Lion Cub was born in the Savannah but struggled to live up to his father's expectations of being a fearsome king, as he preferred to laugh and play with his zebra friend rather than frighten the other animals. His father had a terrifying mask made by a woodpecker to try to turn Lion Cub into the most feared animal. However, Lion Cub's true nature was revealed when he started laughing while attacking the other animals at night, showing that laughter can break through any mask.

1. The lion’s mask

2. Deep in the Savannah,
In the shade of and old acacia,
A lion was born.
He was small,
Because lions are born like that:
They don’t have a mane,
They don’t have teeth…

3. He drank a lot of milk
And grew a Little every day.
Although he was small,
Father Lion thought
He was big and strong like himself.
He looked at him proudly and said:
-You’ll be a real King of the
Savannah!

4. Some time went by.
Lion Cub became a Little bigger and
stronger.
A thick mane had grown,
And Sharp teeth too, like his dad’s;
but…
He had a problema.

5. There was always a huge smile on his
face making Friends wherever he
went.
Father Lion roared:
GRRR…!
You can’t go around laughing like a
hyena!
A real lion has to frighten.
You’ll never be King of the
Savannah like that!

6. Lion Cub tried to put on an angry
face;
But seeing himself in the river
just made him laugh.

7. Lion’s Cub other problem was his roar.
When Father Lion roared, the
Savannah shook and the animals ran
to their hiding places.
GRRRRRR…!
When Lion Cub tried to imitate him,
nobody wanted to miss it because it
always came out as:
Meeoow!

8. Father Lion roared:
-GRRRRR…!
You can’t go around meowing like a cat!
A real lion has to make everyone panic.
You’ll never be King of the Savannah like
that!
Lion Cub put his roaring face on, but it
felt ticklish and he began to laugh

9. Lion Cub’s third problema was even more
serious:
His best friend was a stripy zebra, he
played tag with her
(zebras are experts at this).

10. Father Lion roared:
-GRRRRR…!
You can’t have a zebra for a friend!
A real lion would eat her up.
You’ll never be King of the Savannah like
that!
(Lion Cub couldn’t take part in this because he
had to do what he felt his heart.)

11. One night,
Father Lion went to visit the
woodpecker
And asked him to make a mask
as light as a feather,
as cold as hate and
as red as anger.

12. The work was finished in seven days.
The bird wrapped it up in a big leaf
and took it to Father Lion.
It was a terrifying mask!

13. That night, while Lion Cub was asleep,
Father Lion put the mask on him and
thought proudly:
You’ll be the most feared
King of the Savannah like
that!

14. The following morning
Lion Cub woke up from a nightmare and went
to tell his friend about it.
The zebra was eating grass with her sisters.
Lion Cub smiled,
But his face was hidden by the mask.
Then someone shouted:
A lion!
The zebras were panic-stricken and, more than
running,
flew over the Savannah.

15. -It’s me! –Lion Cub shouted, puzzled;
But, with the noise of the stampede,
Nobody Heard him.
GRRRR…!
Lion Cub didn’t understand,
And got so annoyed
that from Deep in his throat came a roar
that made the Savannah shake.

16. From that day on
Nobody went near Lion Cub.
His heart hardened like a Stone:
He didn’t even hear it beating.
He was the most feared in the
Savannah!
But his life turned for the worst,
Because that wasn’t leaving or anything.

17. One night when the clouds hid the moon,
Safe in the darkness,
All the animals got together.
-Where did that lion come from?
-The giraffe asked.
-We can’t have a meal in peace
-The antelope complained.
-we’re as wrinkled as prunes…
We dare not come out of the water
-The hippopotamus moaned.
-We can’t sleep neither day nor night
because of his roar- the bats sighed.

18. While the animals were complaining,
None of them realized
That their enemy was crouching in the
grass.
He suddenly jumped out amongst
them.
The animals ran not knowing where,
Because it was so dark they couldn’t
see.

19. With his claws on his prey Lion Cub shouted:
-Got you!
-Leave my legs alone, I’m ticklish.
Let me go, I’m in stitches.
That animal didn’t stop laughing, and the lion
couldn’t move a muscle.
Well…, one moved, although nobody saw it.
First he pulled a face, then he smiled…,and
finished up laughing his socks off!

20. On hearing the laughter,
The other animals,
Intrigued, went back.
They couldn’t see a thing;
But the moon, who was keeping an eye on
matters, pushed the clouds away…,
And then they discovered Lion Cub had come
back.
He’d grown,
And his heart beat like a drum.
He laughed as always, while he tickled the
zebra, because…

21. …laughter is magic:
It breaks through masks
And is also catching.

22. THE END