On a bright and shiny morning,

An enterprising summer’s day,

Little red haired Sophia was bored,

She had no new games to play,

Her parents, they were cunning,

They knew what to do,

They got hat and sunscreen,

And took her to the zoo!

Lions, zebras, elephants and seals,

Plus a playground and cafe,

But little Sophia’s favourite,

Was the monkey display.

Now these monkeys were cheeky,

And they loved to play their tricks,

They liked to mimic butterflies,

Or tickle seals with sticks.

Sophia really liked the monkeys,

They were just like her,

Always getting up to mischief,

Acting without a care.

Mischievous naughty and troublesome,

They were her favourite ape,

And if you watch them closely,

You just might see their escape.

But Sophia was the only one,

Who saw them make their move,

She watched them climb the fence,

And followed them through the zoo.

They slipped into the zebra’s pen,

And caught him unawares,

They yanked down on his tail,

Pulling out his hair.

Sophia really liked the monkeys,

They were just like her,

Always getting up to mischief,

Acting without a care.

Then they snuck up on the elephant

Who was basking in his pool,

Then blew a raspberry on his ear

And covered him in drool.

Sophia really liked the monkeys,

They were just like her,

Always getting up to mischief,

Acting without a care.

Next they clambered over the fence

That kept the lion enclosed,

And with a bucketful of water

They soaked him head to toe.

Sophia really liked the monkeys,

They were just like her,

Always getting up to mischief,

Acting without a care.

Being cheeky is very tiring

But their pranks were not over,

They spied the grumpy crocodile

And covered his head with flour.

Sophia really liked the monkeys,

They were just like her,

Always getting up to mischief,

Acting without a care.

Then they raced as fast as they could

Chased by their unhappy friends,

And Sophia knew what they should do

In order to make amends.

“You cheeky monkeys” said Zebra,

“You think it’s all well and good,

To play jokes and pranks

In our neighbourhood”,

“But sometimes” said Lion,

It’s not funny, the things you do,

It can be embarrassing or hurtful,

And we’ll end up in a blue”,

The cheeky monkeys stopped laughing,

Their fun was at an end,

The monkeys had some work to do,

If friendships they were to mend,

But the monkeys were confused,

Uncertain what they could say,

They wanted to repair the damage

Their cheekiness had done today,

Sophia, who had been following,

Had been in this situation before,

She had always found it best to be honest,

And simply, forgiveness to ask for,

So she stepped between the angry animals,

And soothed them with her plea,

To pardon the cheeky monkeys

For their practical joke spree,

She convinced lion zebra elephant and croc

That the monkeys were truly sad,

And that they wouldn’t trick caper or swindle,

Because at heart they truly weren’t bad.

And then she made the monkeys promise,

That the difference they understood,

Between being naughty and hurtful,

And being funny cheeky and good.

So now Sophia goes to the zoo,

With her mum and dad in tow,

To see all the wonderful animals,

And her favourite?  I bet you know