The Mixed-Up Zoo

Today Abby Smith is very excited. She will turn ten tomorrow. Abby is a young girl with brown hair, blue-grey eyes, and has a bright smile. She is very smart, pretty, and likes to read mystery and adventure stories. Whenever she can, Abby will play with animals. In fact, she is very fond of them.

"Mom," said Abby, "I have decided where I want to go for my birthday. May we go to the zoo?"

Splish, splash, screech, slam. Abby's seven-year-old brother walked in the house. He just came home from fishing in the neighborhood pond.

"Go and change your clothes, Shawn," said Mom.

Abby heard his bedroom door close, then asked her mother again, "May we please go to the zoo for my birthday?"

"I thought you said you wanted to go to the circus," Mrs. Smith answered.

"W-well I changed my mind, I would rather see the animals at the zoo."

While they were talking, Abby's mother was fixing dinner. "Shawn come down here and set the table," said Mrs. Smith.

When Shawn finished setting the table, they all sat down, said grace, and ate dinner.

The next morning they left for the zoo. Shawn decided he would rather try fishing again instead of visiting the zoo.

When they arrived at the zoo, Abby noticed the gates where light green with peeling paint chips. She was very excited and could not wait to enter and give the man her ticket.

The place Abby wanted to visit first was the monkey exhibit. At the monkey cage Abby noticed something strange. The zoo sign said MONKEYS, however, to their surprise they saw an elephant swinging inside the cage! Abby and her mother looked at each other and said, "Wow, how can this be!"

Next, they walked along to the wild cat exhibits. In the lion's cage they noticed an ostrich and her eggs! In the panther's cage were the missing monkeys playing in the water pool! In the tiger's cage, Abby and her mother discovered a grizzly bear sleeping!

Abby cried, "What a mixed-up day at the zoo!"

Abby and her mother continued on the path to see the hippo in the water hole. Harry the hippo was wearing extra large boots! When Abby and her mother saw this they fell down in laughter.

"It's lunch time," said Mom.

As they approached the picnic tables to eat, they saw zebras eating hot dogs.

"I wonder what is in the zebra's cage?" thought Abby out loud.

"Let's find out after we eat. This sure is a mixed-up day at the zoo!" exclaimed Mom.

On the way to the zebra's cage, Abby could hear something screaming, "Help, help, help!" Mrs. Smith thought someone was in great danger. They both looked up at a nearby tree and saw a brightly colored peacock. As they walked away from the tree, they thought the peacock said, "Mix-up day, mix-up day."

"You can say that again," shouted Mom.

"It's getting late," said Mother. "Shawn will be expecting us soon."

"What a mixed-up day at the zoo, Mom. Will Shawn ever believe our story?"

When Abby and her mother left the zoo, they read a sign that said:

"We apologize for our mixed-up day. Someone switched our animals in the night. Please come again."

Jaclyn Gregory was born and raised in Florida. She is in the 5th grade and is 9 years old. Jaclyn lives with her two sisters and younger brother. Her hobbies include swimming, crafts, scouting, and her favorite--reading. This is her second published book and you can expect many more from her.

©1994 Gregory Publishing House. Reprinted with permission.