{"id":1369,"date":"2015-03-29T09:10:55","date_gmt":"2015-03-29T08:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1369"},"modified":"2015-03-29T09:10:55","modified_gmt":"2015-03-29T08:10:55","slug":"story-competition-larrys-beak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/story-competition-larrys-beak\/","title":{"rendered":"Story competition: Larry’s Beak"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Story Illustration Competition!<\/strong><\/div>\n
Calling all nannies and their charges\u2026<\/div>\n
In order to promote literacy and story time, Smart Nanny Solutions<\/a> is running a competition for nannies and their charges to take part in over the Easter holidays.<\/div>\n
Agency owner, ex-nanny and mum of two, Louise Burgess has written a children\u2019s story (picture book style, aimed at children aged 3 years and over). She is posting her story here for nannies to print off and read with their charges over the Easter holidays and would love some feedback from the children and the nannies about what they think of the story – good or bad!<\/div>\n
The story doesn\u2019t have any illustrations, so as an extra bit of fun, your charges can draw a picture\/illustration of their favourite part of the story and email it to louise@smartnannysolutions.com<\/div>\n
The winner will receive a \u00a310 Waterstones book voucher and will have their picture published on the Smart Nanny Solutions website, Facebook and Twitter page. They will also receive a Smart Nanny Solutions mug for their nanny!<\/div>\n
So..<\/div>\n
    \n
  1. Print off the story \u2018Larry\u2019s Beak\u2019 (below)<\/li>\n
  2. Read it with your charges<\/li>\n
  3. Nannies and\/or children: what did you think of the story?<\/li>\n
  4. Children: Illustrate your favourite part of the story<\/li>\n
  5. Nannies: Take a picture of the child\u2019s drawing and email it to louise@smartnannysolutions.com<\/a> along with any feedback about the story.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    Deadline: April 20th 2015<\/div>\n
    Entry is FREE.<\/div>\n

    LARRY\u2019S BEAK<\/strong><\/p>\n

    By Louise Burgess<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    Poor Larry the seagull, he\u2019d had a bad week.<\/p>\n

    It all began on Monday when he couldn\u2019t find his beak.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \u2018Ark!\u2019 shouted Larry through the hole in his face,<\/p>\n

    his lovely, pointy, yellow bill was gone without a trace.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \u2018My looks!\u2019 he cried \u2018My handsome grin! this is really rotten,<\/p>\n

    without a beak my face looks like a little puckered bottom!<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \u2018What will people think?\u2019 He thought. \u2018What will <\/em>the neighbours say?<\/p>\n

    They\u2019ll point and laugh and call me names\u2019 He dribbled in dismay.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \u2018I can\u2019t and won\u2019t be seen like this!\u2019 Larry wiped his eyes,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    \u2018No fear, i\u2019ll head down to the pier in search for a disguise\u2019<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    So Larry sailed on the breeze to the pier, for his first stop<\/p>\n

    was \u2018Mr Snoop\u2019s Emporium\u2019 (A novelty joke shop).<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Now Mr Snoop\u2019s was perfect if you liked to play a trick,<\/p>\n

    there was everything from plastic poo to puddles of fake sick!<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Mr Snoop took one look and produced, in a flash<\/p>\n

    a pair of thick rimmed glasses with a nose and moustache<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Larry was ecstatic \u2018This look is quite becoming,<\/p>\n

    I\u2019ll strut my stuff along the pier and folk will see I\u2019m stunning!\u2019<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Alas, the specs kept slipping down with every step he took,<\/p>\n

    they ended up around his neck (not the coolest look).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

     <\/p>\n

    \u2018Oh bother!\u2019 bellowed Larry then he threw them off the pier,<\/p>\n

    he sulked beneath the moonlight and shed a single tear.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    On Tuesday Larry flew about unsure where to go<\/p>\n

    but as he settled on a bench a kind voice said; \u2018Hello\u2019.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The nice old lady\u2019s name was Pearl and to Larry\u2019s great relief,<\/p>\n

    she took pity on his problem and gave him her false teeth.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \u2018You can borrow them today\u2019 she said \u2018I\u2019ll get along just fine –<\/p>\n

    I don\u2019t need my gnashers to lick a 99!\u2019.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    With that she plunged them in his face – which took him by surprise!<\/p>\n

    (They felt a little slimy and rather big in size).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

     <\/p>\n

    \u2018Shank shu\u2019 He said politely, spluttering a bit.<\/p>\n

    He didn\u2019t like to tell her that they didn\u2019t really fit.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Off went Larry on his way with a wild toothy grin.<\/p>\n

    Then, when Pearl was out of sight, he popped them in the bin.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Larry was disheartened. He wandered all night long.<\/p>\n

    Instead of flying home to roost, he paced along the prom.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    On Wednesday Larry tried again, To the pier he promptly flew<\/p>\n

    and at the stall for face paints, slyly jumped the queue.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Now \u2018Snazzy Jazz\u2019 was clever, she was talented and arty<\/p>\n

    but her repertoire was suited to a children\u2019s birthday party.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

     <\/p>\n

    Larry wasn\u2019t interested in hearts upon his cheek,<\/p>\n

    a wicked witch or tiger face, he just wanted a beak!<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Larry almost wept with joy, he had a beak once more,<\/p>\n

    and for a while he was happy- until the rain began to pour.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Huddled in a shelter Larry caught his own reflection,<\/p>\n

    the smudge of yellow down his front was less than beak perfection.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The sun came up on Thursday and Larry hadn\u2019t slept.<\/p>\n

    He missed his beak so very much he\u2019d sat all night and wept.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    He had become so desperate, shape and size no longer mattered.<\/p>\n

    He marched straight in to \u2018Chippy\u2019s\u2019 shouting \u2018Sausage! Jumbo! Battered!\u2019.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Now Larry wasn\u2019t famous for his wild fashion sense<\/p>\n

    but a sausage for a beak? this look was quite intense.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

     <\/p>\n

    It worked for a while and no one seemed surprised<\/p>\n

    when a sausage eating seagull flew before their eyes.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Alas, there lay the problem, for he tried with all his might,<\/p>\n

    yet when Larry felt quite peckish he just had to take a bite.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    So the sausage did shrink as the day grew long.<\/p>\n

    It made a tasty snack but as a beak it was wrong.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Poor Larry spent another night below the pier just bobbing,<\/p>\n

    in the shadows on the waves. His eyes grew sore from sobbing<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Red eyes and missing beak Larry was a mess.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    It was early Friday morning and he didn\u2019t look his best.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Larry waddled aimlessly, he felt at such a loss<\/p>\n

    until he saw the neon sign for \u2018Big Jim\u2019s Candy floss\u2019.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \u2018Aha!\u2019 Cried Larry loudly. \u2018Things are better than I feared.<\/p>\n

    If I can\u2019t have a beak then I\u2019ll have a candy beard!\u2019<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Big Jim was quite the stylist. His candy floss quite stiff.<\/p>\n

    Soon Larry had a goatee beard with sideburns and a quiff!<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Larry perched upon the pier all puffed with pride and glee,<\/p>\n

    the wind blew through his candy hair as he gazed out to sea.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    He headed for the bandstand and rocked and rolled all night<\/p>\n

    but he didn\u2019t look so fetching in the early morning light.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

     <\/p>\n

    \u201cMatted feathers, sticky head, What\u2019s become of me?<\/p>\n

    I\u2019ve hardly slept a wink all week Or been home for tea.\u2019<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \u2018I\u2019ve had enough, my beak is gone, I\u2019ll just have to face it.<\/p>\n

    I\u2019ve tried so many different things but nothing can replace it.\u2019<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    His search had been a failure and he was unimpressed.<\/p>\n

    Larry sulked on Saturday now feeling quite depressed.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    By Sunday he had given up so flew back home to rest<\/p>\n

    AND THERE IT WAS, HIS SHINY BEAK GLISTENING IN HIS NEST!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Story Illustration Competition! Calling all nannies and their charges In order to promote literacy and story time, Smart Nanny Solutions is running a competition for nannies and their charges to take part in over the Easter holidays. Agency owner, ex-nanny and mum of two, Louise Burgess has written a childrens story (picture book style, aimed … Continue reading “Story competition: Larry’s Beak”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[26,113,257,277,474],"class_list":["post-1369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-blogs","tag-activities","tag-competition","tag-literacy","tag-meet-the-agency","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1369\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nannyjob.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}