Combined sample FINAL 1606 Hafi

LIE
Written by Dot Henshaw
Illustrated by Su-Lin Chow
Designed by Amanda Eng & Hafi Jamal

Ollie could not keep his hands to himself:
the shells on the beach,
the toys on the table,
the jars in the pantry,
the books on the shelf,
nothing was safe from his tentacled reach.

“Ollie!” his mum cried, “you’re not a bad lad,
but your grabbing and nabbing is driving
me mad.
You’ve broken my
earrings and ruined my
new shoes.
Now you’ve smashed my
new vase.
I am blowing my fuse!”
“I’m sorry,” said Ollie. He tried to be good,
but his arms – they just wouldn’t behave as they should!

“Ollie!” Dad thundered, “I’ve told you, my boy,
this camera is precious – it isn’t a toy.
Now my best lens is missing,
the filter cap too.
So tell me young Ollie,
was this due to you?”
“Yes Dad,” he
mumbled. He had
to confess.
He’d never
intended to make
such a mess.
“I’m sorry,” said Ollie. He tried to be good,
but his arms – they just wouldn’t behave as
they should!

Ollie’s big brother yelled out
from next door.
“Why are my headphones lying
bust on the floor?
My discs are all scattered.
My music is too.
Ollie, you monster.
I’m gonna get you!”
“I’m sorry,” said Ollie.
He tried to be good,
but his arms – they just
wouldn’t behave as they should!

His friend, Jolly Jonah, asked Ollie to play,
but soon he was staring in total dismay,
as Ollie went spinning around and around,
grabbing and poking the things that he found.
“You’ve snapped all my pencils and spilled all the glue.”
“Ollie whatever’s the matter with you?”
“No Ollie!” he cried, “don’t touch that glass jar!”
“Oh no! Now it’s smashed on my favourite car!”
“I’m sorry,” said Ollie. He tried to explain,
but Jonah just said, “Don’t you come here again!”

At school there were so many great things to see,
to pick up, and look at, and play with, that he
just could not help it, he drove Miss Prim wild!
“Put that down!” Don’t touch that!”
“Don’t be difficult, child!”

He could not sit still, even
during a test.
Ollie was noisy and being such
a pest
that he made the kids angry.
“Miss Prim, we can’t work.
Tell Ollie to shut up and stop
being a jerk!”
Now the kids didn’t like him.
They left him alone.
He wasn’t invited to go to
their homes.

On a birthday the children were happy and jolly,
but no invitation was waiting for Ollie.

On sports day he cracked all the eggs
for the race. . .
Miss Prim had enough,
“This just will not do.
My school is no place for
a grabber like you.”
. . .and scattered the prizes
all over the place.
She sent Ollie home.
He was terribly sad
and he knew that his parents
would be pretty mad.

Now Ollie
was grounded.
It wasn’t much fun.
“Just sit there and think
of the damage you’ve
done,”
His parents said sternly,
“Enough is enough!”
“You just have to stop
touching other folks’
stuff!”

Uncle Fred came to visit
and Ollie’s mum pleaded,
“Speak to Ollie, please Fred,
your advice is what’s needed.”

”Just think,” said his uncle,
“how I run my army.
If my men didn’t listen to
me, I’d go barmy.
What kind of battalion d’ya
think it would be
If my soldiers ran round
‘stead of listening to me?”
“Sometimes,” he said,
“they are moving about,
but I can command them
with one powerful shout.
My secret is simple. I’m
telling you, son
One word does the trick,
just one word…..

They snap to attention. They
stand straight and tall,
their arms at their sides,
perfect silence from all.
When I shout “Attention”
they listen, you see.
They stop what they’re
doing and they focus on me.
Their bodies are still and
their minds are quiet too.
And then I can say what
I want them to do.
Now YOUR brain is the
general. YOUR soldiers
are hands and your
brain is the boss who is
giving commands.
So when your
eight soldiers are
up to no good,
you just think
“ATTENTION!”
and they’ll do
what they
should!

You snap to attention and hold your arms tight,
and you’ll find that you can do the things that are right.
Your hands cannot grab things from far and from wide,
if your brain makes them stay nice and quiet at your side!”
Ollie thought hard and he thought really long.
“I can do it,” he thought, “if I stay really strong.”

Now Ollie was being allowed
back to school.
Just sit quiet and listen and
don’t play the fool”
warned his mum
and his dad. They
meant what
they said.
“Keep your hands to
yourself and just keep
your head.”

“Good morning,” Miss Prim said, “please turn to
page two of your books. We have plenty of work
we must do.
I need you to focus.
I don’t have to mention
You must all listen well and
pay good attention.
“ATTENTION!” thought
Ollie. He sat straight
and tall. And his
hands didn’t
wander away,
not at all.
When his hands
started moving he
told them, “be good”
and he found that his
arms they COULD do
what they should!

Now Ollie’s the most helpful
boy in the class.
His arms, they can lift, they
can open and pass.
Instead of annoying
the kids all around,
he picks up their books
and their pens
from the ground.
And now it is time for a big
celebration……
(Can you guess what Ollie
got............?)

His first INVITATION!!

Ollie the octopus is always in trouble.
He can’t stop touching and taking things, even when they don’t belong to him.
None of the other children want to be his friend until his Uncle Fred helps him come up
with a clever plan.
10% of the proceeds from sales of this book will go to charities devoted to refugees.
Hils Learning© 2014