[Music]
hi and welcome to storyline online
brought to you by the sag after
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
[Music]
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
[Music]
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 shelf and play
[Music]
the monkeys played fiddle
the bison played bass the percussions
were manned by the camel
the yak played the sacks until red in
the face a surprisingly musical mammal
the bonobo played oboe the ferret the
flute the jackal attacked the bassoon
hippo had chosen the tuba to
by the light of the silvery moon
siberian tigers mongolian goats
a super abundance
of bestial
[Music]
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 we'll steal away the
trumpets the fruits and the soon
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 scare
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 wished 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
[Music]
so
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
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
[Music]
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 mine
for the rest of your days
don't fall asleep
when an orchestra plays
[Music]
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
so
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[Applause]
[Music]
you