What can a Koala find to eat around here?

Keiffe (pronounced Keef) had just been 'born'. That is, Nana Kayzy put the final touches to the young koala, gave him a squishy hug, and said, "Well, little man, you're ready to face the big wide world."

While she was making Keiffe, Nana taught him many things about 'the big wide world'. She told him that 'out there' a little koala could have wonderful adventures. In Keiffe's impressionable young mind, the biggest adventure seemed to be climbing trees.  Nana had said that koalas spend most of their time living in trees, only coming down to the ground when they need to move from one tree to another, because they are always looking for the best leaves to eat. "Mmmm, leaves must be good," thought Keiffe, as Nana Kayzy sewed his tiny mouth to his chubby face. He couldn't wait to taste those yummy leaves!

Nana Kayzy, having finished Keiffe, wandered outside to enjoy the wintry sunshine, leaving Keiffe near the open door.

"Let me see," said Keiffe, "Nana told me that koalas climb trees, and live in them! But there are so many trees out there - which are the ones with the best leaves for me to eat?"

The sunshine beckoned him, and birds seemed to be calling to him also, so Keiffe responded. He moved out into the sunshine and headed for a promising tree, far distant from the house.
 
Climbing it was easy, and the tree's shiny leaves and pretty flowers looked good, so . . .

 "Yuk! These couldn't be the right leaves," exclaimed Keiffe, and he quickly climbed down from the offending tree and returned to his search for the 'right' tree.

Not far away he spied another tree, this one with lovely orange, yellow and red leaves. "Ooh, they look so good, they must be the right leaves!" Keiffe cried, and his little legs carried him as quickly as they could to the beautiful tree.

He shinned up its trunk and found a nice branch. "Now for a feast," he said, and reaching for a beautiful orange leaf he took a bite. How disappointing! Maybe the yellow and red leaves are better? No. All the leaves were dry and tasteless. Again Keiffe climbed down from the tree, rather discouraged that his first adventure was not turning out to be much fun.

However, determined to find the right leaves, he persevered, going from tree to tree around the garden, but each time he was disappointed, and what's more, getting very hungry!

The sunshine was starting to fade, just like Keiffe's enthusiasm for adventure. He decided to head back towards the house. As he drew near, he spied a rather small tree right near the back door. He hadn't noticed it before, but he supposed it was worth a try.

Keiffe slowly climbed the tree and found a comfortable fork to sit in. Its leaves, although not very impressive looking, had a yummy smell, and when Keiffe took a bite he was in koala heaven.

"Wow, these leaves taste so good!" he shouted - so loudly that Nana Kayzy, who had been looking for him,  heard his cry and came running.

"What are you doing up there, little man?"

"All day I've been everywhere looking for good leaves to eat, and they all tasted yucky, but these are great! What are they, Nana?"

Nana laughed, and lifted the little koala into her arms, along with some of the yummy leaves he couldn't stop eating. "You funny little fellow! These are gum leaves, and this tree is a gum tree. This is what all koalas love to eat! Why didn't you ask me to help you find the right tree? I would have shown you straight away."

"I wanted to do it myself," said Keiffe, snuggling up to Nana Kayzy. It was getting pretty cold now the sun was going down.

"Ah, well, you've certainly had a big adventure today, and you're home now - that's all that matters,"   and Nana Kayzy took the little koala into the cosy house and sat him in front of a lovely warm fire.

As he happily shared the events of his day with the bears gathered around the fire, he even offered to share his gum leaves with them. The bears were polite but unenthusiastic, preferring the toast and honey provided by Nana Kayzy instead.