Free The Silky Seal Pup by Amelia Cobb

Chapter One
Diving with Dolphins
    Zoe Parker splashed through the water, giggling as a playful young dolphin swooped along beside her. It was a warm Friday afternoon at the Rescue Zoo and the last of the visitors had gone home – which meant that Zoe Parker could play with all her animal friends!
    As soon as everyone had left the zoo,Zoe had put her wetsuit on and rushed straight to the lagoon for a swim. There were five bottlenose dolphins at the zoo, who lived together in a small group called a pod. They were some of the cleverest creatures Zoe had ever met – and some of the friendliest too!
    As Zoe swam with the pod, the smallest dolphin popped her head above the surface. She chattered cheerfully and Zoe grinned. “I love swimming with you too, Coral,” she replied.
    Coral gave a happy squeak. Wriggling excitedly, she leaped out of the water, turned a fast, slippery somersault, then dived back in. Zoe laughed as the young dolphin splashed around proudly.
    “Hurry up, Zoe. I’m hungry!” squeaked a little voice.

     Zoe turned to smile at her best friend, who was hopping up and down impatiently at the edge of the water.
    Meep was a tiny grey mouse lemur with huge golden eyes and a long, curling tail. He was very cute, but also very mischievous! He went everywhere with Zoe, except when she went swimming, because he hated getting wet.
    “Coming, Meep!” Zoe called to the cheeky lemur. She kicked her way over to the side, with the dolphins splashing along behind her. She climbed out and grabbed a fluffy towel that she’d left on a nearby rock. When she was dry, she pulled her jeans and a jumper over her swimming costume and sat down on the rocks next to Meep. “We’ll get you a snack in just a minute,” she promised him, stroking his little head. Meep was always ready to eat!

    Zoe had lived at the Rescue Zoo ever since she was very small. Her Great-Uncle Horace owned the zoo, and was a famousanimal expert and explorer. While he was travelling around the world, he’d met lots of injured, lost and frightened animals, so he’d decided to turn his home and gardens into the Rescue Zoo, a home for any animal in need.
    Zoe’s mum, Lucy, was the zoo vet, and Zoe, Lucy and Meep lived in a cottage on the edge of the zoo, so that Lucy could help any poorly animal at any time, even in the middle of the night. Zoe thought she was the luckiest girl in the world to live so close to so many amazing animals.
    But there was something even more special about Zoe. She could
talk
to animals! All animals can secretly understand what humans say, but hardly anyone knows that. Zoe was one ofthe few people who could understand animals, and talk to them. But she had to be very careful to keep their secret and only speak to them when there was no one else around.
    Coral swam over to the edge of the lagoon and clicked curiously. “I don’t know when Great-Uncle Horace is coming back next, Coral,” Zoe replied sadly. The Rescue Zoo’s owner still travelled around the world looking for animals in danger, and only returned when he’d found a new creature in need of a safe home. “A postcard arrived from Alaska last week – he’s been helping a grizzly bear with a sore throat. But it could be weeks until he comes back with the Rescue Zoo’s next animal.” Reaching down, she stroked Coral’s smooth snoutand added, “Luckily for me, the zoo already has hundreds of lovely animal friends!”
    Meep bounced up and down again. “Zoe, I’m still hungry,” the little lemur said hopefully.
    Zoe laughed. “All right, Meep, let’s go home. I’ll come swimming again soon, Coral. Bye, everyone!”
    As the dolphins clicked goodbye, Zoe and Meep started wandering back towards the cottage, chatting about all the fun things they could do at the weekend. With all the visitors gone, the zoo was quiet and peaceful. The only sounds Zoe could hear were from the animals around her. The two panda cubs were playing chase in their enclosure. The