The next morning Sisanda woke up with an idea!

“Can I go to work with you today?” she asked her baba. “I have a gift for the baby giraffe.”

Her parents looked at each other, smiled and said, “Yes, of course you can come with us.”

It was a warm but cloudy day. Everything in the reserve seemed unusually quiet.

“I think the sun isn’t shining today because it’s sad about the baby giraffe,” said Sisanda.

A great big elephant gazed at the family walking by.

“Maybe he’s wondering why a little girl is going to work with her parents,” said Sisanda’s mother.

Sisanda nodded. “He’s going to get a surprise when he finds out,” she thought.

They found the baby giraffe standing alone. His willowy neck drooped and his big brown eyes looked dull. Sisanda stood as close to him as she could. She opened her small bag and took out a book. Then, to her parents’ surprise, she began to read to the baby giraffe. He turned his head towards her voice and listened as if he could understand every word. At first, Sisanda’s parents thought reading to a giraffe was a strange thing to do, but they changed their minds when they saw how peaceful he looked − his gentle eyes looking at Sisanda.