Monkey is Very Hangry

In the heart of the jungle where the vines swayed and the parrots squawked, lived a little monkey named Momo. Momo was a cheerful monkey—most of the time. He liked swinging through the trees, playing hide and seek with the toucans, and napping on warm branches. But today... today was not most of the time.

Today, Momo was HANGRY.

Not just hungry. Not just cranky. Momo was that special kind of wild, wobbly, can’t-think-straight kind of hungry that turns a happy monkey into a growling, grumpy jungle storm.

He hadn’t had breakfast. He’d woken up late, missed the mangoes that fell in the morning, and his tummy was roaring. Not growling. Roaring. Like a lion. Like thunder. Like a volcano about to explode.

“Where are my bananas?!” Momo shouted, stomping on a rock and nearly scaring a family of geckos out of their spots.

“Maybe you should calm down,” whispered a butterfly.

“Calm down? I need food! Right now!” Momo huffed. He scratched his head and rubbed his belly. “I’m going to find the biggest, juiciest, most delicious banana in the jungle. And no one better get in my way.”

So off he stomped, arms crossed, tail twitching, swinging from vine to vine in search of something—anything—to eat.

The Mango Mix-Up

The first stop was Mango Tree Hill, where the fruit fell heavy every morning. But when Momo got there, the ground was bare, and a round-bellied tapir was licking mango juice off his nose.

“Hey!” Momo shouted. “Where are all the mangos?”

“Oh, sorry Momo,” said the tapir with a sheepish grin. “I got here early. Had a bit of a feast.”

Momo’s eyes narrowed. “A bit?! You look like you swallowed the whole tree!”

“Well… I might have,” said the tapir, waddling away with a hiccup.

Momo’s stomach growled louder. He kicked a stone and shouted, “This is a mango emergency!”

The Beehive Blunder

Next, Momo remembered the honey tree—old and tall with a hive buzzing with sweet, golden treasure.

He climbed up quickly, licking his lips, and spotted the hive wobbling gently on a branch. Carefully, he reached out.

“Wait!” called a small voice. It was Beatrix, the bee. “You can’t just take honey like that!”

“I’m HANGRY!” Momo said, nearly in tears. “Please. Just a taste?”

Beatrix shook her fuzzy little head. “You have to ask nicely. And you have to share.”

“Share? I don’t want to share! I want it all!”

Suddenly, the hive slipped from the branch—SPLAT!—honey everywhere. The bees buzzed in a flurry, and Momo yelped and leapt off the branch.

Sticky and still starving, he sniffled. “This jungle is against me.”

Coconut Chaos

Dripping with honey and desperation, Momo ran to Coconut Cove, where the tall palm trees stood like jungle giants. He knew an old trick—shake the tree, and the coconuts fall.

He jumped up and down. He shook the trunk. He even shouted at it.

But nothing.

A wise old sloth hanging nearby watched from above. “You know,” he said slowly, “you could just ask the tree nicely.”

Momo glared. “Ask the tree? It’s a tree!”

“Maybe it’s just waiting for a kind word,” said the sloth with a slow smile.

“Fine,” Momo grumbled. “Oh dear coconut tree, would you please give me a coconut before I turn into a puddle of grumpy monkey?”

A soft thunk answered his plea as a coconut dropped at his feet.

“Finally!” he cried.

He picked it up, sniffed it, and realized... he didn’t know how to open it.

He sighed. “This is the worst day in the history of monkey days.”

Ellie to the Rescue

As Momo sat sulking under the coconut tree, his elephant friend Ellie arrived.

“Momo?” she said gently. “What’s the matter?”

“I’m starving,” Momo moaned. “No mangoes, no honey, no coconuts I can open, and nobody understands my hangry pain!”

Ellie giggled. “Oh, I understand it. I’ve seen that look before. Remember the time I stepped in a puddle because I was too hungry to see straight?”

Momo managed a tiny grin. “You did look like a mud monster.”

“Come on,” Ellie said, lifting him onto her back. “Let’s go to the Banana Grove. I know a shortcut.”

Banana Bonanza

Ellie’s shortcut was muddy and twisty and full of thorny bushes. But finally, they reached Banana Grove.

Golden bananas hung in clusters, swaying in the breeze, glowing like jungle treasure.

Momo gasped. “They’re beautiful!”

“Go ahead,” Ellie said. “Pick your favorite.”

Momo rushed forward and grabbed the biggest banana he’d ever seen. He peeled it slowly, his hands shaking. He took one bite.

And then another.

And then three more.

His shoulders relaxed. His eyes softened. His belly gave a quiet, satisfied sigh.

“Better?” Ellie asked.

“Much,” Momo said with a banana-smeared smile. “I was being ridiculous.”

Ellie smiled. “Being hangry is normal. It happens. But remember—it’s always okay to ask for help.”

Momo nodded. “And maybe to say sorry to a few bees.”

Sharing Is Sweet

Before he left Banana Grove, Momo picked three more bananas. One for Beatrix the bee. One for the wise old sloth. And one for the tapir—maybe he wasn’t so greedy after all.

He even gave a little bit to the ants he met on the way back.

By the time he returned to his tree, the sun was setting, painting the jungle in golden light. Momo climbed to his favorite branch, stretched out, and rubbed his very full belly.

“No more hangry monkey today,” he said with a sleepy yawn.

Epilogue: A New Monkey Motto

From that day forward, Momo kept a banana hidden in a secret branch spot—just in case.

And when someone else in the jungle looked cranky or tired or ready to shout at a tree, Momo would say, “Sounds like a snack emergency. Let’s fix that.”

Because even little monkeys can learn that sometimes... the biggest adventures start with a rumbling tummy.

🐾 The End.