Orville is a little penguin who lives in a zoo and dreams of big adventures, like going to the Moon; the other animals are skeptical, but Orville is determined, so he builds a spaceship and sets out all by himself--and discovers that real adventures are best when they are shared with friends.

Illustrations and rhyming text provide a glimpse of a day at the zoo as experienced by the animals that live there.

A little girl has the sniffles and a runny nose but no tissue and nonetheless visits and pets all the animals at the zoo, giving them something that they would rather not have.

The zoo animals go on strike until the tears of a disappointed little girl make them realize that they actually like what they do.