The Zoo Treasure Hunt

The class went to the zoo on Friday. The class leader gave every pair a paper map. Each pair also got a small yellow envelope.

"Today we have a treasure hunt," she said. "Each envelope has the first clue. The first pair at the last clue wins."

Iker and Jana opened their envelope. Jana read the clue out loud. "I wear black and white. I swim, but I cannot fly."

"Penguins!" Iker said. "Let's go."

They ran to the penguin pool. A small card hung on the fence. It said, "Next, find the tallest animal."

Karim and his friend were already there. Karim waved at them with a big grin. "We are first," he said. "You are slow."

"We will see," Jana said.

Karim ran to the next path with his friend. Iker watched them go. His heart beat fast.

They walked past the lions and found the giraffes. Two giraffes ate leaves from a high basket. Jana smiled at them for a moment.

"Come on," Iker said. "Karim is not slow."

They looked all around the fence. Under a sign, they found the third clue. Iker read it slowly.

"I live in the trees. I eat fruit. I make a lot of noise."

"Monkeys," Jana said. "The monkey house is on our map."

They hurried to the monkey house. It was big and loud. Children shouted and pointed at the animals. Iker and Jana looked on every wall. They looked under every bench. They found nothing.

"This is the wrong place," Iker said. "We lost ten minutes."

Jana looked at the clue again. "Wait. It says trees. It does not say house."

"So the monkeys live outside?" Iker asked.

"I think so. I saw an island with trees on the map."

They ran to the monkey island by the lake. A card hung on a tree. The last clue was short. It said, "The prize waits where the zoo says goodbye."

"The exit gate," Iker said. "It is very far from here."

Jana put her finger on the map. The long road went around the lake. It passed the café and the lions. It took a long time.

"Look," Jana said. "There is a small bridge. It goes across the duck pond."

"Is it open?" Iker asked.

"Yes. It has a green sign. Visitors can use it," Jana said. "It saves ten minutes."

They hurried to the bridge. Iker looked back. He did not see Karim yet. The wood made a loud sound under their shoes. The ducks swam away from them. On the other side, the exit gate was close.

Karim and his friend came down the long road. They ran fast, but they were late. They were hot and out of breath. They saw Iker and Jana at the gate. Karim stopped.

"How did you get here before us?" he asked.

"We took the bridge," Jana said. "It is on the map."

A small box stood under the big sign. The sign said, "Goodbye! Come again!" Iker lifted the box and opened it. Inside, there were four tickets for the ice cream stand.

The class leader came with her whistle. "Iker and Jana win," she said. "Karim, you are second."

Karim looked at the map. He looked at the little bridge. He looked at the ducks. Then he laughed.

"Good map," he said. "Next time, I will read it first."