If I Had …

by Nancy Garber

If I had the ears

of an elephant,

I could hear one

bug talking to

another bug

under a rock

at the far end

of the garden.

If I had the

eyelids of an owl,

I could wink

without moving

the rest of my face.

If I had the hop

of a kangaroo,

I could be a

basketball star.

If I had the stripes of a zebra,

no one would know whether

I was black with white stripes

or white with black stripes—

and I would not tell.

If I had the neck of a giraffe,

I could see the cookies on the

highest shelf of the kitchen.

If I had

the mouth of

a hippopotamus,

I could eat three meals at

once. Then I wouldn’t

have to waste time eating

lunch and dinner.

If I had the arms of an octopus,

I could play the organ and the

flute and the drums—

all at the same time.

If I had the voice

of a lion, everyone

would hear me

when I said, “I’m hungry.”

If I had the face

of a raccoon, I wouldn’t

have to wear a mask

for Halloween.

If I had the

claws of a

cat, I could

climb

to the top

of a pole

with the

telephone

man.

But I have

the ears

and the eyes

and the voice

and the mouth

and the arms

and the neck

of a person.

And that’s just

right for me!

Illustrated by Jerry Harston