Write a short kid's book about an aardvark lost in Chicago. Include Chicago landmarks and escaping from his home at The Wilds Conservation and Preserve
There was once an adventurous aardvark named Ardel who loved to explore new places. He was very eager to wander and explore, his name even meant eager in Latin! He often escaped and led the staff on multi-day aardvark searches. He had become a bit of a celebrity for his antics. So, one day when Ardel stumbled upon the smallest of holes in the enclosure fencing, it was no surprise that away he went. 

But Ardel wandered too far from home this time and found himself in a strange new place - Chicago! He had never seen anything like the tall buildings and bright lights before. As he wandered around the city, he felt new emotions - he was lost and scared. But then he saw something kind of familiar - a statue of a cow! It was the famous Cow on Parade statue and reminded him of home. This made him relax a bit and Ardel explored the city for hours. He came across many of the famous landmarks in Chicago, like a cool shiny ball, the Willis Tower, and the colorful Navy Pier. He even stopped by to visit some of the animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo. 

But as the days passed, Ardel started to feel homesick. He missed his cozy burrow and the warm sun of The Wilds. He longed to return home.

Ardel grabbed a piece of delicious Chicago-style pizza (they didn't have termite flavored) and wandered over to the Shedd Aquarium to think. Watching the penguins frolic in the Oceanarium relaxed him. 

While he was there, a kind family noticed him and they took him in and gave him a warm place to stay. They wanted to get him home to Africa but called The Wilds Preserve for some advice. They found out that Ardel was from there! 

So the kind family took Ardel back to The Wilds. He said goodbye and knew he'd never forget his adventure in Chicago. It was nice being surrounded by familiar sights and sounds of the preserve.

As he looked back on his adventure, he realized that though he had been lost and scared, he learned a valuable lesson - that kindness and friendship can be found all around us, even in those who are very different from us.

The end - for now. (Ardell heard a family talking about how nice Detroit was this time of year ....)