Page 1: The glistening sun peaked through the curtains and reminded Felix he had a day of adventure ahead of him. It was the same routine every day. Felix got dressed while his parents hurried off to work and Kendall, his babysitter, took their place in the living room. “Today, I’m going to be a zookeeper!” Felix announced to the toys in his room, and then tiptoed downstairs. His destination was the zoo just a few blocks away, where his adventure would begin.
Page 2: Kendall never paid any attention to Felix, so he had no trouble slipping out the back door. After walking the short blocks to the zoo entrance, Felix made his way to the giraffe enclosure. He made himself comfortable on the bench closest to the glass separating him from the fascinating creatures. Felix watched the animals and took notes in his journal. He made a special note about one giraffe in particular.
Page 3: “TAP TAP!” Felix got the animal’s attention by knocking on the glass. “Hi, what’s your name? I’m Felix.” “I’m…..I’m… I’m Nolan.” “It’s nice to meet you. Why are you sad, Nolan?” “I don’t like being cooped up in this enclosure. I’m used to being free in the wild.” “I see. I think I know how I can help!”
Page 4: Felix went around to the back fence and unlocked a door to release his new friend. “Follow me,” he told Nolan, “I have some ideas that may cheer you up.”
Page 5: First, Felix took Nolan to the swimming pool. He thought a nice swim would take his mind off being in the zoo all the time. The boys put on their swim suits and floats to prepare to make a huge splash in the water. Nolan yelped the moment he touched the chlorine. “What’s the matter?” Felix asked. “I don’t think swimming is the thing for me,” replied Nolan. “Okay, I know something else we can try. Come on!”
Page 6: Nolan followed, still dripping pool water, as Felix lead the way to the arcade. “Maybe playing games will put you in a good mood!” Felix encouraged. Nolan shrugged his broad shoulders and sighed, “I’m willing to try anything.”
Page 7: The friends competed in every game the arcade offered. None of the activities even put a smile on Nolan’s face. “I am not good at this and the noise in here is giving me a headache. I don’t think games are the thing for me,” Nolan declared as he sat down looking defeated. Felix didn’t know what to say in this situation. It pained him seeing his friend upset. How could he help him? Suddenly, he came up with a solution that was bound to work.
Page 8: Meanwhile, Kendall realized the house seemed quieter than usual. “Felix?” she called. No answer. She recalled catching a glimpse of him in some kind of safari outfit over the top of her magazine. Ah-ha! He must have gone off to the zoo. “That Felix is always getting into some kind of trouble,” she said to herself.
Page 9: The last attempt Felix made to cheer up his new friend was a trip to the ice cream shop. Ice cream puts a smile on everyone’s face. It was worth a try. He made sure to keep an eye on Nolan so he wouldn’t get brain freeze. Felix wanted everything to go smoothly.
Page 10: Even though Nolan had never seen this frozen treat before, he quickly fell in love with its delicious taste. Felix was satisfied that his work had paid off, but he knew soon his friend would have to return to the zoo. Luckily, he didn’t have to bring it up. Between bites Nolan said, “Felix, thank you for taking me out of the zoo today and cheering me up. I enjoyed myself and making friends with you, but I think the right thing to do is to go back home. Will you take me?” “I was glad to spend my day with you, Nolan. I’ll take you back now, but I will be sure to visit as often as I can,” Felix assured his friend. Then they walked back to the zoo hand and hand.
Page 11: Kendall arrived at the zoo out of breath and found Felix on his original bench taking notes like he had never left. She stormed over to him with wide eyes and questioned, “Where have you been all day? What were you doing? What were you thinking?”
Page 12: “I came here and made friends with a giraffe named Nolan. Look, he’s over there!” he waves to Nolan then continues, “Anyways, Nolan was sad, so we left the zoo and went to the pool, the arcade, and to get ice cream! Now he’s happy!” Felix is now breathing heavy from talking so quickly.
Page 13: “I’m sure you did. Now let’s get home before your parents do.” Kendall ordered. “I really did, Kendall,” Felix tried to convince her. “You have a very good imagination, Felix.” Kendall stated as she dragged back home.
Page 14: When Kendall left, and his parent’s arrived home, Felix told them about his adventures that day, having hopes they would believe him. They were more engaged in his story than Kendall, but in the end gave Felix basically the same response. “It seems like you had quite a day, sweetheart. Your imagination can take you all kinds of places,” his Mom said as she tucked him in for bed. There was no sense arguing so he replied, “Tomorrow I am going to be an astronaut.”