Lulu Bell and the Tiger Cub by Belinda Murrell Read Free Book Online Page A

adult in charge.We don’t want anyone to get lost.’
    Miss Baxter waved a sheaf of papers. ‘And here are your treasure hunt sheets. Let’s see which group can answer the most questions.’
    The sheets had a list of trivia questions about different kinds of animals. Which were the biggest, tallest, sleepiest and most popular animals in the zoo?
    Molly took the group’s sheet and began to read.
    â€˜Which do you think is the most popular animal in the zoo?’ asked Molly. ‘Maybe the koalas?’
    Max shook his head. ‘The goofy, gangly giraffes.’ He put his arms up high, making himself tall and lanky.
    â€˜No, the zany zebras,’ added Daniel. He wiggled his eyebrows. ‘Or perhaps the loony lions.’

    Lulu thought about it. ‘I can’t decide,’ she said. ‘I love them all.’
    Miss Donaldson pointed to a green area on the map. ‘We’ll meet at the park at one o’clock for a picnic.’ She checked to make sure everyone was listening. Then with a big grin, she shooed them away. ‘Off you go, year three. Have lots of fun!’
    The groups set off in various directions. Mum had already studied the map and planned a route.
    â€˜We’ll go down this path,’ said Mum. ‘We’re meeting Dr Bradley at the vet hospital at ten o’clock. We have time to see some of the animals along the way.’
    Lulu threw one of her honey-coloured plaits over her shoulder. ‘Come on, everyone,’ she called. ‘Let’s explore.’

Chapter 2
Meerkats
    The five children hurtled down the path. Mum followed close behind.
    Lulu and Molly looked over the treasure hunt sheet. Molly read out the first question. ‘Which is the largest land mammal in the world?’
    â€˜Easy,’ said Max. ‘That would be the enormous elephant.’
    Lauren looked over Molly’s shoulder as she wrote down the answer.
    â€˜The next one is much harder. Which animal can eat scorpions because it’s immune to venom?’ asked Lauren.
    Lulu frowned. ‘Scorpions are highly venomous,’ she said. ‘I don’t think any animal would want to eat them.’
    â€˜We’ll have to keep a good eye out,’ said Molly.
    Ahead and to the left was a low wall. It was painted a dull sand colour. The kids ran to peer over it.
    â€˜A mob of meerkats!’ cried Lauren.
    Inside the enclosure was a large family of about twenty meerkats. They were small grey animals with brownish bands on their fur. They had dark patches around their eyes.
    â€˜I love watching the meerkats,’ said Molly. ‘They almost look like they could talk to us.’

    One of the meerkats sat on top of a hillock to keep watch. He made a soft peeping noise. The rest of the family was gathered in the sand. Some were grooming each other. Others were feeding or resting. A couple of youngsters chased each other around the enclosure, tumbling and turning. Mum took photos.
    Max and Daniel looked at the sign.
    â€˜Meerkats live in the deserts of southern Africa,’ Daniel read aloud.
    Max pointed to three meerkats who were sitting up on their hind legs. They looked as if they were sunbaking.
    â€˜Hey, the dark patches around their eyes act like natural sunglasses,’ read Max. ‘How cool is that?’
    â€˜They look like film stars posing on the red carpet,’ joked Lauren.
    Everyone laughed.
    Lulu read the sign quickly.
    â€˜Found it!’ she cried. Lulu pointed to the last paragraph. ‘ Meerkats can eat scorpions as they are immune to their venom. They also have a high immunity to snake venom.’
    â€˜Ugh,’ said Molly. She shuddered. ‘That’s disgusting.’
    Lauren took the clipboard and wrote the answer on the treasure hunt sheet.
    Max and Daniel ran zigzagging down the path.
    â€˜Come on, girls,’ said Mum. She folded up the map. ‘Let’s keep going.’
    The boys had stopped