Meeting a New Friend

One sunny morning, a large, friendly elephant lumbered down to the river. He had heard exciting news: a mysterious new animal had arrived in the jungle! The elephant loved meeting new people, so he decided to go and say a big, trunk-waving hello.

When he reached the water’s edge, he spotted a long, bumpy green animal resting on a warm rock.

"Hello there!" called the elephant. "Are you the new animal everyone is talking about?"

The creature opened one sleepy eye and smiled, showing off a row of white teeth. "Yes, I am," he replied kindly. "I am a crocodile. I washed down the river during the last big flood. At first, I missed my old home, but I think I’m going to stay here. This river is even more beautiful than the one I came from!"

The elephant’s ears flapped with joy. "Well, I am an elephant, and I’m very happy to welcome you to our home!"

From that day on, the elephant and the crocodile were the best of friends. The elephant would spray water from his trunk to keep the crocodile cool, and the crocodile would tell the elephant wonderful stories about the long river.