The best thing about the zoo

Sam and Tom were best of friends,

Always thick as thieves.

Outside they'd play. Well Tom would sit

Whilst Sam kicked through the leaves.

Tom prefers to be indoors

Playing with his toys.

He loves his Lego pirate ship

And shouting "land ahoy!"

In the garden Sam would search for bumblebees and slugs,

But there were things he’d rather find than teeny tiny bugs.

He’d love to spot great jungle cats or monkeys in the trees,

Penguins in the Arctic, and Great White Sharks in the seas.

Sam knew about these animals by researching in books.

He’d carefully turn the pages, and closely take a look.

The books helped him imagine a new world far far away,

In Amazonian rainforests and scorching desert plains.

So one morning when Tom said,

“It's our trip to the zoo!”

Sam rubbed his eyes, jumped up and cried,

"I love the zoo, Yahooooo!"

Sam and Tom arrived at school

Both keen to board the bus.

They climbed on board and set off

Without making a fuss.

Some children would shout and laugh,

Others still would sing.

The two boys sat and played top trumps

Both competing to win.

As they approached the entrance

Of the zoo for their school trip,

The boys put all their things away

And took one final sip.

Mrs Plum explained the rules

As they walked into the zoo.

Don't touch. Don't shout but be polite

And walk round two by two.

Tom was feeling anxious

And held on tight to Sam.

But Sam was so excited,

As giddy as a Lamb.

Something caught Sam's eye within a massive dusty cloud.

Some creatures stomping in the water, roaming in a crowd.

The animals played in the mud and then coated their backs.

When drenched in dirt they trumpeted and started making tracks.

Trying to find food they searched around them, high and low,

Looking in the trees above and bushes down below.

“I know what these are!” Sam shouted when he looked ahead.

He cried with joy, jumped up and then he turned to Tom and said

“Th ...Th... These animals are elephants!” He stuttered through the tears.

“And African, not Indian! You can tell by their ears!”

Sam crept towards the next cage but it had a different feel,

As he gazed around he saw a Lion laying very still.

Sam could see that Tom was nervous so he held Tom's hand.

Tom squeezed back even tighter as they stepped towards the sand.

Whilst looking at the Lion, Tom chose to slowly creep.

He felt it would be dangerous to interrupt it’s sleep.

The claws were hidden in the paws, wrapped in golden fur.

It lay there almost motionless, breathing with a purr.

“It looks like a pet cat,” Sam thought, “Cuddly, soft and sweet!”

“I don’t think it will be so peaceful when it wants to eat.”

The Lion’s ears pricked up and then it slowly flexed sharp claws,

Showing off great pointed teeth and letting out a ROAR!!

Hurrying, Sam ran towards the ‘Scaly Reptile Zone’,

Where he saw a creepy python, slithering alone.

Coiling it’s thick body, it wrapped around a tree,

Using a forked tongue to lick it’s lips suspiciously.

Tom was scared of snakes but he still bravely tagged along

He gasped when he found out that it was over 10 feet long!

To comfort Tom, Sam said to him “don’t worry, it’s okay!” 

“This snake isn’t hungry. He has had his lunch today.”

Sam likes snakes and reptiles but he said to Tom “let’s go!”

He knew that Tom was nervous and they’d missed the feeding show.

So they carried on their journey, past the birds and bats,

Marvelling at monkeys, and curious meerkats.

Both Sam and Tom stopped suddenly, when they heard a noise.

A zookeeper was calling out “Come on girls and boys!

Come into the ‘Ice Kingdom’, to see the penguin show.

You have to see them slide and dive before it’s time to go!”

This time it was Tom that simply could not wait to see

The penguins skidding on the ice and gliding gracefully.

It was like a contest for them racing one by one,

To make it to the water, diving in for fun.

Tom got picked by a zookeeper to feed the penguins fish.

Slippery and smelly but it was their favourite dish.

He picked a fish and held it out before his very eyes.

The penguin snatched the fish at speed, which took him by surprise.

At that moment poor Tom slipped and then, quick as a flash,

He plunged into the pool below with an almighty splash!

After he was rescued, Sam helped to dry Tom down.

Shivering and shaking, Tom wore a sheepish frown.

Tom felt so much better when he got a nice warm drink.

It warmed his hands and body as he stopped to sip and think.

The Sun had helped to dry him out and make him feel less chilly,

But even that was not enough to stop him feeling silly.

Mrs Plum told everyone that it was time to go,

Now that Tom was dried out, from his eyebrows to his toes.

They walked past the animals with wings, claws, trunks and tails.

But Sam made sure he didn’t take Tom past the ones with scales.

 “It’s been fun” said Sam, as they went searching for the bus

“I wonder if the animals liked seeing all of us”

“What’s best about the zoo?” Asked Tom, as he dragged his heels

With tongue in cheek Sam said "watching the penguins have their meals"

Sam could see by Tom's wry smile that he'd enjoyed it too,

Even though the snakes were scary and his toes were blue.

And Sam said...

“When we saw the lions sleep and huge elephants walking,

It felt like being in Africa, on safari, stalking.

And when we saw the long python that scared you with it’s slither

I imagined that we’d sailed along a jungle river.

And don’t forget the penguins, which loved to swim and slide.

I closed my eyes and dreamed about an Arctic dog-sled ride.

But if there was one thing that I liked most about the zoo,

I’d really have to say Tom, It was sharing it with you.”