Maddy Moona’s Menagerie!

Maddy Moona is dressed in black and white. She wears a party hat.

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 rides on an elephant's back. Her party hat lifts off her head with the force of the elephant's sneeze.

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.

A giant crocodile lies in the bath. Maddy helps him floss his teeth.

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 stands against the wall of a sweet shop. Two porcupines wearing balaclavas shoot quills at her.

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?

In the sweet shop, Maddy stands in the foreground holding her nose. In the background a skunk lets off nasty smells.

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 rides on a rhino's neck. It blows steam out of its nose and chases her baby brother, Billy.

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 holds a piece of steak out to a lion curled up on the ground. Billy's dummy hangs from its mouth.

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.

A python wraps itself tightly around Maddy's whole body and blows kisses.

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 sits on a chair with a giraffe. The ceiling of the room lifts off above the giraffe's curled neck.

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 stands alone. She shrugs.

None of these are the perfect pet!

Oh what, oh what will I get?

Maddy sits on the ground. A black and white puppy plays next to her with a red ball.

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 lifts the puppy in a happy hug.

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!

Maddy Moona's Menagerie

Created by Rachel Zadok, Candace Di Talamo, Nick Mulgrew

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