by Amelia Cobb
Zoe looked around at the snowy ground and giggled. “Meep, look!” she said. Usually the snow lay in a perfectly smooth layer, like white icing on a cake, with just a few tracks to show where Bella had padded through it. But today the snow was scattered messily everywhere, covered in paw prints and squashed flat where the little bear had been rolling around.
“At least she seems to like it,” chuckled Meep.
“I wonder what Bella thinks. She’s such a neat and tidy little thing,” said Zoe. “Oh look, Meep – there’s the new cub!”
The smaller polar bear was playing with an inflatable ball over by the igloo. When she spotted Zoe and Meep, she bounded over to them, squealing and barking eagerly.
“Hello!” said Zoe, giggling as the cub leaped into her arms for a cuddle. Sometimes new animals were nervous or shy when they first arrived at the zoo, but not this one! “I’m Zoe. And this is my best friend, Meep. What’s your name?”
The cub gave a proud little growl, her dark-brown eyes bright and excited.
“Snowy! That’s the perfect name for you!” said Zoe, smiling. “Do you like your new home? I hope you’re settling in – you had a long journey to get here!”
Snowy nodded eagerly, yapping and barking at the top of her voice. Zoe listened as the cub told her all about the zoo she had come from in America, the cosy trailer she had travelled to the Rescue Zoo in, and the brilliant pool she had splashed around in all afternoon. Her eyes lit up when she mentioned her special new friend, Bella.
Just then, Zoe spotted the other polar bear padding over to join them. Bella was growing fast, although Zoe knew she wouldn’t be fully grown until she was five or six. “Hi, Bella!” she called. “Snowy says you’ve been showing her around.”
Bella nodded, and opened her mouth to reply. But Snowy started talking again before Bella could say anything, chattering away about Jonny, the kind man who had come to give her a lovely dinner. The older bear looked surprised, and Zoe smiled at her. Bella was a kind and friendly bear, but she had always had the big enclosure to herself, and seemed a bit overwhelmed by noisy, excited Snowy.
“I know it must be strange, sharing your home with someone new,” Zoe whispered quietly to Bella. “But I’m sure you and Snowy are going to get on really well.”
Once Snowy had shown Zoe and Meep the cosy snow den that she would sleep in, Zoe said goodbye to the polar bears. “We’ve got to go home now, but we’ll come and see you tomorrow,” she promised, giving them both a cuddle. As they left, making sure the gate was properly shut behind them, Zoe could still hear Snowy’s excited squeals, and laughed. “Snowy is so cute! But she’s a real chatterbox, isn’t she?”
Meep nodded. “She’s very excited!” he chirped.
“She’ll calm down once she’s had a good night’s sleep. It’s been a long day,” said Zoe. Suddenly she thought of something. “Meep! With all the excitement, we’ve still not thought of how to celebrate Mum’s birthday!”
“Mei Mei and Chi Chi had some good ideas,” remembered Meep. “Maybe we could ask all the other animals?”
“Good thinking, Meep!” Zoe rushed up to the nearest enclosure and peeped through the fence. The Rescue Zoo dolphins were enjoying an evening swim in the lake, and the smallest dolphin was playing happily with a red bouncy ball, flicking it high into the air with her nose.
“Hi, Coral,” Zoe called. “Listen – it’s my mum’s birthday soon, and I don’t know what to do. Do you have any ideas?”
Coral glided through the water towards Zoe, making a friendly clicking noise. “Give her a new ball and then play catch in the lake?” said Zoe, smiling. “That’s a lovely idea – but I’m not sure it’s right for my mum.”
Suddenly there was a squawking noise from the next enclosure. The Rescue Zoo macaws, Ruby and Cupid, had overheard and wanted to give Zoe their idea for a birthday present. Zoe peered through the fence and smiled at them. “That’s a nice idea too,” she told them, “but my mum already has a lovely bed to sleep in – so she doesn’t need a wooden perch like yours. And you have clever, strong feet to grip it with. I think my mum would fall off!”
Zoe and Meep stopped at every enclosure they passed on the way home, and heard lots of ideas, but didn’t think that any would be perfect for Zoe’s mum. The zebras suggested some lovely hay to nibble, because that was their favourite treat, but Zoe knew her mum wouldn’t like that very much. And she had managed to hide her smile when Snappy the crocodile suggested a new toothbrush – he was very proud of his gleaming white teeth! Meep was keen to ask all the animals they hadn’t talked to yet, but Zoe shook her head. “We should go home, Meep – it’s getting late and Mum will worry. I just wish we knew what to do! I want it to be something really special – something she’ll love.”
Meep wrinkled his tiny nose up as he thought carefully. “What does she love?”
“Well, she loves the animals,” said Zoe. “She’s always happiest when she’s helping Leonard the lion, or Alex the gorilla, or the giraffes, or the dolphins. And just like me, she loves it when Great-Uncle Horace comes home from an adventure and surprises us with a new animal for the zoo…” Zoe stopped suddenly. her eyes bright. “Meep, that’s it! She loves surprises. I think we should throw her a surprise birthday party!”
Chapter Five
Zoe’s Party Plan
After school the next day, Zoe and Meep raced over to Higgins Hall. “Great-Uncle Horace? It’s me!” called Zoe, pushing open the huge front door.
Whenever he was home from his travels, Great-Uncle Horace lived in the big house that had belonged to his family for a really long time. It sat on a hill overlooking the zoo, and looked very grand from the outside. And inside it was the strangest house Zoe had ever seen!
Great-Uncle Horace had turned almost every room into a home for animals. Some pelicans lived in the swimming pool, and tiny tropical frogs hopped around the bathroom. Zoe’s favourite was the old ballroom, where elegant parties were held long ago. It was now where the Rescue Zoo butterflies lived – including a very rare pink and white butterfly that Great-Uncle Horace had discovered himself, and had named after Zoe!
“Zoe, my dear, how lovely!” Great-Uncle Horace called back cheerily. “I’m in the library.”
Zoe walked inside, with Meep perched on her shoulder. Great-Uncle Horace was sitting in a cosy old armchair, sipping a cup of tea and nibbling a biscuit. All around him, lush plants and bushes were growing where books used to be, and tiny, colourful hummingbirds were darting and buzzing among them. “Take a seat! And do have a custard cream!” Great-Uncle Horace said, patting the chair next to him and passing her a plate of biscuits. “Now, what can I do for you, Zoe? You look as though you have something on your mind.”
“Well, it’s Mum’s birthday soon,” Zoe began. “And I thought it might be really fun to throw her a surprise party. She loves surprises! What do you think?”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea!” cried Great-Uncle Horace. “I haven’t been to a surprise party in years. Goodness, how exciting. Will there be birthday cake?” he added hopefully.
Zoe giggled. “I thought I could ask the zookeepers to bake one,” she said.
Great-Uncle Horace nodded eagerly. “And I can help you make the invitations,” he told her. “But where is the party going to be held?”
“I think we should have it somewhere in the zoo,” Zoe explained. “But it’s so busy in the daytime with all the visitors.”
Great-Uncle Horace scratched his head, looking thoughtful. “Perhaps we could open the zoo a little later than usual that day?” he suggested. “But I’m afraid you’d have to ask Mr Pinch’s permission.”
Mr Pinch was the manager of the zoo, and the biggest spoilsport Zoe had ever met! He was always grumbling about the meerkats making a mess, or the chimps being cheeky. Zoe’s heart sank. She loved Great-Uncle Horace’s idea to open the zoo late, so they had lots of time to enjoy the party – but would Mr Pinch say yes?
Zoe and Meep finished their bis
cuits, said goodbye to Great-Uncle Horace and then went off to find the zoo manager.
“Promise to behave yourself, Meep,” Zoe said. “We need Mr Pinch to be in the best mood possible.”
The little lemur grudgingly agreed. Meep loved to be especially cheeky to the zoo manager, so they didn’t get along very well!
Soon they arrived at Mr Pinch’s office. It was right in the middle of the zoo, just past the hippos’ muddy lagoon. Zoe took a deep breath, crossed her fingers for luck and knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” a grumpy voice answered. “I’m very busy, you know!”
Zoe pushed open the door. Mr Pinch was sitting at his desk with a pile of papers in front of him. His uniform was perfectly ironed, and his shoes and hat polished to a shine. He frowned when he saw Meep, right behind Zoe.
“Hello, Mr Pinch,” said Zoe politely.“It’s just me. I wanted to talk to you about my mum’s birthday. It’s in a few days and I’d like to organise a surprise party for her. Great-Uncle Horace we wondered if we could open the zoo a little late that day, so that everyone can help with the party food and the decorations—”
“A party!” interrupted Mr Pinch, groaning. “A messy, noisy party! No doubt I will have to organise everything, and then clean up afterwards. No, definitely not. I already have enough to do. Did you know that those naughty monkeys threw banana skins all over the path this morning? An extremely dangerous thing to do – I slipped on one and very nearly landed right on my bottom, just as a big group of visitors walked past! I had to spend the next half an hour picking up all of the banana skins while the cheeky creatures blew rude raspberries at me from behind the fence!”
Meep gave a noisy snigger as Mr Pinch turned back to his paperwork. Zoe managed to hide her smile, and shook her head quickly at the little lemur. “If you make him cross, we’ll never be able to change his mind about the party,” she whispered. “Shhh, Meep!”
Zoe tried again to persuade the grumpy zoo manager. “That’s very naughty of the monkeys, but I promise you won’t have to tidy up anything once it’s over – we’ll make sure everything is spotless.” She paused, then added, “I think my mum really deserves a party, Mr Pinch. She’s always rushing around looking after the animals, and it would be so nice to do something lovely for her. Please can we open a little bit late, just this once?”
Zoe waited hopefully, and Meep wore his most innocent expression. Mr Pinch sighed. “Oh, very well. I suppose we can open late on this occasion. I can see you won’t leave my office until I agree!”
Zoe breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Mr Pinch! It will be fun, honestly!” she told him, skipping out of his office and pretending not to hear him grumbling behind her.
“Hooray!” cried Meep, bouncing up and down on Zoe’s shoulder. “We’re going to have a party!”
“Now we just need to decide where to have it,” Zoe said. “It needs to be somewhere big enough for lots of people.”
“Somewhere not too muddy,” chirped Meep.
“So not the hippos’ lagoon, or the warthogs’ field.”
“And not the pot-bellied pigs’ enclosure either. They’re so greedy that they’d eat all the party food before anyone arrived,” added Zoe, giggling.
“What about the elephants’ enclosure?” suggested Meep. “It’s big enough, and Oscar and Bertie could use their trunks to help us put up decorations!”
“That’s true, Meep, but Mum walks past that enclosure every day on her way to the zoo hospital,” pointed out Zoe. “So we couldn’t make the party a surprise. She’d notice all the balloons and guess what was going on! No, we need somewhere she won’t see what’s happening inside while we set up the surprise…” Suddenly she snapped her fingers. “Meep, I’ve got it! The igloo in the polar-bear enclosure would be the perfect place! There’s the special platform inside it – we could have the party there.”
“Won’t everyone be cold?” pointed out Meep, his teeth starting to chatter at the thought of it.
“We’ll make sure we put ‘wear lots of warm clothes!’ on the party invitations,” said Zoe. “We could give the party a lovely winter theme, with snowy decorations and treats, because it’s Mum’s favourite time of year. Meep, I’m so excited now. This is going to be the best party ever!”
Chapter Six
Polar Bear Problems
Zoe and Meep raced straight to the polar bear enclosure. “I can’t wait to tell Bella and Snowy about the party,” said Zoe as she opened the gate with her special necklace. “They’ll be so excited!”
When they arrived, Snowy was gliding around in the pool and Bella was eating some silvery fish for dinner. They both barked eagerly when they saw Zoe and Meep. “It’s nice to see you too!” laughed Zoe. “Listen, I’ve got something to tell you. We’re throwing a surprise birthday party for my mum. And it’s going to be right here – in your igloo!”
Bella clapped her paws together excitedly and Snowy splashed around, yapping and squealing with glee. Both bears were delighted that they were going to be at the party themselves and would see all the fun. “I thought the viewing platform would be the perfect spot,” Zoe explained. “We’ll have party food and decorations up there. And I’ll make sure there are treats for both of you, too!”
Snowy barked noisily, still splashing her paws in the water excitedly. “Party games and a polar bear show! Those are lovely ideas,” said Zoe. “What about you, Bella? Is there anything special you think we should have at the party?”
Bella gave an eager bark, starting to make some suggestions. But Snowy interrupted her with an excited squeal, splashed out of the pool and scampered right up to Zoe to make sure she had her full attention. “The polar bear show sounds brilliant, Snowy,” Zoe reassured the excited little cub. “And if you used to perform it at your old zoo in America, I bet you’re really good at it! But let’s listen to Bella’s ideas too, and then we can choose what to do.”
But the pesky little bear wouldn’t let Bella have her turn. She rushed over to the older bear, chattering eagerly about the show she wanted them to perform, and bouncing around excitedly. Zoe watched anxiously, and even Meep looked worried. “Bella looks really annoyed!” he whispered to Zoe.
“Snowy is only little. She doesn’t understand that she needs to listen, too,” Zoe whispered back. “Luckily, Bella is being really patient with her.”
But just as Zoe spoke, it seemed that Bella’s patience ran out! The cross polar bear huffed loudly and then pushed the little cub away with her paw. Giving a moody growl, Bella slunk sulkily away to her sleeping area.
“Oh dear!” Zoe and Meep rushed over to Snowy, who was staring after Bella in confusion. She gave a sad little squeal. The cub didn’t understand what she had done wrong!
“Don’t worry, Snowy,” Meep said, cuddling up to her.
“Bella is just a bit tired,” Zoe reassured her. But deep down, she thought Bella was cross with the little cub – and Zoe didn’t know what to do about it. How could she make Snowy understand that she had to learn to listen? And would the squabbling polar bears be friends in time for the party?
Chapter Seven
Sad Snowy
“That’s the invitations done!” said Zoe, holding up a neat stack of cards to show Great-Uncle Horace.
“Excellent, Zoe! Our glittery snowflake design looks fantastic!” Great-Uncle Horace said. “And you made those marvellous party hats yourself, too,” he added, looking very impressed.
It was a day later, and Zoe was at Higgins Hall after school so she could make a start on the party decorations without her mum seeing. She had her pencil case and box of craft things open, and she spread out coloured paper, pens and pencils, fabric and glitter all over the table in the butterfly room. Meep was trying to help, but making lots of mess.
“Meep, there’s glitter all over your face – and blue paint on your tail!” chuckled Zoe when Great-Uncle Horace had left the room. “We’ll have to wash that off before we go home. If Mum sees it, she might get suspiciou
s! Now, where has the sticky tape gone?”
Meep looked around and pointed at the floor. “Look, Zoe!”
Zoe glanced down. “Oh, Herbert, you cheeky thing!”
A group of the tortoises that lived at the Hall had come into the room when they heard Zoe was there, keen to say hello. They had started playing with a roll of sticky tape, nudging it along with their heads and waddling slowly after it. “I promise I’ll give it straight back, Herbert,” Zoe told the smallest tortoise, who squeaked indignantly when Zoe picked the roll up. “I just need one last piece to finish this bunting. There! What do you think?” She held the line of bunting up to show them. She had used three different shades of blue paper to make the triangles, and had drawn stars, snowflakes and the letter “L” for Lucy on them with a silver pen. The tortoises squeaked approvingly, and Meep clapped his tiny hands.
“Can we go and put it up now, Zoe? Can we?” the little lemur asked.
“Not yet, Meep, but we can go and hide all the decorations we’ve made in the polar-bear enclosure,” Zoe told him. “There’s a store cupboard next to the swimming pool that will be perfect – Mum would never look in there. And we can see how Snowy and Bella are doing. Hopefully they’ll have made up and become friends again today!”
Zoe put all the invitations and decorations carefully in her school bag, making sure nothing got squashed. She scooped the tortoises up and took them back to their home in the conservatory, then called goodbye to Great-Uncle Horace as she left the Hall.
“Will there be lots of tasty things to eat at the party, Zoe?” asked Meep hopefully as they made their way to the polar-bear enclosure. “Lots of yummy seeds and nuts and fruit?”