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Maddy Moona’s Menagerie

It’s Maddy Moona’s birthday and she really wants a pet! But which silly animal will picky Maddy get?

Suggested age: 7–12岁 · Reading level L3 · 13 illustrated pages

Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 1, English text included

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It’s Maddy Moona’s birthday and she really wants a pet! But which silly animal will picky Maddy get?

Read all 13 story pages
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 1, English text included
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 2, English text included
My name is Maddy Moona, And today I’m turning five. Dad promised I could choose a pet, A real one! Something live! We’ll travel across the whole wide world, Searching Mali through Tibet, Until we find the perfect one... Oh, I know just what I’ll get!
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 3, English text included
I’m going to get an elephant. I’ll ride on it to school. My brother Billy can walk behind — he’ll think I’m awfully cool. But... what if Ellie caught a cold? I guess she’d sneeze... A LOT! There is no tissue big enough to wipe up all that snot.
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 4, English text included
I want a Nile crocodile sent to me by the pharaohs. I’ll call him Tut and feed him soup, fish fingers, and baby marrows. I’ll keep him in the bathtub and brush his pearly whites, But... what if flossing all those teeth takes me all day and night?
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 5, English text included
Perhaps a pair of porcupines, for games of robbers and cops. Their prickly quills will be handy for holding up sweetie shops. I can munch away on candy bars while my gang sharpen their spines. But... what if my sharp-shooting pals put me in the firing line?
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 6, English text included
Maybe I need a stealthier plan. Let’s clear out the store with funk! There isn’t a smellier critter on earth. That’s what I want — a skunk! But... what if I can’t go into the shop after Skunky has let off his stink? Sweets are no good for my teeth anyway. A rotten idea! I need to rethink!
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 7, English text included
A rhino! The horns, the big stomping feet, the armour on both of its flanks! Billy would never chase me again. It would be my own personal tank. But... what if Billy raises his temper and Rhino goes on the rampage? Crash bang boom! The teacups! The plates! Now I’m grounded ’til I’m gran’s age.
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 8, English text included
I need a beast to tame my brother. With teeth, sharp claws and a roar. A LION! I could feed it Billy biltong... Yes! A lion would settle the score. But... a lion has a huge appetite. Skinny Billy won’t satisfy. And once Brutus has a taste for us Moonas, he’ll see me as Maddy stir-fry.
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 9, English text included
Dad thinks I should choose a cuddlier pet. My parents are so hard to please. They want me to have a pet I can hug. A python? A python has squeeze. But... if Snakey develops too much of a crush, he’ll suffocate me with affection. To be honest, I just can’t marry a snake! And reptiles can’t handle rejection.
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 10, English text included
No, reptiles aren’t the way to go. I definitely need something taller. A giraffe would be awesome. I’ll slide down her neck, and think up a long name to call her. But... something more than eight foot tall is no good. Our house has a rather low ceiling. I’d spend hours massaging cricks out her neck. My fingers would lose all their feeling.
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 11, English text included
None of these are the perfect pet! Oh what, oh what will I get?
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 12, English text included
Those animals just don’t work. None are my perfect partner in crime. I want something with fur, a pet who will follow. Oh wait! I know — a canine!
Maddy Moona’s Menagerie — original illustrated page 13, English text included
My Bandit is the biggest bark on the block! He's the fastest pup in the west! Nothing can stop us. Not Billy nor bedtime. I love my Bandit. He's my best!

Creators and open license

Written by
Rachel Zadok
Illustrated by
Candace Di Talamo
Created by
Candace Di Talamo (Illustrator); Rachel Zadok (Writer); Nick Mulgrew (Designer)

Source: Book Dash
Original: Maddy Moona’s Menagerie from Book Dash
License: CC BY 4.0

Original illustrated spreads and embedded English story text preserved; website layout and printable PDF assembled by Little Leaf. Age, level, theme and recommendation are editorial suggestions. Web and printable layout adapted by Little Leaf. Age and reading-level suggestions are editorial. Original stories and artwork belong to their credited creators. Website narration uses the selected synthetic Voice 7.