Hattie and the Rainbow Ball
Hattie finds a football that glows, and every pass builds a bridge of rainbow light.
One evening at Pine Hill Park, Hattie found a football hidden under a bush. It was glowing, softly, like a tiny moon. Hattie picked it up. It was warm and tingly in her hands.
Hattie kicked the ball gently. It floated up, zoomed round in a circle, and landed with a PING at Tara’s feet. A little bridge of rainbow light appeared in the air.
‘Wow!’ said Tara the tiger. ‘Let’s follow it!’ They kicked the ball again, and another piece of the rainbow bridge appeared. It rose up and up, towards the stars.
But Hattie was too excited. She kicked and kicked on her own. The rainbow flickered, and the glow grew dim. The bridge went wobbly. ‘Pass it!’ cried Tara.
Hattie passed the ball. Tara passed back. Each pass made the rainbow shine brighter. And they walked right up the bridge and into a valley of singing flowers.
There, Aisha the dinosaur was waiting. ‘The glowing ball needs friends to make its magic,’ Aisha said. ‘Every kick is a hello, every pass is a hug.’ Hattie thought about that.
They played all night in the land among the clouds, passing, laughing and shining. When the first sunlight reached the sky, the ball carried them softly home.
Back at the park, the ball stopped glowing, but Hattie wasn’t worried. She knew its secret now. Whenever she played with friends, there was a bit of magic in every pass.
The little lesson
Magic works best when it is shared. Pass it on!
Let’s talk about it
- Why do you think the ball only worked when the friends shared it?
- If you had a magic ball, where would you go?
Finish stories to collect Hattie as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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