Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Copyright Page

  This is Jack. Today Jack is in an exploring mood. He and his best friend Billie are playing explorers.

  They have made a hideout in Billie’s backyard. It is made from scraps of wood and tin. From here, they can spy on the Feather Monsters.

  Billie finds a big plank of wood at the bottom of the woodpile. ‘Hey,’ she says. ‘Let’s make a bridge!’

  ‘Good idea!’ says Jack. He helps Billie lift one end of the wood onto the roof of their hideout.

  They lift the other end onto the chicken coop. It makes a very good bridge.

  ‘Now we can creep up on the Feather Monsters without them seeing us!’ Billie says, grinning. She begins to climb up onto the plank of wood.

  ‘Um,’ says Jack. ‘I don’t know. It looks dangerous.’

  ‘Don’t be silly!’ Billie says. ‘Look! It doesn’t wobble at all!’ She pushes the plank of wood.

  It doesn’t move.

  ‘But still…’ Jack says. ‘What if you fall off? It’s a long way to the ground.’

  His tummy begins to squeeze with worry.

  Billie rolls her eyes. ‘The monkey bars at school are much higher than this,’ she says.

  ‘I know,’ Jack says. ‘But…’

  ‘Come on!’ says Billie. She climbs up onto the plank of wood and sits waiting for him.

  Jack bites the inside of his lip. His heart jumps about. He doesn’t want to climb up there.

  He wishes she would come down. ‘I don’t want to play this game anymore,’ he says.

  Billie frowns. ‘You’re such a scaredy cat,’ she says.

  ‘I’m not!’ Jack says.

  ‘You are!’ Billie says.

  ‘You never want to do anything fun.’

  ‘That’s not true, Billie!’ Jack says.

  ‘Then prove it!’ Billie says, crossing her arms.

  ‘Fine, I will!’ says Jack angrily. He climbs up the side of the hideout. Then he pulls himself up onto the plank next to Billie.

  Billie smiles and gives Jack a hug. ‘See?’ she says. ‘It’s not scary, is it?’

  Jack looks down. It’s not very far from the ground. Billie is right. It’s not too scary at all.

  ‘Look at us!’ Billie says.

  She stands up on the bridge. Then she holds her arms out and walks over to the chook pen.

  ‘I’m the queen of the world!’ she shouts.

  Jack grins and stands up too. ‘And I’m the king of the world!’ he yells.

  He walks slowly towards Billie.

  Suddenly, a chicken flaps up towards him. Jack gets a fright and steps backwards. His foot slips and he falls off the plank onto the ground.

  ‘Ow!’ he yells. His foot is twisted up under him.

  Billie jumps down beside him. ‘Oh no!’ she says. ‘Are you OK?’

  Jack tries to move his foot. It hurts so much.

  His tummy squeezes. But he swallows back his tears.

  He doesn’t want Billie to see him crying. She might think he isn’t brave.

  ‘Of course I’m OK!’ he says, laughing extra loudly. Billie looks worried.

  ‘Maybe I should go and get your mum?’ she says. ‘You look pale.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Jack says.

  He frowns. ‘I think I just twisted my ankle, that’s all!’ He stands up to show Billie he is OK. Pain stabs through his ankle like a knife.

  ‘Here, lean on me,’ Billie says. ‘Maybe we should play inside for a bit.’

  Jack leans against Billie. They hobble back to his house. Every step makes Jack’s ankle hurt. But he tries not to let Billie see.

  It will stop hurting soon, he thinks. He hopes he is right.

  That night Jack can’t sleep. His ankle is hurting so much. He thinks about telling his mum and dad. But he doesn’t want them to make a fuss.

  It will be better tomorrow, he thinks.

  But the next morning his ankle is very swollen. It hurts to put his shoe on. He limps downstairs. Every step makes his tummy curl up in pain.

  ‘Are you OK?’ says his mum when she sees him.

  ‘Yes,’ says Jack. ‘I just twisted my ankle yesterday. That’s all.’

  Jack’s mum kneels down to look at his ankle. ‘Oh, darling. I think we need to get a doctor to look at that. It looks sore!’

  ‘I’m fine!’ says Jack, feeling cross. But when his mum touches his foot Jack gasps.

  Tears spring into his eyes.

  He wipes them away quickly with his hand.

  Jack’s mum puts her hands on her hips. ‘Sorry, Mister,’ she says. ‘But we are taking you to a doctor. Right now!’

  Jack nods his head. Finally the big lump of tears in his throat bursts.

  It feels good to cry. His mum gives him a hug.

  ‘Don’t tell Billie,’ he says. ‘She’ll think I’m not brave.’

  ‘Don’t be silly!’ says Jack’s mum. ‘Billie is your best friend. She wouldn’t think that.’

  ‘But she called me a scaredy cat,’ Jack says quietly.

  ‘Well, I’m sure she didn’t mean it,’ says Jack’s mum.

  ‘But it wasn’t a very nice thing to say. There’s nothing wrong with being scared. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is to say that you are scared.’

  Jack nods his head. He knows his mum is right.

  Jack’s mum helps him to the car. They drive to the doctor’s office.

  There are lots of people in the waiting room.

  They wait a long time. Jack watches the cartoons on the TV so he doesn’t have to think about his ankle. It is hurting a lot.

  Finally the nurse calls Jack into the doctor’s room. Jack tries to stand up but his ankle hurts so much he yelps. Tears fill his eyes.

  ‘Oh dear,’ says the nurse. She gives Jack some medicine and a little plastic cup of water.

  ‘This will help with the pain,’ she says, kindly.

  She and Jack’s mum help him limp into the doctor’s office.

  Then they help Jack up onto a high bed covered with white paper.

  The nurse slips a lollipop into Jack’s pocket. ‘That’s for being so brave,’ she whispers.

  ‘Thank you,’ Jack says. His voice is high and squeaky.

  The doctor has a look at Jack’s ankle. Now it is very puffy and beginning to turn purple and blue.

  ‘Hmm. I think your ankle might be broken!’ he says.

  ‘Broken?’ says Jack. He is surprised.

  ‘Goodness!’ says Jack’s mum. ‘You poor thing!’ She gives him a cuddle.

  ‘Yes,’ says the doctor. ‘See how swollen it is? It must hurt a lot.’

  ‘Well, I guess it does,’ Jack says. ‘I thought it was just twisted, though.’

  ‘We’ll book you in for an X-ray,’ says the doctor. ‘You’ll probably need to wear a cast for a few weeks.’

  Jack grins. A cast! He has never broken a bone before. He can’t wait to tell Billie.

  That afternoon, Billie comes to visit Jack after school. He is sitting in bed with his foot on a pillow.

  She gives him some comics as a present.

  ‘Wow, a real cast!’ Billie says. ‘Can I sign it?’

  ‘Sure,’ says Jack proudly.

  ‘I can’t believe you didn’t even cry!’ Billie says. ‘It must have hurt so much.’

  ‘It did,’ Jack says.

  ‘But I didn’t want to cry in front of you. I thought you might think I wasn’t brave.’

  ‘What?’ says Billie. ‘I think you’re super brave! Even though you were scared to come up on the plank with me, you still did it.

  That makes you even braver than me.’

  ‘Really?’ says Jack.

  ‘Yeah,’ says Billie.

  ‘And I definitely would have cried if I broke my ankle.’

  ‘Yeah, but you’re a girl,’ Jack says, blushing. ‘It’s OK for girls to cry.’

  ‘That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard,’ Billie says. ‘You are my best friend, Jack. I don’t care if you cry.’

  ‘Thanks, Billie,’ says Jack. And even though his ankle still hurts he feels very happy.

  The Bravest Kid

  published in 2014 by

  Hardie Grant Egmont

  Ground Floor, Building 1, 658 Church Street

  Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia

  www.hardiegrantegmont.com.au

  This ebook is also available as a print edition in all good bookstores.

  eISBN: 9781743581865

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means without the prior permission of the publishers and copyright owner.

  A CiP record for this title is available from the National Library of Australia.

  Text copyright © 2014 Sally Rippin

  Illustration copyright © 2014 Stephanie Spartels

  Logo and design copyright © 2014 Hardie Grant Egmont

  Design by Stephanie Spartels

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  Sally Rippin, The Bravest Kid

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