In a faraway land in Africa,
where the sun shines all day long,
There is a big river Called the Nile.
在遙遠的非洲大地，整天陽光普照的地方，有一條大河叫尼羅河。
One morning,
lying lazily on its sandy banks was...
Snip Snap Croc!
一天早上，懶洋洋地躺在河邊沙灘上的是.剪咬鱷。
She swished her huge tail and sang out to all the creatures on the shore.
Her crocodile voice made them shiver.
「My name is Snip Snap Croc,
I am So fine!
With these big, sharp teeth of mine!
All of them go snip snap snip!
Come too close and I'll nip nip nip!"
她擺動著巨大的尾巴，對著岸上所有的生物大聲歌唱，她的鱷魚聲讓它們顫抖。
「我的是剪咬鱷，我很好！我用又大又尖的牙齒，剪、咬、剪！靠太近了，我就會咬、咬、咬！」
In the tall tree, Mama Baboon shivered and told her baby,
「Don't go near Snip Snap Croc, all right?
She'll eat you up with one big bite.
So listen to Mama and stay close by,
For I love you more than the mountain high."
在高高的樹上，狒狒媽媽顫抖著對孩子說：「別靠近剪咬鱷，好嗎？她會一口把你吃掉的。聽媽媽的話，呆在我身邊，因為我愛你，勝過那高山。」
In the bushes, Mama Meerkat told her little ones,
「Oh, stay away from that crocodile
Who calls to us from the banks of the Nile.
Don't wander off, keep in my sight,
For I love you more than the stars so bright."
在灌木叢中，貓鼬媽媽對她的孩子們說：「噢，離那在尼羅河岸上對我們喊話的鱷魚遠點。待在我視線範圍內，不要走開。因為我愛你們，勝過明亮的星星。」
And in the long grass, Mama Lion told her bouncy little cubs,
「It's lunchtime soon and nasty Snip Snap
Would eat you up for a tasty snack.
So don't stray far from Mama's side,
For I love you more than the ocean wide."
在草叢中，獅子媽媽對蹦蹦跳跳的幼崽說：「很快就到午餐時間了，兇狠的剪咬鱷會把你們當作美味的點心吃掉。所以不要遠離媽媽的身邊，因為我愛你們勝過寬廣的海洋。」
Back on the sandy bank,
where the midday sun was blazing hot,
Snip Snap Croc heard a little humming noise. Then...
underneath her tummy...
the ground began to move.
Snip Snap Croc moved aside and began to dig.
Out of the ground came big,white...
eggs!
回到沙灘上，晌午的太陽像燃燒的火焰，剪咬鱷聽到微弱的嗡嗡聲。然後.，在她的肚皮底下的地面開始動起來了。剪咬鱷爬到一旁，挖開沙子。地面上露出了一堆又大又白的.蛋！
And from the eggs came a sound:
Tap tap tap!
And out of each egg came the tip of a tiny little tooth.
從蛋裡傳來叩、叩、叩的輕敲聲，然後從每個蛋裡都露出小小的牙尖。
Tap tap tap!
Inside each egg,
something was using its little tooth like a hammer to tap its way out.
Then, all of a sudden...
叩、叩、叩！在每個蛋裡，有東西在用小牙齒，像錘子一樣敲碎蛋殼好走出來。然後，突然間.
one, two, three, four, five, six...
and more, and more...
Baby crocodiles came wriggling, jiggling on to the shore!
一、二、三、四、五、六還有，越來越多.鱷魚寶寶們搖搖晃晃地蜿蜒來到沙灘上。
Snip Snap Croc counted each and every one.
When she had finished she was SO full of happiness that she swished her huge tail back and forth and back and forth and cried out,
「HOORAY! HOORAY!
Twenty-three babies born today!"
剪咬鱷清點每一條小鱷魚。數完後，她實在太高興了，來來回回地擺動著巨大的尾巴，叫道：「萬歲！萬歲！今天二十三個寶寶出生了！」
Baby Baboon, the baby meerkats and the two little lion cubs watched from the safety of the riverbank.
They could not believe their eyes.
One by one, Snip Snap Croc popped each baby into her mouth!
狒狒寶寶、貓鼬寶寶和兩隻小幼獅在河岸安全的地方觀看。它們不敢相信自己的眼睛：一隻只地，剪咬鱷很快地把每隻寶寶都放進她的嘴裡！
「Oh, Mama, come quick!"
cried Baby Baboon.
「噢，媽媽，快來！」狒狒寶寶喊道。
「Oh, Mama, over here!"
cried the baby meerkats.
「噢，媽媽，來這裡！」貓鼬寶寶叫道。
「Oh, Mama, 「 cried the lion cubs,
"Just look!"
「噢，媽媽，」小獅子叫「快看！」
"Snip Snap Croc is eating her babies!"
「剪咬鱷在吃她的寶寶們！」
But Mama Lion, Mama Meerkat and Mama Baboon knew better.
They knew that Snip Snap Croc had a secret.
但獅子媽媽、貓鼬媽媽和狒狒媽媽更清楚，她們知道剪咬鱷有個秘密。
This is what Snip Snap Croc did:
she waddled down to the riverside,
opened her huge mouth and very slowly and very carefully popped each baby into the water!
這就是剪咬鱷在做的事：她搖搖擺擺地走到河邊，張開巨大的嘴巴，然後慢慢地、小心地把寶寶們放到水裡。
Then Snip Snap Croc called out,
「All riverbank creatures, listen to me:
Stay away from my babies twenty-three.
Or by the sky above and the earth beneath,
I will snap you up with my big, sharp teeth.」
然後，剪咬鱷大聲喊道：「所有岸上的生物，你們給我聽好：離我二十三個寶寶遠點，否則，不管上天下地，我都會讓你嘗到我大尖牙的厲害！」
Mama Snip Snap Croc told her babies,
「Don't stray far from your Mama Croc,
For there are creatures who would eat you up.
Stay close by me and no harm you'll meet.
For I love you more than the river deep."
剪咬鱷媽媽對寶寶們說：「不要離你們鱷魚媽媽太遠，因為有生物會吃掉你們。呆在我身邊，你們就不會受到傷害。因為我愛你們，比這條河還要深。」
And Mama Baboon, Mama Meerkat and Mama Lion all sighed happily. They knew that although Snip Snap Croc was fierce and dangerous, she wanted to keep her babies safe, just as they did their own.狒狒媽媽、貓鼬媽媽和獅子媽媽都開心地嘆了一口氣。她們知道：儘管剪咬鱷兇殘危險，但她想保護孩子的安全，就跟她們保護自己的孩子一樣。
And they knew she loved each and every one, just as much as they did their own.她們知道，她對每個孩子的愛，就跟她們對自己孩子的愛一樣強烈。
Mountain high,
Star bright,
Ocean wide...
And river deep.
就如，高高的山脈、閃亮的星星、浩瀚的大海.深沉的河流。