'Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo' read by John Lithgow

Hi and welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. I'm John Lithgow and today I'm going to read you Never Play Music Right Next to the Zoo, written, well, by me, by John Lithgow, and illustrated by my good friend Lisa Hernandez. I went to a concert when I was a lad, no older than many of you. I sat with my sister, my mother, my dad, at a band shell right next to the zoo. The soft summer air was so balmy and sweet and the program was running so long that I found myself falling asleep in my seat despite all the music and song. All at once the conductor erupted with rage. A band of wild animals was storming the stage. Oh children, remember whatever you may do, never play music right next to the zoo. They'll burst from their cages, each beast and each bird, desperate to play all the music they've heard. The lions and the elephants, the bears and the raccoons will steal away the trumpets, the fruits and bassoons, replace the musicians and chase them away. Then they'll sit in the band shell and play. The monkeys played fiddle, the bison played bass, the percussions were manned by the camel, the yak played the sax until red in the face, a surprisingly musical mammal. The bonobo played oboe, the ferret the flute, the jackal attacked the bassoon. The hippo had chosen the tuba to toot by the light of the silvery moon. Siberian tigers, Mongolian goats, a super abundance of bestial nodes. Oh children, remember whatever you may do, never play music right next to the zoo. They'll burst from their cages, each beast and each bird, desperate to play all the music they've heard. The lions and the elephants, the bears and the raccoons will steal away the trumpets, the fruits and bassoons, replace the musicians and chase them away. And then they'll sit in the band shell and play. As the animal orchestra filled up the air with chaos, confusion and clatter, the audience calmly continued to stare as if nothing at all was the matter. I trembled with terror, suppressing a scream while my parents just sat there enraptured. Oh how I wish it was only a dream and those creatures all safely recaptured. But since by the minute I'd grown less afraid, I decided to sit back and watch while they played. They finished and each put his instrument down, then bowed and descended the stage. Each shed his tuxedo or evening gown and hurried back home to his cage. Then each reminisced, so grateful and glad, so full of contentment and pride. My mother meanwhile strolled away with my dad, but my sister remained by my side. She tugged on my sweater and spoke in my ear, You'd better wake up or we're leaving you here. Oh children, remember, whatever you may do, never play music right next to the zoo. They'll burst from their cages, each beast and each bird, desperate to play all the music they've heard. No, never play music right next to the zoo and pay strict attention to rule number two. Bury it in mind for the rest of your days, don't fall asleep when an orchestra plays. Now, why do I write children's books? Well, because I love reading for children. I love reading for my own children, for my own grandchildren, and I loved reading this one for all of you. I also love animals and I love music. I'm sure all of you do too. And of course, this book was full of both of them. I've written nine books now. This is the ninth, my most recent, and the one I like the best. I hope you liked it. Thank you so much for watching Storyline Online. Make sure to check out all of our stories. Keep watching and keep reading.