Curiosity in the Savannah

Once upon a time, in the vast expanse of the African savanna, there lived Little Giraffe with his family. Little Giraffe was unlike any other; while his mother insisted he learn how to be a good giraffe — finding the tastiest leaves, navigating the savanna, and locating clean water — he was fascinated by something quite unusual for a giraffe: reading.

"There are more important things for you to learn," said his mom, a big and smart giraffe. "For example, is this grass sweet or sour?"

"I don’t know," said Little Giraffe, "and I don’t care. I want to be like humans, read books, eat fruit and sandwiches."

"Your little one is not smart," said other giraffes. "He will not grow up to be a good giraffe." 

But the mother loved her son and knew he was smart, perhaps smarter than others, and that might have been his problem. "Wait," she said to the family, "he’ll come to his senses. He is just a bit curious, that’s all." But the family walked by, shaking their heads in disappointment.