Hello! Iīm from Australia. Long ago people travelled in sailing ships from England to Australia to live. When they arrived there they saw lots of new and strange looking animals. And the people who already lived there, called Aborigines taught them the names of the animals. Many people made up stories for their children about the animals, just like this one, called:

ARE YOU MY MUM?

This is a story about an animal that lives in a river in Australia.

The animalīs name was Bobby. And Bobby was hatched from an egg deep in a burrow in the riverbank. When he crawled out of the egg he crawled up onto the riverbank, but he was all alone. And Bobby didnīt know what kind of animal he was. So he set off to find out.

The first thing Bobby saw was a kangaroo hopping through the bush. "Are you my Mum?" Bobby asked. The mother kangaroo replied, "You donīt look much like a kangaroo! And if you were a kangaroo, youīd be able to hop like this!" And off she went. Bobby tried and tried to hop like the kangaroo, but he couldnīt. So he knew he wasnīt a kangaroo.

The next animal he saw was a kookaburra flying through the treetops. "Are you my Mum?" he called out to the kookaburra. The kookaburra said: "If you were a kookaburra youīd be able to fly like me!" And off he flew, laughing. Bobby tried and tried to fly, but he couldnīt. So he knew he wasnīt a kookaburra.

Then Bobby saw a koala, sitting high up in a gum tree, nibbling on some gum leaves. "Are yoy my Mum?" he shouted up to the koala. The koala said in a very sleepy voice (because koalas are always sleepy), "If I was your mother you could climb a tree like me." Bobby tried to climb the gum tree, but he couldnīt. So Bobby knew that he wasnīt a koala either.

On his way back to the river, Bobby saw another animal. "You must be my Mum", he said. "No, silly! Iīm a possum! If you were a possum you could jump from tree to tree like me!" Bobby had already tried to climb a tree, so he knew that the possum couldnīt be his mother.

Sadly Bobby wandered back down to the river. When he got there he saw a pair of large, kind, brown eyes looking at him. "Hmm" he said. "What kind of animal are you?" "Iīm a platypus, Bobby. And Iīm your Mum. Come on, letīs go for a swim!"

THE END

This is a poem that my mother taught me when I was a little girl, called:

THE BUSH COACH

(First Iīll tell you about some of the words in the poem:
A bush coach was a coach pulled by horses that took people for very long rides from town to town in the outback, a long time ago.
Billy the bear isnīt really a bear. Heīs a koala. And we all know that koalas are marsupials, not bears, donīt we?)

The bush coach was ready
And Billy the bear,
Before it had started, collected the fares
Now young Wally Wombat who wanted a ride,
As proud as a peacock, was sitting inside
"Fares please sir!" said Billy,
And Wally went red
He felt in his pockets and he hung down his head.
"This way sir!" said Billy
And pushed him outside!
Now poor Wallyīs weeping,
He did want a ride.

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