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Anuk was two years old and had a huge desire to discover things.
One morning he went for a walk with his mother.
“Today we’re going to learn about animals,” she told him.
Anuk smiled and clapped his hands.
“Animals!”
Beside the path was a cat. It had long whiskers and its tail held high.
“Hello, cat!” said Anuk.
“Meow, meow!”
“The cat is saying hello to you,” explained Mom.
“Meow, meow!” repeated Anuk.
The cat stretched out in the sun.
A little further on, they found a dog walking with its owner. It was wagging its tail from side to side.
“Hello, dog!”
—Woof, woof!
Anuk wagged his bottom.
—I wag my tail too!
The mother laughed.
—But you don’t have one!
When they arrived at the farm, a hen was walking around the yard.
Behind her were three chicks.
One, two, three!
—Hello, hen!
—Cluck-cluck!
—Hello, chicks!
—Cheep, cheep, cheep!
Anuk bent down a little to look at them. They were small, yellow, and round.
—They walk behind their mother, like you do with me—said the mother.
Anuk took her hand and they continued walking.
Inside a fenced area was a cow chewing grass.
—Hello, cow!
The cow raised her head.
—Moo!
Anuk opened his eyes wide.
Then he took a deep breath.
“Moo!”
The cow twitched an ear.
Perhaps she liked that long “hello”!
In the next meadow, there was a sheep.
“Hello, sheep!”
“Baa!”
Anuk looked at his mother.
“She’s wearing a coat!”
“Yes! It’s her wool.”
The sheep put her nose to the fence and nudged it a little.
Anuk twitched his nose too.
Once.
Twice.
They were both very happy.
In the pond, a duck swam among the leaves.
“Hello, duck!”
“Quack, quack!”
The duck came out of the water and waddled along.
Anuk waddled like him.
One foot this way.
One foot that way.
—Quack, quack!
Mom followed.
And for a little while, a duck, an Anuk, and a mother who was also quacking walked along the path.
—Quack, quack!
When it was time to go home, Anuk yawned.
Mom picked him up.
—So many animals you’ve met today!
Anuk rested his head on her shoulder.
—The cat goes meow… The dog goes woof…
He closed his eyes a little.
—The cow goes moo…
—And what does Anuk do?—his mother asked softly.
Anuk hugged her.
—A kiss.
Muah!
And that was the sweetest “hello” of the whole day.
