Have you ever wondered why some animals have really distinctive markings? Steve Smallman and Nick Schon think it might have something to do with a rather mischievous monkey…

Once upon a time all of the animals on land were a dull shade of beige, but the birds in the sky were bright and colourful. Monkey is a little bit jealous of their splendour so when he finds a paintbox he decides to have some fun. He waits until his friends are sleeping and then paints elaborate designs on their bodies.

He starts small, with some stripy snakes and bright green frogs, but soon he’s painting black stripes on zebras and big brown squares on giraffes. When he spots a big sleepy bear he decides to have some fun and draw some spectacles on him, but the Bear wakes with a start and soon all of the other animals are wide awake too.