Liam held Grandma's hand tight as they walked through the big zoo gates. His eyes grew wide with excitement. "Zoo! Zoo!" he said, pointing at the colorful map. Grandma smiled down at him. "That's right, sweetie. We're going to see so many animals today!" She bent down to his level. "Should we start with the polar bears?" Liam nodded his head up and down really fast. "Bears!" he squealed. Grandma took his little hand again, and they headed down the path together. Liam's feet did happy little jumps with each step.

At the polar bear pool, Liam pressed his nose against the cool glass. Two big white bears dove into the bright blue water. Splash! "Wow!" Liam shouted, clapping his hands. The bears swam right past the window, their big paws paddling. "Look how they swim, Liam," Grandma said softly. One bear did a flip underwater, and bubbles went everywhere. Liam laughed and laughed. "Again! Again!" he called out. The bear swam back and seemed to look right at Liam. "He likes you," Grandma whispered. Liam waved goodbye as they moved along.

Next, they heard funny sounds. "Ooh ooh ah ah!" Liam looked up and pointed. "Monkeys!" In the tall trees, monkeys were swinging on ropes and branches. One little monkey hung by its tail. Another jumped from tree to tree. Liam giggled as a monkey made a silly face at him. "That one is being goofy," Grandma said with a chuckle. A monkey grabbed a banana and peeled it. "Nana!" Liam said excitedly. "Yes, monkeys love bananas," Grandma agreed. Liam tried to make monkey sounds too. "Ooh ooh!" The monkeys seemed to answer back!

The ground rumbled a little as they approached the elephant area. Three gray elephants stood together near a pond. "Big!" Liam whispered, eyes huge. Suddenly, one elephant used its long trunk to suck up water. Then whoosh! It sprayed water high in the air! "Whoa!" Liam jumped up and down. Another elephant sprayed water on its back. The baby elephant tried too, but only a little water came out. Liam laughed at the baby elephant. "Like me," he said, pointing at himself. "You're both little and learning," Grandma said warmly. The elephants flapped their big ears in the sunshine.

They walked to a rocky area where lions rested in the sun. Everything was quiet for a moment. Then suddenly, the biggest lion stood up tall. He opened his mouth wide and "ROAR!" The sound was so loud! Liam grabbed Grandma's leg and hid behind her. "It's okay, sweetie. We're safe here," Grandma soothed him. Liam peeked out carefully. The lion roared again, but this time Liam felt braver. "Roar!" Liam tried to roar back in his tiny voice. Grandma laughed. "What a brave boy you are!" The lion laid back down for a nap.

"Time for a special treat," Grandma announced. They reached a colorful merry go round with painted animals. "Horsie!" Liam pointed at a bright red horse. Grandma lifted him onto it and held him steady. "I'm right here beside you," she promised, standing close. The music started playing a cheerful tune. Round and round they went! Up and down went the horse! Liam held on tight to the pole, smiling the biggest smile. "Whee!" he shouted. Grandma waved each time they passed the same spot. When it stopped, Liam said, "More! More!" "Maybe later, sweetie," Grandma said.

"Let's ride the zoo train," Grandma suggested. Liam loved trains! They climbed into a little green train car and sat down together. "Choo choo!" Liam said happily. The train whistle blew and off they went, chugging along the track. The train rolled past pretty flowers and under shady trees. "Look up there, Liam," Grandma pointed. Tall giraffes stood by the trees! Their long necks reached way up high. They were eating green leaves right off the branches. "Tall!" Liam said, stretching his arms up high. "Very tall," Grandma agreed. The train kept moving, showing them more of the zoo.

The train slowed down near the giraffe area so everyone could see better. One giraffe bent its long neck down to look at the train. Liam and the giraffe looked right at each other! "Hi!" Liam called out, waving his little hand. The giraffe's tongue came out, long and purple, to grab more leaves. "Funny tongue!" Liam laughed. Another baby giraffe walked on wobbly legs next to its mama. "Baby," Liam said softly. "Just like you're Grandma's baby," she said, hugging him close. The train whistle blew again, and they continued their ride. Liam waved goodbye to all the giraffes.

As they walked toward the exit, they passed the gift shop. "Let's peek inside," Grandma said. The shop was full of colorful toys and stuffed animals. Right in the middle stood something amazing - a big tree made entirely of toy animals! Lions, elephants, bears, and monkeys all covered the branches. "Wow!" Liam's mouth made a little O shape. He walked closer, touching the soft animals gently. Birds, zebras, and tigers too! "Which one is your favorite?" Grandma asked. Liam looked at all of them carefully. His eyes kept going back to one special animal on the tree.

Liam pointed up at the tree. "Dat one!" It was a brown monkey with a curly tail and a sweet smile. "The monkey? Good choice!" Grandma reached up and took it down. She handed the soft monkey to Liam. He hugged it right away against his chest. "Monkey," he said happily, patting its head. The monkey was just the right size for his little arms. "We'll remember our fun day every time we see your new friend," Grandma said. Liam kissed the monkey's nose. Grandma paid for the toy, and they got a special zoo bag to carry it in.

They walked slowly toward the zoo exit gates. Liam held Grandma's hand with one hand and clutched his new monkey tight with the other. "Did you have fun today?" Grandma asked. "Yeah!" Liam said, nodding. "We saw polar bears swimming, monkeys swinging, elephants spraying, and lions roaring," Grandma counted on her fingers. "And you rode the merry go round and the train!" Liam looked down at his monkey. "Monkey too," he added. "Yes, and you picked the perfect monkey to remember our adventure," Grandma agreed. The sun was getting lower in the sky as they headed home.

At the zoo gates, Liam turned back one more time. He waved at the zoo with his monkey's little paw. "Bye bye, zoo!" he called. "Bye bye, animals!" Grandma waved too. They walked to the parking lot together, Liam's legs getting a bit tired. "You were such a good helper today," Grandma told him. Liam yawned a big yawn and hugged his monkey closer. "Best day," he said sleepily. Grandma smiled and picked him up, monkey and all. "The very best day," she agreed. As they drove home, Liam held his special monkey, already dreaming of their next adventure together.