Leo was a little lion with a very BIG roar! It was the loudest roar in the whole sunny savanna. He loved to practice, ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! But Leo didn’t like anyone else roaring, especially not near *him*. He thought his roar was the best, and he wanted to keep it that way.
One day, a little zebra named Zola tried to roar. She puffed out her cheeks and made a tiny, squeaky sound. “Meeep!” Zola giggled, but Leo frowned. “That’s not a proper roar!” he said. “Roaring is *my* thing.” Zola’s ears drooped, and she walked away sadly.
Later, a playful monkey named Mika tried to roar. He swung from a tree and shouted, “Eee-ooo-ah!” It wasn’t a roar at all, but Mika thought it was funny. Leo stomped his paw. “Stop that! You’re making fun of roaring!” Mika’s smile disappeared, and he scurried off.
Leo continued to roar and roar, but it didn’t feel as fun anymore. He looked around and realized Zola and Mika weren’t playing with him. They were sitting far away, looking glum. Leo felt a little pang in his heart. He realized his big roar wasn’t making him happy if his friends weren’t happy too.
Leo walked over to Zola and Mika. “I’m sorry I was grumpy,” he said quietly. “Maybe… maybe we can all make sounds together? You don’t have to roar like me. You can make your own special sounds!”
Zola’s ears perked up. “Really?” she asked. Mika swung down from the tree, grinning. “Yay!” They all started making sounds together. Zola squeaked, Mika eee-ooo-ahed, and Leo… well, Leo still roared, but he let Zola and Mika roar *with* him! It sounded like a joyful, silly savanna symphony.
Leo learned that sharing his space – and even his roaring – with his friends made everything much more fun. His roar was still big and strong, but now it was filled with the happy sounds of friendship. And that was the best sound of all. Now, every night, they all made their special sounds before drifting off to sleep, happy and content.