It was the unusually hot summer holidays.

Nomfundo and her family were visiting their relatives in Durban. Inside the house it was as hot as the sun itself.

After lunch, Nomfundo took her book and went to cool down at the forest near the house.

The shade of the two tallest trees gave her enough shade to stay there for a while.

There was nothing but the sound of birds. How peaceful!

Suddenly, Nomfundo felt something hit her head. "What could that be?"

She saw a tiny book next to her. She thought it was her imagination. "I only brought one book here, where is this one coming from?"

She looked up the tree, around the tree but did not see anyone.

Then she saw the tiniest animal looking down at her.

It was a dormouse, a rare and very shy kind of mouse made completely of fur.

They are only found in Asia, Europe and Africa.

Nomfundo looked up again, and this time she saw the dormouse's nose peeping through the branches.

"Hello, I'm Nomfundo. Have you lost something?" Nomfundo asked the dormouse.

The small furry rodent squealed in fright and hid behind a leaf.

Then the dormouse moved forward again and spoke with a timid voice, "Hello, I'm Bushy. I lost my book."

"I was reading when suddenly a wind blew up," explained Bushy.

"I will return your book to you," said Nomfundo.

"How? You are down there and I am up here," replied Bushy.

But Nomfundo was already running home! She had an idea.

Nomfundo went to get the helium balloons that her little brother got for his birthday.

She ran back to the forest with the balloons and tied them on a string, around her waist.

She floated up the tree.

"Welcome to the forest canopy," squealed an excited Bushy.

Nomfundo gave the tiny book to Bushy.

As a token of friendship, Nomfundo took off one of her ribbons and presented it to Bushy.

Bushy tied the ribbon on her tail and the two were friends from that moment.

"Come, let's explore the forest canopy," said Bushy.

"We must go quietly here, the fruit bat is asleep," whispered Bushy.

Bats search for food at night and sleep during the day.

They sleep high up in the trees to stay safe from predators.

Next, they came across a colourful frog.

"Hello Benji, how are you?" Bushy asked the frog.

Benji was surprised to see a human in the tree tops! Nomfundo was surprised to see a frog up there!

Tree frogs live most of their lives in trees.

Suddenly, Nomfundo heard a loud crying sound! It was a bird calling the dormouse.

"There's a human! Why is she here?" squawked the Hornbill.

"Nomfundo is my friend from the world on the ground," replied Bushy.

"Please don't be afraid," said Nomfundo, holding out her hand.

The animals welcomed Nomfundo and shared their food with her.

But the day is coming to an end, and Nomfundo must leave her friends.

She will return to the ground feeling very happy.

What a good day she had!