Jeffrey John Jamieson's father traveled to Africa every year. He worked for a zoo and went to the jungle to look for animals. When Jeffrey turned six years old his father said, “Jeffrey, now that you're six, you can come with me to Africa, if you'd like.”

Jeffrey clapped his hands and shouted, “Hoorah!”

They flew on an airplane all day and night and then had to take a boat down a wide river. Jeffrey saw crocodiles and hippos in the water and all sorts of birds and butterflies.

The boat pulled up to a small wooden dock and after Jeffrey and his father climbed out, they had to walk through the jungle.

“I see a lot of toucans,” Jeffrey said. “Did we come to catch toucans?”

“We caught toucans the last time we came. This time we're here to find monkeys,” Father said.

“Monkeys! I love monkeys.” Jeffrey looked in the tree tops. He watched for monkeys. “There's some.”

Father stopped and looked up. Several monkeys played in the trees, swinging from vines and eating bananas. He ordered his helpers to catch as many as they could. An hour later six monkeys sat in cages.

Jeffrey talked to them and smiled at them. He handed them bits of banana.

The helpers carried the cages back to the boat and then they sailed down the river. The cages were loaded onto the airplane and flown to the zoo. Jeffrey stayed with the monkeys the whole time, talking to them about their new home. When the helpers took the cages away, Jeffrey cried. “Now I can't play with the monkeys any more.”

His father said, “They belong to the zoo now, Jeffrey.”

One day Father woke Jeffrey up. “Get dressed. I've got a surprise for you.” He took Jeffrey down to the zoo.

“Where are we going, Father?” Jeffrey saw the elephants and lions and snakes.

His father took him into a small room and opened a door. “You can go in and play.”

All six of the monkeys hung on bars, playing and having fun. “The monkeys!” Jeffrey played with them and cuddled them and fed them oranges and bananas and coconuts.

“Jeffrey, you can come down here every Saturday and play with them. I know how much you love them.”

Jeffrey hugged his father. “Thanks, Father. You're the best.”