by Sally Rippin
‘OK, kids,’ she says.‘Dad and I have things to do.
You can play outside.’
‘Presents!’ Billie whispers to Jack. He is licking icing off his arm.
Jack grins. Billie grabs his hand and they run out the back door.
‘I know what I’m getting for Christmas!’ Billie boasts when they are outside.
‘Really? What?’ Jack says.
‘I’ll show you,’ says Billie. She smiles a sneaky smile.
What do you think she is up to?
Jack follows Billie down to the back of her garden. There is a little green shed next to the chook pen. The chickens see Billie and Jack and squawk loudly.
‘Shh!’ says Billie. ‘Mum and Dad will hear!’ Billie pushes open the creaky green door.
‘Are you allowed in here?’ Jack says. He looks a little bit worried.
‘Well, not really,’ says Billie. ‘But don’t worry. Mum and Dad won’t know.’
In the shed it is dark and dusty and full of cobwebs. But in the corner shines something bright.
It is a brand-new bike.
‘Wow!’ says Jack.‘That’s a cool bike!’
‘Sure is!’ Billie says proudly. ‘I can’t wait to ride it!’
Jack hangs his head.
‘I wish I was getting a bike,’ he says. ‘You’re so lucky. When I asked Mum and Dad they said my old bike was still fine.’
Billie feels sorry for Jack. He has had his old bike since he was four. It is definitely getting too small for him.
‘Maybe you can borrow mine?’ Billie says. ‘Or have my old one? My old one is bigger than yours.’
Jack looks cross. ‘I don’t want your old bike. I want a new one. It’s not fair.’
‘Well, it’s not my fault!’ says Billie.
‘Well, you shouldn’t have been peeking,’ Jack grumbles.‘That’s cheating!’
‘I bet you peek sometimes!’ Billie frowns.
‘No, I don’t. Never!’ says Jack.
Billie and Jack frown at each other. They are both feeling annoyed.
‘I’m going home!’ says Jack.
‘Well, so am I!’ says Billie.
Billie and Jack storm out of the shed.
Jack squeezes through the hole in the fence.
Billie runs to her back door.
Billie is so cross that she forgets to do a very important thing. Do you know what she has forgotten?
She has forgotten to close the shed door.
Uh-oh!
After dinner, Billie helps her dad wrap the biscuits in pretty paper. She makes cards for the presents.
Billie puts an extra biscuit in Jack’s packet.
She feels bad that she was cross with him. She also feels sorry for him because she is getting a new bike and he isn’t.
Billie thinks about her beautiful new bike.
She feels very excited. Billie jumps up from the table and does a little dance. She sings a made-up song. ‘It’s Christmas, it’s Christmas, it’s Chrissy-wissy miss-mass!’
Billie is almost bursting with excitement!
Billie’s dad smiles.‘Yep, only one more sleep.’
Just then, Billie’s mum comes in the back door. She has a funny look on her face.
‘Billie, you haven’t been in the shed, have you?’ her mum asks.
‘Um, no!’ Billie says in a little voice. ‘Of course not!’
‘Hmm…’ says Billie’s dad. He looks at her mum and frowns.
‘Well, I hope not,’ says Billie’s mum. ‘Because Jack’s parents are hiding his present in there. It would be terrible if he saw it before tomorrow!’
‘J-Jack’s present?’ says Billie.
‘That’s right,’ says her dad.‘So I hope you kids weren’t snooping around in there this afternoon. That would spoil the surprise now, wouldn’t it?’
Billie looks down. She can’t believe it. That beautiful new bike. It’s for Jack,not for her!
The big happy bubble in her belly bursts.
‘Time for bed now, Billie,’ her mum says.‘We’ll come up to tuck you in soon.’
Billie runs upstairs. She brushes her teeth and puts on her pyjamas. She climbs into bed to wait for her mum and dad. She tries very hard not to cry.
Maybe I will get a bike, too? she thinks. Maybe Mum and Dad have hidden my bike somewhere else?
They know I want a new bike. I’ve been asking them for ages!
Billie’s parents come up to kiss her goodnight.
‘Are you excited about tomorrow?’ Billie’s dad asks.
Billie nods.
But she is beginning to feel worried.
The next morning, Billie is the first one awake. She runs into her parents’ bedroom and jumps up and down on their bed.
‘Mum, Dad!’ she yells.
‘It’s Christmas! Get up! Get up!’ She sings her happy Christmas song.
Billie runs downstairs. Look at all the presents under the tree! Billie squeals in excitement.
Then, she remembers.
Billie walks all the way around the Christmas tree.
There are lots of presents with her name on them. She has a long present, a square present, even a bumpy, round present. But no bike-shaped present. Not one of Billie’s presents is big enough to be a bike. She sighs.
Billie opens all her presents.
She has lots of lovely new things. Some books, some paints and a new dress that she puts on straight away.
But no bike.
‘Thank you, Mum. Thank you, Dad,’ Billie says in a little voice. She gives them both a big cuddle.
‘Wait!’ says Billie’s dad.
‘You’ve still got one present left. Look!’
Billie looks. Under some scrunched-up paper there is a little present with Billie’s name on it.
Billie picks it up and opens it. Inside is a tiny card. It says:
The flowerpot by the back door? What a strange note!
Billie walks outside to the flowerpot. She looks inside.
There she finds another note. It says:
Billie smiles. This is a very strange present indeed!
Billie runs to the apple tree. There she finds a round box, wrapped up in Christmas paper.
Billie unwraps the box. Inside is a bicycle helmet!
Now Billie is very confused. She lifts the helmet out of the box. Another note falls out.
Billie opens the note and reads:
Billie’s heart begins to jump up and down.
She feels a big smile stretch across her face. Her dad winks at her and her mum smiles.
Billie runs to the hole in the fence. She squeezes through it into Jack’s garden.
Just then, Jack comes running out his back door.
He has a bicycle helmet on his head and a little note in his hand.
‘Guess what, Billie?’ Jack shouts happily.‘My present is in your shed!’
‘Guess what?’ Billie laughs. ‘My present is in your shed!’
A big bubble of laughter bursts out of Billie’s mouth. She runs through Jack’s garden to the little shed.
Billie opens the shed door.
You know what is inside, don’t you?
A beautiful brand-new bike! On the front it has a basket and a big letter B.
It is the perfect present.
Billie B Brown has one pair of bathers, seven seashells and a bucket and spade. Do you know what the B in Billie B
Brown stands for?
Beach!
It is the summer holidays and Billie B Brown is at the beach.
Today Billie is going to make a sandcastle. She is going to make the biggest, most beautiful sandcastle you have ever seen.
Billie’s mum reads a book under a beach umbrella. Her dad reads the newspaper. Sometimes they even fall asleep. Can you imagine? They are absolutely no fun at all!
Billie puts on some sunscreen and sits out in the sun.
She starts to build a sand castle. There’s a family with two girls nearby. The girls ar
e building a sandcastle too. Their sandcastle is very big and very beautiful.
Billie feels a teensy bit jealous. She wishes her best friend Jack was here to help her.
‘Lunch!’ Billie’s mum calls.
Just in time. Billie’s tummy is growling like a tiger!
Billie trudges up the beach to sit in the shade. Billie’s mum gives her a sandwich. Even though Billie has wiped her hands, her banana sandwich still tastes crunchy.
Billie’s dad says,‘Would you like extra sand in your witch?’
He says that every time they eat lunch at the beach, but Billie still laughs.
Billie watches the other girls make their castle. One of them looks about the same age as Billie.
She has ginger hair and freckles and she is wearing pink and white polka-dot bathers. Billie wishes she had fancy bathers.
‘Why don’t you ask if you can play with them?’ Billie’s mum says.
Billie shakes her head. She feels shy.
She would love to play with those kids, but she is too scared to go over and ask them.
What if they don’t want to play with me? Billie thinks.
What if they laugh at me or they are mean?
No, Billie decides. It is much safer just to play on my own.
Billie finishes her sandwich and goes back to her sandcastle. She decides that it needs a moat. Billie digs and digs and digs.
Her spade hits something hard. Clink! Billie reaches into the hole. She feels something smooth.
Billie digs deeper and pulls out a tiny bottle. It is as green as the sea and as small as her hand.
Billie holds the bottle up to the sun.
The glass is so dark that it is impossible to see what’s inside.
A girl walks past collecting shells. She sees the bottle in Billie’s hand.
‘Ooh!’ she says. ‘What’s inside?’
Billie shrugs.‘I don’t know,’ she says.
‘It’s beautiful,’ says the little girl. She reaches out her sandy fingers to touch the green glass.
‘I’m Billie,’ says Billie.
‘I’m Charlotte,’ the little girl says.‘That’s my sister, Harriet.’ She points to the girl in the fancy bathers.
Harriet , Billie thinks. That’s a nice name .
Then she has an idea. A super-dooper idea.
‘Actually, I think there’s a secret message inside the bottle,’ Billie whispers to Charlotte. ‘It’s probably from a pirate.’
‘Wow!’ says Charlotte. Her eyes open wide. ‘I have to tell Harriet! She loves pirates!’
Billie watches Charlotte run along the beach to where Harriet is waiting.
That afternoon, Billie and her mum and dad walk to the shops to buy ice-creams. Billie always chooses banana choc-chip with sprinkles.
Billie has to eat her ice-cream very quickly so that it doesn’t melt. Already it is drip-drip-dripping on her toes.
Billie walks back to the beach and finishes her ice-cream. When she looks up, there is a girl standing in front of her. It’s Harriet. Billie’s heart begins to flap about like a butterfly.
‘My sister told me you found a bottle with a message inside,’ says Harriet.‘Can I see?’
Billie pulls the bottle out of her pocket.
Harriet squints at the dark glass.‘I can’t see any message inside,’ she frowns.
‘It has to be very small,’ Billie says.‘To fit in the bottle.’
‘Hmm,’ Harriet says.‘Who do you think wrote it?’
Billie shrugs. She feels a little bit shy. ‘Probably a pirate.’
Harriet smiles.‘Or maybe a princess ?’ she says. ‘Captured by pirates?’
‘Or maybe the prince trying to save her?’ says Billie excitedly. ‘But his boat has sunk and now he’s stuck on a desert island!’
‘Yeah!’ Harriet says. ‘Hey, do you want to come and help us build our sandcastle?’
Billie looks at her mum and dad.
‘Sure!’ says Billie’s dad.
‘Let me put some more sunscreen on you first,’ says Billie’s mum.
Billie wiggles as her mum covers her in sunscreen. Then she runs after Harriet to the big, beautiful sandcastle. Charlotte is waiting for them there
Billie holds the little bottle in her hands. The girls all try to guess what’s inside.
Billie feels very special to have found such a magical thing.
Then Billie has an idea. Carefully she balances the little green bottle on top of the sandcastle. It looks magnificent! Now it is the biggest, most beautiful sandcastle on the beach.
Charlotte jumps up and down excitedly. Harriet does a handstand.
Billie decides she will do a handstand too.
But she is not used to doing handstands on the soft sand. She wibbles and wobbles,then… crash! Billie falls down. Right on top of the big, beautiful sandcastle!
Harriet and Charlotte gasp.
Billie stands up quickly. But it is too late. The sandcastle is ruined.
Billie stares at the crushed sandcastle. Right in the middle is her little green bottle. It has cracked neatly in half. The girls kneel down to look at it.
And that’s when they see…there is nothing inside it. Nothing at all.
Billie covers her face with her hands. Big fat tears roll down her cheeks. She grabs the two pieces of the bottle and runs back to her mum and dad.
Billie has decided that this is the worst day ever. She has made a sandcastle and broken a sandcastle. She has found a bottle and broken a bottle.
Worst of all, she made a friend but now she is sure the friendship will be broken.
Harriet knows there wasn’t any message in the bottle. Billie was just making up stories. Harriet will never want to be friends with Billie now!
Billie sits on her towel under the beach umbrella and cries.
‘Why don’t you just say sorry?’ Billie’s mum suggests.
Billie shakes her head. She is much too scared to go and talk to those girls now. Especially after everything she has done!
Billie B Brown is good at lots of things. She is good at the monkey bars and she is good at making cubbies.
She is good at soccer and she is good at midnight feasts. But the thing that Billie B Brown is best at is coming up with good ideas.
Billie wipes her eyes. She looks at the little broken bottle in her hand.
And then she has an idea.
It is the superest-dooperest idea she has had all day!
Can you guess what Billie is thinking?
Billie tears off a corner of her dad’s newspaper. Then she takes his pencil and writes in very small writing.
Billie rolls the message up tightly and puts it inside one half of the bottle. She puts the other half of the bottle on top. Then she takes a hair-tie and wraps it around the two halves. It holds the message inside perfectly.
Billie waits for Harriet and Charlotte to go for a swim.
She runs over and puts the bottle on Harriet’s towel. Then she runs back.
Harriet gets out of the water first. She picks up her towel. Billie sees the little green bottle drop onto the sand. Harriet picks it up.
Billie holds her breath and looks away. She can’t bear to watch!
Then Charlotte runs towards Billie with the bottle in her hand. Billie opens the bottle. Her heart is jumping up and down.
But…oh dear! The bottle is empty! Billie hangs her head.
Harriet doesn’t want to be her friend after all!
‘Oh,’ says Charlotte. ‘I forgot. Princess Harriet said she’d love to be your friend. She also said sorry that there’s no message, but she didn’t have a pen and paper.’
Billie bursts out laughing.
It’s not the worst day ever, it’s the best day ever! Billie is on the beach, the sun is shining and, best of all, she has a brand-new friend!
Billie B Brown has four baby jumpsuits, three tiny dresses and one big teddy bear. Do you know what the B in Billie B Brown stands for?
Baby!<
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Billie’s mum is having a baby. Billie is going to be a big sister!
These little clothes used to be Billie’s. Aren’t they tiny? They will be perfect for the new baby.
Billie is very excited about being a big sister.
She’s going to give the baby her favourite teddy, Mr Fred. Isn’t that nice of her?
Billie has had Mr Fred since she was a baby. But when the baby comes she won’t need him anymore.
Today Billie is playing mummies and daddies with her best friend, Jack.
Jack lives next door. Billie and Jack have been friends since they were little. They do everything together.
Billie and Jack sit in the cubby they have made. Billie squeezes Mr Fred into a pink dress. He looks very funny. Billie and Jack giggle.
Today it is Jack’s turn to look after the baby while Billie goes off to work.
‘I’m glad you’re home,’ says Jack when Billie comes back.‘Mr Fred has been crying all day!’
Billie laughs and takes Mr Fred.‘I’m bored of playing mummies and daddies,’ she says.‘Let’s go and play soccer.’
Jack and Billie run into the garden to play.
Billie sits Mr Fred on the grass to watch.
Oh dear. Look at those grey clouds.
Soon it starts to rain.
Billie and Jack run inside. But they forget someone.
Poor Mr Fred! He is going to get very wet, isn’t he?
That night, Billie’s mum reads her a story in bed. It is about a mummy elephant and her baby. It is Billie’s favourite book.
Suddenly Billie’s mum stops reading. She gets a funny look on her face.
‘Oh!’ she says.‘I think the baby is coming!’