My mother and I were perusing through her teaching materials as I prepared for my next tutoring session with my student. I was pleasantly surprised when a well-preserved
mimeograph machine page titled "The A B C's of the Zoo" appeared, complete with my name at the top written in my own elementary penmanship.
I do not know who originally wrote the piece but it is "catchy" and melodic as one might presume a 1970's poem to be. :)
I attached web site links to the names of some of the animals. Some feature non-profit organizations that are working to preserve the creatures while encouraging awareness of their existence. Enjoy!
A is for the
Alligator with a mouth so big.
B is for the
Beaver, who likes to build and dig.
C is for the
Camel with a hump upon his back.
D is for the
Duck who always goes quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack.
E is for the
Elephant, the biggest one is he.
F is for the
Fox, he's just as smart as he can be.
G is for the
Giraffe, with a neck that's oh, so long.
H is for
Hippopotamus, so big and fat and strong.
I is for the
Ibex, he's a cousin to the goat.
J is for the
Jaguar with spots upon his coat.
K is for the
Kangaroo, he's from the land
Down Under.
L is for the
Lion, the king whose roar is just like
thunder.
M is for the
Monkey, he's the cutest little thing.
N is for the
Nightingale who always likes to sing.
O is for the
Ostrich, he hides his head in the sand.
P is for the
Pelican, his bill holds more than his belly can.
Q is for the
Quail who has a little bitty tail.
R is for the
Rabbit he's swifter than a
gale.
S is for the
Skunk, to tease him is to bungle.
T is for the
Tiger he's the terror of the jungle.
U is for the
Unau, an animal from Brazil.
[NOTE: There must have been a typo (common with carbon copy creations) by the author as the original word for "U" on this line was "urno" but I found no such record for an animal with this name. I altered the list to include the animal Unau which fits the description. :)]
V is for the
Vulture always waiting for the kill.
W is for
Wolf, a mean and heartless cur.
X is for the
Xerus with a tail of fluffy fur.
Just two more letters and this story will be told.
Y is for the
Yellowtail, a fish that's painted gold.
Just one more letter then class will be dismissed.
Z is for the
Zebra, the last one on the list.
Additionally, here is an excerpt from
The Holy Bible, NIV version, Genesis 1, verses 20 - 25.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Have a wonderful day!
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