Wilma Wildebeest

Larry the Letter Carrier jumped into Tanzania the other day and I began telling him about my new roller-skates, and he was like, whoa mate – put it in a letter so I can share with my online friends.

My name is Wilma Wildebeest and I want to tell you about my new roller-skates and the day me and my friends skated the Serengeti! It’s a fun story so I hope you are ready!

My roller-skates are pretty and pink. And are super-fast, I think. My best friend is Zelda Zebra and on her roller-skates she likes to bend and spin. We can’t help but laugh when Ginger Giraffe puts on her roller-skates. She stands so tall but when the wheels roll, her legs just sprawl. Bonnie Baboon is such a loon. She puts roller-skates on her hands and feet and her baby brother, Jack, on her back.

When I started downhill, I could not control my roller-skate wheels. Down, down I went faster and faster! I thought I would fall to the ground. But instead, my hind feet went above my head. My back feet were in the air, waving like they just didn’t care! I was skating on my front feet, that was a style that could not be beat!

Zelda Zebra bent to the ground, grabbed the toe of her roller-skate and began to spin around. Faster and faster, round, and round she went. Her black and white stripes spun like an illusion; it created so much confusion.

Poor Ginger Giraffe, with her roller-skates on, her legs went in every direction. It was comical perfection. She laughed when a leg went out, she laughed when a leg went in. She laughed when her legs took off in a backward spin. With a jump she came back down to the ground, landing on her feet. Sweet! Wow, was that a skating salchow?

Bonnie Baboon put roller-skates on her feet, picked up baby brother Jack and put him on her back. She placed roller-skates on her hands and was able to balance and stand. Jack held on tight, and Bonnie Baboon skated to the right, then to the left, then to the right again. For Jack, the motion felt like waves of an ocean. Bonnie skated faster and faster, side to side. For Jack, it was quite the ride!

After a day of skating the Serengeti, we decided to picnic under the acacia tree. Ginger Giraffe ate the tree leaves. Bonnie Baboon sat with her baby brother Jack on her back and gave a nod to Ginger Giraffe who handed her an acacia pod. And as we always do, me and Zelda shared our food. She ate the top grasses; I ate the bottom grasses. We are best friends from beginning to end.

Remember, writing is right on! So, write a comment below.

Your Friend,

Wilma Wildebeest

Do you remember? What color is Wilma Wildebeest’s roller-skates? What is Bonnie Baboon’s baby brother’s name? Where did the roller-skating friends have their picnic?

Additional tidbits – Wildebeest are playful, energetic and social animals. They share grasslands with the Zebras, and they do share food. The zebras eat the top grasses and because the wildebeest have shorter flat snouts, they can easily eat the bottom grasses. Wildebeest migrate over 1000 miles annually across the Serengeti. The Serengeti is 12,000 square miles and host the largest mammal migration in the world. Salchow is a skating move, skating backwards on one leg, you twist, then jump up quickly and land on the opposite foot.

An illusion is a picture that plays tricks on you when you look at it!

Special thank you to my sister, Brenda, for drawing the roller-skates!