Basil’s Smallest Whistle
Basil is too small to play with the big kids, but has the loudest whistle in town.
Basil the mouse loved football more than anything. But he was much, much too small to play against the big players. ‘You’ll get squashed!’ they said kindly.
One day, Basil’s neighbour gave him a whistle shaped like a bird. Basil blew it. PHWEEEE! It was so loud that a bird fell off a branch and said a very rude word. Basil giggled.
‘I know!’ said Basil. ‘I can be the referee!’ The big players looked at each other. A referee that small? They shrugged. ‘Okay, we’ll give it a go.’
Halfway through the game, Jamal gave Alba a great big shove. Basil gulped. The players were so big and he was so small. Everyone waited to see what Basil would do.
Basil took the deepest breath he had ever taken. ‘STOP!’ he shouted, and blew the whistle with all his might. PHWEEEEEEEE! The whole park froze.
‘That was a foul,’ said Basil. Jamal looked down at the tiny referee and, to everyone’s surprise, said, ‘You’re right. Sorry, Alba.’ And the game went on.
At the end, both teams clapped for Basil. ‘Best referee ever,’ said Alba. Basil stood very tall, and for a moment he felt as big as the biggest player in the park.
The little lesson
Being small doesn’t stop you from doing something big and brave.
Let’s talk about it
- Why do we need referees in games?
- Have you ever had to say something that was hard to say?
Finish stories to collect Basil as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
More Football stories
Coach Oscar’s Secret Boots
In the attic, Kira finds a pair of dusty old boots with a name inside.
Hana Against the Giants
A tiny village team faces a mighty club in the cup. Can heart beat height?
Rufus’s Match Day in the Meadow
The forest animals hold a football cup, but nobody can agree on the rules!
You might also like
The Hiccupping lion
Lily has a terrible case of the hiccups. Every hic makes something go wrong!
Whoosh! Nora Makes a Volcano
Nora builds a volcano for the science fair, and the experiment goes bubbly wrong!
Moonlight Dance at Lily’s Farm
Every night, the old scarecrow wishes he could dance. Lily has a plan.