Lions at Lunchtime by Mary Pope Osborne Read Free Book Online Page B

and Annie were. Thomson’s gazelles and the big horned animals were on the other side.

    â€œWhere are the lions?” said Jack.
    â€œI don’t know,” said Annie. “Do you think it’s always this crowded?”
    â€œLet’s find out,” said Jack.
    He picked up the book on Africa and looked at the picture of the animals. He read aloud:
    Every year, in late spring, thousands of zebras and gazelles and millions of wildebeests ( WILL -duh-beests) migrate from the dry plains of Tanzania to Kenya.
    â€œWhat’s ‘migrate’ mean?” said Annie.
    Jack pushed his glasses into place. “It means they go someplace else for part of the year—like birds going south for the winter.”
    â€œOh, right,” said Annie.
    Jack turned the page to read more.
    Before they are safe in Kenya, the animals must first cross the Mara River. Zebras go first, then the wildebeests. The tiny gazelles swim last.
    â€œOhh,” said Annie in a sad voice.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” said Jack.
    â€œPoor beasts.” She looked out the window. “They seem afraid.”
    On the far side of the river, the horned animals were standing at the edge of the steep bank of the river. They stared down nervously at the rushing water.
    â€œJump, beasts! Jump!” Annie shouted.
    â€œDon’t be silly. They can’t hear you,” said Jack.
    He studied the broad plain. “I wonder where the lions are,” he said.
    â€œI don’t know. But I have to go,” said Annie.
    â€œGo
where?
” said Jack.
    â€œTo the river to help them,” she said.
    â€œHelp
who?
” said Jack.
    â€œThose wild beasts on the other side!” said Annie. “I have to help them
migrate
.”
    â€œAre you nuts?” said Jack.
    Annie handed Jack the scroll and started out of the tree house.
    â€œWait a second!” said Jack. “We haven’t even read Morgan’s riddle yet!”
    Annie stopped on the ladder.
    â€œRead it now,” she said.
    Jack unrolled the ancient scroll and read aloud:
    I’m the color of gold and as sweet as can be. But beware of the danger that’s all around me. What am I?
    Annie started down again.
    â€œAnnie!”
    â€œWe’ll look for the answer in a minute,” said Annie.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” Jack called.
    But there was no stopping her. Jack watched as she hopped off the ladder. Then she started to walk through the tall grass, between the zebras and giraffes.
    â€œI don’t believe her,” he said to himself. He quickly put the Africa book into his pack.
    He started down the ladder.
    When he stepped onto the ground, he looked around carefully.
    The giraffes were eating the tree leaves.
    The zebras were grazing in the grass.
    Tons of birds flapped overhead.
    This is okay
, he thought. He just had one little question:
    Where are the lions?

 

    â€œCome on, Jack!” Annie called. She was almost to the river.
    â€œJust a minute!” he shouted. He wanted to study the giraffes and zebras.
    He pulled out the Africa book and found a picture of giraffes. He read:
    The giraffe is the tallest animal in the world. Its legs alone can be six feet tall, and its hooves can be as big as dinner plates. The giraffe has a very powerful kick, which makes it dangerous to attack. For this reason, lions tend to avoid giraffes.
    Jack pulled out his notebook and wrote:

    He turned the page and read more:
    Zebras live in family groups. As no two zebras have exactly the same pattern of stripes, every baby zebra must learn its own mother’s pattern.
    Jack studied the zebras, trying to see their different patterns. But in the hazy afternoon light, all the stripes made him dizzy.
    He blinked to clear his head, then read more:
    Zebras are the first to cross the river because they eat the coarsest grass. After they’ve thinned down the top layer, the wildebeests arrive and eat the next layer. They prepare