wide.
âCocky,â called Lulu. One of the cockatoos hopped from foot to foot. Then he spread his wings and flew towards Lulu. He landed on Luluâs arm. Gently he took the seed in his curved beak and crunched it.
Another cockatoo flew over and landed on Luluâs shoulder. He had a scarred foot with a missing toe. Lulu fed him a seed.
The rest of Luluâs family came to the door to watch. Mum closed the back door so the dogs wouldnât scare away the birds.
âWow,â said Nanna. âLulu, you are amazing. You have wild cockatoos eating out of your hand!â
Lulu took the rest of the seeds and held them in the palm of her hand.
The third cockatoo joined the party. He perched on the heel of Luluâs hand, his head on one side, begging for a seed. Lulu held her arms still so they could peck up the rest of the seeds.
âThey come to visit us most afternoons,â said Lulu. âThey love eating sunflower seeds or nuts. Weâve given them all names. Let me introduce Rocky, Cocky and Locky.â
Nanna laughed. âAnd can you tell them apart?â
Lulu nodded. âYes. Rocky is the oldest so heâs looking a bit scarred. Cocky is the boldest and Locky is the handsomest.â
âHello, Cocky,â yelled Gus. He stretched his arms wide and rushed forward. The cockatoos flew into the air with a screech. They wheeled up in the grey sky and flew away.
âGus,â scolded Lulu with one hand on her hip. âHow many times have I told you not to frighten the birds?â
Chapter 3
The New Girl
On Tuesday morning, Lulu was at Shelly Beach School. Her new year four teacher Mr Newbold was sitting at his desk marking the roll.
There was a knock at the door. Mrs Poole from the office came in. Beside her was a girl with very long, straight, dark hair. Lulu thought she looked scared.
âGood morning, 4N,â said Mrs Poole. âWe have a student new to Shelly Beach School. Her name is Amira. I hope you all make her feel welcome.â
Mr Newbold stood up and smiled at her. Amira looked down at her toes.
âWelcome to 4N, Amira,â said Mr Newbold.
He turned to the class. âMolly, would you mind moving to sit near Lauren?â he said. âAmira, you can sit next to Lulu. Sheâll look after you and help you settle in.â
Molly gathered up her pencils and books. She moved to sit beside Lauren. Amira sat down beside Lulu.
âHi, Amira,â said Lulu. âMy name is Lulu Bell.â
Amira whispered something as she unpacked her pencil case but Lulu didnât quite hear.
Mr Newbold walked back to his desk. âAs you all know, next Tuesday is Harmony Day.
âToday we find out what country our class will celebrate. And the principal has asked me if our class can do the special performance this year.â
A buzz of excitement rippled around the classroom.
âSo we need to come up with a fantastic idea for the show,â said Mr Newbold. âBut first we need to do some work.â
âOooh,â groaned the class.
The morning sped by as the class did reading in groups and then maths. Lulu loved maths. It was one of her favourite subjects.
After maths it was recess. Lulu and her friends went out to where their bags were hanging on hooks. Everyone was laughing and chatting as they found their hats and food. Amira looked around at the commotion.
Lulu took her apple out of her backpack. She turned to Amira and smiled.
âWe usually play handball at recess,â said Lulu. âWould you like to join us?â
âI need something from the office,â whispered Amira.
âWould you like me to take you?â asked Lulu.
Amira shook her head. âI know where it is.â
âCome and find us afterwards,â said Lulu. âWe play on the handball courts near the front gate.â
Amira nodded.
Handball was the most popular playground game at Shelly Beach School. A big group of Luluâs
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