by Amelia Cobb
Snowy barked happily, and Bella nuzzled her little friend fondly. Zoe grinned at them both. “I’d better get back to the party before anyone notices I’m missing,” she said. “I’ll come and see you tomorrow.”
Back up on the viewing platform, Lucy was blowing out her candles on the chocolate igloo cake, which was covered in delicious thick white icing to make it look like packed snow. She cut it, and then Great-Uncle Horace handed out slices of cake to everyone. Even Mr Pinch nibbled one, and chatted happily to some of the zookeepers. “I don’t usually like parties,” he explained. “But this one has been rather nice, I must admit!”
The next day Zoe and Meep went back to the polar bear enclosure – and this time they had a surprise for Bella and Snowy! Zoe carried a bucket full of Bella’s favourite fish, with a big red bow tied to the handle, and Meep pushed along a brand-new bouncy ball for Snowy.
“They’re thank-you presents,” Zoe explained as the bears barked excitedly, and grinned as Bella shared her fish with Snowy. “For helping Mum’s party go so well – and for making friends with each other!”
Meep giggled as Snowy bounced the ball to Bella, squeaking eagerly, and Bella chased after it. “It’s nice to see them so happy now, Zoe,” he chirped.
“I know,” agreed Zoe, picking Meep up for a cuddle.
“I wonder what animal Goo will bring back to the Rescue Zoo next?” Meep wondered.
Zoe smiled. “I don’t know. He’s setting off on his next adventure tomorrow. I can’t wait to see what he comes home with.”
“It could be a warthog, or a rhino, or a lizard, or a leopard,” Meep said. “Or even another polar bear!”
“Yes! I’m sure Snowy would love making another new friend now, she’s got the hang of it,” Zoe said, grinning at the fluffy polar bear. “Whatever the animal is, I’m sure it’s going to be a lot of fun!”
Copyright
With special thanks to Natalie Doherty
For Finn and Seb x
ZOE’S RESCUE ZOO: THE PESKY POLAR BEAR
First published in the UK in 2015 by Nosy Crow Ltd
The Crow’s Nest, 10a Lant Street London, SE1 1QR, UK
This ebook edition first published 2015
Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and / or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd
Text © Hothouse Fiction, 2015
Cover photography © Sophy Williams 2015
The rights of Hothouse Fiction and Sophy Williams to be identified as the author and photographer of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictiously. Any resemblence to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978 0 85763 441 2
www.nosycrow.com
If you enjoyed Snowy’s story, look out for:
Chapter One
Summer at the Rescue Zoo!
Zoe Parker grinned as she ran out of the school gates, swinging her bag beside her. Her mum, Lucy, was waiting for her. “It’s the summer holidays!” Zoe yelled, giving her mum a big hug.
Lucy smiled and ruffled her daughter’s wavy brown hair. “How was the last day of term?” she asked.
Zoe began to skip excitedly along the pavement. “It was fun, but I just couldn’t wait for the holidays to start. Six whole weeks!” She smiled at her mum. “And I get to spend every single day at my favourite place.”
As they got closer to home Zoe heard noises ahead: roars, bellows, screeches and squeaks. Animal noises!
Finally they turned a corner, and there in front of them stood a pair of tall, beautiful gates, with a line of lush oak trees on either side. The gates were made of golden wood, and covered with delicate carvings of every sort of animal you could think of. There were majestic tigers, soaring eagles, snapping crocodiles and elegant gazelles. About halfway up, two words were carved across the gates in swirling letters: RESCUE ZOO. Right at the top, a golden hot-air balloon twinkled in the sunlight.
A queue of excited visitors were streaming through the gates, but Zoe and her mum walked straight past them. As she stepped inside the zoo, a familiar warm, happy feeling spread through Zoe’s tummy. “Home sweet home,” she whispered.
Zoe and her mum weren’t visiting the zoo – they lived there! Zoe’s Great-Uncle Horace was a famous explorer and animal expert, and on his travels around the world he had met lots of animals in need of help. That was why he’d decided to build the zoo, so it could be a safe place for any creature who was lost, injured or in trouble. Now it was home to hundreds of amazing animals!
Zoe’s mum was Horace’s niece, and the zoo vet. She and Zoe lived in a little cottage on the edge of the zoo, so that Lucy could be there whenever the animals needed her. Zoe couldn’t imagine a better place to live!
Beyond the gates, a red-brick path wound its way through the zoo. On a warm summer’s day like this, there were hundreds of visitors, chattering as they wandered past each enclosure. Now that school had finished, lots of families were starting to arrive. Zoe spotted Jack and Nicola from her class, still in their green-and-white school uniforms. She smiled and waved at them, and they waved back.
“That’s Zoe, the girl I told you about,” she heard Jack telling his dad. “She lives here. It’s so cool!”
As Zoe and her mum made their way through the crowds to their cottage, Zoe heard an excited chattering noise above her. She looked up, shading her eyes from the bright sunlight. From the top of a sycamore tree, a tiny, furry face peeped cheekily down at her.
“Meep!” called Zoe, smiling. “Come down from there, you cheeky thing!”
With a swift leap, the little creature bounded down and landed nimbly on Zoe’s shoulder. Zoe gathered the soft, warm bundle into her arms for a cuddle. Meep was a tiny grey mouse lemur with enormous golden eyes and a long, velvety tail. Great-Uncle Horace had rescued him when he was just a baby, and had brought him to the Rescue Zoo. Now Meep lived in the cottage with Zoe, and was her very best friend.
“Meep has been especially mischievous today,” Lucy told Zoe as they continued along the path. “Mr Pinch brought a very tasty-looking blueberry muffin in this morning for his breakfast. Then this week’s fruit delivery arrived and he went to supervise it. When he came back, his muffin was gone. Mr Pinch was very cross.” She shook her head at the little lemur. “He didn’t know what had happened to it, but I noticed that Meep’s paws were covered in crumbs!”
Zoe couldn’t help laughing, and hugged Meep closer. Mr Pinch was the zoo manager, and was always grumpy. Meep loved teasing him!
As they arrived at the cottage, Lucy handed Zoe’s school bag back to her. “I’ve got to go and check on a leopard now, so I’ll leave you two to have fun. Be home in time for tea.” She planted a quick kiss on Zoe’s head and tickled Meep’s soft little belly.
“OK, Mum!” Zoe smiled as she watched Lucy dash away towards the zoo hospital.
Once she was out of sight, Zoe stepped inside the cottage and grinned at Meep. The cheeky little lemur leaped from her shoulder and scampered over to the bowl of fruit on the kitchen table. “Yummy!” he chirped, peeling a banana with his nimble fingers. “Blueberry muffins are nice, but I like bananas best.”
Zoe giggled. It was always fun to be by herself with Meep, or any of the animals at the Rescue Zoo. When other people weren’t around, s
he didn’t have to hide their amazing secret.
Zoe knew that animals could talk to people, and that just a few special people could talk back to them. And she was one of them!