Book 2: Chapter 12 "The Case of the Missing Hibiscus Clan"

Tumbarumba, The Old Wise One and Hibiscus drove to school early one morning and Tumba was very excited. The window was down, the wind blew him around and he eagerly anticipated catching up with his friends in the classroom. As they got closer, he suddenly had an idea and asked Hibiscus, “Would it be OK if I stayed near the car today, please? I just want to sit out here and enjoy the sunshine. It’s been such a long time and I feel like I’ve been stuck inside forever!” 
Hibiscus acquiesced and assured him she would say hi to the others for him and bring back photos of what they were all doing at school.

As Hibiscus entered the classroom with The Old Wise One, she had a sense of foreboding. Something wasn’t right! She looked around and the classroom seemed to be missing something. As she neared the tractor stool at the front, she noticed that all the other members of the Hibiscus clan were not where she had left them. She looked at The Old Wise One and his face mirrored her own. Both were shocked and a bit worried. She saw a note on the stool and picked it up, “Good morning Hibiscus” she read out loud and she turned it over, but nothing was written on the other side.

She placed The Old Wise One on the stool and they were both quiet. “What should we do?” wondered The Old Wise One who had never heard or seen anything like this before. Hibiscus reassured him, reminding him that it would all turn out and opened her IPad to the Showbie app and sent a message to her class. She did not want to frighten them, but she needed their help.

She wrote, “Members of the Hibiscus clan have gone missing. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find them, take a photograph of them and tell us where you found them, what they were doing there and how they got there. Write a short story so that it can be included in the next and final chapter of "The Adventures of Dovic".

The class were all astir when they heard the news. They knew they would find Gazza in the library with Ms Lauren and Aiden was reassured to know that Tumbarumba was safely sunning himself on the red car, just like his family do in Tumbarumba. The Old Wise One stayed on the stool as he was getting too old to be playing hide and seek and he needed to be loved and taken care of. Over the next few days, the students unravelled the mystery of the missing Hibiscus clan.

Xavier was the first one to report about the missing Lulu. He stated, “Lulu was dancing and prancing around when she tripped and landed on a tub on the shelf. She thought it was cosy and decided to stay for awhile and fell asleep.” Lulu was so happy to be found she immediately got up on her toes and did a pirouette and a twirl.

It didn’t take long to find Ronnie. He had climbed up to the ceiling and was standing on his head. When a few of the students commented that if he didn’t go upright, the blood would run to his head, Hibiscus reminded them that he’s full of stuffing, not blood and guts. After a while it was time for him to come down but he froze and didn’t know how to get back down. Hibiscus waited until all the students had left and retrieved him. How she did it, was never revealed but the observant students may have noticed the ruler was not where it usually was kept.

When Owen went to get his Maths book out, he was not surprised to find Bruiser amongst his books and pencils. He let him stay there for awhile but later was concerned Bruiser might get lost and brought him out to sit with The Old Wise One.

In Period 3, the students headed off to library expecting to find Gazza somewhere amongst the books. They took The Old Wise One with them, not willing to leave him behind in case he went missing too. He was much too old to be going on an unexpected adventure. When Gazza was found reading a book, Lincoln gave them a chance to talk before the class headed over to the computer lab and Miss Michelle showed them how to access good research sites that would help them learn about the country they had chosen for Geography. Later on, when it was time for reading, Josh shared a part of his book with the Old Wise One and Oscar also made sure he was comfortable in the library.

When Amelie went over to talk to Gazza, she was disappointed to find that he was “very busy reading and he couldn’t talk to me.” She was happy to see him a few days later, reading another book with a group of the wild creatures milling about around him. It was decided he would stay there for as long as the library needed him. He looked like he really belonged there.

Richo had tried to hide amongst the coloured paper shelves. He thought if he hid in the yellow sheets, he would be camouflaged but alas, the eagle eyes of students spotted him there and pointed him out to the others. 

When Abby saw Ellie, her eyes lit up because Ellie was one of her favourites. She immediately got on to the task of reporting her find to the Showbie newspaper. “Ellie is hanging on the curtains. She looks like she is enjoying it and is relieved that she won’t get in trouble this time for climbing on them.” Hibiscus raised an eyebrow at this and asked why Ellie shouldn’t get in trouble. Abby smiled and gave Ellie a reassuring hug.

It took a lot longer for Dovic to be found. Reminiscent of his days back at Teddy Bear Treasures, he had managed to find a small box at the back of the room. He climbed in, closed the lid over him and fell into his deep, hibernating sleep. Unaware of all that was going on in the classroom, he dreamed about the time he had first met the Hibiscus clan, the adventures he had had and the friends he had made. He stirred a little and, in his sleep, gave a little snort of laughter. Evan noticed there was something weird about the box and opened it up. “Hey look everyone! It’s Dovic!” Dovic opened his eyes and sat up for them all to see.

“Oh boy, oh boy!” he exclaimed and Lulu said, “That’s Gazza’s line, not yours!” When The Old Wise One saw Dovic looking around for Gazza, he said quietly, “Gazza is in the library reading.”

As the year comes to a close, the Hibiscus clan know that their time with the class of 2020 is also coming to a close. “But can’t they come back next year?” complained the students but to no avail. It has been a challenging year, one that was unprecedented, unexpected and unusual. It’s been a tough time having to be in iso and learn from home via zoom and it’s been good to be back for this term. As restrictions are continuing to ease, and as the school year finishes up, it is good to look back on what we have been through together, what we have learned, what we have achieved and to be thankful for our homes, our families, our friends, our school, our teachers, being able to learn, being safe and for so many other reasons.

Dovic adds, “Thank you for letting me be a part of your class. It was good that I got to meet you all and that we were able to have adventures together. Thank you.” And with that, he takes the paws of the other Hibiscus clan members and raises it as a cheer to the class of 2020.

 

The End…. Or is it?

Book 2: Chapter 11 On the Farm

It was Tuesday morning and after a relaxing weekend, Dovic waited for Hibiscus to gather her things up for school. Tumbarumba came over to him and explained that it was Melbourne Cup Day which was a public holiday so there would be no school. Dovic wondered what having a cup day was about and looked puzzled.

“There are horses racing this afternoon and so people dress up and go and see them. It’s been going on for years and years and is on the first Tuesday in November” explained Tumba.

“Are we going to see the horses race? Is Boston in the race?” asked Dovic and Tumbarumba laughed and explained a bit more. “No, Boston isn’t in the race. It’s for special, fast horses who are trained and raced and are very important. Boston is Hibiscus’ horse, but she doesn’t race him.” Ronnie heard the two talking about horses and piped up, “Remember that time that I pretended Milly was a horse and got to ride her for a bit?” and they all chuckled at that memory.

Tumbarumba, Ronnie and Dovic were put in the back seat with Milly and they went for a drive to Lyrebird Park where Boston was agisted by Uncle. The sun was out shining, the sky was blue and it was a perfect day to spend at the farm. When they first arrived, they sat down and had some morning tea with Uncle. They ate their vanilla slice and licked the icing off their fingers while cows in the paddock mooed loudly, kookaburras laughed, and the sheep grazed in the front paddock.

When Boston came to greet them, Hibiscus handed him a carrot and he ate it quickly and tried to look through her pockets in case there were any more. She patted him and spoke quietly in to his ear and then Uncle gave them a seat to watch the horses play. Tumba was delighted when Uncle put him on Boston’s back and gave him a ride. He gave out a “Whoop, whoop” and cheered. Ever since he had seen the brumbies on the snowy mountains, he had wanted to ride a horse.

After Dovic and Ronnie had had their turn, they went down to the dam and climbed into the tree. Uncle would throw a stick into the dam and the dogs would dive in, retrieve the stick and swim back to the bank and drop the stick so it could be thrown again. When Milly shook her water out all over Hibiscus, she squealed and Dovic, Ronnie and Tumba were glad they were safely up in the tree where they couldn’t get wet.

During the morning on the farm, they went for a walk, climbed over the rocks, played hide and seek in the long grass and used up a lot of their energy. The dogs tried to help Hibiscus find Dovic, Tumba and Ronnie. (Can you find them?) When they were in the haystack, they rolled all over it and Ronnie did a headstand, accidentally burying his head in the hay. At the next dam, they sat watching the dogs go for a swim and shrieked when Milly shook herself all over them. Hibiscus laughed but because it was a warm day, they dried out in no time.

As they explored the bush, they came across a skull. “Oooh,” said Dovic, “What is it? Is it a wombat, is it a kangaroo, is it a possum or is it a rabbit?”

“Look at it’s teeth!” exclaimed Ronnie as he turned it over.

“It looks like a ghost when you turn it this way,” commented Tumbarumba and when he looked at Dovic, he added, “You look like a ghost! You’ve gone pale. Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” replied Dovic and he did not want to admit to being scared of the skull.

Up ahead, they climbed the fence and sat looking out over the paddocks. Uncle pointed out the direction of the school to them, although they couldn’t see it as it was over the hills and far away. All too soon, it was time to head back and they chased the dogs down the hill, although Ronnie mostly tumbled and rolled down the hill.

At one of the parts of the rope course, Uncle gave Dovic a swing on the rope. Ronnie and Tumbarumba looked on and wished they could have a turn but they ran out of time. Before they left, they picked a few lemons, some lettuce and snowpeas and looked at the aquaponics system Uncle had installed to help the vegetable garden grow.

On the way home, Dovic, Ronnie and Tumbarumba curled up next to Milly and the four fell asleep for the trip home. They couldn’t wait to tell the others about their adventure at the farm.

    **********************************************************************

Thanks to Warren Williams from Lyrebird Park for the use of his property and his assistance in the photography for this chapter. https://lyrebirdpark.com.au/ 

Book 2: Chapter 10 Taking Care at School

Hibiscus picked up Gazza and Lulu and shrieked with dismay. “You’re so wet!” She looked into the bag she had brought them to school in and saw the bottom of it was full of water. Poor Gazza had been swimming in the water, unintentionally, and she wrung him out over the basin. He shivered and let out a sigh, “Oh boy, oh boy! The lid wasn’t on the bottle tightly enough.” Hibiscus took out a paper towel or two and wrapped it over them both, trying to soak up the water. Lulu looked up at Hibiscus and didn’t complain at all, although her leg was being squeezed out.

After much of the excess water had been soaked up by the towel, she marched them off to the bathroom and turned on the hand-dryer. When it automatically shut off, she came up with another idea. The sun was shining brightly, so she sat Dovic, Gazza and Lulu on the stool, outside in the sunshine. They soaked up the sun, which partly dried out the water although for poor Gazza, he was still pretty wet as it had seeped through to his stuffing.

While outside, they looked around the courtyard and noticed the staff and students walking past them. Miss Emma asked if they were enjoying the sunshine and a girl from another grade, saw them and left her group of friends to say hi. A group of Year 8 students walked past but they were busily chatting to each other and didn’t notice the three sitting on the stool watching them. “Wow!” said Lulu, “This is a busy place and school hasn’t even started yet.” 

Suddenly, the music started up and the class of Hibiscus lined up outside the classroom. Some stopped to say hi and have their photo taken with them. Xavier taught them how to 'dab'. When everyone was ready to go inside, a few of the students helped Hibiscus take the stool with Dovic, Lulu and Gazza into the classroom so they could listen to what the class were learning.

After recess, the students had library and Dovic, Lulu and Gazza went with the class for their reading session. Although Gazza looked for Miss Lauren, he couldn’t see her. He didn’t think too much about it though, because he sat close to Abbie who wanted to read with him. Indi and Amelie decided to choose a special book for Dovic. First, Indi picked up one about polar bears but it was too hard for Dovic to hold so they chose another one for him, which was just right. Meanwhile, Imogen had tucked Lulu under her arm to read with her.  Gazza sighed quietly, “Oh boy, oh boy. I love being read to.”

During library time, Jacob found a book that was just right for Hibiscus. It was all about words and phrases and where they all began. She opened up the book to a random page and was immediately interested to read its contents. When she went home, she went online and found a second-hand one for sale, so ordered it and is now impatiently waiting for it to arrive.

At the end of the library lesson, the students went off to PE and Hibiscus picked up Gazza and noticed he was still a bit damp. His fur was ruffled and she could still squeeze a little bit out. She allowed the three of them to climb up to the rafters, so they could sit up there to dry out some more and have some fun.

Lulu spoke up, “Wouldn’t Ronnie be jealous if he saw us now?” and Gazza replied, “Oh boy, oh boy! I can’t wait to tell him!” Dovic smiled and said that it was fun hanging out with his friends. 

Book 2 Chapter 9: When The Students Learn

Dovic was really enjoying going to school and watching the children learn. When The Old Wise One and Gazza came to school with him, he tried to explain some of the Maths he had been learning, but Gazza looked at him puzzled and The Old Wise One pondered on it but wasn’t particularly interested in Geometry. Instead, he admitted, he loved listening to the students read and hear the stories being told in the classroom, best of all.

After the students went home and while The Old Wise One slept for a bit in a more comfortable chair, Dovic and Gazza began to prepare for the next day, aware that Bruiser and Tumbarumba would be coming in tomorrow.

Dovic tried on Hibiscus’ hat and when Gazza laughed at him, he said defensively, “Well, I can’t help it if it doesn’t fit me. You try it on!”

Gazza replied, “Don’t be ridiculous. If it doesn’t fit you, it won’t fit me. Come on, what else will Bruiser and Tumba be doing tomorrow?”

They sat and thought for a long while and when Gazza heard a strange noise coming from next to him, he realised Dovic had fallen asleep. “Oh boy, oh boy. Dovic’s not much fun when he’s deep in thought.”

Gazza went over to where the coloured paper was stored and tried fitting in between the purple pages, pulling a red sheet of paper over him. The shuffling of paper woke Dovic up and he howled with laughter. “What are you trying to do?” he asked Gazza, “Be a purple pinata?”

Gazza blushed and responded, “Don’t mock my disguise. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Dovic apologised and said he didn’t mean to hurt Gazza’s feelings and the two lumbered back to their seat. When The Old Wise One woke up, Dovic blurted out, “You should have seen Gazza! He got between the purple pages and turned another leaf. Haha”.

Gazza looked at him surprised, “Oh boy, oh boy, Dovic, way to make it sound weird” and when he burst out laughing, Dovic smiled.

The students had a busy day of schoolwork but some students took the time to stop and take photos of them to show to their parents when they got home. Ava declared her mum liked The Old Wise One the best and Abbie was happy to see Gazza as he and Ellie were her favourites. The day went fast and when it was time to go, The Old Wise One wearily left saying, “I’m glad to go, I cannot tell a lie” and Dovic and Gazza looked at him with concern and offered him a paw if he needed it.

The next morning, as Dovic, Tumbarumba and Bruiser watched the students coming in, Bruiser was excited to see Owen. Just like some of the students had their favourite member of the Hibiscus clan, some of them had their favourites, too. All of the students were Hibiscus' favourites and she appreciated they each had a different sense of humour, they worked and learned in their own unique ways. She knew some were quick at learning Maths, some loved to write their own stories, some were good at sport, especially basketball and netball and some looked forward to playing at lunch time, more than learning in the classroom. 

Dovic loved Maths and when the students learned about symmetry, tangrams, and geometry, he loved to sit up close and watch them work. The designs they created, the colours they chose, really appealed to him and he wished he could do the same. During Maths, Bruiser and Dovic went and looked at Owen's work and admired his Rangoli design. It was original and very creative. They liked the way Josh had made his design look like an apple pie and they both remembered the time Ronnie had eaten a piece of lemon meringue pie in the middle of the night.

Tumbarumba went to the other side of the classroom to see what Xavier was up to and Daniel tried to show him how to sharpen a pencil. Tumba tried to do it himself but no matter how many times Daniel showed him and tried to help him, he couldn't do it. Eventually, he gave up and after looking at other students' work, went back to his seat.

During English, they heard two dreamtime stories, one was about Tiddalik the frog and the other one was about how pelicans became black and white. They listened to the students reading their parts and wished they could see them acting it out in full costume and with props. They laughed when Hibiscus pretended to be an old woman, explaining to Ben that sometimes she forgot things and she pushed her glasses down her nose and spoke in a strange voice that made quite a few of the students laugh too.

Throughout the day, students went off to band practise but due to Covid restrictions, when they had a lesson, they were not allowed to play their instruments and their music teachers could not either. Hibiscus told her students about the time she started learning the flute. Her music teacher told her she could do the fingering perfectly, but she couldn’t make any sound come from it. A few years later she tried again and could do both at the same time. They asked her when she would bring her tenor recorder in to show them and she simply said, “Soon… maybe. Even if I brought it in, I still wouldn’t be able to play it for you, due to the Covid restrictions.” Jacob suggested she make a recording of it so they could watch it on the screen.

After lunch, each of the students read a sentence from the book they were reading, while the roll was being marked. Hibiscus asked Owen and Jack to email the sentences they read so that she could use them in this chapter of the book. She reminded her class that reading a lot of books, helps give ideas when you are writing. She has used quotes from other books the students had read before, too. 

All too soon, the day was over and after the students had cleared their things off the desk, put their chairs up and were standing quietly, Hibiscus said, “Good afternoon”. They chorused, “Good afternoon!” and ran noisily out of the classroom. Later, as Bruiser, Tumbarumba and Dovic packed up their things, there was a shower of rain and they were glad to be safe and dry inside. It was another good day of learning for them all. 

T4 Chapter 8: Richo and the 2020 AFL Grand Final

 Lulu, Richo and Dovic were so excited to be going to school the day before the Grand Final weekend. All the staff and students would be wearing their football colours and Richo made sure his footy was pumped up and ready to go. Lulu practised the routine she had made up to the Richmond Tigers theme song and hoped she’d have the opportunity to show it off to Hibiscus and her class. As they waited for the students at the front of the classroom, Richo handballed the footy into the air and caught it again.

“Do you really think the Tigers will win?” asked a student as he entered the classroom and his friend answered, “I want the Cats to win.”

One of the boys wearing the Richmond Tigers colours, mentioned to Hibiscus that he was worried his friends, who were going for the Cats would mock him if Richmond lost. “Just tell them you’d prefer the Tigers to win but they’ve already won 2 and it’s OK for the Cats to win one after so many years. They’re still a good team.” Daniel thanked Hibiscus and she added, “But the Tigers will win!”

The day was a good day, there was an air of excitement, footy games at lunchtime and sausages were sold in the canteen. The students in Hibiscus class took the side of the Cats or the Tigers, although Josh was all for the Blues. As the students went home, they were happy to know they were getting an extra long weekend, due to the Grand Final.

The game was a hard-fought match and at half time, the Tigers were losing 2 goals 2 to 5 goals 5. Fortunately the star of the Tigers team, Dustin, kicked a goal just before the siren. The Tigers came back in, energised and eager to win and kicked goals, despite injuries. They won by 31 points and everyone was happy. Black and yellow streamers fell everywhere and their song was sung loudly, “Like the tigers of old, we’re strong and we’re bold cause we’re from Tigerland”.

Richo and Dovic entered the classroom on Monday morning and draped the Tigers scarf around their chair, holding on to the football. He couldn’t wait to see the Tigers supporters and wondered if they would come in cheering. He saw them all come in wearing their school uniform and they got down to work after roll call.

Hibiscus took them all out to the garden for a lesson and the students had to sketch 9 things they were grateful for in a five-minute time limit. Some students only drew 5 things, but some students thought of many more. Richo enjoyed sitting out in the sunshine although he didn’t like the cold wind blowing their paper back up in their faces. He noticed some red flowers growing out of the hedge and he saw a black crow fly over their heads.

At recess time, students stayed back in the classroom and came and talked about the Grand Final while the Tigers theme song played in the background. Richo was overjoyed at hearing what they said. As they ran out to have their break, Richo turned to Dovic and said, “Coming to school during Grand Final time was the best!” and he kicked the football through the imaginary goal posts at the back of the room. Dovic laughed and smiled at how happy his friend was.

Later that afternoon, after all the students had gone home, it was announced that the premier was going to open up cafes, restaurants and retail as of midnight Tuesday. Dovic said, “Oh boy, oh boy” and Richo looked at him and laughed, “That’s Gazza’s line, not yours” and Dovic laughed with him.

Book 2: Chapter 7 "Curious Creatures Wild Minds Library Time"

 

When Dovic and Bruiser turned up to school, they were excited to find that it was book week and today, being library day, their class was going to enjoy some special activities. This was Bruiser’s first day with the class and he enjoyed meeting them all. He sat quietly at the front watching the students complete their English work and was disappointed when they left to go and do PE.

After recess, the students were unrecognisable because they were wearing specially designed masks. Due to Covid and the students having learnt from home for so long, it was decided the students would make their own mask, according to the theme, "Curious Creatures, Wild Minds". Some of the students had put a lot of effort into making their masks and Bruiser and Dovic sat with them to get their photo taken.

After that, they were given instructions for all the different activities they could do in the library. There was a treasure hunt to find information, there was a place they could create their own curious creature, and another place where they could make bookmarks. Dovic and Bruiser wandered around the library and worked with the different students.

When Jacob won the prize for being the first person to find the chameleon, Ben said, “I’m going to legally change my name to Jacob so I can get the prize!” Bruiser looked at Dovic and asked, “Can he do that?” Dovic laughed and said, “Of course not. He’s only joking.... I think.”

Before the students went back to class, everyone had to pack up their things and the tables had to be wiped down before the next class came in to the library. Dovic and Bruiser went back to the classroom and got ready to learn about tessellations. Dovic sat and watched Evan cut out green lizards. It was a lot of work and it was important to cut the lizards out with precision. He was very impressed with how well students cut out the small lizards. Not everyone finished their work so Hibiscus said they will have to do it another day.

At the end of the day, it was time to pack up and before the students put their chairs on the desks, they had to wipe down their space again. As they left the classroom, some students waved goodbye, some came over and said goodbye and when all but one had left, Bruiser looked at Dovic and said, ‘There was so much to do! The day went too quickly!!!”

Dovic was about to answer when he noticed Jacob had come to see them. Jacob had a chat with them and asked to take a photo. After he took the photo, he sat and took a selfie with them. Dovic was overjoyed that Jacob and the other children cared so much. He really felt like he was part of the class. On the way home, Bruiser admitted his favourite part was when he was watching the class make bookmarks. Dovic said his favourite part was seeing the different creatures the students made on the noticeboard. “They were so funny!” he laughed.

The next day Lulu came to school with Dovic but as the class had music and sport, she didn’t get to see much of them so Hibiscus promised her she could be there the next day for the football day. The staff and students would be dressing in their football team colours and of course, Richo would be coming too. Lulu clapped her hands and did a twirl! “I can’t wait!” she said, “I wonder if the students will do a dance to the Tigers theme song?”

Book 2: Chapter 6 "What Happens After School"

 When Dovic, Ronnie and Ellie got home from school on Thursday night, they shared their day with the rest of the Hibiscus clan and admitted they had done the wrong thing when they had climbed up to the ceiling and played up there. They were truly remorseful and the next day none of them were able to go to school. Dovic was so sad about this that Lulu and Ellie made up a new dance routine which ended with Lulu doing a pirouette while standing on Ellie’s trunk. Everyone was impressed.

For the rest of the weekend, Dovic, Ronnie and Ellie did what they could to help where they could and prove they were trustworthy again. On Friday night, they all sat down to watch the Preliminary final and Richo yelled the loudest and sang the Richmond Team song with gusto, when the Tigers won. On Saturday, they played Lego and went for a walk in the park and on Sunday morning they all sat down to hear the premier announce what restrictions would be eased. They were happy to hear that they could travel 25kms from home and looked at the map so they could see what places they could visit.

“The beach!” yelled Lulu.

“The farm where Hibiscus keeps her horse!” chimed in Tumbarumba and he thought fondly of the broncos he used to see in the Snowy Mountains.

“A lake” said another. They were all so excited and wondered when, and who, might get to enjoy those places with Hibiscus.

On Monday morning, Dovic and Tumbarumba went to school and waited at the front of the room for the students to arrive. Dovic pointed to the roof and showed Tumba where he had climbed to and Tumba looked at Dovic and asked him, “Did you have fun? Are you glad you did it?” and Dovic looked away, embarrassed.

Just then the music started and students came into the classroom, sanitising their hands and getting their books ready. Aiden was pleased to see Tumba and asked to take his photo. Ever since he had had heard the story of the bears up the Snowy mountain, lolling on the red car, as well as Tumba’s almost-adventure with his cousin Joey, Tumbarumba had become his favourite of the Hibiscus clan. He wished he could take Tumba home to meet his mum and take him for a ride in the 63 Merc.

The students settled in and worked hard. When Hibiscus took out the book “Wonder” to read them, one of the students grabbed her book so she could follow along. They haven’t read much of the story yet so much of it is just introducing the main characters. Later in the afternoon, the students read their own books for 15 minutes before learning more about Fables.

At the end of the day, after the students had gone, Tumba and Dovic picked up the book that Hibiscus had been reading to the class. They read a bit more and then flicked to the back pages. “Why are you reading the last chapter?” asked Dovic.

Tumbarumba smiled and said, “I want to know what happens at the end. I want to know if they all become friends and if they all live happily ever after.”

Dovic laughed and said, “You could always watch the movie.”

“It’s not the same” said Tumba and after he’d read the last page they went outside to the playground. They needed to get some fresh air and it wasn’t raining. They found the bars and decided to thread themselves through the handles and hang there for a bit.

“It’s fun hanging out with you,” cheered Tumba and after they dropped to the ground, they ran to the tree.

Dovic looked at the ants climbing up the tree and protested, “Not this one, the ants are bigger than my paw!” They found the right tree and reflected on the first time they had climbed a tree together and Dovic had been scared. Dovic laughed and they chatted for a bit before climbing down.

“Hey! Look over there!” pointed out Tumbarumba and they found a makeshift type structure with branches going in different directions. “If you put a tarp over it, it would be like a tent” he added. They explored it and looked at the way it was built, where things were and analysed the structure. They wondered if they would be able to make one at home sometime and made a mental note to ask the rest of the Hibiscus clan if they’d like to help.

“I bet Ronnie would help” said Dovic and Tumbarumba agreed. “I reckon they’d all help… but perhaps we need to wait until after the Grand Final first. Richo’s not going to be much use until after that.”

They both laughed and seeing Hibiscus, raced each other to the car. It was a tie and they both felt happy at the end of a good day.

Book 2: Chapter 5: "There's a Time for Work and a Time to Play."

Dovic was excited when he found out that The Old Wise One and Harley were joining him for school on Wednesday. He had enjoyed Lulu and Gazza’s visit – after all they’d been friends for the longest, but The Old Wise One was especially important to Dovic. He had spoken to Dovic about what being part of the Hibiscus clan meant, he had shared words with Richo when he had accidently hurt Ronnie and he just seemed to know what to say when it needed to be said. Harley loved having fun and had found his perfect hiding place in a gumboot when they had had a picnic months ago. The three of them were sure to have a good day with Hibiscus and her class.

They joined Dovic on the tractor stool at the front of the classroom and students took the time to have a chat with them before Hibiscus began teaching them. They introduced themselves to the newcomers and The Old Wise One listened and observed all of what was going on. Harley wanted to impress the students and stood proudly with his chest puffed out and his arms folded, trying to look cool in his sunglasses.

When the students noticed that The Old Wise One was old, his eyes were not quite as new as they used to be and his fluff had been worn down, Hibiscus shared the story of when The Old Wise One was loved by a boy many years ago and even though the boy had grown up, he was still loved. She told them about the story called “The Velveteen Rabbit” and read them the following:

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it Hurt?"

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen to people who break easily or have sharp edges or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But those things don't matter at all because once you are real you can't be ugly except to people who don't understand."

When The Old Wise One heard the story, a tear came to his eye because he knew he had become real to the little boy. When everyone was busy working, Lincoln came and had a chat with The Old Wise One. They spoke quietly for a few moments and when it was over, Lincoln nodded his head respectfully and went back to doing his work. The Old Wise One was his favourite member of the Hibiscus clan and he appreciated the wisdom that had been shared with him.

After all the students had gone, a few teachers popped in to talk to Hibiscus and then Miss Lauren came in to explain about Book Character day as Book Week was next week. “The theme is Curious Creatures, Wild Minds and the students make their own book character mask.” Dovic, Harley and The Old Wise One watched as she put on her mask which was a character of a cloud. They wondered what the students would make for their own masks next week. After Miss Lauren had left, it was time to go home and they looked forward to telling the rest of the Hibiscus clan about their day.

The next day Ronnie tumbled into the classroom, spinning and whirling and looking for action. He knew there were some boys in the class who thought he was one of the best and he aimed to show off to them. Ellie came in quietly and sat on the stool waiting with Dovic until finally Ronnie got up on the stool with them but decided to stand on his head, to show off.

This was the fourth day the students had been able to come to school after spending more than half their schooling this year, at home doing remote learning. It had been a challenging time and although they had looked forward to being back at school, they also had to remember the rules and remember to do their best work. Sometimes they forgot and sometimes they had so much fun, they forgot they were learning. On Thursday, a few students would leave the classroom and go to their band lesson. Due to Covid, restrictions had been placed on students learning woodwind instruments and they were not allowed to blow into their instrument which made it a bit more challenging and they all hoped that restriction would be lifted soon.

In Period 2 they went out to sport and had a lot of fun learning about softball while the other classes learned netball and soccer. They were going to get to learn a new sport each week so that next year, they could pick one they had enjoyed the most. It was very windy outside and there were a few drops of rain but that was all so they were able to stay outside and play. They had woodwork in period 3 and for the rest of the day they had Maths, reading and Geography. As it was Abby’s birthday, she was allowed to go home first, and the students put up their chairs and raced out the door to catch buses or get a lift home with their parents. Dovic wondered if Aleasha had ridden her bike to school that day.

When Hibiscus left to go and do some photocopying, Ronnie had an idea. “Let’s climb up to the ceiling and sit up there,” he suggested, “We can be on top of the world and look down on everyone.” He went over to the window and took hold of the blinds chain.

Ellie was dubious about this and voiced her hesitation, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t think Hibiscus would like us doing that,” but she followed them to the wall.

“Oh come on, it will be fun!” said Dovic and he took hold of the chain and followed Ronnie who had already abseiled up to the railing and was doing somersaults and cartwheels along the rafters.

Ellie looked up at them and touched the chain. She didn’t know what to do and wasn’t sure they should be doing it but they looked like they were having fun. She watched and she felt all alone just standing there looking up at them and finally decided to start climbing.

Ellie was about half-way up the window when she heard Hibiscus come into the room and she froze with fear. “What are you all doing?!” Hibiscus was not impressed, and they all came down and sat on the chair, listening to Hibiscus scold them for doing the wrong thing.  

“It’s my fault,” stated Ronnie, “It was my idea and I talked them into coming with me. Ellie didn’t even want to, but we talked her into it.” Dovic gulped and sat quietly, looking remorsefully at Hibiscus.

When Hibiscus looked at Ellie, Ellie replied, “I’m sorry. I knew it was the wrong thing but I wanted to be brave and clever and have adventures like Ronnie and Dovic.”

Hibiscus told them she was disappointed about the choices they had made and as a consequence, Ellie and Ronnie would not be allowed back into the classroom for awhile. She looked at Dovic who was holding back tears. “Dovic, you are here to encourage and help the students and it is an important responsibility and a privilege. I trust you to do the right thing and now you will need to rebuild that trust. We will go home and have a good sleep and I will decide in the morning if you will be able to come back to school with me tomorrow or will need to miss out on a day.” Dovic nodded and said he understood. 

It was a quiet drive home and the three of them went to The Old Wise One who listened as they told him what had happened. They talked quietly together and what he said to them, was between them only and after that, they went and played with Lego and joined in with the rest of the Hibiscus clan. They were much quieter than usual, more thoughtful and Ronnie didn’t do any somersaults at all that evening.

Book 2, Chapter 4: Best School Day So Far!

Dovic and Richo arrived at school, excited and ready to meet the Hibiscus class. They sat on the stool at the front and waited… and waited… and waited.

“It’s taking so long!” complained Dovic and Richo agreed.

“I wish I’d brought my football,” replied Richo, “Hey, remember that goal of the match last Friday night? Richmond is the best team! I hope they’re in the Grand Final with the Cats.”

“Mmmm” mumbled Dovic who was watching the clock, “I think the clock is an hour behind the real time. Hibiscus hasn’t put the clock forward for daylight savings.”

“If I brought my football,” continued Richo, “We could handball it around the classroom. I wonder if we will go out to the oval?”

“Mmmm” said Dovic who wasn’t paying any attention to Richo and Richo was thinking so much about the football on the weekend, he wasn’t listening to Dovic either.

The music began and children started running past the classroom, laughing, yelling, talking to their friends. There was excitement, nervousness, happiness and rushing. Dovic wondered what the class of Hibiscus would think of him.

As the students lined up outside, Hibiscus reminded them of the need to sanitise their hands as they enter the classroom, keep their spaces clean and to minimise movement. Dovic and Richo expected she would probably need to say that a few times throughout the day. When all the class was seated, they were introduced to Dovic and Richo and Hibiscus shared the chapter about “Twas the last day of zoom and all through the class…..” when Jack piped up, “It sounds like Christmas!”

The students had to do a lot of work and they went off to PE leaving Dovic and Richo behind in the classroom. Unfortunately, due to Covid and the need to sanitise things they touch, the students were not able to give them any cuddles. Hibiscus took them to her meeting but after a very short time, Dovic and Richo fell asleep.

After lunch, it was Power Reading time. The students had to read their own books and some of them were reading Book 1 of the Dovic Adventures. A few times Jacob played the video clip where Lulu is talking to Dovic on Facetime and says, “Do you know how hard it is to dance to the Richmond theme song?” and then the music begins and Lulu has to leave. Richo laughed hard when he heard it and he remembered that time. Even the third time Jacob played that clip, Richo couldn’t stop laughing but Hibiscus raised her eyebrows at Jacob and he knew he’d better not play it again.

The students packed up and as they ran out the door, a few of them stopped to say goodbye to Dovic and Richo. Dovic and Richo had had such a good day, they looked forward to the next time. As Dovic ‘belonged’ to the Hibiscus class, he would be there often but Richo had to take in turns with the others. When they got home, they told stories of the class to the rest of the Hibiscus clan and Lulu blushed when she heard that the children had heard her talk about dancing to the Richmond theme song. Richo told Gazza that he had passed on his greetings to Miss Lauren in the library and Gazza blushed, “Oh boy, oh boy” he sighed, “I can’t wait to see her at school tomorrow!”

The next day in class, the students were chatting with Dovic, Lulu and Gazza. Finally, one of the students blurted out, “But Lulu isn’t like the others! She doesn’t look like a teddy bear” and the whole class stopped talking. You could have heard a pin drop. Lulu looked steadily at the boy, trying very hard to hold back her tears. Gazza moved closer to Lulu and squeezed her hand and Dovic held his breath, hoping someone would speak up.

Finally, “She’s unique, she has her own special talents and gifts but she’s still part of the Hibiscus clan” said a girl from the back row. “Yeah,” agreed another, “It doesn’t matter if she looks different, she belongs to us!” and with that, the noisy chatter recommenced, and Lulu felt happy.

After school, Hibiscus took Dovic, Gazza and Lulu to the library where Miss Lauren was waiting for them at the table. She opened a book by Andy Griffiths and read to them. Gazza held the pages for her and they all listened intently. Miss Lauren read and read until the chapter was over and it was time to go home. “What a great day I’ve had,” said Lulu as she did a pirouette and skipped a few steps and Gazza and Dovic both agreed. “Oh boy, oh boy!” said Gazza, “One of my best school days so far!”

Book 2, Chapter 3: Twas The Weekend Before

 Twas the last day of zoom and all through the class, the students talked about how good it would be on Monday. They were all very excited to think that in a few days, they would be in the classroom with their friends and their teachers and made sure they would have the right books and be ready. Twas the weekend before school resumed and all through the Hibiscus clan, the teddies prepared for school on Monday. They talked about the students they had heard and met on zoom and talked about what changes would be made to the classroom procedures due to Covid. They knew that Dovic would be going to school and they wondered who would be with him on the first day.

Everyone; Hibiscus, her students, and the clan were excited.

On that Friday night after the last week of zoom teaching, all the Hibiscus clan gathered together to watch the football. Richo had a front row seat and everyone joined him to watch the Tigers play against the St Kilda Saints in one of the finals. Due to Covid, the footy season had lasted longer than other years and Richo was hoping that his team would win tonight and be eligible for the Preliminary final to play against the Port Adelaide Power. Lulu had learnt a lot about AFL and the Richmond Tigers when she had been in ISO with Richo and she knew how much it meant to him. She practised the dance routine to the Tiger’s theme song.

The game went well from the start and during half time, they had a lot of laughs as Lulu and Richo tried to teach the others how to do the dance routine. When Ronnie did a double flip off the chair and landed on Milly’s back, they all decided they’d had enough. Although it was warm in Queensland where the game was being played, it was a cool night, so they ate the traditional meat pie with tomato sauce. Richo sang the song the loudest when it was played after the Tigers won.

Saturday was a lovely day and Hibiscus took Dovic and Richo for a walk around the lake. There were a lot of families having a picnic, wearing their face masks and maintaining their social distance. A couple of ducklings were swimming behind the mother duck on the lake and they saw a cat being taken for a walk too. Richo saw a tall tree and said to Dovic that next time, Ronnie should come here, “He would love to climb that tree!” Its branches reached high up into the blue sky and they could see their home from the Lookout. They imagined that the Hibiscus clan could see them and waved and wondered if they were outside enjoying the sunshine too.

It was the day before school started and Dovic was excited. Lulu brushed his hair and made sure his ribbon was on straight. Tomorrow, Richo would be coming with him because he wanted to see the other Tiger supporters from the class and celebrate with them. He was also looking forward to having his turn in the classroom and Gazza took him aside.

“If you see Miss Lauren when you are at school tomorrow,” he whispered, “Please tell her hello from me and tell her I hope she had a good weekend.” Richo promised he would do that.

The Hibiscus clan had a lovely evening and made up stories about what school would be like for Dovic and Richo tomorrow. Ellie asked a sobering question, “Will the students be allowed to hold you? With all the restrictions, they might not be allowed to” and Dovic gulped.

“Oh boy, oh boy” sighed Gazza, “She could be right!”

The Hibiscus clan talked about it for some time and thought that if the students had sanitised their hands, it should be all right. Finally, Hibiscus took Richo and Dovic aside and put them with some books to get ready for tomorrow. She took their photo and kindly suggested they get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow. “I know you’re excited. I am, too! It will be wonderful to see all the students in the classroom again, but we need to be ready for the day ahead. Sleep well. Good night” And as she turned out the light, Richo asked Dovic, “Do you think I should take my footy tomorrow? Because, will the students be allowed to play with it?”

“Hmmm,” replied Dovic, “Perhaps leave it at home tomorrow. They can see the photos of it and they probably all have their own footy. Good night, Richo” and Richo replied with a snore.

“Tomorrow, tomorrow,” sang Dovic, “It’s always a day away.”