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