Copyright © Majestic Whale EncountersMajestic Whale EncountersAuthors: Sarah Cullen & Carmen EllisSarah Cullen & Carmen Ellis

Artwork: theillustrators.com.auTitle: Nellie The Narwhal

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or

mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the prior

written permission of the publisher.Written by Sarah Cullen & Carmen EllisWritten by Sarah Cullen & Carmen Ellis

Artwork by theillustrators.com.au

Dedicated to all of our kids... Mackenzie, Harper, Billi, Logan and Finn.

Follow your dreams and never stop believing.

Nellie the narwhal, alone in the sea,

wanted to play, and how hard could that be?

She thought to herself, “I will go find my friends,

go on an adventure and see where it ends.”

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So, off she went and found Harper the whale,So, off she went and found Harper the whale,

who was playing by splashing and slapping her tail.who was playing by splashing and slapping her tail.

“That looks like fun!” Nellie said happily.“That looks like fun!” Nellie said happily.

“I love that game. Won’t you play it with me?”“I love that game. Won’t you play it with me?”

“Sorry,” said Harper. She squinted her eyes.“Sorry,” said Harper. She squinted her eyes.

“This game’s not for you, a girl of your size.”“This game’s not for you, a girl of your size.”

Poor little Nellie, she swam far away.Poor little Nellie, she swam far away.

She went off to find someone else who would play.She went off to find someone else who would play.

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As she swam on, she found her friend Bill,

an octopus showing his juggling skill.

“Oh wow… amazing, may I juggle, too?’

“I’m sorry, Nellie. This isn’t for you.”

“You’re a nice narwhal. I do think you’re great.

but you have no arms, and you see I have eight.”

Poor little Nellie, she swam far away.

She went off to find someone else who would play.

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Poor little Nel. Things were looking so bleak.

Then she saw Tommy. He played hide-and-seek.

“I love that game because it is so fun.

Ready or not, Tommy, here I come!”

“It’s so nice to see you. Hello, little Nel.

But to play hide-and-seek, you will need a nice shell.”

Poor little Nellie, she swam far away,

for none of her friends would let bored Nellie play.

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Sad Nellie gave up and went straight to bed.

Then a new thought popped right into her head.

Her friends had said no for her size and her features,

but she’d found a way to have fun with those creatures.

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So, off she swam and found Harper the whale,

who was still playing and slapping her tail.

“Hello, dear Harper. I know that I’m small.

But we don’t need to play on our own after all.”

“You see I can splash and can slap my tail, too.

Our size doesn’t matter. Can’t you see it’s true?”

The whale said, “Why yes, Nellie, now I can see,”

and they both splashed around, and they giggled loudly.

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She spotted some tentacles from far away.

“Oh, there’s Bill the octopus. I hope he’ll play.

I thought of a way to get out of this pickle,

You have eight arms, and I do love a tickle.”

“Why yes, young Nellie. A tickle sounds great.

Your game sounds like so much fun, I cannot wait.”

So, they tickled and tickled ‘til they ran out of puff

then fell down exhausted. They’d both had enough.

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A green figure flashed past in front of her eyes.

It was Tommy Turtle—oh, what a surprise!

“Oh, hello there, Tommy, please don’t run away,

I thought of a game you and I can both play.”

“You see this seaweed I’ve tied in a loop?

You can throw it onto my tusk like a hoop.”

“Wow what a great game,” he said with glee.

“I’m so glad you returned to play it with me.”

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“Why don’t we invite all our friends to come?

Then we can play with everyone.”

So they gathered their friends from everywhere

And thought of some games that they all could share.

Nellie and all her friends could now see

It’s alright when you do things differently.

She was so happy she found friends to play,

and they all shouted out, “Hip hip hooray!”

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Nellie’s Ocean Trivia1. How many tentacles (arms) does an octopus have? a) 8 b) 6

2. How does a humpback whale breathe? a) Through its nose b) Through its blowhole

3. What is a narwhal’s tusk made from? a) Tooth b) Bone

4. What kind of animal is a turtle? a) Fish b) Reptile

5. Where should you put your rubbish to keep the oceans clean? a) In your bed? b) In the bin?

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answers1. An octopus has 8 tentacles and it also can change colour, how cool is that!

2. A humpback breathes through its blowhole. It is a mammal like us humans, so it needs to come to the surface to breathe.

3. A narwhal’s tusk is an overgrown tooth.

4. A turtle is a reptile like crocodiles, snakes and lizards.

5. You already knew this one, right? I was just checking to make sure you were paying attention. Rubbish goes in the bin!

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The End