Rondevlei by Plusto Limited

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ALI CORBETT

ILLUSTRATIONS BY HEATHER DITTMAR

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This book is dedicated to Brenda Brickman BY ALI CORBETT lLLUSTRATIONS BY HEATHER DITTMAR

MONry MEET5 5PIT-5PUT Monty the Cape Crey Mongoose woke up with a song in his heart and a dance in his paws. 'Yippeel Today I am going to see my cousin Splash, the Water Mongoose, at Rondevlei!' he thought excitedly. Without further ado, he jumped out from under his rock at Kirstenbosch, grabbed his things ll and, with a quick cheerio to his mum and his \ - friend, Bushy the Squirrel, he scampered off in the direction of the Rondevlei Nature Reserve. It was a long journey, and while Monty dashed over hill and vale, he thought about all the hippos and porcupines, and the snakes and birds that lived in the vlei. Monty loved a good adventure, and he couldn't waii to mee,all the animals that his cousin had told him aboui.

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At last he reached the entrance to the vlei, and he slipped in through the big gates and quickly made his way towards the lookout tower, where he was to meet Splash for tea at mid-morning - when his tummy was usually rumbling! Feeling a little disappointed because there wasn't a mongoose in sight, Monty decided to explore a little on his own. He could feel a tingle in his tail, as he always did when he was about to have an adventure, as he made his way through the reed-like grass. lt looked like a sea of soft brown waves as the reeds blew gently in the breeze near the water's edge. He hadn't gone far when he heard a sort of noisy hiss. He stopped at once and pricked up his ears. $+ I

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'Spit-Sput and into my gut' hissed the snake. Monty nearly jumped out of his skin! There in front of him was a slithery, twisty, egg-eater sn&e;,'nrith a beatrtiful whitish egg in its mouth. Qrick as aflash :

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'Cive me bacl< my egg - that'sss my breakfassst!' Spit-Sput was absoluLely furious. Monty danced away ...

'Oh no, you don't [here is a baby bird in here, and I am going to do my good deed for the day and return it to its mother,' Monty replied. The snake slithered off in disgust, vowing to get back at Monty as soon as he could.

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Monty looked around among the reeds. 'Oops!' he gasped. 'Now I have a problem - there are so many different nests around and I haven't a clue where this egg belongs.' Some of the nests had fierce mothers protecting their eggs and Monty didn't dare go near those. Suddenly, Monty heard a rattling noise from behind. When he turned around, he saw a cute pointed face, naughty eyes and a back full of quivering spines. 'Hi! l'm Scamp - a porcupine with a great deal of knowledge! Can I help?' Monty looked at him in amazement and explained his problem. 'No worries!' said scamp, and then started muttering to himself, 'Eenie meenie minie mo, catch a porc by his toe ... there - that's the one, Monty!' he shouted in glee, and rushed off before Monty could say a word!

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BEAK5 AND FEET Monty shook his head in disgust. 'silly porc,' he thought to himself, and continued looking for the nest. At last, he found an abandoned one with some other eggs, and quickly popped his charge next to them and rushed off behind a clump of bulrushes to see what would happen. Sure enough, a few seconds later a very proud Cape Francolin settled down on the clutch of eggs, and Monty went on his way happily thinking he had saved the day. It was a wonderful morning. Monty felt content as he walked along the path between the tall reeds. He stopped to admire an enormous footprint in the muddy earth. lt was so big that Monty started guessing how many of his paw prints he could fit into this huge one. Just as he had counted to eight, he heard a loud noise behind him. Always keen to lend a helping paw, he darted back along the path so see what was going on.

What a to-do! The Cape Francolin was going crazy. She was clucking and fussing and waving her brown wings about. Monty craned his neck to see what was going on, and there, right before his very eyes, was a curious-looking chick. lt was cute, with whitish feathers and bright pink legs and beak, but it did not look at all like a francolin! Mrs Francolin was beside herself. 'Look at your beak, look at your feet, and go and find some other bird to meet!' she screeched at the poor little chick, which clearly did not belong to her, and was totally confused.

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Mrs Francolin went on, 'l have a beak perfect for eating berries - you couldn't possibly eat berries. What would I feed you? Be off with you.' 'Oopsee daisy!' thought Monty to himself. 'l think l've made a booboo. Rats, rabbits and rhubarb, I must have put the egg in the wrong nest - what on earth am I going to do now?' . Monty watched the poor little chick as Mrs Francolin ::: ,' ), /:,, ' " ShOOed ": : of the neS nest, shooed it OUt out Of ';" ,.,.. f ,'E ,tl' , ,f lost and hetptess. ,/i' Ut .' ',' . 'NoW l've just got " to do something,'

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to find the little chick's motherl' \rith thal, lVonty n:*,t. t. lt s'[rode forward and */ -\ ^ ,-\.-gently picked up the litile chici< in his paws and cuddled it against his furry cheel<. The baby bird was frightened and tried to escape, but Monty held it firmly and quietly whispered into its ear, 'Come on, we'll go and find your real mum, shall we?' The odd couple set off through the wetland. He decided to call the young

chick Chick-a-dee.

BEAKS

AND

FEET

IN TIME 5AVE5 CHTCK-A-DEE 'WOOP Monty was a bit confused, as he had not been to Rondevlei before, and

didn't know his way around. There was still no sign of his cousin, the Water Mongoose, to show him the ropes. He thought it might be a good idea to search for possible mothers along the water's edge. Although there were some likely looking islands in the middle of the vlei, he hated water, and really did not feel like swimming across to the islands. Carefully he checked his young friend, making sure she was close to him. After a little while, they heard a loud call above their heads. When they looked up, they could see a white bird with a grey back and dark red legs. 'That's my mum!' squealed the little chick at the top of her voice. The flying bird heard the excited call, and came down to investigate.

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Chick-a-dee immediately ran up to the bird, and snuggled under her belly. Flapping her wings wildly, the bird cried out, 'Look at your beak, look at your feet and go and find some other bird to meet.'

'But surely you are my mum?' asked Chick-a-dee in despair. 'l am a Cull, and I don't live here,' replied the gull. 'l live all over the place, and l eat anything I can find; I am called a scavenger,' she said proudly. 'Ooh! That sounds exciting! Can't I be a scavenger too?'asked the little chick hopefully. 'Oh no! You don't have the right kind of beak or feet l'm afraid,' replied the gull, and flew off in great haste in case she found herself landed with a chick she didn't want. 'Oh dear, this is very complicated,' sighed Monty. 'l thought it was going to be easy to find your mum, but with all these different beaks and feet, it is rather confusing.' Chick-a-dee sobbed, 'Oh, Monty, am I going to be alone for ever?' Monty patted the little chick gently with his furry paws. 'Of course not. I will stay with you until we find your mum.' Monty and Chick-a-dee pushed their way through the tall, dancing reeds and bulrushes, towards the water.

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At last they came upon a trampled-down path. 'Hey, Chick-a-dee, I wonder who made this path?' Monty asked, stopping to have a better look. Suddenly, Monty heard a scream, and all he saw as he turned around was Chick-a-dee being whisked into the water, her pink legs thrashing in the air. 'Monty! Help me - please ... Monty - | am too young to die!' 'Spit-Sput and into my gut! This time l've got you!' hissed the ghastly snake that had come up unexpectedly from the water. 'Give her back - she's mine!' screamed Monty frantically, as he lurched forward to grab his little friend. 'Tougheeeesssss

a ssspecial breakfasssst for Spit-Sput,' hissed the snake,

through the water looking for a good place to munch his tasty morsel. Monty was about to leap into the water after the snake, when suddenly all he saw was a blur of white and grey, and before he knew it, Chick-a-dee was in his paws safe and sound, and a very smug owl was gazing down at him from a nearby twig! as he glided

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'Wow! Neat work!' gasped Monty as he comforted a shaking and terrified Chick-a-dee. 'What a swoop - | am so impressed!' Chick-a-dee opened one eye and spied the bird that had rescued her. 'Oh, please say that you are my mum, and that is why you rescued me,' she cried out. 'Look at your beak, look at your feet and go and Jind some other bird to meet' hooted the owl with a laugh in his voice. 'But I want to be like you - to be able to swoop to the ground and pick up things with my feet - just like you did!' pleaded Chick-a-dee. 'But you can'g little chick - you don't have talons like mine and your beak is hopeless for picking up things,' replied the owl. 'However, I have an idea. You need to look at yourself in the water, and then you will see what you need to look for ... And I think you should go over to the islands - l'm sure that I saw a bird just like you over there.' 'Oh, goodie gumdrops,' cried Chick-a-dee.'Monty, pleeeease can we go to the islands now? You carry me on your back.' Chick-a-dee was all excited at the thought of a ride. 'Oh, no, my friend, I am hopeless in the water - we shall have to make another plan.' Chick-a-dee looked so unhappy that the old owl, Ndala, came to the rescue again. 'NoW now. Don't give up hope. lf you go down to the water's edge and follow the path - by the way, did you notice that path with all the flattened grass?' 'Yes, we did,' replied Monty. 'What animal made it?' 'f ust who you need to give you a lift,' replied Ndala. 'His name is River Horse, and he is a great big hippopotamus - but he's very friendly. When you get to the water, shout as loudly as you can, and I am sure he will agree. l'll fly over the water, and if I see him, I will send him to help you.' \Mth that, the owl flew up, swooped down over their heads fust for fun, and then headed off to the islands.

A SWOOP IN TIME

SAVES CHICK-A-DEE

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MONry AND CHTC<-A-DEE RIDE A HIPPO Chick-a-dee went ah€: -, , ' ' t'- - and the pair made their vtrat':. .-:"--:: --: ,ater. At

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RESCUE

'What can I do to help?' asked River Horse. 'Well ...,' Monty was not so sure now that he had seen the enormous size of the hippo. Chick-a-dee chirped,'l-want-to-find-mym u m-a nd-get-to-the-islands-and-we-don'tknow-how-to-get-there'- all in one breath! 'Hop on my back, and I will take you for the ride of your life. I can run along the bottom of the vlei, so we'll be there in no time!' 'Well ...,' Monty hesitantly looked at \:

the water, thinking that perhaps he preferred dry land after all. 'Oh, come on, Monty, don't

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be a drip!' Chick-a-dee was

feeling brave especially as she thought she was about to find her real mum. So Monty, not wanting to appear like a scaredy cat, found a piece of branch

on t : his shoulder, used it to climb

carefully, with Chick-a-dee

onto the hippo's back. 'Hold on tight and get ready for d'< ride to remember,' giggled River Horse, as he made an about-turn and headed for the water. Monty's heart was thumping and his paws were sore from holding on so tight. His eyes got bigger --{ and bigger as the hippo went deeper and deeper. As the hippo galloped along the bottom of the vlei, Monty decided the best way to survive was to hold on really tight and close his eyes. The little bird was having a MONTY AND CHICK-A-DEE RIDE A HIPPO

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wonderful time and waved to all the birds and animals as they passed! As they were nearing the islands, Monty was thumped on the head by something soft and slimy. In fright, he let go his grip on the hippo. 'Help! l'm being attacked,' he shrieked in terror, as he opened his eyes and saw a large spotted creature sliding down his face towards his mouth. Monty promptly fell into the water, yelling and desperately trying to pull the slimy creature off his face. With all the noise, Chick-a-dee also let go, and she too found herself falling towards the water. River Horse was totally confused. Where had all his passengers gone? He looked about him, but all he could see were a few bubbles popping up on the surface. 'Oh no, don't say I have lost them - what a disaster!' he muttered, as he started searching the water. MONTY AND CHICK-A-DEE RIDE A

HIPPO

sPLAsH TO THE RE5CUE when he was about to give up hope, he noticed a very puzzled-looking pelican. The bird's beak was wide open, and in its pouch sat Chick-a-dee! The pelican, called Peter (but nicknamed Gobble Cuts), spat out the little bird in disgust. 'Huh - | thought you did not taste like a juicy fish,' he moaned, in horror. Chick-a-dee was totally fascinated by the pelican's pouch - she had never seen anything like it. Quickly she snuggled up to the grumpy pelican and whispered, 'Surely you must be my mum - | am sure my pouch is growing?' Gobble Cuts was horrified. 'Look at your beak, look at your feet and go and find some other bird to meet. You are certainly no chick of mine! Why, your beak look just like a spoon - certainly no good for collecting fish like mine. I am a pelican, proud and free.' \Mth that he stormed off to fish quietly in the nearby reeds. Just

Chick-a-dee felt sad and helpless, and looked around for her friend. But there was no sign of Monty. River Horse, too, had no idea where Monty had disappeared to, and just when they were sure he had drowned, there was a

loud splash, and first one cheeky little face, then another rather sad-looking and bedraggled face popped out of the water. 'Well, well. Look what I found - gasping for breath and nearly drowning,' said Splash the Water Mongoose. And there in his arms was a soggy Monty, looking terribly sorry for himself. Splash put him down gently on the island. 'This is a rather strange way to mee!' he chuckled. 'lf you wanted to go swimming, you only had to ask!' Monty spat out some water and shook himself. 'Ha, ha! | suppose you think you are funny! Where have you been? l've been here for hours, and no, I did not want to go swimming, but I had no choice.' Monty went on to tell Splash about his adventures, but when he came to the part about the slimy thing on his face, he shuddered.

'And I don't even know what it was,' he said. His cousin giggled. 'That is the leopard toad!' Monty shivered, thinking he had been in danger. 'No, no, you don't need to have a frothy; he hasn't any teeth, so could never have bitten you. The toad is completely harmless,'said Splash. 'NoW if it had been a Marsh Terrapin - then you might have had a nasty nip on your bottom!' 'Stop! Stop!' cried Monty. 'l don't want to hear any more stories about your water - | have had quite enough.'

*4lt CHTCK-A-DEE FINDS HER REAL MUM Meanwhile, in the background came a little sob and there standing sadly was Chick-a-dee. 'Monty, I thought the pelican was my mum but he was all grumpy so I am still all alone.' Monty wandered over and iniroduced Splash. 'Hmm, I think I can help,' Splash said, eager to make up for being late. River Horse stood watching as the mongooses discussed the next step. 'l am absolutely certain I have seen legs and a beak just like Chick-a-dee's when I was swimming under the water just this morning. Let me think where I was.' 'Think, think, pleeeease,'cried Chick-a-dee. She was beginning to think she would never find her mum. Suddenly, Splash jumped up and down in excitement. 'l've remembered!' he said. 'Come on, follow me!'With that he was off in a flash, heading towards the reeds. Monty picked up Chick-a-dee and hurried after Splash, trying not to lose him in the long reeds. River Horse, not wanting to miss out on the excitemeng followed close behind. Suddenly, Ndala swooped down from overhead, and asked, 'Any luck so far?' 'No, but I think we're on the trail,' panted Monty, as he battled to keep up with his cousin. At last, the small party of animals came to a clump of tall grasses and reeds in some shallow water. There before them stood a tall, graceful white bird on long pink legs, her neck bent so that her bill was in the water. She was feeding, and gently swaying her billfrom side to side. \Mth a loud shout Chick-adee leapt from Monty's arms straight the back of the

Spoonbill. Both fell over into the mud, bringing the adult face to face with Chick-a-dee. 'What on earth is going on?' The bird was furious; her white feathers were quivering and she snapped her beak irritably at Chick-a-dee. 'Are you ... could you be my mum?' asked Chick-a-dee timidly. The bird stopped in her tracks. She took a good look at Chick-a-dee and, with a loud sigh of relief, she took the little chick under her wing. 'Look at your beak, look at your feet - they are just like mine; you must be my lost chick, I am so happy to see you. I have been very worried ever since I noticed one of my eggs was missing.' Chick-a-dee let out a huge sob, but this time it was a sob of happiness. Monty, Splash, River Horse and Ndala couldn't believe the search was finally over. Monty hugged Chick-a-dee. 'Look after my little friend,' he pleaded with Mrs Spoonbill, 'She is a brave little chick.' 'Of course, I will. Come on, dear, let's get on with our first lesson - how to eat.' 'Great!' said Chick-a-dee,'l'm starved!' Chick-a-dee gave Monty a last hug and thanked him for all his help; she thanked Splash and River Horse and Ndala, too, and with that, she followed her mother into the reeds. 'So, Monty, another swim?' asked Splash cheekily. 'Never again!'sighed Monty. 'But I am glad she found her real mum. So, Splash, do you have any better suggestions of things to do for the rest of the day?' River Horse piped up, 'l have a brilliant one; hop on my back and l'll show you the islands. I promise - no toads, no snakes, just a gentle ride. Anyway I want you to meet the other hippos.' So Monty and Splash climbed up onto the hippo's back and were last seen bobbing up and down, heading for the island in the sun. MoNTY's RoNDEVLEI REscuE

Tnteresting Focts Rondevlei Rondevlei Nature Reserve was established in 1952

when bird lovers became worried about the decline of bird life. lt is a large vlei with coastal dunes surrounding it. The plants are mainly Sand Plains Fynbos and Strandveld. Some of the plants are unique to Rondevlei.

In the early days there were many hippos on the Cape Flats. However, they were killed for meat by people in passing ships and soon became extinct. In 1981 it was decided to reintroduce the hippos to Rondevlei as there had been proof that they used to live in the vlei and they were needed to graze vlei vegetation to make room for wading birds. Two males were introduced from Zululand and in 1983 two females joined them. In 1984 the first calf hippo was born. There are currently six hippos in the reserve.

Hippo escspee ln February 2004, a male two-year-old hippo calf escaped through a hole in the Rondevlei fence, which had been made by thieves stealing equipment. After considering various options to capture the calf, it was decided to dart him. On 9 December he was darted and followed through the reed beds and across the vlei. At last, he went down in Potters Creek in Zeekoevlei. After an epic struggle to move the animal, it was loaded onto the bucket of the front-end loader and off-loaded into a safe area in Rondevlei. HoWever, the adult male hippo in Rondevlei was not pleased to see the return of the young hippo and tried to break into the safe area. As a resulf it was decided to relocate the youngster to a game reserye in the Eastern Cape.

Hippopotomus Focts

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name means 'river horse'.

* fhu male can weigh up to 2000kg - that is about the same weight as 25 3 fh"y eat only grass - they are herbivores - and can eat up to 130kg in a day. * fn"y spend most of the daylight in the water. * ff,.y forage at night for grass. * vu,ing takes place in water. O Culu", weigh about 30kg when they are born. They are born on land and are able to

swrm

within minutes of being born. They suckle under water.

tippo, exude

is pink in colour

O * 26

from their skin to protect them from the sun. This substance they have their own in-built suncream!

a special substance

nn adult hippo can hold its breath under water for 5-6 minutes.

nippo,

are

found near rivers and lakes.

MONTY,S RONDEVLEI

RESCUE

Bird life ot Rondevlei * About 225 bnd species have been sighted at Rondevlei

* Some are visitors and fly in to feed * Some are permanent and have made their nests at Rondevlei

Spoonbill The spoonbill moves its head and spoon-like beak from side to side in a sweeping motion. ln this way it disturbs all the shrimps, snails, worms and insects from the mud and these are sifted by its very useful 'spoon'. They make nests in the reeds and like to be near water. Spoonbill chick hatch helpless and bewildered, with bright pink short legs and beak. lt is at least a month before they can stand properly.

Pelicon This unusual bird is 1 830mm in length and can look quite ungainly. But it makes a very good fisher-bird! Many pelicans band together, surround a

school of fish, and drive them

to shallow water. Once there each

pelican

becomes a feathered fishing net as its bill swishes sideways through the water to scoop up as much fish as possible. The beak snaps shut before the fish are able to escape.

Kelp 6ull Sometimes this bird will come to visit. lt is easy to recognise as it has a red spot on its yellow beak. The young baby chick will peck at this red spot until mum or dad decides to regurgitate their food to feed it. They have quite short legs so that when they swim over the sea looking for food, they don't become a shark's breakfast!

Plont life ot Rondevlei There are about 320 plant species to be found at Rondevlei and some are endangered and found nowhere else in the world.

Bulrush This is a very common reed. lt grows in waterlogged ground and in water up to'l ,5m deep. lt provides cover, nesting sites and nesting material for birds like the herons, ducks and coots. lts leaves can be used to make baskets; the rootstock used to be ground into flour, and the inner leaf can be eaten as

vegetable.

How con we help Rondevlei? o Visit often

o Don't litter when we visit . Keep to the paths o Don't make a noise . Don't pick vegetation INTERESTING FACTS

Animol lif e ot Rondevlei Apart from the hippo, there are over 20 different types of mammals ; Rondevlei, including porcupine, water mongoose, field mice and the Cape clawless otter.

Porcupine There is a family of porcupine with a special burrow built for them so that visitors can see them through glass. Porcupines are nocturnal and eat mainly plant matter. When they are threatened, they rattle and shake their quills to scare off the enemy. They can attack by running backwards to stab

the attacker.

Woter Mongoose The water mongoose looks like a large shaggy dog with a wide flat tail and is usually deep brown in colour. lt has short hair on its face and feet. It is mainly nocturnal and lives near well-watered habitats. lt feeds on crabs and amphibians and is a good swimmer.

Amphibions Rondevlei has a number of different amphibians, but perhaps one of the most interesting is the Leopard Toad.

Leopord Tood/Snoring Tood There is concern for this creature as its habitat is being threatened by man made obstacles like roads and buildings. ln August the male toads move from their feeding areas towards water. They start to call a loud snoring sound - which attracts the females. They mate and the female deposits the eggs in the water and they move back to the feeding area. lt is during this time there is the most danger because of road kill. A few week later when the toadlets emerge, they are also in danger as they make their way towards the feeding areas with no help from their parents. We need to look after our toads!

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT5 This book has been fraught with sadness. My dear friend and editor, Brenda Brickman, was involved with the editing and helped with the content and layout. lt is with regret that Brenda did not live to see the final product but it bears testimony to her fantastic work with me over the years. Brenda, we miss you but we pray that this book makes you proud. To Heather, who has experienced her own challenges, thank you for your tenacity - | know it wasn't easy but you have done a wonderful job well done. To my family, your support and help over my own trials has been magnificent - | salute you.

There are many other people who have helped: Walter of the World of Birds for your slide of baby spoonbills and insight into what they look like when they are born, Brian of Mills Litho for your ongoing support, Dalton and Vibeka at Rondevlei for your input and support, Dalton's team for the financial assistance - this book could not have happened without you - thank you. Finally to Sean Fraser, who came to the rescue with final proof reading - I appreciate your help - thank you.

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Ali Corbett 2005

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CAPE FOR

KID5 READING sERIEs

Cape for Kids offers children between the ages of four and ten a series of fabulous full-colour stories on special areas in the Cape. Join Monty the Mongoose and his animal friends on their exciting adventures through these beautifully illustrated pages of informative, educational and

environmentally friendly tales.

MONTY 6ET5 LO5T Monty the Cape Crey Mongoose is born on a cool spring morning in Cape Town's Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Before long, he befriends Bushy, the Grey Squirrel,

and the two set off to explore the magnificent garden. However, the cheeky little mongoose takes off on his

own from the

Fragrance

Carden, and gets lost ...

MONry'5 FYNBO5 5URPRI5E It is Monty's birthday, and he wanders through the garden, anxiously seeking out his mates so that he can share the special day with them. But not one of the animals seems to

remember that it is his birthday, and he can't find any of his

friends. However, when he stops at The Dell to admire

the

Strelitzias,

he is kidnapped

and

blindfolded, and has to answer all sorts of riddles about plants before his friends will let him go. After a day filled with fun,

Monty finally gets to celebrate his birthday.

MONry's PICNIC WITH THE PENGUIN5 Monty feels like having a picnic with the penguins at Boulders Beach

Simon's Town. During his adventure-filled visiq

Monty plays games with the Penguins, learns to do The Penguin Waddle, and is rescued from the sea and the 'black snake' by Portly the Penguin.

MONry,S RONDEVLEI

RESCUE

MOU5E 5EEK5

HIs

FORTUNE

An intrepid young mouse ventures

to Cape Town from

England to seek his fortune. Here he is befriended by a seagull

who introduces him to the many fun and exciting places in the Mctoria & Alfred Waterfront. He finds that his fortune is something quite unexpected.

MONTY ON TABLE MOUNTAIN Monty is chosen to represent the animals of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens at the Annual Dassie Derby that takes place on the top of Table Mountain. All the animals turn out to watch the exciting event. As the other competitors fall out of the race one by one, Monty and his friend Bushy the Squirrel compete for the medal. However, the race takes an unusual turn, and Monty comes second, but wins anyway!

MONry'5 RONDEVLEI RE5CUE Monty decides to visit his cousin, Splash, the water mongoose. When he arrives at Rondevlei, he is just in time to stop a snake from eating an egg. Monty puts the egg back in the wrong nest and his adventure begins.

HOW TO ORDER:

. . .

Directly online at www.capeforkids.com Contact Clenda at (021) 790 6067 Selected bookhops in Cape Town Kirstenbosch Botanical bookhop Selected Wordsworth bookhops Gardens/Noord hoek/Somerset West Dems Bayside in Hout Bay

CAPE FOR KIDS READINC SERIES

First published in 2005 by

CAPE FOR

KID5

No. 8 WellWay Hout Bay 7806 Cape Town TeUFax: (O2"1) 79O 6067 e-mail : acorbett@netactive.co.za

website: www.capeforkids.com

Edited by Brenda Brickman Proof read by Sean Fraser lllustrated by Heather Dittmar heather@hjdesign.co.za

Reproduction and printing by Mills Litho, Cape Town All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. ISBN: 0-620-34305-2

ISBN 0-6?0-54505-2

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