Nate Blows the Whistle
Nate is too small to play with the big kids, but has the loudest whistle in town.
Nate the hedgehog 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, Nate’s neighbour gave him a golden whistle. Nate blew it. PHWEEEE! It was so loud that a bird fell off a branch and said a very rude word. Nate giggled.
‘I know!’ said Nate. ‘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, Daisy gave Milo a great big shove. Nate gulped. The players were so big and he was so small. Everyone waited to see what Nate would do.
Nate 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 Nate. Daisy looked down at the tiny referee and, to everyone’s surprise, said, ‘You’re right. Sorry, Milo.’ And the game went on.
At the end, both teams clapped for Nate. ‘Best referee ever,’ said Milo. Nate 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 Nate as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
More Football stories
One Ball, Many Friends for Lola
Lola loves to dribble the ball all alone, until the team learns a secret.
Percy Learns to Pass
Percy loves to dribble the ball all alone, until the team learns a secret.
Sia Blows the Whistle
Sia is too small to play with the big kids, but has the loudest whistle in town.
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