Rosie Loses a Match
Rosie’s team lost, and Rosie feels like stomping. But there’s a surprise at the end.
Rosie wanted to win more than anything. She practised every day. She even slept with the football beside her pillow. Today the Lime Leopards were playing the Pink Panthers.
The game was tough. Rosie ran and ran, and Kit did too. But the Pink Panthers were just a little bit better. When the whistle blew, the score was 3-1. The Lime Leopards had lost.
Rosie’s face went hot and red. She threw down her gloves and stomped across the grass. ‘It’s not FAIR!’ she said. Stomp, stomp, stomp.
Then she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Percy from the Pink Panthers. Percy held out a hand. ‘Good game,’ he said. ‘You ran so fast. I could hardly keep up.’
Rosie looked at the hand. Her cross feeling started to fizzle like a bubble. She took a breath and shook it. ‘Good game,’ Rosie said quietly. ‘You played really well.’
Afterwards, both teams sat together on the grass eating a crunchy biscuit. Kit told a silly joke about a football that wanted to be a pumpkin. Everyone laughed.
That night, Rosie was still a bit sad. But she also felt proud. She had done her best and been kind. And tomorrow, she would get a new chance to play.
The little lesson
Losing is part of playing, and kind words make any game a good one.
Let’s talk about it
- How do you feel when you lose a game?
- What kind thing could you say to someone who won?
Finish stories to collect Rosie as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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