One afternoon

           when the sun was at its highest point

the crocodile, the hippo, the tiger and the giraffe heard a strange sound

                                                                 in the distance.

 

                    ‘What on earth is that?’ they asked each other.

 

            The giraffe stretched her neck as far as she could

                                                              but she didn't see

                                   anything.

 

                        ‘We need to be taller,’ they all said.

 

                     The crocodile asked the hippo to climb on his back.

               ‘Do you see anything?’ all the others asked.

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          But he shook his head. 

 

    So the tiger jumped onto his back

and did his utmost best to see where the sound was coming from 

 

         but they were still not tall enough.

 

                     Then the giraffe carefully climbed onto the tigers back.

                  ‘What do you see?’ they all asked.

               ‘I am not sure,’ said the giraffe,

         ‘it must be the sound of the earth

 spinning on its axes again,

because the earth does that you know.'