Referee Nora
Nora is too small to play with the big kids, but has the loudest whistle in town.
Nora the little bird loved football more than anything. But she was much, much too small to play against the big players. ‘You’ll get squashed!’ they said kindly.
One day, Nora’s neighbour gave her a tiny red whistle. Nora blew it. PHWEEEE! It was so loud that a bird fell off a branch and said a very rude word. Nora giggled.
‘I know!’ said Nora. ‘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, Freddie gave Jamal a great big shove. Nora gulped. The players were so big and she was so small. Everyone waited to see what Nora would do.
Nora took the deepest breath she had ever taken. ‘STOP!’ she shouted, and blew the whistle with all her might. PHWEEEEEEEE! The whole park froze.
‘That was a foul,’ said Nora. Freddie looked down at the tiny referee and, to everyone’s surprise, said, ‘You’re right. Sorry, Jamal.’ And the game went on.
At the end, both teams clapped for Nora. ‘Best referee ever,’ said Jamal. Nora stood very tall, and for a moment she 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 Nora as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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