Roger loved tigers. His room was full of toy tigers, his walls were covered with pictures of tigers, he had a tiger bedspread, a tiger bag and a shelf full of tiger videos. But what Roger wanted most of all was a real live tiger.
As his birthday drew near every day he asked Mum and Dad for a tiger. They just smiled.
On the day of Roger's birthday he went downstairs excitedly looking for his presents. There was a nice hat from Nanny and Granddad, and a pair of socks from uncle Joe. But Roger started to cry. Where was Mum and Dad's present?
Dad laughed. "Don't cry, Roger." He said. "Follow me."
Dad led Roger out to the garage and opened the door. There in the corner was a big box. "Open it." said Dad.
Roger opened the box. Inside was a great big orange and black tiger. Roger put his arms around the tiger and hugged his soft fur. The tiger licked Roger's face. That afternoon Roger and Dad went to the pet shop, where they bought a lead and a giant collar so Roger could take the tiger for walks.
© English the international language, 2005