“Oh dear. Oh deer! Get it?” chortled Isla. “Lexi, I never knew you were so funny!”
Lexi looked at them all, confused. “But that’s not what I meant… Oh, I keep making mistakes!”
“Don’t take it so hard, Lexi. We all make mistakes – and some of them are funny,” chuckled Lisa. “Listen, I’ve got an idea that’ll make you feel better: why not help other people learn from your mistakes?”
“What do you mean?” asked Lexi.
“Why don’t you make a poster or fact sheet? Something for our visitors to read,” suggested Lisa. “And you could illustrate it. You’re really good at drawing. You won that prize, remember?”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” said Isla. “And a fact sheet was on our list of jobs to do. That would be perfect.”
Lexi went a deep shade of red. “But I don’t deserve to be a member of the Animal Adventure Club,” she said.
“Yes you do!” blurted Gracie.
“You really cared about that wee fawn, Lexi,” added Isla. “You were so brave and you scared the fox away. You saved the baby deer’s life!”
“It’s official,” said Buzz, writing on the Animal Adventure Club’s notice board. “I’ve added your name to the list of members.”
Isla saw a tear in Lexi’s eye.
“Thanks everyone,” Lexi said. “I’ll do my best. And I’ll make some fact sheets too – though I’ll need some help from you all. I don’t know that much about animals.”
“No problem,” said Gracie. “We’ll tell you everything we know!”
“You can start learning about hedgehogs right now,” said Lisa, who had taken Spiky out of his cage and was bringing him over to Lexi. “This wee guy’s ears are all better now, so we can release him back into the wild tomorrow. Want to help me, Lexi?”
“You bet!” said Lexi, her eyes shining. “Gracie, Buzz, Isla, I hope you’ll come too!”
“You’re on,” said Isla, and Buzz and Gracie smiled and nodded. They all leaned in for their first Animal Adventure Club fist bump as a team of four.
The headlights of a car drawing up outside shone through the window. “That’s your mum, Isla,” said Lisa.
“See you tomorrow then, to say goodbye to Spiky,” Isla said. Then she leaned over and gave Lexi a hug. “You’re going to have great fun in the Animal Adventure Club, Lexi. I can’t wait!” Then she grabbed her things and bounded out of the lodge, glad to get into her mum’s warm car.
“So how was your evening?” asked her mum, as she looked Isla up and down. “What a state you’re in, Isla MacLeod! You look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.” She picked a bit of twig out of Isla’s hair. “What on earth have you been up to?”
Isla grinned. “You’ll never guess. Let me tell you all about it…”
What if I find an injured wild animal?
The Animal Adventure Club have lots of exciting encounters with wild animals, but remember that in real life you should always ask a grown-up for help. If you find an injured wild animal, call a local vet or wildlife organisation for advice.
Top Tips
Be sensible and cautious. Stay back and watch the animal for a while to see how badly injured it is. Wild animals can scratch and bite.
Tell a grown-up, or call a vet or wildlife organisation for help.
If you are helping a grown-up collect a wild animal, you can suggest that they line a well-ventilated cardboard box with newspaper or towels. Next, put on gloves, lift the animal (keeping it away from your face), and quickly put it into the box.
There are some injured animals you should never try to handle: deer, seals, wild boar, otters, badgers, foxes, snakes, birds of prey (including owls), swans, geese, herons or gulls. Instead, call a vet or wildlife organisation.
Copyright
Kelpies is an imprint of Floris Books
First published in 2019 by Floris Books
Series concept and illustrations © Floris Books 2019
Text © 2019 Michelle Sloan
Endmatter illustrations by Floris Books
This eBook edition published in 2019
Michelle Sloan and Hannah George have asserted their rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 to be identified as the Author and Illustrator of this Work
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the prior permission of Floris Books, Edinburgh
www.florisbooks.co.uk
The publisher acknowledges subsidy from Creative Scotland towards the publication of this volume
British Library CIP data available
ISBN 978–178250–573–0
The Baby Deer Rescue (Animal Adventure Club 1) Page 4