Lulu Bell and the Moon Dragon
Read Lulu Bell and the Moon Dragon Online
Authors: Belinda Murrell
Meet Lulu Bell. Where there's Lulu, there's family, friends, animals and adventures galore!
Lulu's best friend, Molly, is preparing for the Moon Festival. But there's so much to do! There are dragon costumes and paper lanterns to make, and yummy mooncakes to bake, too.
Lulu and her mum offer to help out, and soon everyone gets involved. This will be a Moon Festival to remember!
For sharing my first Autumn Moon Festival
with me â Rob, Nick, Emily and Lachie.
And for our fellow Vietnam adventurers,
Fi, Tim, Hamish and Charlie.
The Moon Festival
It was Wednesday lunchtime. Lulu and her best friend Molly were sitting on a bench under a huge old tree in the school playground. All around them, kids were yelling and laughing and playing.
âMolly,' Lulu said, âdo you want to come over this afternoon to do some drawing?'
Molly looked excited, but then she frowned. She shook her head.
âSorry, Lulu, I can't,' said Molly. âSam and I promised Mum we'd help her get ready for the Vietnamese Moon Festival. It's next Monday.'
Sam was Molly's younger brother.
âThe Moon Festival?' asked Lulu. âWhat's that?'
Molly opened her lunchbox and pulled out her container of noodle salad.
âWhen my mum was a little girl in Vietnam, the villagers would have a big Moon Festival every year. It was held to celebrate the end of the rice harvest,' explained Molly. âIt's a time for parents to have fun with their children.'
Molly stirred her noodles with her fork, mixing the vegetables through. Lulu took a big bite of her apple.
âIt's always held in the middle of autumn, at the time of the eighth full
moon,' said Molly. âFor Vietnamese children, it's the most exciting time of the year. It's like Christmas and Easter and Halloween all rolled into one!'
âThat sounds fantastic,' said Lulu. âBut where will it be?' She took another bite of her apple.
âMum thought we could have our own festival at home. We've never done it before,' said Molly. âUsually children dress up as dragons, lions and fairy spirits. They parade through the streets, dancing and playing music. Afterwards they have a huge feast.'
Lulu smiled and her brown eyes sparkled. âWow,' she said. âI'd love to see that.'
âWhy don't you come over to my place this afternoon? You can help us get ready,' suggested Molly. âMum wants to
start making the costumes. Then we'll make masks and paper lanterns. There's a lot to do.'
Lulu nodded and flicked one of her honey-blonde plaits over her shoulder. âI'd love to,' she said. âI'll ask Mum after school.'
The Excursion
After lunch, the girls went back into class and sat at their desks. Their teacher Miss Baxter was wearing a wide straw hat. Lulu wondered why she had a hat on in class.
âGood afternoon, 3B,' said the teacher.
âGood afternoon, Miss Baxter,' chorused the students.
âToday we have a very special treat for you,' said Miss Baxter. She smiled around
at the class. âWe have just had a call from one of the parents. She said there are two humpback whales swimming near Shelly Beach. So we are going on an excursion to visit them.'
There was a buzz of excited chatter among the children. Shelly Beach School was just a block from the ocean. The students often went on excursions to explore the rock pools, play games on the beach or build sand sculptures. But this was the first time they had been out to visit whales in the wild.
âWe are going to take one of the kindy classes with us,' added Miss Baxter.
âI wonder if we will be going with Sam's class,' whispered Molly. Molly's brother Sam was in kindy.
Lulu shrugged.
Miss Baxter put a big bottle of
sunscreen on her desk. âNow, let's get ready, 3B,' she said. âEveryone needs to put on their hats and some sunscreen.'
The kids scrambled to slather on sunscreen. They collected their navy blue hats from their hooks in the corridor. Everyone was chattering loudly about the unexpected outing.
They lined up in a shady spot in the playground. The kindy students came out with their teacher, Miss Stevens. Molly's little brother Sam was standing on his own. He had spiky black hair that stood up on end, and thick glasses. He looked lost.
âHi, Sam,' called Molly and Lulu together.
Sam smiled and came over.
âAre you having a good day?' asked Lulu.
âIt's okay,' said Sam.
âI didn't see you at lunchtime,' said Molly.
âI was reading in the library,' Sam explained. âIt was too hot to play.'
Molly looked worried. âSam, you can't spend every lunchtime in the library. You need to get out and have fun with the other kids.'
Sam looked away. Lulu thought he seemed sad.
âThere are lots of lovely kids in kindy,' said Lulu. âYou just need to get to know them.'
Sam smiled up at Lulu. He nodded.
Lulu and Molly were given the job of looking after Sam and a kindy girl called Hannah. The students lined up two by two to walk to the beach. Lulu walked with Sam, and Molly with Hannah. Miss Baxter and Miss Stevens led the group. Three parents had also volunteered to come along.
The lines of children headed out the school gate. They snaked down the footpath towards the ocean. Lulu could feel the sea breeze cooling her cheeks. She breathed in deeply.
The teachers held up the traffic while the students crossed the road. On the other side was a wide park above the beach. Cyclists whizzed past on bikes. Mums pushed babies in prams. Dogs trotted along, dragging their owners for a walk.
On the other side of the park was the sea.
The sun danced on the sparkling blue water. Close to the shore, pale green waves rolled and smashed onto the crumbly white sand. The air smelled of salt and seaweed.
âWhere are the whales?' asked Lulu. She shaded her eyes. âI can't see any.'
Miss Baxter pointed to the right.
âThe whales are in the cove further along the foreshore,' she explained. âBut we may need to be patient. Did you know that humpback whales can hold their breath underwater for nearly an hour?'
âAn hour!' exclaimed Lulu. âI hope we don't have to wait that long.'
The students walked along the footpath around the foreshore. After a
few minutes, they came to a slight rise. It was fenced off from the rocks below. The children crowded around the fence and looked down at the calm water. Hannah started chatting to one of the other girls in her class.
A group of kindy boys gathered together. They leaned against the railings, joking and laughing. One of the boys looked over at Sam.
âDo you want to go and join your friends, Sam?' asked Molly.
Sam shook his head. âNo, it's okay,' he said. âI'll stay here with you.'
Suddenly Molly pointed and cried out, âLook!'
Lulu gazed out over the sea. A white splash caught her eye.
âIs that a whale?' asked Lulu.
