Uncle Jack and the Forest Fire
Illustrated by Gustavo Mazali
Link to 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
Goal 13: Climate Action
Goal 15: Life on Land
Jane Cadwallader
Uncle Jack and the Forest Fire
Illustrated by Gustavo Mazali
Jane Cadwallader
Uncle Jack, Jim, and the twins went to spend the Christmas holiday with Uncle Peter in Australia. Uncle Peter was a vet.
‘What animals is Uncle Peter looking after now?’ asked Jim. ‘Wait and see,’ said Uncle Jack.
At Christmas, it’s hot in Australia, so they took T-shirts, shorts and swimsuits. Grumpy the dog took his favourite toy too.
No, May! You can’t take the Christmas tree!
It was cold up in the sky and they wore warm sweaters, coats, hats, and scarves. They flew over cities, lakes, mountains and forests, and they flew over the sea and saw islands, sharks, dolphins and whales.
‘Where does Uncle Peter live in Australia?’ asked Jim.
‘He lives in New South Wales,’ said Uncle Jack. Jim looked at a map.
Welcome!
Welcome to Australia!
4
Finally, they were in Australia. The children waved to Uncle Peter. ‘Oh look!’ said Jim. ‘Koalas!’
‘Hooray!’ shouted Daisy. ‘Koalas are my favourite animal!’
‘Uncle Peter has got a koala hospital,’ said Uncle Jack. ‘He looks after koalas that are sick or have a broken leg.’ ‘Grrr,’ said Grumpy the dog. He didn’t like animals.
KOALA HOSPITAL
The children were very happy to see Uncle Peter. He was Uncle Jack’s brother, but he looked very different! Uncle Jack was tall and thin with grey hair. He wore glasses on his long nose. Uncle Peter was short and fat with blond hair, a big beard, and a moustache. He had a big smile too!
Uncle Peter, Uncle Jack, and the children went for a walk in the forest. They saw beautiful parrots, bees, spiders, snakes, and rabbits. They also saw koalas sleeping in the trees.
Uncle Peter told the children, ‘You mustn’t touch the koalas! They are not pets and they can bite you!’ But there was one koala that always followed them. Grumpy growled at the koala, but it jumped up and down and was very friendly. In the end, even Grumpy was its friend. They decided to call it Kola.
At Christmas, the children decorated the house with green and red plants and leaves. They even had a Christmas tree. Not a real one, of course. Uncle Peter said, ‘Trees are for forests, not for houses!’ Kola climbed into the tree and went to sleep. Grumpy went to sleep too… but between two presents under the tree! The children said Kola was the best decoration, and Grumpy was the best present!
After Christmas, they wanted to go on a trip to the beach. One morning, they went to the bus station and took a bus that travelled for six hours along roads through Australian towns, villages, and countryside to the Pacific Ocean.
Look! There are kangaroos!
7 At the beach, Daisy played with Uncle Peter’s model plane, Jim collected shells and Uncle Jack went fishing on some rocks. Uncle Peter and May went surfing in the waves.
May was good at surfing, but Uncle Peter said, ‘Ooooh, this is difficult!’ Kola and Grumpy sat together under the beach umbrella. They grunted, growled, and squeaked and then went to sleep.