Lulu Bell and the Pyjama Party

by Belinda Murrell

  About the Book

  Meet Lulu Bell. Where there’s Lulu, there’s family, friends, animals and adventures galore!

  Molly, Sam and Ebony the kitten are staying the night for a pyjama party. Yay! Lulu is looking forward to stories and games and snacks.

  But it’s a busy night for Dad’s vet hospital. An orphaned wallaby joey needs care and a mother dog arrives ready to have her puppies. Dad needs Lulu and Molly’s help – even if they’re still in their pyjamas!

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1: Saturday Morning

  Chapter 2: The Hunt for Pickles

  Chapter 3: The Shelly Beach Squids

  Chapter 4: Mika

  Chapter 5: Maisie

  Chapter 6: The Pyjama Party

  Chapter 7: Bed Time

  Chapter 8: Night Adventure

  Chapter 9: Midnight Feast

  Lulu Bell and the Tiger Cub

  Read all the Lulu Bell books

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  Copyright Notice

  Loved the book?

  For two beautiful nieces –

  Meg and Lauren

  Chapter 1

  Saturday Morning

  It was early when Lulu Bell opened her eyes. She nearly rolled over and went back to sleep, but then she remembered. It was Saturday morning – hurray! Lulu loved Saturdays. And this was to be a very special one, because Mum had organised a pyjama party.

  Lulu’s best friend Molly was coming to stay. So was her little brother Sam. Even Ebony the kitten was coming for the sleepover.

  Lulu jumped out of bed. Lulu’s sister Rosie was still asleep in the bed opposite, her dark hair fanned out on the pillow. Lulu got dressed quickly and quietly. Saturday was also soccer day, so Lulu pulled on her team uniform. There was a sky-blue soccer shirt, white shorts, shin pads and long blue socks.

  She picked up her soccer boots and ran into the kitchen.

  Lulu’s mum was sitting at the table and reading the newspaper.

  ‘Good morning, honey bun,’ said Mum. ‘Did you have a lovely sleep?’

  Her dad was at the kitchen bench.

  ‘How’s my little soccer star?’ asked Dad. ‘Are you ready for the big game against the Mighty Sharks?’

  Lulu gave them both a good morning hug as she answered their questions. She stood behind the kitchen bench and helped Dad crack eggs into a bowl.

  Next Dad sliced up mushrooms for the omelette. Dad and Lulu always made a special breakfast on Saturday mornings.

  Lulu looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. Her brown eyes danced with excitement.

  ‘What time are they coming?’ she asked.

  She whisked the eggs with a little milk.

  ‘It’s seven o’clock,’ said Mum. ‘Molly and Sam should be here any minute.’

  Just then the doorbell rang.

  ‘They’re here,’ cried Lulu.

  She raced to the front door, followed by two brown dogs.

  Outside stood Molly, Sam and their mum Tien. They were carrying their sleeping bags and pillows. Molly was also dressed in her sky-blue soccer uniform.

  Tien was holding a small carry cage and two overnight bags. One of Lulu’s dogs, Jessie, sniffed at the cage.

  Meow, cried a cross voice from inside. Ebony the kitten didn’t like being sniffed at.

  ‘Hello, Molly,’ cried Lulu. ‘Hello, Tien and Sam. Come in.’

  ‘Hello, Lulu,’ said Molly and Tien together.

  Tien was dressed in her high heels and a suit. She was going away for the weekend for work.

  Sam didn’t say anything. He looked up at Lulu with big, dark eyes. He held his mum’s hand tightly.

  Everyone came inside. Mum welcomed them.

  ‘Put your pillows and sleeping bags in the lounge room,’ suggested Mum. ‘I thought you could all sleep in there tonight in front of the fire.’

  ‘Mum said we can toast some marshmallows over the fire,’ said Lulu. ‘Just like camping.’

  Molly and Lulu stacked the bedding neatly near the sofa. Rosie and Gus came in then. All the commotion had woken them up. Gus rubbed his eyes and yawned.

  Dad popped his head around the door to say hello. Sam looked around at all the people and shrank closer to his mother’s side.

  ‘Do you have time for a cup of tea?’ Mum asked Tien.

  Tien checked her watch. ‘No, I have to get going,’ she replied. ‘Thanks so much for having the children for me. I don’t know what I’d have done without you.’

  ‘It’s a pleasure,’ replied Mum. ‘You know we love having Molly, Sam and Ebony any time.’

  Sam buried his face against his mother’s skirt. Tien hugged him close. She lowered her voice.

  ‘Sam’s feeling a little shy,’ explained Tien. ‘He’s never stayed away from home before.’

  Lulu came over to Sam. She threw her honey-coloured plait over her shoulder and crouched down beside him.

  ‘Don’t worry, Sam,’ said Lulu. ‘We’re going to have so much fun. We have soccer this morning. Then we can play games and eat party food. You’ll love it, I promise.’

  Sam looked up at Lulu. He blinked behind his glasses. Lulu thought he might start crying. She tried to think of something to cheer him up.

  ‘Do you think Ebony is excited about having a sleepover at her mum’s house?’ asked Lulu.

  Ebony was one of Pickles’s kittens. She had been born in the washing machine. Now she lived with Molly and Sam.

  Sam nodded slowly.

  ‘Shall we go and look for Pickles then?’ asked Lulu. ‘I think she might be hiding somewhere. Let’s hope she isn’t in the washing machine this time!’

  Mum smiled at Lulu. ‘Great idea, honey bun. But first, Sam, give your mum a kiss goodbye.’

  Sam and Molly kissed Tien goodbye. Tien hugged them both, looking worried. Mum walked Tien towards the front door.

  ‘Sam will be fine,’ said Mum. ‘We’ll look after him.’

  Lulu took Sam’s hand.

  ‘Come on, Sam. Let’s find Pickles!’

  Chapter 2

  The Hunt for Pickles

  Molly opened the carry cage and scooped out Ebony. The velvety black kitten purred and rubbed her face against Molly’s chin.

  ‘Sam, would you like to carry Ebony?’ asked Molly.

  Sam nodded and took the kitten in his arms. He hugged her close.

  Lulu led the way. The five children hunted for Pickles in all the usual spots. Jessie tagged along, sniffing and searching. They looked in Dad’s shoe cupboard, on the back step and under the lavender bush. On the way, they stopped to say hello to Flopsy the bunny and the ducklings in their run.

  They even checked in the washing machine, just in case. But Pickles wasn’t there.

  Finally Rosie found Pickles, the tortoiseshell cat, curled up under Lulu’s bed.

  Ebony leaped out of Sam’s arms and raced to her mother. Pickles meowed and licked her kitten on the head. Ebony purred with pleasure.

  The children lay on the floor and watched the cat reunion under the bed. Ebony snuggled against her mother and butted her with her head. Pickles put her paw on Ebony. She held her kitten down and washed her face with her rough tongue. Ebony squirmed and wriggled as she was licked all over.

  ‘Aren’t they cute?’ asked Lulu. ‘Pickles is giving her a bath.’

  Rosie screwed up her face. ‘I’m glad Mum doesn’t lick me when she gives me a bath,’ she said.

  Lulu laughed.

  ‘Ebony loves seeing her mother,’ said Molly.

  At the mention of the word mother, Sam p
ushed his glasses back on his nose and gave a little sniffle.

  ‘It’s all right, Sam,’ said Molly.

  ‘When is Mum coming back?’ asked Sam. His voice cracked. ‘I don’t like her going away.’

  ‘She’ll be here tomorrow afternoon,’ said Molly.

  Sam pushed his bottom lip out, trying not to cry. Lulu thought for a moment. Poor Sam. How can I help him feel better?

  ‘Sam, your mum doesn’t want to go away,’ said Lulu. ‘But sometimes people have to do things they don’t want to do. Sometimes we have to be a little bit brave.’

  ‘Bug Boy brave,’ said Gus.

  He pushed his bug boy mask back off his face. His antennae wobbled.

  ‘Can you be brave, Sam?’ asked Lulu.

  Sam thought about it. ‘I’m brave too,’ he decided.

  ‘Good,’ said Lulu. ‘Let’s go and eat some breakfast.’

  They all sat around the kitchen table. Dad served the cheesy ham-and-mushroom omelette on toast. It was delicious.

  Everyone chatted and laughed as they ate. Except Sam. He pushed his fork around the plate.

  ‘Not hungry, Sam?’ asked Mum. ‘Don’t worry. If you can’t finish your breakfast, the dogs will love it.’

  The dogs lay on their bed in the corner. At the mention of breakfast, both of them sat up and thumped their tails. It was easy to tell them apart. Asha’s muzzle was grey, while her daughter Jessie was the smiliest dog in the world.

  After breakfast, the kids cleared the table. Mum and Rosie stacked the dishwasher. Lulu showed Sam how to feed the dogs.

  ‘Sit, girls,’ ordered Lulu. Asha and Jessie sat obediently, their tongues hanging out. ‘Stay.’

  Lulu scraped the leftovers into the two dog bowls. Asha and Jessie looked up at Lulu hopefully.

  Lulu whispered to Sam. ‘Now say, “good girls”. That’s how they know they’re allowed to eat. We’ve trained them to have beautiful manners.’

  Sam looked at the two big dogs. Asha thumped her tail on the floor. ‘Good girls,’ he said.

  The two dogs leapt up. They gobbled up their breakfast in seconds and licked the bowls clean. Sam smiled.

  ‘Now we’d better get going,’ said Dad. ‘We don’t want to be late for the game.’

  ‘Rug up, everyone,’ Mum reminded them. ‘It’s cold out there.’

  Rosie wore a beanie and scarf with her angel wings. Gus pulled down his bug boy mask. Everyone grabbed a warm jacket.

  It was a fifteen-minute walk to Lagoon Park. The dogs bounded along, sniffing all the wonderful smells. They loved coming to soccer on Saturday mornings too. Mum had the water bottles and the sliced oranges in a container. Dad had his whistle and the soccer ball.

  There were lots of families arriving at the park. Some of the kids wore the same sky-blue uniform as Lulu and Molly. Others wore the black and red of the opposition – the Mighty Sharks. Lulu felt a bubble of excitement well up. She loved soccer.

  ‘Come on, Gus. Come on, Sam. Let’s go. It’s time for some super Squid fun.’

  Chapter 3

  The Shelly Beach Squids

  Lulu and Molly ran over to join their team mates – the Shelly Beach Squids. Lots of Lulu’s best friends from school were on the team. As well as Molly, there was Lauren, Thomas and Flynn, plus the twins, Olivia and Jo.

  ‘Hi, Lulu,’ called Lauren. ‘Hi, Molly.’

  ‘Lauren, how’s Maisie?’ asked Lulu. Maisie was Lauren’s black Labrador. She was going to have puppies any day now.

  ‘Big and slow,’ replied Lauren with a grin. ‘Mum said we should bring her in for a check-up with your dad today.’

  ‘I hope she has the puppies really soon,’ said Lulu. ‘Labrador puppies are so chubby and wrinkly. They’ll be adorable.’

  ‘Come on, girls,’ called the coach, waving her arms. She gave Lulu a special smile.

  The Squids’ coach was Kylie the vet nurse. Kylie was a star soccer player. The Squids gathered around. Lulu jumped up and down to keep warm, and tucked her hands under her armpits.

  Mum hurried over with her clipboard and pen. She was the team manager. She made sure the players swapped over regularly so everyone got a turn to play.

  Dad was the referee, with his whistle and cap. He helped Kylie to warm the kids up before the game.

  The Squids jogged up and down the football field. They skipped sideways, stretched and sprinted. They practised passing the ball and tackling. Then Kylie gave them some last-minute reminders before the game began.

  ‘Remember to spread out,’ said Kylie. ‘Pass the ball and kick hard.’

  Rosie, Gus and Sam stood on the sideline with all the other families. Rosie held Asha’s lead while Sam held Jessie’s lead.

  Then Dad blew the whistle to start the game. The two teams chased the ball. They kicked it back and forth. Flynn was the goalkeeper for the first half. He had to try to stop the other team from scoring. The others chased the ball, trying to shoot it towards their own goal net.

  It was a very exciting game. Thomas loved doing tricks with his feet, flipping the ball in the air. The ball came close and Lulu kicked it with all her might. The ball shot down the other end of the field.

  ‘Great kick, Lulu,’ yelled Mum from the sideline.

  Thomas chased the ball and moved it further down the field.

  He passed it to Lauren. Lauren gave a super-big kick. The ball flew over the goalkeeper’s head and into the back of the net.

  ‘Goal,’ yelled Thomas. He punched the air.

  Everyone ran down to give Lauren a hug.

  A few minutes later, the Mighty Sharks scored a goal. It was one goal for each side.

  Then it was half-time. Mum passed out the container of orange pieces. Dad handed out the water bottles. Lulu had a long drink of water.

  ‘Great work, Squids,’ said Kylie. ‘That was an awesome goal by Lauren and great passing by Thomas.’

  Kylie patted Lauren on the shoulder. ‘Keep up the good work, team.’

  Dad blew the whistle. It was time to start playing again. For this half, Molly was the goalkeeper. The Squids played hard and finally scored another goal.

  ‘Two goals to one,’ called Mum from the sideline.

  Rosie clapped. Gus was lying on the ground with his head on Asha’s tummy. Jessie sat beside him watching the ball shoot back and forth. Sam was picking blades of grass.

  The other team huddled together whispering.

  Dad blew the whistle. Lulu kicked the ball to Flynn. Flynn sent it flying towards the net. Lulu thought they would score another goal. But the Sharks grabbed the ball and kicked it back down the field.

  Lauren ran in for a daring tackle. The Sharks were too quick for her. Then Thomas got the ball for a moment, but it was stolen back by the Sharks. They scooted up the other end to score a goal over Molly’s head. It was two goals each.

  ‘Come on, Squids,’ yelled Kylie. ‘Grab the ball. Just a few minutes to go.’

  Rosie and her friend Mia were standing on the sideline.

  ‘Go Lulu, go Squids,’ Rosie chanted. She waved her arms in the air.

  ‘Go Squidses,’ shouted Gus. He leaped up and down.

  Sam jumped to his feet. Jessie barked with excitement. Her lead dropped to the ground.

  The ball came bounding down the field. Lulu got to it first. She ran along, dribbling the ball with her feet. A Shark came in to tackle Lulu. She quickly passed the ball to Lauren.

  Jessie bounded along the sideline. Her tongue was hanging out and her tail was wagging. Sam jammed his glasses back against his nose and hurtled after the dog.

  Lauren charged forward. She paused, took careful aim and then kicked, straight towards the goal.

  Jessie darted onto the field, chasing the ball. She ran straight in front of the goal nets and knocked over the Sharks’ goalkeeper. The ball sailed into the back of the net. Lauren jumped in the air. Jessie barked.

  ‘Great goal, Lauren,’ called Thomas.

  Jessie licked the Sharks’ goalkeeper all ov
er his face.

  ‘Jessie,’ shouted Lulu. ‘Naughty girl.’

  ‘That’s not fair,’ cried one of the Sharks’ players. ‘The dog knocked the goalie over.’

  Jessie sat in the middle of the goal posts with a big doggy smile. The Shark goalie stood up. He wiped his face on his sleeve.

  Dad blew the whistle. It was full-time.

  ‘We won,’ shouted Flynn. A cheer went up from the Squids. The players from the Mighty Sharks scowled.

  ‘Not so fast, Flynn,’ said Dad.

  Everyone looked at Dad. He pushed his cap back on his head.

  ‘I’m sorry, Lauren,’ said Dad. ‘I can’t allow that goal. There was interference from the spectators – well, from Jessie.’

  Lulu felt her stomach sink. She hoped no-one would be angry with Jessie.

  Sam watched Dad with worried eyes.

  Lauren looked at Jessie. Jessie smiled back, her ears cocked. Lauren grinned.

  ‘That’s okay, Dr Bell,’ said Lauren. ‘I think Jessie loves soccer as much as I do.’

  Everyone laughed. Sam smiled too. Lulu felt the weight lift from her tummy. She gave Lauren a hug.

  ‘So it’s a draw between the Shelly Beach Squids and the Mighty Sharks,’ said Dad.

  The Mighty Sharks cheered. All the kids crowded around Jessie. They patted her and joked about her dash. Jessie wagged her tail. She looked very pleased with herself.

  ‘Oh, Jessie,’ scolded Lulu. ‘You’re not supposed to run onto the field.’

  Jessie licked Lulu’s hand to say sorry. Lulu hugged her back. She couldn’t be cross with Jessie for long.

  ‘Never mind, Lulu,’ said Mum. ‘It was still a great game.’