Referee Jack
Jack is too small to play with the big kids, but has the loudest whistle in town.
Jack the duck 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, Jack’s neighbour gave him a tiny red whistle. Jack blew it. PHWEEEE! It was so loud that a bird fell off a branch and said a very rude word. Jack giggled.
‘I know!’ said Jack. ‘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, Kira gave Hattie a great big shove. Jack gulped. The players were so big and he was so small. Everyone waited to see what Jack would do.
Jack 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 Jack. Kira looked down at the tiny referee and, to everyone’s surprise, said, ‘You’re right. Sorry, Hattie.’ And the game went on.
At the end, both teams clapped for Jack. ‘Best referee ever,’ said Hattie. Jack 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 Jack as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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