowers; tiny little purple bells that were fragrant and swayed in the
breeze. He loved heather honey.
He picked up a big stick and started hitting the beehive with it. The bees started
flying around, confused and angry. When they saw Bruce swinging the stick,
they gathered in a swarm and headed for him. Bruce saw the bees coming
towards him and knew they were out to sting him. He dropped the stick and
started running through the pines. Now and then he turned to look back at the
bees, which were getting closer and closer to him.
He thought of climbing a tree, but bees can fly and would be able to reach him,
so he didnt do that. As he ran past some fallen tree trunks that were hollowed
out, he thought of climbing inside and hiding, but he knew the bees would find
him. He didnt want to be stung.
Bruce didnt know what to do. Where could he hide from the bees? He saw a
loch in the distance. It was deep and the water looked dark and black. He ran as
fast as he could and jumped. He landed with a big SPLASH in the water.
Brrrrrr, it was freezing cold. He let himself float up to the surface and saw the
bees coming right towards him. He ducked back under water after taking a deep
breath. He knew he couldnt hold it for very long and then hed have to take
another breath. The bees would be waiting for him.
Bruce started swimming another direction. He stopped when he got to the shore
and stuck just the top of his head out of the water. The bees were still circling
around the place where he had gone under. He crawled out and snuck into the
forest. Knowing the bees were nowhere around, he went back to their beehive,
knocked it down with the big stick and carried it back to his cave.
All afternoon and evening Bruce feasted on heather honey. It was delicious and
tasted just like heather. He was feeling quite smart because hed outwitted the
bees. He knew that next time, hed have to come up with a new way to get the
honey, but this time he just sat back and enjoyed it.

A Rose by any other name

From the moment she was born, Roses mother had taught her little daughter to
be different from all the other skunks that lived in the woods. She bathed her in
fragrant rose water, put her to bed on soft rose petals and fed her mashed rose
hips sprinkled with fresh rosemary. She didnt want her to be stinky like all the
other skunks, which ate things like skunk cabbage, stinkweed and stinkbugs.
She wanted her little Rose to be sweet.
When Rose grew up she was still very different from all the other skunks. She
still bathed in rosewater, slept on a bed of pink rose petals and ate only the
finest rosehips. She drank sparkling rose water from rose-colored glasses. Her
furniture was made of rosewood and she had a beautiful rose garden just outside
her back door. Everything she did, smelled, and tasted was like roses, even her
toothpaste, shampoo and deodorant.
Never would she spray, unless the spray was from a bottle labeled Rose
Perfume. The other skunks were always spraying their foul odor for any old
reason, so it seemed to Rose.

One day, Rose went out into her garden to pick some fresh rose hips. She was
just about to reach for one when she heard a loud roar. She stopped for a
moment to listen, but when she didnt hear anything else she continued picking.
Another loud roar came from somewhere behind her in the distance. What was
that? What was making that noise? Rose wondered what it was. Not hearing
another roar for a while, she soon stopped thinking about it and picked a few
more rose hips, putting them into the basket shed taken out with her.
Then she heard a noise coming from behind her and slowly turned around.
There, before her, stood a big striped hyena. It let out a loud roar that blew
Roses tail back and forth. She reached into the pocket of her rose-patterned
apron and pulled out a bottle of rose-scented perfume. She aimed it at the hyena
and sprayed. The hyena sniffed the air and began to laugh at Rose. He laughed
and laughed. Rose got very angry and sprayed him again. He only laughed
harder.
After a while, the hyena stopped. He hit the bottle of perfume out of Roses
hand and knocked the basket of rose hips over. Rose began to get scared. The
hyena wasnt laughing anymore. It was angry and growled at her. She didnt
know what to do. The hyena moved closer and closer to her. Rose grabbed her
tail and sprayed the hyena. This time he didnt laugh. He let out a loud scream
and ran off into the woods.
Rose could smell the foul odor all around her. She didnt like it. She grabbed
the perfume bottle and sprayed, and sprayed, and sprayed, until the whole bottle
of rose perfume was gone. She gathered her basket of rose hips and went home.
That night, as she lay in the bathtub, soaking in bubbly rose water, she thought
about how much she still loved roses, but maybe from then on shed eat a
stinkbug or two once in a while, just in case!

The Elephant, the Camel, the Goat and the Peacock

The hot summer sun beat down on the village. Crowds of people jammed into
the market place, adding to the misery and heat. Four animals were tied with
ropes to small wooden sticks that had been pounded into the sand. A large sign,
reading Animals For Sale was nailed to one of the sticks.
"Ill be the first one to go," the elephant said. "Im strong. I can carry things. I
can give rides and I can do tricks."
"Youre wrong. Ill be the first one bought. I can sing. I am beautiful. Look at
my colored feathers! They are a prized possession, wanted by many for
decorations," the peacock boasted.
"You are both wrong. It shall be I who goes first. I can give milk for cheese. My
hair, though rough, can be used for making Bedouin tents," the goat chimed in.
He turned and looked at the camel. "Nobody will buy you," he scoffed. "You
are ugly. You bite, spit and kick. You have a big hump and smell. You will still
be tied to the stick, sweltering in the hot sun long after the three of us have been
sold."
The camel didnt say a word. He stood munching on some hay.
As the hours passed, more and more people came to the marketplace. The sun
seemed to get hotter and hotter as it made its way higher into the sky. "I could
use a drink of cool, refreshing water," the elephant complained. He was
sweating and feeling very thirsty.
"I need a drink of water also," the peacock added. Its feathers were beginning to
sag from the heat.
"If it gets much hotter, Ill die of thirst," the goat said. He was covered with so
much hair that he felt more miserable than the other three animals.
The camel didnt say a word. He stood munching on some hay.
A group of men walked up to the animals. They were wearing bright-colored
robes that hung to the ground. Each wore a scarf that was tied around their
heads. "I think I shall buy this elephant. It can carry a heavy load," Ahmed said.

The elephant beamed with pride and smiled at the peacock, goat and camel.
Ahmed petted the elephants strong legs and trunk.
"The elephant is a strong animal, but it will not do well crossing the hot, desert
sands," Rashid replied.
Ahmed rubbed his chin in thought. "You are right, Rashid," Ahmed said and
walked over to the well to get a drink of water.
"I think I shall buy the peacock. It can sing me to sleep at night while we are
traveling by caravan across Arabia," Ali said. He knelt down and looked at the
peacocks beautiful feathers.
The peacock smiled at the elephant, goat and camel. "The peacock does sing
and it is a beautiful bird, but it could never endure the desert heat," Rashid said.
Ali rubbed his chin in thought. "You are right, Rashid," Ali said and walked into
the marketplace to buy some pistachios.
"I think I will buy this goat. It can give milk for cheese and I can use its coarse
hair for my tent," Khalil said. The goat smiled at the elephant, peacock and
camel.
"The goat does give milk. You could make wonderful cheeses and butter. You
can use its coarse hair for your tent, but it cant walk fast enough or long
enough to be in a caravan," Rashid pointed out.
Khalil rubbed his chin in thought. "You are right, Rashid," Khalil said. He
walked away and bought some fine silks instead.
"I am going to buy this camel," Rashid said. He petted the camels neck. "You
also give milk. Your hair can be used to make a tent; you can carry heavy loads,
such as spices, frankincense, and precious silks. You can go for days without
drinking and can walk for a week without getting tired. You arent huge like the
elephant, nor are you as beautiful as the peacock. You cant sing at all, but you
are the best animal of the four. I will buy you," Rashid said. He paid the man
and walked away with his purchase.
The camel turned and smiled at the elephant, peacock and goat, who stood
sweltering in the hot summer sun.