Once upon a time, there was a bus filled with animals. A ball and an apple were rolling around the aisle. The duck was quacking, the elephant was trumpeting, the dog was barking and the alligator was snapping. Suddenly, the bus hit a bump and the ball bounced out the window. The animals all rushed to look out the window and saw that the ball had landed in a pond. The duck immediately jumped out of the bus and started swimming towards the ball. But when the duck got to the pond, he saw that an alligator was guarding the ball. The duck quickly swim back to the bus and told everyone what he saw. The elephant, being the bravest animal on the bus, decided to go and get the ball back. The elephant waded into the pond, picked up the ball and started back to the bus. The alligator tried to stop the elephant, but the elephant was too strong. The alligator finally gave up and let the elephant bring the ball back to the bus. The animals all cheered and the bus continued on its journey, this time with a happy ending.

Reflections

• Who were the main characters in the story?
• What happened when the bus hit a bump?
• Who decided to go get the ball back?
• How did the alligator react when the elephant took the ball?
• What happened in the end?