Where Can Sloth Nap? UFLI Foundations Lesson 93
Practice Words
Sloth was tired. So tired his legs felt like jelly, and his chin drooped low. 'I need a nap,' he yawned. 'Not just any nap. The best nap this jungle has ever seen.' 'But first,' said Sloth, 'I need the perfect spot.'
Sloth saw a tall tree with lots of branches. 'That is the spot!' he said. 'I can feel it in my claws.' He clung to the trunk and crawled up. Slow. Very, very slow. That is the sloth way. But he was full of hope.
Up the tree, Sloth saw a branch with a sweet curve in it. Like a bed made of wood. He swung under the branch, hooked on with all four paws, and gave a long, happy sigh. 'This is the spot. Nothing bad can happen.' He should not have said that.
Snap! Big wet jaws shut on Sloth's back. He looked up. A long, long neck reached up the tree. Giraffe was chewing on him! 'I am not a snack!' yelped Sloth. The green moss on his fur did look like leaves. Giraffe took one more bite, just to check. 'Not a snack!' Sloth crawled up fast.
Sloth crept to a new branch, far from Giraffe. He clung to the trunk and gave a happy yawn. A soft breeze blew past his fur. 'This is the spot,' he said. 'No Giraffe. Just peace and quiet. No flaws.' He must stop saying that.
Buzz buzz buzz! A big beehive hung from the same branch. One bee landed on Sloth's nose. Then one on his back. Then three more on his belly. 'I am off,' Sloth whispered. He slid off, one paw at a time. 'Nice hive. Please do not sting me.'
Up and up Sloth went. He hauled his sore self up the trunk and looked up. Something long and thin hung from the branch above. 'Is that a tail?' Sloth said. 'A nice tail? A sleepy tail? A please-do-not-eat-me tail?'
Hiss! Snake rose up and shoved his face at Sloth. Jaws wide. Fangs sharp. 'Taken!' hissed Snake. 'This branch is taken! I was first! Find another spot!' 'Yes yes yes!' Sloth went up so fast he surprised himself.
Sloth could not stop yawning. His paws were sore. His everything was sore. Up above, a bird sat on a branch. But just below it? An empty branch. No bird. Just perfect. 'Please,' Sloth whispered. 'Let this be the spot. I just want to sleep.'
'Caw-caw! Caw-caw!' Bird flung his beak up and squawked again and again and again. 'You naughty bird!' Sloth said, his face twitching. 'Do you do this all day?' 'Caw-caw!'
Just one spot left. The very top of the tree. Sloth crawled up the last bit on nothing but hope. He clung tight with all his claws. He curled his tail. No Giraffe. No bees. No Snake. No Bird. Just sky and quiet. Sloth gave one last yawn. And this time, he slept.
And so the tree filled up for the night. Sloth slept at the very top. Bird sat in the middle, quiet at last. Snake was below, still cranky. At the bottom stood Giraffe, looking up with a long face. He yawned. 'Where can I nap?' he said. No one said a thing. They all slept till dawn. Well. All but the bees.
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