Once upon a time, in a sunny place with tall, tall trees, lived a young giraffe named Gigi.
Gigi had a long neck, just like all giraffes, but it wasn't quite as long as her mom's or dad's neck yet.
Every day, Gigi watched the older giraffes stretch their necks way up high to nibble the most delicious leaves from the very top branches of the acacia trees.
Those leaves looked so juicy and green! Gigi wished she could reach them too. So, she would stretch her neck. Up, up, up it would go!
But no matter how much she stretched, the highest leaves were still just a little bit too far away. Gigi felt a tiny bit discouraged.
Her mom saw her trying. "Keep stretching, little Gigi," her mom said softly. "Your long neck is special, and with practice, it will reach great heights."
Gigi thought about that. Her neck *was* special. It helped her see far away and eat leaves from branches other animals couldn't reach. She decided to keep trying.
So, day after day, Gigi practiced stretching. Stretch, stretch, stretch! Sometimes she wiggled her ears as she stretched.
The sun warmed her back, and the gentle breeze rustled the leaves. Gigi kept trying her very best, remembering that her long neck was a wonderful gift.
She ate the yummy leaves she *could* reach, and she grew a little stronger, and her neck grew a little longer.
One quiet afternoon, as the sun began to dip low, Gigi looked up at the top of her favourite acacia tree. Those special leaves seemed to wave at her.
Taking a deep breath, Gigi stretched her neck higher than she ever had before. She stretched and stretched, reaching for the sky.
And then, success! Her gentle lips touched a big, green leaf right at the very top. She nibbled it happily. It was even tastier than she had imagined!
Gigi felt warm and happy inside. She had reached the top leaves! Her special long neck, and her trying again and again, had helped her achieve her goal.
Now, as twilight painted the savanna with soft colours, Gigi snuggled close to her mom. She was proud of her long neck and proud that she kept on trying even when it was hard.
It was time for sleepy giraffes to close their big, kind eyes and drift off to sleep, dreaming of sunshine, tall trees, and the joy of reaching high. Goodnight, sweet Gigi. Goodnight, little one.