CHAPTER 1

THE BEST DAY EVER

In front of me, a giant, reddish-orange tiger paced back and forth next to a little river. Its mouth was open, and its tongue stuck out. I could see its big, sharp teeth, but I wasn’t scared.

Somebody else was, though. Behind me, one of my classmates said, “Tigers are scary.”

“Some people are afraid of tigers, but if you respect them and follow the zoo rules, they won’t hurt you,” the tour guide at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo explained. “This is Nikita, our six-year-old Amur tiger.”

“Why is she all alone?” I asked.

“We want her to get used to her new habitat,” the zookeeper answered. “She will get to meet her neighbor soon.”

I glanced at the exhibit next door. Another tiger lived there. It kept swimming up to a little window to see Nikita.

“I didn’t know tigers could swim,” I said.

“Most big cats can,” the zookeeper replied. “Lions, cheetahs, and leopards can all swim, but they tend to avoid water. They’re better at hunting on land. Tigers usually live in jungles with lots of wide rivers, so they’re good at swimming. The only other big cat that swims well is the jaguar.”

I hadn’t known that, either. There was a lot to learn at the zoo.

“Who’s ready to see the giant pandas?” our guide asked.

I waved goodbye to Nikita before I walked away. I wanted to race down the path ahead of the rest of my third-grade class, but I knew what would happen if I did: a time-out. Our teacher, Ms. Johnson, had already warned us about staying together before we left school.

“Our giant pandas are quite famous,” the tour guide continued. “Maybe you’ve seen them on our webcam.”

I nodded. Our class had been been watching the panda cam for weeks to get ready for our field trip. The pandas were always eating and taking naps.

Finally the tour guide said, “Let’s head over to the panda house.”

I fast-walked to the very front of the group, so I was right next to our leader. I wanted to be the first one there.

“Azaleah, wait up!” my best friend, Rose, called after me.

I did not wait. I’d been dying to see the pandas all morning. Rose and I had talked about pandas the whole four blocks on our walk from our elementary school to the zoo. Now we were finally going to see them in person.

At the giant panda exhibit, a zookeeper was waiting for us.

“Welcome to the panda house,” she said. “Here at the National Zoo, one of our goals is conservation. That means making sure all species of animals survive. Pandas are vulnerable. They could become endangered if we don’t help them.”

I already knew that. We had learned all about endangered animals in class. It was part of our lesson on different habitats and the animals that lived in them.

Our tour guide had also mentioned it earlier. She’d said that tigers were “critically endangered.” The zoo was working very hard to save them.

“Pandas in zoos can live to be more than thirty years old,” the zookeeper continued. “They spend up to sixteen hours a day eating. When they’re not eating, they’re sleeping.”

In the exhibit, a panda stared at us and took a bite of bamboo. I liked the way the panda just sat there while it ate. It reminded me of how my sisters and I sat on the floor and ate licorice when we watched movies at home.

The zookeeper said, “Pandas sometimes make barking noises to communicate. Who can tell me the natural habitat of a giant panda?”

I raised my hand, and the zookeeper pointed at me.

“Giant pandas live in the mountains in China,” I announced. “They live in forests with lots of moisture and plenty of bamboo.”

The zookeeper gave me a thumbs-up. “That’s right,” she said.

After a few more minutes, Ms. Johnson smiled at the zookeeper. “Thank you for speaking with us,” she said.

One of the pandas climbed down from a tree and started rolling around on the grass. The class giggled.

Ms. Johnson turned to face us. “We’ve learned a lot about natural habitats today,” she said. “Now I’m going to give you a chance to earn extra credit. All you have to do is build a diorama of an animal habitat we saw today.”

I grinned. I loved art, and I really loved a challenge. I definitely wanted to make a diorama of an animal habitat.

Ms. Johnson kept talking. “If you bring your diorama to school on Monday,” she continued, “you will earn extra science points. You will also get to display your work in the STEM Lab.”

This was the best day ever. Our principal, Ms. Li, always looked at the displays in the STEM Lab. Sometimes she even gave congratulations and recognitions during the morning announcements if something impressed her.

I could already imagine her voice: I’d like to recognize and congratulate Azaleah Lane for her fantastic diorama.

Before we left the zoo, Ms. Johnson let us stop at the gift shop. I only had enough money for one postcard. I could look at the panda cam any time, so I decided to get one of Nikita.

I spent the whole walk back to school chatting with Rose and trying to choose an animal for my diorama. Whatever I brought on Monday was going to impress Ms. Li. I would make sure of it.