On a bright and sunny morning, Ziggy the little zebra woke up with a big yawn and a stretch. As he stepped out onto the golden grass, he noticed something dark moving on the ground right next to him. “Hello there!” Ziggy chirped. It was his very own shadow, dancing every time he moved his striped legs.

Ziggy trotted toward the watering hole and met his friend Trumpet the elephant. “Look, Trumpet! I have a friend following me today!” Ziggy laughed, pointing at the ground. Trumpet looked down and saw his own shadow, which was much wider and rounder than Ziggy’s.

Trumpet lifted his long trunk high into the air. On the ground, his shadow trunk moved like a giant, friendly snake. “I can make my shadow grow even longer!” Trumpet trumpeted with joy. He swayed his head from side to side, watching his shadow trunk wiggle across the savanna floor.

Just then, Spotty the giraffe wandered over to join the fun. “What are you two doing?” she asked, tilting her long neck. When she stood still, her shadow stretched out like a very long, thin bridge. Ziggy laughed and tried to hop over the very top of Spotty’s shadow head.

The sun moved higher and higher until it was right above them. “Wait, where did our shadows go?” Spotty asked, looking around in confusion. Their shadows had shrunk into tiny, dark puddles right under their feet. Trumpet tried to step on Spotty’s tiny shadow, but it stayed right beneath her!

As the afternoon began, the sun started to sink, and the shadows grew long again. Ziggy started to run and jump through the tall grass. He looked back and saw his striped shadow leaping over rocks and flowers. “Catch me if you can!” Ziggy called out to his shadow, feeling very fast.

The friends grew a bit tired from all the running and walked toward a big, leafy baobab tree. When they stepped into the tree’s cool, dark shade, their shadows suddenly vanished! “They are playing hide-and-seek,” Ziggy whispered to Trumpet. They peaked out from the shade to see if their shadows would return.

By late afternoon, the sun was sinking low in the sky, turning everything orange and gold. Trumpet and Spotty stood on top of a small hill. Their shadows grew taller than the trees! Trumpet waved his big ears, and his shadow looked like a giant bird flapping its wings against the ground.

The sky turned a beautiful shade of pink and purple. Ziggy and Spotty watched their shadows stretch all the way across the savanna, reaching toward the distant mountains. “Goodbye, shadow friends,” Spotty said softly. “Thank you for playing with us all day.”

Soon, the stars began to twinkle and the silver moon rose high. Ziggy curled up in the soft, cool grass, feeling very sleepy. The sun was gone for now, and so was his shadow, but he knew his silent friend would be back to play again tomorrow. Goodnight, Ziggy.