Cleo the Copycat at the Zoo
Large text for little eyes.
Cleo the cat lived with a loving family in a cozy house near the city zoo.
Every morning, she’d climb onto the fence to watch the animals from afar.
“Oh, look at the lions!” she purred. “So brave and bold!”
“And those flamingos, so fancy on one leg!”
“Oh, and the monkeys! They’re hilarious!”
Cleo sighed. “Everyone at the zoo is amazing… and I’m just… plain old me.”
One sunny day, Cleo made a plan. “I’ll visit the zoo—and learn to be amazing too!”
She sneaked out the gate, tiptoed down the street, and slipped through a tiny hole in the zoo fence.
“Watch out, world,” she said, puffing her fur. “Cleo the Copycat is here!”
The Lion’s Roar (and the Meow Mishap)
First stop: the lions.
Cleo crouched behind a rock as the biggest lion let out a mighty “Roar!”
“Wow,” whispered Cleo. “That’s how you sound brave!”
She took a deep breath and tried to roar too.
“Rrrrr… meow?”
The lions blinked. One lion cub giggled. “Cute roar.” Cleo blushed. “I’m… still learning.”
Next, she tried copying the giraffe by stretching her neck high. “Look at me! I’m so tall!”
She tripped on her tail and landed in the mud.
Then she tried hopping like a kangaroo, but bounced right into a lemonade stand. Covered in lemon slices and leaves, Cleo sighed. “Copycatting is hard work!”
The Parade of Pretenders
By afternoon, Cleo had tried to be a tiger (too stripey), an elephant (too heavy), and even a flamingo (too wobbly).
As she sulked under a tree, a colorful parrot squawked above her.
“Having trouble, little copycat?” it teased. Cleo frowned. “I just want to be special like everyone else.”
“Special?” said the parrot. “Who says you aren’t? You’re the only one who looks like you!”
“But I can’t roar, or fly, or dance,” said Cleo.
The parrot flapped down beside her. “Maybe you just haven’t found your kind of special yet. Let’s ask around!”
So they visited the other animals together.
The otters taught Cleo how to play. The monkeys showed her how to laugh.
The peacocks told her to strut proudly.
By the end of the day, Cleo wasn’t copying anymore; she was creating her own mix of everything she loved!
The Cat Who Found Her Sparkle
As the sun set, Cleo’s new friends gathered to say goodbye.
“You’re not just a copycat anymore,” said the parrot. “You’re Cleo the Creative Cat!”
Cleo purred proudly. “You’re right! I don’t need stripes or feathers to shine. My imagination makes me special.”
When she returned home, her family found her covered in sparkly feathers, zoo stickers, and a very confident smile.
“Cleo! What happened to you?” they laughed.
“Oh, just a normal day at the zoo,” she said with a wink.
From that day on, Cleo stopped wishing to be like anyone else. Instead, she spent her days drawing, dancing, and inventing new games with her friends—her own way of being amazing.
Because, as Cleo learned, the best kind of special is the kind that’s uniquely you.
The End !
