How Zebras Got Their Stripes

by Ally Keating

Once long, long ago deep in the heart of Africa, there

was a herd of zebras. Back then, zebras were white. One day

a little trickery and curiosity changed all of that.

“Hey, Zebra,” said Lion “Do you want to go see the

pool of tar on the other side of the territory?”

“I have never been,” Zebra responded.

“Then let’s go, it is one of my

favorite spots,” Lion said. “Come

on hurry up!” Lion yelled as she

pounced up and ran off towards

the pool of tar. Little did Zebra

know that all of this was one big

trick. When Lion and Zebra got

there, Zebra was so tired she fell

asleep on the rock by the pool of

tar. As soon as Lion was sure

that Zebra was absolutely asleep she started to plot the trick

out.

While Zebra was asleep Lion was drawing up her plan in

the dirt. Lion was going to tell Zebra that one of her favorite

things to do was to go in the mango tree nearby and eat the

mangos right off the tree. Then she would tell Zebra the best

of all mangos grew at the end of the branches. Then Zebra

would go to the end of the branch and Lion would push her

off into the pool of tar.

“Yes, this is a perfect plan!” Lion said to herself, “Now

all I have to do is wake up Zebra then I will put my plan in

motion.” Lion prowled towards Zebra and woke her up.

“Zebra, I am so glad you are awake!” Lion said “I don’t

know about you but I am starving. Do you want to go up in

that mango tree and eat some mangos?”

“Sure, I need help getting up in the tree though.” replied

Zebra.

“That won’t be a problem for a big strong lion,” said Lion

As Lion was hoisting Zebra into the tree she started

plotting what she would do after she pushed Zebra off the

tree and into the tar. Then she started running all these

questions in her head. Who is going to be blamed? What is

Zebra going to tell the herd when they ask what happened?

Then Lion thought of it, she would go get the herd and tell

them that Zebra fell into the tar and if they all helped, they

could pull Zebra out of the tar.

“Yes, this was a perfectly wonderful plan!” Lion said to

himself. When Lion turned around Zebra had already fallen

into the tar. Zebra had already done half of the work! All

Lion had to do was get the herd and she would practically be

done! Lion went to go get the herd of zebras but she couldn’t

find them. By the time Lion got there, Zebra got out and

scraped all the tar off. Zebra had been in the tar so long that

the tar had left some residue and left stripes.

That is why zebras have stripes and why zebras run from

lions.

Why Deer Have Antlers

by Braden Holliday

Long ago there was a deer and a bobcat. They looked

exactly alike until Deer played a trick on Bobcat by ironing

his ears to make them strait and pointy. Bobcat wanted

revenge on Deer.

Deer was getting ready for a party until he forgot his

cake. He ran to the store. Meanwhile Bobcat put sticks and

spider webs in his house so Deer would get stuck and he

would look funny for his party. Later Deer finally got home.

He went straight into the sticks and got stuck. Bobcat

laughed so hard and Deer got so mad that he charged.

Bobcat stepped aside and deer hit a tree. The sticks got

stuck in Deer’s head

and stayed. That is

why deer have antlers.

Why Elephants Have Trunks

by Nia Dowling

In the beginning a long time ago there was only an

African jungle. The African jungle was made up of three

things, Elephant, the Animal Council, and Hippo. Elephant

had a short, stubby, cute nose. He was young and very proud,

and loved to brag about his nose. There was the Animal

Council to keep the jungle in check and that was made up of

the Lion leader, Lioness and Monkey. There was also

Hippo who was very jealous of Elephant and was determined

to make his nose long and ugly.

Hippo had a plan. To make sure he wasn’t going to be

blamed for what he was going to do to Elephant's nose he

waddled to the animal council. Hippo exchanged many words

with the council but from the start both Lioness and Monkey

disagreed. Finally Lion said, “You may go teach Elephant a

lesson.” He also disagreed but he couldn’t risk commotion

and rumors spreading because it was a small jungle and

everyone knew everyone.

After the meeting Lioness was turning everything over in

her head then finally it hit her. All the pieces fit together! She

said to Lion “Hippo lied to us because he is jealous of

Elephant. He is going to do something awful!”

“Well then” said Lion “let’s go!”

Hippo found

Elephant and told

him he must be

thirsty. When

Elephant wasn’t

looking, Hippo hid

in the swamp

Elephant was

going to drink

from. Hippo

grabbed Elephant’s nose and Elephant was so confused

that he just pulled and pulled and STRETCH! Hippo’s

plan was complete! Elephant’s nose was long and very, very

ugly. Poor Elephant. He ran off to join his herd for the rest

of his days. When Lion and the whole Animal Council

showed up Hippo was punished for his wrongdoings. That is

why Elephants have trunks.

How Skunk Got His Smell

by Ian Simmonds

In the beginning skunks did not have a smell. This is the

story of a skunk that was taught a lesson. Long ago in the

forest Skunk wanted all of the animals to think that he was so

brave when he really wasn’t. He said that he could do

anything. It bothered the other animals. It bothered Rabbit

most of all.

One day, Rabbit

decided to teach Skunk

a lesson. He challenged

Skunk to wake up Bear.

Skunk said “But Bear

is fierce when he wakes

up.” Skunk foolishly

goes to Bear’s den, shivering with fear. The animals secretly

followed Skunk. It was very dark and Skunk could barely

see. When Skunk is about to wake up Bear, he roars very

loud. It scared Skunk. He let out a stench and all the animals

laughed. Skunk was very embarrassed.

And to this day skunks smell and only come out at night

when no one can see them.

How Zebra Got Its Stripes

by Ben Eddy

Long ago in Africa, Zebra was all white and friends with

Lemur and Warthog. Lemur was deceitful and wanted Zebra

to have stripes like him. Warthog told Zebra that Lemur was

going to do something sinful. Zebra didn’t believe Warthog

and said, “Lemur is my friend and wouldn’t do that” and then

he walked away.

Later that day Zebra took a nap under a sun beam.

While Zebra slept, Lemur gathered dark berries and mashed

them into paste. Zebra was still sleeping when Lemur painted

the paste in stripes on his body. When Zebra awoke the

paste had dried already. Zebra was so angry he ran into a

tree. After that Zebra was so stunned that he couldn’t think.

Then Lemur started to laugh in his tree top perch. He

thought it was hilarious that Zebra ran into a TREE! Lemur

said to Zebra” I just wanted you to be like me.” He kept on

laughing. Zebra got so mad he picked up Lemur and tossed

him to South America. Zebra was then satisfied. That’s why

zebras have stripes and why lemurs are mostly in South

America.

Why Horses Have Hooves

by Grace Walker

A long, long time ago there were only 3 animals on

Earth: Horsefly, Horse, and Pig. They were all friends in

the forest. One day Horse and Horsefly were playing hide

and seek. Horse was seeking and Horsefly was hiding.

Horse was trotting around looking for Horsefly. He did not

find him so he said “Horsefly I give up you can come out now.”

Unfortunately Horsefly did not. So Horse backed up and

knocked down a tree. It fell just beside Horsefly. So

Horsefly got mad and yelled at Horse.

Horsefly got

so mad at Horse he

stung Horse’s feet.

They swelled up

like a fat blueberry.

He had a friend

who was very smart,

his name was Pig.

Pig was a very smart fellow. So Horse went to him for help.

He got there and talked to Pig. Horse asked Pig “Do you

have anything for me”?

“I think I have something for this”. So Pig went to get

some mud. “This will do the trick” said Pig. Pig put the Mud

on Horse’s feet. Pig said “just let it get as hard as a rock and

you will be good”.

“Thanks pig, I will”. So Horse waited a few days and

finally it was as hard as a rock. “Perfect” said Horse. “Now I

can go get it off” said Horse.

So he went back to Pig’s house. Pig took him into the

room and took it off. It did help the swelling go down, but all

of his toes formed together and they turned into hooves.

That is why horses have hooves.

How Black Bear Got Black

by James Tanner

Long, long ago in the forest, bears were all brown or

white. One day a clever brown bear wandered off because he

smelled food. Where the food was the Indian hunters were

eating fish. Bear loved this kind of fish that comes out at

night. The fish could see Bear so he never got to eat them.

The Indians had dogs. One of the dogs did not like Bear.

When Bear snuck up

on the hunters he hid in

the brush. The dog

sniffed all around Bear

and barked at Bear. The

hunters looked over and

saw Bear. The hunters

grabbed their bows and

arrows. They walked over

near Bear and Bear

climbed up a tree. The

medicine man set the tree on fire to get Bear down. Bear

climbed down the tree through the black smoke and ran to a

nearby pond. The smoke stuck to his fur. When he jumped

into the pond it didn’t wash off. Now the bear can hunt the

night fish. So that is how the black bear got black.

Why Hedgehogs Have Spikes

by Sarah Sherman

One day there was a Hedgehog, he was the smallest

animal in the forest. He was brown like bark on trees so he

could blend in. Hedgehog was always hiding from Fox. Fox

bullied everybody but he bullied Hedgehog the most! One

day Hedgehog was taking a walk in the forest and

Owl swooped down from the trees and said, “You can’t

keep on coming in

the middle of the

forest. Fox lives

close by and he is

going to get you “

“No he won’t

ever get me. Don’t

you know I am the

best hider in the

forest?” Owl tries to warn Hedgehog but he is not listening.

Then Hedgehog saw a huge shadow behind him …

It was Fox! He came up and pushed Hedgehog down

the hill. There were spikes all over the hill. Hedgehog was

covered with spikes all over his back and from that day on

Hedgehog never came out of his tree and that’s why

Hedgehogs have spikes.

Why Cheetahs Run So Fast

by Reese Horne

Once on a hot

summer day in the

desert plains of the

African Sahara, a

friendly, short legged,

puny Cheetah was

playing with his two

friends, Giraffe and

Zebra. They were having fun playing in a water hole and then

Cheetah turned around to admire the sunset, and in a minute

when he turned back around, his friends were gone!

He looked here and there, up and down, hilly nilly, no

Giraffe or Zebra! Meanwhile, Lion lured Cheetah’s friends

by offering a luxurious stay in his den. “Come on” he coaxed,

“I will give you your best stay”.

However, Cheetah didn’t know where they were and so

he started to feel very lonely and sad. He did not even have a

clue to where Zebra and Giraffe were. He had looked under

the old vine tree, in the bulrushes near the play area, and even

under the water hole in their special secret cave. No Zebra

and Giraffe! So he went to his last resort, Eastern Mirage,

who was the wisest and oldest element in all the desert plains

of Africa. He took pity on the unknowingness of Cheetah

and said “You have been tricked by Lion and his slyness like a

desert fox. He has taken your friends Zebra and Giraffe for

his own. I will give you speed, strength, and height to run to him

and talk to him.”

Now, Cheetah had mixed feelings about talking to Lion,

but he ran there and did. He said, “You don’t have to take

friends, just make friends, and you can make friends with me

and my friends.” Lion pondered the thought, and finally said

yes. They raced each other to the waterhole and jumped in

and had fun for what seemed like ages. When they went to

their dens and domains that starry night, they all dreamed

happy dreams. And now undoubtedly, without a question,

that is why cheetahs run so fast.

How Cocker Spaniels Got Long Ears

by Andrew Gibson

Long ago in the jungle Cocker Spaniel had short ears.

He didn’t hear that well. This was a problem because he

would get words mixed up. The other animals knew this was a

problem. One day Cocker Spaniel was walking along and

saw Parrot. Parrot said, “Hi. It is good to see you.”

Cocker Spaniel said,” You need a needle?”

Parrot said, “You can’t hear that well.” Then he flew

away.

When Cocker Spaniel was on his way home, two wolves

crept up on him. They jumped out and grabbed his ears at

the same time. The wolves pulled and pulled and pulled both

of his ears. Cocker Spaniel felt mad and bit one wolf on the

nose. That scared them away. The next morning Cocker

Spaniel saw Parrot. Parrot said, “How are you today?”

“I am fine, thank you.” said Cocker Spaniel.

Parrot said, “You can hear me!”

“Yes, I hear everything now,” said Cocker Spaniel and

the next time I will hear an enemy. From then on cocker

spaniels had long ears.

How Rainbows Got Their Color

by Rylee Spence-Baker

One day Chickadee and Mocking Bird kept bumping

into each other and it was their last straw. They were sitting in

a tree all frustrated with each other.

Chickadee said, “Don’t

you see Blue Jay and

Cardinal? They are so

beautiful against the sky.”

Chickadee had an idea. He

found a stray feather and he

told Mockingbird, “Come

here, look what I found.”

So they gathered all of

the feathers up and started

swirling them in a puddle and

they were colorful. When they were done they held the

feathers in their beaks and flew across the horizon. They

looked back and saw beautiful stripes in the sky.

Now until this day everybody says thanks to the birds for

coloring the sky and the first person on the Earth named

them rainbows. So now until this year and many others, they

call them rainbows.

Why Horses Have Tails

by Haley Sacre

Horses have tails. They run and kick. Do you know why?

Long ago, horses couldn’t swat flies because horses didn’t

have tails. One day, Horse was happily chewing grass in a

flowery field. It was a hot, muggy day. All of a sudden a fly

landed on Horse’s back.

Horse couldn’t reach the fly and she ran all over the field.

She tried everything. She stomped, she ran. She even

rubbed against a tree to try and rub it off. Horse didn’t know

that the tree she rubbed on had honey dripping down the

trunk. The honey dripped on her behind. Horse went and

rolled in the hay to try and get the honey off. Now horse had

honey and hay on her behind. Horse didn’t know how the tail

worked. When horse was running around the field the tail hit

her back and the fly flew off. This happened to every horse.

The honey dried. That’s how horses got tails.

Why Kangaroos Jump Really High

by Anthony Hearn

Once upon a time in a very tropical jungle an animal

named Kangaroo was always getting teased a lot!

Everybody would challenge Kangaroo to a jumping contest.

He could not really jump because he had the smallest feet in

the whole jungle. He tried all of their challenges and he lost

every challenge he took. Kangaroo started to think he was

not special at all.

Later on Kangaroo was walking on the jungle trail when

his companion Zebra could not get his favorite ball down from

the huge tree. Zebra tried everything to get his ball back.

Then Kangaroo told Zebra that he could help. Then he

accidently stepped in some sticky stuff. He tried as hard as

he could and his feet started to stretch. Kangaroo tried

jumping really high and he got the ball out of the big tree. He

never knew that he could jump that high. Then he had a plan, a

really good plan.

Kangaroo was trying to run down to the jungle with his

new big feet but he couldn’t so he tried hopping there and he

was catapulted all of the way to the jungle. Then he finally

reached all of the animals and said I challenge everyone to a

jumping contest. Everyone started to laugh. Nobody

believed in him but then they stopped and formed a line and

Cheetah started counting down, 3, 2, 1, jump! Everyone

jumped at the same time and Kangaroo jumped twice as high

as everyone else. Everybody was surprised. They did not

know he could do it. That’s why Kangaroos jump really high!