YEEK the EMU By Aya Imam Illustrations by Ryan Alghussein
To Miss Debbie and the teachers and staff at ACS Doha International School who help us learn new things about ourselves everyday.
This book was inspired by the works of author Sheena Knowles and illustrator Rod Clement. ACS Doha International School Doha, Qatar March 2013
Yeek the emu was tired of the zoo. He was getting so bored; he had nothing to do. Compared to the school across the street, life at the zoo was not so sweet.
“Daddy, Daddy please listen to me!” yelled Yeek with a squeal.
“Have some patience my darling, as you can see, I’m as busy as a bee,” shouted Edward, his dad.
“Mommy, Mommy, please listen to me!” demanded Yeek with a pout.
“Yes, yes my dear darling, but please say it fast. Your little brother’s about to fall off the couch,” replied Edwina, his mother.
“I want to go to school,” Yeek pleaded.
“Oh nay, nay, nay. School is not the place for an emu,” Edwina squealed. “But, Mommy, I’m so bored here in the zoo. I want to make some new friends,” Yeek cried. “Okay, if you must. But, if something goes wrong, it’s up to you to figure it out,” replied Edwina.
Yeek was bursting with excitement as he always wanted to go to school.
The next morning, Yeek and Edward walked to the school across the street from the zoo.
“Yeek, this is your first day of school and I want you to do your best and be kind,” said Edward. Hearing his dad’s kind words a tear fell from Yeek’s eye. “Daddy, you’re embarrassing me,” shouted Yeek
As Edward headed back to the zoo, Yeek entered the main entrance of the school. “Eew! What is an emu doing in school. Someone do something about this,� a small boy exclaimed.
“Excuse me. I have a name. My name is Yeek. I’m an emu that’s true. What’s the problem with an emu going to school? Everybody goes to school and an emu can too.”
Yeek was upset, but that wouldn’t stop him from staying in school. The best thing to do, he thought, was to get involved in something so that he could prove that an emu belonged in school. Yeek decided to try out for the school play. He marched to the auditorium, sat down and waited to be called. “Next,” the director shouted. Yeek walked out onto the stage with confidence.
“Eew,” the director shrieked, “there are no emus in my play so please get out.” ‘Excuse me,” Yeek replied, “why is an emu in the play a problem. Anybody can try out for the play and an emu can too.”
Yeek left the stage feeling quite sad. He didn’t understand why emus could not be in the play. Yeek knew that if you were the best at something that people would treat you well, and Yeek knew that he was a very fast runner. So the next morning, when Yeek got to school, he signed up for track.
“Eew,” the track coach screamed, “there are no emus on the track team, so please go away.”
“Excuse me,” Yeek said, “I don’t see the problem of an emu on the track team,” and Yeek walked away. Yeek looked around. He spotted a poster that read ‘Guitar Auditions in the Music Room.’ Yeek had a good idea. He would play a song for his classmates and then get chosen to perform in the concert.
The next morning, Yeek got up early and practiced his song. When he got to school, he played the song for his class and everybody laughed. So, he ran straight to the audition and waited in line.
“Someone named Yeek is next,� called the Music teacher.
Yeek took a few steps onto the stage. But before he could even start playing, he heard the Music teacher gasp. “Eew. What is an emu with a guitar doing on my stage? Please go away.�
That afternoon, Yeek went to his mom and asked, “What’s wrong with being an emu actor, an emu runner, or an emu musician?”
“Oh nothing,” said Edwina. “But what’s wrong with just being yourself?”
The next morning, Yeek took his mother’s advice. Instead of trying to be something that he thought would impress his classmates, he would just be himself. He was an emu who knew everything about the animals who lived in the zoo. When he got to school, he began telling his classmates about the new panda cubs that had been born overnight.
His new friends were amazed by his stories about life at the zoo. The zoo, Yeek realized, was an interesting place after all, and the best way to make new friends was to just be yourself.