Below are our Year 2 Writing competition winning entries that have been illustrated by our Year 1 illustrators.
Illustrated by Harlow Gov
Year 1, Wildcard, Carmichael
Clouds of Memories
By Amelia Jaderpour
1st Place, Carmichael
My family and I decided to go on a camping trip over the weekend. We found a good spot next to a lake and there were so many tiny fish swimming around in a circle. Frogs jumped on lily pads, birds chirped in the trees and there was a strong smell of barbeque. Dad, Mum and I lay on soft, green grass and we watched the clouds move slowly like a turtle. My sister Skylah joined us after she finished her lunch.
Skylah pointed at the sky and said, “That cloud looks like the cubby house that Dad bought us when we were younger." We had so many great memories in the cubby house. We played families where we made pretend food, had tea parties and used it as a hiding spot. I then asked Skylah, “Do you remember the day we painted the cubby house to look like a rainbow?” “How did you remember that? It was so long ago!” Mum said.
Then Mum pointed to another cloud and said, “Oh look at that cloud, it looks like the puppy I had when I was a child." I remembered the photo Mum showed me of her golden puppy named Cozy. Mum then told us a funny story. For a few hours, mum’s paperwork for her job was missing. “Have you seen my paperwork?” Mum asked Dad. But he did not know where they were. Mum then saw Cozy eating her paperwork like it was meat. It was all over his bed! “I remember you were so mad,” Dad laughed.
“My turn,” Dad said. “Look at that cloud, it looks like a building where I had my first job at Officeworks." I remember a story my dad told us about his first job. He and his work friends were always silly, and would play pranks. One time, they were wearing masks in the back room to scare Dad, and when Dad walked in, he screamed so loud that everyone heard.
I searched for a cloud that reminded me of a memory. I finally found something… “Look at that cloud, it looks like ballet shoes!” I remembered all my dancing competitions and how nervous I felt before I went on stage, but as soon as I started performing, I felt so free and brave. When I finished, I wanted to go back on stage and dance some more.
The sky then turned grey and it began to rain. We could still see a few clouds, and before we went inside our tent, I saw a cloud that looked round, reminding me of an orange. I asked everyone, “Is anyone else hungry, because I sure am."
I was so excited to make more memories on the camping trip, and, one day, hopefully I would find them in the clouds.
Illustrated by Levine Toafa
Year 1, 2nd Place, Wilberforce
Illustrated by Oscar Redman
Year 1, Highly Commended, Lewis
The Angry Cloud
By Violet Khamas
2nd Place, Liddell
Once upon a time there was an angry cloud named Clora. Clora lived in the sky with her friends Sunny the Sun, Sleepy the Moon and Starla the Star.
Clora was a mad cloud and just wanted to rain. When Clora was grumpy, she turned from a fluffy white cloud into a grey cloud.
Starla, Sunny and Sleepy asked Clora, “How are you feeling?” Clora replied “I’m not feeling good. I’m feeling sad because I just want to rain but I can’t find the right place.”
The friends said to Clora, “We want to help you find the right place to rain. We want to make you happy again.” The friends asked Clora, “Where would you like to rain?” Clora said, “I want to rain where there are lots of plants and lots of animals so the animals will have water and the plants can grow.”
The friends searched high and low until Sunny found a farm with different types of plants like apples, carrots, roses and dill. Sunny went back to Clora super excited to share the good news of the farm she had found. Sunny cried, “I found what you are looking for! A farm with plants.” Clora declined and replied with a “No thanks.”
Sleepy then brought back news of an animal farm with all the animals like a shark, a snake, a horse and a lion. Sleepy was tired from looking for the perfect farm all day and night with no rest. When she got back to Clora, Clora rejected her farm and said, “I want to rain on a farm with plants AND animals.”
The friends were a bit disappointed that they couldn’t help their friend Clora. Then Sunny had an idea to combine the farms to make one big farm of plants and animals. Clora loved the idea and felt very happy to rain.
Clora got darker and darker. She thundered and started to rain.
The friends were happy and finally could rest. They lived happily ever after.
Clouds
By Harrison Monov
Highly Commended, Carmichael
They come in different sizes and shapes.
You might even see them in the afternoon!
Clouds are always going away as if they’re running for victory.
They appear soft and fluffy.
I feel like they were cotton plants that hatched and
Floated away in the sky.
Illustrated by Yining Zhang
Year 1, 1st Place, Carmichael
The Little Cloudy’s Journey
By Noah Qi
Highly Commended, Carmichael
One cold winter day, Mummy Cloud gave birth to a baby cloud named Cloudy. Cloudy was excited to see the world.
Every new baby cloud is tasked to make people happy. Cloudy decided to go to the nearest snow mountain, because Mummy Cloud said there were lots of people skiing there.
People wore thick clothes and ski goggles. Cloudy thought, “The sun must be too bright for them. I will help by blocking the sunlight.” He puffed up his small body and shaded the skiers. Cloudy felt very proud of himself. But the skiers started to complain. “No! That cloud is blocking the Sun! It was just getting warm and now it’s freezing again!” Cloudy started to cry. His tears created big drops of rain. The skiers had to stop skiing and go back to their house.
Cloudy ran back Mummy Cloud and said sadly, “People were angry with me. I can’t make them happy. I will never complete my task. I want to give up!” Mummy Cloud hugged him gently. “Don’t give up,” Mummy Cloud said, “This is your first try. Most of the time, you will not succeed on your first attempt. You need to keep trying. If you didn’t succeed this time, maybe you should try another way. Right now it is Winter, you can try again in Summer.”
Winter passed, then Spring. Finally, Summer arrived. This time, Cloudy decided to go to a beach. A lot of people were swimming in the sea. They were wearing swimsuits and sunglasses. Cloudy gathered his courage and blocked the sun to give some shade. This time, the people cheered and felt very comfortable.
“Mummy, I did it!” Cloudy shouted, “Mummy, you are right. Never give up. Just try again!” Mummy Cloud said happily, “Yes, my son. Remember, try another way and keep working on it. Finally, you will get success!”
Cloudy was very happy. Mummy Cloud was proud of him. The sun behind them smiled quietly.
Illustrated by Willow Reed
Year 1, Wildcard, Lewis
Illustrated by Brydie Verzosa
Year 1, Highly Commended, Carmichael
The Magical Cloud
by Olivia Khamas
Highly Commended, Wilberforce
I was really looking forward to going to my best friend’s house. I was so excited as I had been planning this forever. Charlotte and I had an amazing time playing and laughing the whole evening. After hours of playing, Charlotte’s mum said, “It’s time for bed girls.” We were sad the day had ended but we listened and went to bed.
Suddenly, I saw a cloud standing on top of me. I was so scared. Then I heard a croaky voice saying, “I need your help, I have lost two special stones, and I need you to help me find them. The stones have an O and an A carved on them and you can find them in the enchanted forest.” Next thing I knew, the cloud had taken me to the forest.
The forest was magical, with beautiful flowers everywhere. Out of nowhere a cat with a tiger's head popped up. I thought this cannot be real. The cat waved at me and seemed friendly. Then I saw a bird with elephant ears. I had never seen anything like it. I blinked three times, thinking I was dreaming but the bird was still perched in the tree. After that, a cute little squirrel named Peach started talking to me. I had never spoken to a squirrel before, but Peach did not stop talking! I told her that I really needed her help to find the special stones and she told me to come with her.
Peach showed me a rainbow-coloured garden. It was amazing. The trees were made from cotton candy, and the grass was made from frosting. I wanted to eat everything. Then something caught my eye. It was a waterfall that smelled like apples. I went over and licked the water and guess what, it was apple juice! Behind the waterfall there were some rocks. Peach told me to look closer. There were the special stones. I had found them. I went over and touched them with my finger. Next thing I knew the cloud was standing on top of me again.
He thanked me for finding his special stones and told me that when I woke up, I would have magical powers. In the morning, I opened my eyes, and it turned out that it was just a dream.
Illustrated by Harper Su'a
Year 1, Highly Commended, Lewis