Chaucer and the Peanut Butter Sandwich

 A story for the little ones

Chaucer lived in a big lion cage in the zoo. He was happy there, because he had so many friends.

He played King-of-the-castle with all the other lions on the big rock in the centre of the yard.

Simon-the-keeper brought his lunch every day and scratched his ears at bedtime.

Mrs. Johnson came every morning on her bike. "Hi, Chaucer," she called, and "Bye, Chaucer," as she pedaled around the corner.

Robert and Jake came every sunny afternoon to feed the pigeons. They stopped first to talk to Chaucer. "Looking good, Chaucer," Robert always said.

"Must be all that good food," Jake answered.

Chaucer roared and stretched to show off his muscles.

But his best friend was Jessica. Every day she came with her Mommy and her baby brother, on their way home from pre-school. Hi, Chaucer," she shouted. "Look what I made today!" Then she would sit on the bench and her Mommy would open a blue bag and take out Jessica's afternoon snack. Sometimes there was an orange and a cookie, sometimes juice in a box and carrot sticks, and sometimes a peanut butter sandwich.

On those days, Chaucer would come right up to the fence and put his nose through the bars. The peanut butter smelled so yummy! It must taste like heaven!

One day, Chaucer didn't eat his lunch. The meat Simon-the-keeper brought was tender and fresh, and the water was cool, but Chaucer wasn't hungry for meat.

Simon-the-keeper was worried. "Don't you like your lunch, Chaucer?" he asked.

"Not today," Chaucer said. "Today I want a peanut butter sandwich just like Jessica had."

But all Simon-the-keeper heard was "Roarr, rroarrrrrrr!"

"Are you sick, Chaucer? Don't you feel well?" asked Simon-the-keeper. "Do you want a vitamin pill?"

"I want a peanut butter sandwich", said Chaucer.

"Rrroarrrrr!" heard Simon-the-keeper.

"I think I'd better get help", said Simon-the-keeper. He ran to his office to phone the lion doctor.

He was so worried he forgot to lock the gate.

Chaucer got up and went over to the gate. It opened when he pushed it and he went out into the park

He looked this way and he looked that way. Which way did Jessica go?

"She went down the hill," he remembered. So off he went down the hill.

On the way he met Mrs. Johnson. She was carrying a big bag full of bread and oranges and lettuce.

"Do you have any peanut butter?" Chaucer asked her. "I really want a peanut butter sandwich."

But all Mrs. Johnson heard was "RRoarrrrrr!" She was so frightened she dropped her bag. The oranges all rolled down the hill, and Mrs. Johnson ran right behind them.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" she screamed. "A lion escaped from the zoo! Eeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Chaucer looked in the bag. There was no peanut butter. So he went on down the hill.

Soon he met Robert and Jake coming to feed the pigeons. They had a big bag of crumbs and sunflower seeds.

"Do you have any peanut butter?" Chaucer asked them. "I really want a peanut butter sandwich".

But all they heard was "RRoarrrrrrrrr!" They dropped the bag of crumbs and sunflower seeds and ran up the hill to the zoo.

"Call the police! A lion escaped from the zoo!" they shouted.

Chaucer looked in the bag. There was no peanut butter. So he went on down the hill.

Down the hill and around the corner was a little white house. Jessica was playing in the back yard.

"Do you have any peanut butter?" Chaucer asked her. "I really want a peanut butter sandwich".

"Oh, hi, Chaucer", said Jessica. "You want a peanut butter sandwich? Come on in, I can make you one."

And they went inside the house and Jessica made a great big thick yummy peanut butter sandwich and gave it to Chaucer.

It was so good that Chaucer ate it all at one gulp.

And his mouth got all stuck up with peanut butter, so when he tried to say "Thank you" all that he could manage was "MMMrrrmmph."

"What did you say, Chaucer?" asked Jessica.

"MMmmmrrmmph, mmmrrmmrrmmph!" said Chaucer.

"Oh, Chaucer, what a pig! You're supposed to take little bites!" Jessica scolded him.

Just then, the door opened wide. In ran the policeman, Simon-the-keeper, Jessica's Mommy, Mrs. Johnson, and Robert and Jake.

"There he is! Grab him!" shouted Mrs. Johnson. "Tie him up!"

"No! Leave him alone!" said Jessica. "He's fine now, he'll go home all by himself, won't you Chaucer?"

And Chaucer said "Mmmmmrrrmmmrrrmmph!", meaning "Yes!"

So he went home with Simon-the-keeper and played "King of the Castle" with the other lions until dark. And the next day when Jessica and her Mommy came, Jessica opened her bag and pulled out TWO peanut butter sandwiches, one for Jessica, and

ONE FOR CHAUCER!

And Chaucer ate it S-L-O-W-L-Y , taking little bites.

Stories for children, 2003