Daisy and the Trouble with Zoos
Read Daisy and the Trouble with Zoos Online
Authors: Kes Gray
Some Words About This Daisy Book
A nod and a wink toColchester Zoo
SOME WORDS ABOUT THIS DAISY BOOK
“Can we go again! Can we, can we, can we!”
An over-excited Daisy
“Who's she calling Fly Face?”A miffed lion
“I just DO NOT believe it!!”A cross Mum
“Sorry, but I was busting.”An embarrassed rhino
Chapter 1The
trouble with zoos
is they shouldn't say things they don't mean. Especially on seven-year-olds' birthdays. If zoos say things they don't mean on a seven-year-old's birthday, then anything can happen. Which is why what happened today DID happen. Which ISN'T my FAULT.
My mum says all the other seven-year-olds in the zoo knew what the zoo meant. Which is a lie. Because Gabby didn't understand what the zoo meant either and she's been seven for ages.
Dylan didn't even know! And he's as old as NINE!!!!!!!!!
Gabby and Dylan are my best friends, which is why Mum invited them to come to the zoo with me today. Going to the zoo was my special birthday treat!
The
trouble with special birthday treats
is they only happen once a year, which means they can make you a bit excited.
My mum says I hadn't got a BIT excited, I'd got OVERâOVER-excited. She says there's a big difference between being a bit excited and being overâover-excited, and that if I ever get overâover-excited like today again, then all my birthdays will be cancelled in future. Which means I'll be seven for ever.
Gabby and Dylan say that if my mum cancels all my birthdays, I can share some of theirs. Like for instance when Gabby has her next birthday, she gets half of it and I get the other half. That means, instead of Gabby being eight, she'll only go
up a half to seven and a half, but I'll go up a half to seven and a half too!
Dylan says that he wants to keep three quarters of his birthday. That means on his next birthday, instead of being ten, he doesn't mind being nine and three quarters instead, which is nearly ten anyway.
Dylan says giving someone a quarter of your birthday is still quite a lot, especially when someone else has already given you one of their halves too. Plus, Dylan says if I can find another person to give me
one of their quarters, then I'll be back to normal.
Except, the
trouble with me going back to normal
is it won't be right, because then I'll be going up in ones, Dylan will be going up in three quarters and Gabby will be going up in halves.
Which is less than me. Which really wouldn't be fair because I was the one that got overâover-excited at the zoo, not them.
Dylan says to make it fair, Gabby and him would need to find someone else to give them a half AND a quarter of their birthday!
BUT THAT adds up to three quarters of a birthday!!!
Dylan says that the
trouble with someone giving away three quarters of their birthday
is they'll only be getting a quarter older every year. Which really isn't very much at all.
Dylan is ever so good at maths. He's going to be a computer when he grows up.
Gabby isn't. Gabby hates adding up. And taking away. Gabby says sums make her brain shrink. The
trouble with your brain shrinking
is in the end it will turn into a pea.
Which is the worst thing in the world a brain could turn into.
Plus your head will start to rattle.
And you won't be able to tie your shoe laces.