Cast: 4m., 7w., 2 either gender. May be expanded up to 8m., 12w., 36 either gender. Mrs. Pidgeon has just begun a unit on Aesop's Fables when the classroom door opens and Gooney Bird Greene bursts into the room. The Watertower Animal Shelter is about to close due to lack of funds, she announces! What will happen to all the poor little dogs and cats? "I know!" says Gooney Bird with her wonderful sense of adventure. "Let's create our own fables right here in class, Mrs. Pidgeon, and then perform them as a fundraiser for the animal shelter. We can each create a story using an animal that matches our own initial." Mrs. Pidgeon agrees to the stories, but only if they have morals like Aesop's Fables do. And so Gooney Bird and her classmates set about creating their own flamboyant fables. Chelsea dramatizes what happens when a Chihuahua takes for granted the kindness of the lady who loves her; Beanie tells the thrilling tale of a frightened bear cub who courageously rescues her bigger brother caught in a trap; Keiko becomes a mama kangaroo in search of her lost baby who learns to never stray far from home; Barry shares the gripping drama of bison herds on the western prairies; Tyrone raps the "Tale of Tyrannosaurus Rex," a young dinosaur who learns how important it is to stay in school; and in "Two Gnus Are Better Than One," Gooney Bird and Nicholas launch into a series of high jinks on the grassy plains of Africa. And there's more! Felicia Ann hops throughout the classroom as a flamingo proud of its color, and Malcolm portrays a mandrill that learns to love his three newly born triplet siblings. Even Mrs. Pidgeon and the school principal contribute their distinctive talents. Other students join the fun portraying a deer, a stop sign, a wallaby, a giraffe, a lion, a swarm of buzzing bees, a koala bear, a moldy old vulture, a television crew and many, many more! Props and costumes may be as minimal or elaborate as desired. Area staging. Approximate running time: 80 minutes.