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Below are our Year 4 Writing competition winning entries that have been illustrated by our Year 3 illustrators.
Illustrated by Evie Redman,
Year 3, 2nd Place, Lewis
Cyrus, the Little Cloud
By Delphy Maung
1st Place, Liddell
High above the sky, in a magical land, there was a little fluffy cloud named Cyrus. He was filled with curiosity and always wanted to explore the different parts of the sky and observe the world below. However, unlike the other clouds, Cyrus did not know how to fly across the sky or change his shape to form different patterns.
Whenever Cyrus saw flocks of birds soaring gracefully through the sky, he wondered what it would be like to fly like them. He attempted to imitate the birds, but he did not have wings. He also tried to change shapes like the clouds, but he failed since he did not know how to fly. He explored other ways of drifting, but, once again, he found himself unable to succeed.
Cyrus had never felt disappointed by his failures. Instead, he was determined to discover ways to fly and change shapes. He decided to seek advice from older clouds. One day, Cyrus met a wise and tall cumulus cloud named Skyler.
Cyrus asked Skyler, “I have been trying to fly for a long time, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to make it. How can I fly alongside other clouds and birds?”
Skyler smiled and said, “Little Cyrus, you already know how to float, and flying isn’t difficult either. If you want to fly like a bird, you need to pay attention to how the wind moves and flows. You must learn to understand and listen to the wind and trust its guidance.”
Determined to fly, Cyrus spent the next few weeks listening to the sound of the wind at different speeds. He studied wind patterns and how they moved across various landscapes. Gradually, Cyrus began to understand how the wind carried pollen and leaves into the air and transported them to various places.
Cyrus continued practicing his new skills and tried to ride the wind at different speeds. He also learned to use the wind to change his shape. He felt a thrill of excitement when a gentle breeze gradually pushed him forward. He began to move with the wind, gliding gracefully across the sky. Skyler was satisfied with Cyrus’s effort and progress.
Skyler suggested to Cyrus, “You are a fast learner, and I think you are now ready to fly longer distances.”
A flock of birds noticed Cyrus’s efforts and flew close to greet him.
“Howdy, Cyrus!” chirped a friendly starling named Grace. “We’ve seen you practicing over many days, and now you’re getting good at flying with the wind. Would you like to join us on our journey to the village and the mountains beyond?”
Cyrus exclaimed with joy, “Yes, I would love to!”
Cyrus said goodbye to Skyler before setting out on a wonderful journey with his bird friends. Together, Cyrus and the birds soared over lush rainforests, shimmering lakes, rolling hills, and golden meadows. Cyrus was amazed by the beautiful world beneath him. He was also thrilled by the excitement of flying alongside his bird companions. As they approached the village, they noticed children playing in a field, pointing up at the sky in amazement.
Grace asked Cyrus, “Could you change yourself into something adorable for the village kids?”
“Like what? What shape do the children like?” Cyrus replied.
Grace suggested, “How about a puppy? All children love puppies.”
“Umm, I’m not sure. I’m still learning, and that sounds really difficult for me,” Cyrus said hesitantly. “But maybe I could try something simpler, like a heart shape.”
Grace encouraged Cyrus, “I’m sure you can do it. All you have to do is control the wind and go with the flow.”
Cyrus, motivated by Grace’s encouragement, listened to the wind more attentively and tried to curl himself into a heart shape. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Cyrus, carefully controlling the wind around him, gradually transformed himself into a heart-shaped cloud.
“Wow! You made it. That is awesome. Now, can you add colour like a real canvas painting?” Grace asked.
“How can I add the colour? I have been white since I was born,” Cyrus responded.
Grace suggested creatively, “Why don’t you try using sunlight and change the colour?”
Cyrus, following the advice, tilted himself slightly towards the sun. The sunlight hit Cyrus, scattered off them in all directions and turned the white to silver.
“Wow! I made it. I am now a silver heart cloud,” Cyrus proudly yelled.
“That is awesome. You are a genius. You should try other shapes and colours,” Grace praised him.
Cyrus excitedly shaped himself into different animals using the wind - a grey wombat and a white bunny, one after the other. The sunlight played with his colours, creating beautiful shades of silver and orange lining. The children on the ground looked up and were amazed at the changing cloud shapes above. They cheered, "Look at those beautiful clouds! It is like they are painting the sky just for us!"
As Cyrus and the birds approached the mountains, he noticed that the sky was beginning to darken. Storm clouds were gathering, and the wind was growing stronger. Grace and the other birds looked worried.
“A storm is coming. We must find shelter,” Cyrus said urgently, “Follow me. I can guide us through the storm.”
He listened to the wind's warnings, navigated through the rough skies and confidently led the way. Together, they braved the storm and found a safe hideout in a cosy mountain cave. While the storm was howling outside, Cyrus, Grace and the birds huddled together and supported each other. When the storm finally passed on the next day, they all came out from the cave to a beautiful sunrise. They all looked at each other, grateful for their friendship and teamwork.
From that day on, Cyrus became known as the brave little cloud who learned to fly with the wind, paint the sky, and lead his friends to safety. He began sharing his creations with other clouds, who were amazed by his talent and joined him to craft sky art. Together, they transformed into elephants, tigers, and even entire landscapes, turning the sky into a giant canvas and making the world a more beautiful place.
With curiosity, determination, imagination, and the support of friends, even a small cloud can achieve remarkable things. When someone believes in themselves, they unlock the courage and determination to overcome challenges and achieve incredible goals. Believing in oneself is the foundation for growth and success, transforming dreams into reality.
Illustrated by Aylee Amaranaike
Year 3, Highly Commended, Lewis
The Cloud Adventure
By Arwen Do
Highly Commended, Carmichael
The sun rose as the dark clouds fainted away into the air. Today was surely going to be a great day, right? A door creaked open as a girl, April stepped out of the room to eat breakfast. Once she got changed, April went outside and dumped herself on the soft grass. “I wonder what it would be like on a cloud.” Then out of nowhere a fairy appeared. Her wings were white with gold lining, her dress was bright green and shaped like a flower. The fairy shouted, “Today your wish will come true!” With a wave of her wand April saw her surroundings change in a blink of an eye.
Once she was brave enough to open her eyes, she saw she was on a cloud with a white fluffy little house and a white fluffy garden. April opened the soft door to find hard floors, carpet soft as wool and a lit campfire. Upstairs was a white bed and books on the bookcase. It was very cosy. After settling in, April looked outside the window and saw a pink little cloud near her cloud.
On the pink cloud there was a pink wooden fence. “What is that thing in the pen?” April opened the gate and saw a little sheep run out to cuddle her, then lay down. Taking her inside of the house, the fairy appeared but this time she was all white. “It’s you who sent me here, what were you thinking!” April screamed. The fairy said that she was supposed to grant wishes to little kids, because that’s what fairies do. “The only way that you can get back to Earth is if you travel on the dark cloud to get the key.” With that, the Fairy disappeared into a puff of smoke again.
After arriving at the dark cloud, with her lamb which she called Cotton, April set off to the first gate.
When she opened the gate, a Storm Guardian told her that she needed to pass the roaring thunder to reach the second gate. April was frightened so patted Cotton. But there was something in its wool. She took a closer look and saw a music player. “You’re a magic lamb!” She looked inside the music player and saw it was her favourite song. An idea struck April. She turned on the music and started dancing through the lightning bolts. Cotton followed her, as she gracefully dodged each and every single bolt. After that, she opened the second gate.
The Storm Guardian came flying down to her. He told her there will be fog filling a room and there were cloud necklaces for her to find; one for her and one for her lamb. She dug into Cotton’s fleece till she found a flashlight. For this challenge, April knew she had to be brave and conquer her fear. She searched slowly through the creepy, dark and mysterious fog, while Cotton nudged and showed April the way. After a while, they both found the necklaces. One was pure, majestic white and other pastel pink. The gate appeared and swung open out of nowhere, just as the necklaces were put on.
The third and final room had black pillars that seemed like they were 100 metres tall. The Storm Guardian boomed “This final challenge is where one real key is in this room, take a look.” They both stared at the pillars, Cotton didn’t even know this answer. April was very smart and noticed the real key out of all the fakes. “The real key is on your helmet.” After the Guardian handed her the key, she held it up in the air, closed her eyes and touched Cotton one last time. When April opened her eyes, she was on the grass, though a pink stuffed lamb, just like Cotton, was right next to her.
Illustrated by Mary Awad
Year 3, Highly Commended, Carmichael
Illustrated by Lexi McGilvray
Year 3, Wildcard, Lewis
The Day the Sky Split in Two
By Elena Mlinar
2nd Place, Carmichael
Chloe lived in a little village with only a few houses at the bottom of Chatty Hill. Chatty Hill wasn’t very big, just a gentle bump in the land, but it was covered in soft grass and a few tall, green, skinny trees that always seemed to be telling secrets to the wind.
One morning, Chloe woke up and blinked. Something was terribly odd. She ran to her window and gasped. The sky! It was split right down the middle! On one side, there was sparkling, blue, clear sky as far as she could see. It was the colour blue that made people feel happy and excited at the same time.
On the other side, heavy, fluffy, grey and white clouds sat on top of each other like mountains of cotton candy. Chloe ran outside. “What’s going on?” she called to Mel, her friend and next-door neighbour, who was in her backyard practicing soccer for her game on Saturday.
Mel puffed out her chest. “I have no idea. It looks like a storm is coming.”
"Looks like the Sun and the Rain had a terrible argument last night. They couldn't agree on whether it should be a sunny day or a rainy day, so they decided to split the sky in half!” Chloe gasped. “But what are we supposed to do?” Just then, their friend Sam stumbled down the hill. She was soaking wet, her hair plastered to her face. “Help!” she cried. “It’s raining cats and dogs on that side! My picnic is ruined!”
A moment later, their neighbour Matt, who lived down the street in a big house with a bright green door, ran up the hill, “It’s scorching on that side! My ice cream melted before I could even take a lick!"
Chloe was worried. This split sky was causing all sorts of trouble. She looked at Mel, who looked equally concerned.
"Think, Chloe, think!" she said to herself. What could she do? She looked at the Chatty Hill, then trees started to rustle in the breeze. An idea popped into her head like a light bulb shining bright yellow.
"We need to make them talk to each other!" she declared. "The Sun and the Rain! We need to find a way to help them understand each other."
Chloe gathered all the children from the village - the ones who were soaked from the rain, the ones who were melting in the sun, and even the ones who were just confused.
“Gather round!” she shouted. “We are going to send a message to the Sun and the Rain!”
She had them collect shiny pebbles from the sunny side and raindrops from the cloudy side. They arranged the pebbles and raindrops on the hilltop, forming a giant picture. On one side, they made a sun, shining brightly with the pebbles. On the other, they shaped fluffy clouds and raindrops with the water. Then Chloe stood on the very top of Chatty Hill, right in the middle of the sky. She took a deep breath and shouted, “Sun! Rain! Look at what we have made! We like both sunshine and rain! Sunshine helps the flowers grow, and rain helps us splash in puddles! We need both of you! Please, make up!”
Everyone held their breath. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly the grey and white clouds began to drift towards the blue sky. The sky seemed to shimmer with anticipation. The clouds and the blue sky met, not with a crash or a bang, but with a gentle sigh. The grey clouds thinned and softened, becoming fluffy, white clouds drifting in the beautiful blue sky.
A few gentle raindrops fell in the sunshine. A rainbow stretched across the sky - a bridge of colour connecting everything.
The children cheered. The Sun and the Rain had listened! From that day, the sky never split again. And Chloe, who lived at the bottom of Chatty Hill, was known as the girl who brought the Sun and the Rain back together.
She learned that even when things seemed impossible, a little bit of understanding and a whole lot of teamwork could make anything happen.
Illustrated by Allegra Devine
Year 3, Wildcard, Wilberforce
Illustrated by Jordan D'Emanuele
Year 3, 1st Place, Lewis
The Weather Cycle
By Zane Saccaro
Highly Commended, Lewis
David got his homework out of his bag and sat on the chair in his study. Realising that he had to study for his test the next day, he quickly opened his science book and turned to the first page. It was then that he read the following line: Emotions are like the weather. David was intrigued. He continued reading - happiness is like a sunny day and fear is like a dark, cloudy day. The final sentence said anger is like a loud thunderstorm.
All night David couldn’t sleep. He kept thinking about the weather cycle and all his emotions. He woke up to birds singing the next day. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. David smiled. He was in such a great mood and was unusually happy, considering he wasn’t a morning person.
“David, get up!” his mum yelled, but he was already dressed and ready to go. He was so happy that he forgot about his science test.
As he walked into his science class, he read the reminder on the whiteboard: End of course science test. Panic set in. The test was worth fifty per cent of his entire grade. David had butterflies in his stomach, and his face went from rosy cheeks to pale white. Fear took over David’s body.
“What happened to the sun?” one of the students in the class yelled out. David looked outside and saw the weather had completely changed. It had gone from a blue, sunny sky to a dark, grey, cloudy day. David thought about what he had read the night before. Could he be controlling the weather?
The test began. David was stuck on a really hard question. He became frustrated and angry with himself for not remembering the answer, and he slammed his hand on the desk. Suddenly, there was a loud bang! outside. As he looked out the window, it poured with rain. He even saw a lightning bolt. It rained so much that it started to flood the school. The teachers were worried and began evacuating the students.
David decided to try something. He took five deep breaths and began to calm down. His anger started to disappear, and he felt more relaxed. As he walked out of the school, he realised that it was not raining anymore and that the sun was coming out again. The weather cycle had ended for the day.
Illustrated by Harper Empeigne
Year 3, Highly Commended, Carmichael
Clouds
By Lexi Gordon,
Wildcard, Lewis
Grace stared up at the clouds. She loved looking at them. Grace could watch them for hours, just staring at them. She sighed, sitting up.
“I wish I were a cloud,” she whispered to herself. Then she thought of something…Maybe I could make a story about what would happen if I were a cloud! Suddenly, her phone pinged. It was her friend Jameson. He messaged her:
Jameson: Hi Gracie! Wanna come to my house for lunch?
Grace: Sure, Jameson, I would love to! We can catch up with some things as well. I have a clever idea for something!
Jameson: Ok, see you at 12:00 then!
Grace stood up. She and Jameson were both 18 years old, but Jameson was taller and older by a few months. She put on a nice blue shirt and black pants and checked her phone; it was 11:43 am. She had seventeen minutes until she had to be at Jameson’s house. She hopped into her Hyundai and sped away.
Seventeen minutes later…
*Ding dong*
“Hello? Oh, Grace!” Jameson was standing at the door with an apron on. “Come on in! My mum’s here and we are making pasta from scratch!”
The house was beautiful. Inside was small but had just enough space for four people to sit down on the chairs next to the table, near the backyard. The kitchen was just behind the table, and next to the kitchen was a little hallway that went into the living room, where a soft carpet, a couch and a TV fitted in. Light filtered into the rooms, and the smell of homemade pasta nearly made Grace forget about her cloud story.
Grace walked in and said hi to Mrs Nallina. She helped them with the last step for the pasta. They sat down at the table. Grace gulped down her third forkful of homemade pasta and told Jameson and Mrs Nallina about her story. Suddenly, as she was speaking, she paused. Grace looked around the room, closed her eyes, opened them, and gasped. She was in a whole other world! She looked around and saw where she was; in the sky! She looked down at her hands, but they were not there. Instead, there were fluffy curls like cotton candy.
She screamed. But the only thing that came out of her mouth was a long sigh of wind. Then suddenly, she realised what she was.
“I’m a cloud!” Grace cried out. The sound was barely audible.
Another cloud passed Grace. It looked stormy and angry, and Grace could see the droplets of water inside the cloud. The cloud noticed Grace staring, and it grumbled, “What are you looking at?!”
“Oh, I’m so sorry I was staring, but…” Grace paused. “Why are you angry?”
The cloud replied in such a sad voice, it moved Grace to tears. “I’M LOST AND I HATE IT! I DON’T KNOW WHERE MY FAMILY IS… AND… I -” The cloud started crying so heavily that rain poured down onto the land below.
“What’s your name?” Grace asked.
“Stacer,” the cloud replied, the wispy edges turning white again.
“I’m Grace,” Grace smiled.
“That’s a weird name,” Stacer chuckled.
“I’m from a different land.” Grace quickly told Stacer her entire story, from the moment she wished she were a cloud to the moment she found herself in the sky.
“WOW!” Stacer looked like she could explode!
“Yes, I know. But you do want to find your family, right?” Grace reminded Stacer.
“OH YES, PLEASE!!!!!” Stacer tried to shout.
“Ok, first you have to tell me all about your time with your family, and then what happened next,” Grace said in a quiet, whispery voice.
Stacer quickly explained what had happened—how she was migrating with her family to a different part of Cloud Kingdom, and how a big whoosh of wind blew her away.
Grace had an idea.
“Where were you migrating to?” she asked.
“The royal areas of the Cloud Kingdom,” Stacer grinned proudly.
“Then that’s where we go!” Grace replied confidently.
Stacer and Grace floated on for about an hour and fifty minutes before they reached the royal parts of the Cloud Kingdom. It was beautiful. Around the edges were a bunch of cloud people. Grace spotted playgrounds, small castles, and cloud factories where Stacer said they made cloud chocolate. Right in the centre of the giant area stood a beautiful castle that seemed to take up a majority of the space. Stacer said it held her family’s living quarters, royal kitchens, and a therapist that she didn’t know a lot about.
Then Stacer suddenly cried out, “MUM, DAD, WHISPY, SUGARUSH!!!!!” Stacer floated to where her family was. Her family was so surprised and Stacer nodded towards Grace before shouting in her excited but small voice, "Thank you, and I hope you find your way home!"
Grace nodded and watched as they flew to the castle. She suddenly felt a pull towards the castle, so she flew inside. The inside was ginormous! But Grace did not look around. She headed straight away from all the loud but muffled noises and straight into a silent and empty hallway. Then she found a cloud door with the title: Therapist. Grace floated inside. A big cloud looked up, and he looked like he had glasses on. He welcomed her in and asked, "What’s wrong?”
“I can’t find my way home,” Grace replied sadly.
“Do you know the way you came?” the cloud asked. Grace thought about it and then nodded.
“Then maybe you go out the same way,” the cloud replied.
Grace closed her eyes and then opened them. Suddenly, she was sitting in the chair at Jameson’s house.
“Woah, are you, ok?” Jameson asked.
“I think I just found out what my story is going to be,” Grace grinned.
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