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I have a little brother. His name is Harry. He’s four years old. I wish he lived somewhere else because he’s always doing naughty things and then blaming me.
“It was Mia!” he says. “She told me to do it.”
Yesterday our grandmother came to our house. Harry stood behind the window waiting for her to arrive. It was so he could be the first one to give her a big kiss and cuddle. He always does it because he hopes Nana will give him more money than me to spend at the shop across the road from our house. It never works, though, because Nana always gives us two dollars each.
“Here you are, children,” she said as she opened her purse. “Here’s some money to buy ice-cream.”
It was Nana’s birthday yesterday so I decided to buy her a present with the two dollars she’d given me.
“If you gave me your two dollars we could go shares in a present,” I told Harry as we crossed the road to go to the shop. “Sharing is good because it means we’d have more money to buy her a better present.”
“No way,” he answered, shaking his head. “Old ladies don’t need presents. They just need kisses and cuddles.”
“That’s very mean of you,” I said.
“What’s it to be today?” Mr Brown asked as we walked into his shop.
“Bubble gum,” Harry answered.
“You’re not allowed to have bubble gum,” I told him.
“I’m going to give it to Nana for her birthday,” Harry answered, having decided to buy her a present after all.
“She won’t like it,” I told him.
“I’m sure she’d much rather have chocolate,” Mr Brown told him.
“All right,” Harry answered, licking his lips because he liked chocolate almost as much as he did bubble gum.
The chocolate cost three dollars but Mr Brown let him have it for two. For some reason he liked Harry. I bought Nana a card with a rose on it because I knew she liked roses.
Soon after we went home, it was time for Nana to blow out the candles on her birthday cake.
“Happy birthday, Nana,” I said as I gave her the card I’d bought at the shop.
“Thank you, Mia,” she said, liking it. “It was kind of you to spend your money on a lovely card for me.”
When I looked at Harry, he no longer had his present. “You ate it, didn’t you?” I said, looking at the chocolate around his mouth.
“Only some of it!” he answered, as he took the smallest piece of chocolate I’ve ever seen out of his pocket to give to Nana. “Mia told me it was good to share so that’s what I’m doing. I’m sharing the chocolate I bought you for your birthday, Nana. I hope you like it.”
“Thank you, Harry!” she answered, smiling at him. “You’re all heart!”
©Jan Weeks 2012, image credit
Bedtime Stories downloadable tales for children are an AWO initiative, run in support of the National Year of Reading 2012. We encourage you to print and read these stories with your kids, and revel in the joy a wonderful story can bring. All stories are original and have been penned by established and emerging Australian authors. Every month, we will publish four stories running to a central theme, each on a Monday morning. See here for more.
Jan Weeks is an amazing children’s Author! It takes a vivid imagination to write such interesting children’s stories. My children have been blessed to have read many of her books & they thoroughly enjoyed every one! I highly recommend sharing these amazing stories with your children. Keep up the good work Jan, we can’t wait till your next book is released:)