In a shed at the top of a valley
Of a thousand beautiful hills
It was a hot sunny day in Africa
And eight ladies were stitching some toys
Wild animals in bright colours
Especially for girls and boys.

The ladies rested at home by night
But were hard at work by day
To put a smile on every face
And to make the world a brighter place.

One of the ladies had a little girl
Kamania was her name
Sometimes she watched the toys being made
Not one of them was the same.

A lanky giraffe, a big brave lion
A leopard with spots and eyes that shine
A stripy zebra, an elephant with a long trunk
A hippopotamus, a rhinoceros
And a sly crocodile
All the animals made Kamania smile.

That night when the sun had gone to sleep
And Kamania was dreaming in bed
She saw the sneaky crocodile
Let the animals out of the shed

First came Lucy the leopard
Whose eyes see the sky clearly by night
So happy was she to be out wild and free
She exclaimed ‘What a beautiful sight!’

Next came the king of the jungle,
A lion with a big, furry mane
He opened his mouth and roared loudly
‘Lockey the Lion is my name.’

Cameron the crocodile came third
Slowly swishing his tail
‘I need to find a river,’ he said
In which to float my weary head.

Harry the Hippo followed slowly
Opening his mouth to yawn,
‘Gosh I’m feeling sleepy,’ he sighed.
‘When will it be dawn?’

Embo the Elephant with two huge grey ears
Listened to the sounds of the night
A hooting owl, the whispering wind, a slithering snake
But none could give him a fright.

Rhona the Rhino stumbled out of the shed
With two horns, one short and one long
She spotted a tree to scratch an itch
And burst cheerfully into song.

Zulu the Zebra came trotting out next
Dressed in a stripy suit
He caught sight of himself in a puddle of water
And thought, ‘Goodness I am so cute.’

Gerry the giraffe came last
His long neck shook as he laughed
With his head held high he gazed up at the sky,
‘We’ve been locked up in that shed and I cannot think why.’

Soon the sun peeped over the hills
And the moon sank down to rest
The birds twittered softly
It was the time the animals loved best.

Kamania decided it was time for tea
Lucy the leopard slept up in a tree
Sleepy Harry slipped into the water
Wishing the night had been a bit shorter.

Cameron the crocodile played hide and seek
While he searched for food in the river
Zulu and Gerry grazed quietly nearby
While they watched the sun rise up in the sky.

Embo the Elephant took a shower
While Rhona admired a bright red wild flower.

At 9.00 o-clock that morning
The ladies arrived at an empty shed
‘Oh, dear, we’ll have to start again,’ Kamania’s mummy said.

Soon from the shed came the sound of singing,
A soft but beautiful noise
Kamania knew what was happening
The ladies were making more toys.

Kamania sat on a rock
at the place where the river bends
She winked at the animals, smiling
‘Tonight you will have more friends.’