All summer, the kiddobeans have been obsessed with the zoo. We have a season pass to Brookfield Zoo, northern IL's premier zoological destination, and trips have been frequent and varied. We have explored every inch of the place. I can find the quickest way to the giraffe enclosure from the dolphin underwater-viewing-tank without breaking a sweat.
Zoo obsession has led to hours of amusing play time. They play lions, they play bears, they play elephants, they play vet, they play zookeeper. It's great because Little Buddy, who just turned one year old, can jump right in and play, too. I guess you could even say that his first word was "ROAR". Last weekend Little Man took "playing zoo" to a whole new level when he spent all morning insisting he was the zookeeper taking care of the poor little lost baby lion. The role of baby lion was (unknowingly) portrayed by a crawling (and occassionally roaring) Little Buddy. It was so funny to watch Little Man shooing Little Buddy from room to room, pretending to lock his "cage" with a spare set of keys, grooming him, and providing him with food and water. I was inspired by the humor and decided to write a children's book about it. Here it is, for the first time in wide release. Comments would be appreciated!
My Brother Belongs in the Zoo
My Mommy brought a baby home,
I can tell it's a mistake.
It was a silly little slip
For Mom and Dad to make.
I want him back where he belongs
It's all for his own sake.
Once I explain it all to you
You'll
see that he belongs in the zoo.
He's like a little animal,
He cuddles in a ball.
Like a tiny golden tamarin
He's really far too small.
He can't keep up with this big boy.
(I'm very strong and tall).
There's nothing much that he can do
So I'm sure that he belongs in the zoo.
His bed has bars along the front.
He's happiest in there.
I think that he'd be happier still
If bars were everywhere.
I'm really thinking just of him.
I'm only being fair.
I'm sure he would enjoy the view
If only he were in the zoo.
He makes a lot of noises,
A cry, a scream, a roar.
Like lions, tigers, elephants,
A bear or wild boar.
He shouldn't be here in the house
He's making my ears sore.
Because of the constant hullabaloo
I think that he belongs in the zoo.
Did you know that many animals
Stay awake all night?
Well, that's just how my brother is.
He sleeps while it is light.
And then, as soon as darkness comes
He screams with all his might.
Since he's nocturnal, it's clearly true
Like a hairy-nosed wombat, he belongs in the zoo.
He chews on everything he sees,
My shoes, my clothes, my toys.
Why can't he simply wear the clothes
And play like other boys?
He's like some sort of wild beast
What he touches, he destroys.
Just look! He drooled on my shoe!
I think he needs to be in the zoo.
My brother's diapers smell so bad
I have to hold my nose.
It's just like at the monkey house
And so I must propose
That zookeepers clean out his cage
Twice daily with a hose.
He'd have a private cleaning crew
To control the smell of his home in the zoo.
He'd surely have a trainer
To teach him tricks, and so...
Maybe I could train him.
I'd teach him all I know.
And then, just like the dolphins
We could have a “Baby Show”!
We'd be the best team that you ever knew.
We'd be the STARS when you visit the zoo.
It might be sad to leave him
After training him all day.
And he might cry if he's alone.
He might want me to stay.
I think I'd have to live with him.
To make sure that he's ok.
So, if my brother belongs in the zoo...
I guess I'd better live there too!!
What a wonderful story! Very sweet, and it made me laugh many times, too. The rhyming works very well -- send it to the publishers!
Posted by: Kid | August 07, 2009 at 10:22 AM