Inclusion and belonging at Christmas
One More Crown
At Christmas dinner, Nellie’s paper crown splits and then slips during the family photo. Left out, she makes new paper crowns for Dad, Mum, Grandma, Theo, and one taller crown for herself, so everyone can be in the picture.
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21 pagesPage 1
On Christmas Day, Nellie's house smelled of roast chicken and warm bread. The table was set with the good plates, and a big bowl of golden potatoes sat in the middle. "Crackers first!" said Dad. "Before the food gets cold."
Page 2
Everyone pulled a cracker with a BANG! Out came paper hats, tiny jokes, and a whistle. Nellie pulled hers extra hard and out popped a red paper crown. "A crown!" she said. "For me!"
Page 3
Nellie put the crown on. It slipped down over her ears and squashed her hair. She pulled it up, and it slid down again. "It's a bit small," said Grandma. "But you look lovely."
Page 4
Nellie took a big bite of chicken and leaned over for the potatoes. RRRIP! The crown split right down the side and flopped onto her plate. Everyone stopped talking. Nellie's cheeks went hot.
Page 5
Mum found the tape. "There," she said, sticking the crown back together. "Good as new." But the crown sat on Nellie's head like a tight little band, and she could feel it waiting to pop.
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Then Dad set up the camera on the shelf. "Family photo!" he called. Everyone squeezed together by the tree. Nellie's crown slid down over one eye, and the tape came unstuck with a soft little sigh.
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Dad looked at the camera. "Maybe just the grown-ups for this one," he said. "And Grandma, and your brother. Quick, before the light goes." Nellie stood behind the sofa with a flat crown in her hands.
Page 8
Nellie walked into the kitchen and sat down on the floor. She was not crying. She was thinking. Then she saw it: a long roll of leftover wrapping paper, still shiny with stars.
Page 9
Nellie unrolled the paper across the floor. She found the tape and the blunt scissors. "If my crown is too small," she said, "I will make crowns that fit." And she started to cut.
Page 10
First, a crown for Dad. Dad loved digging in the garden, so Nellie drew a fat green carrot on his crown. She taped it into a circle and tried it on her own head. It fit!
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Next, a crown for Mum. Mum loved singing in the car, so Nellie drew a big round music note. She cut a zigzag edge along the top, just like a real crown.
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Then a crown for Grandma. Grandma loved her grey cat, so Nellie drew a cat with whiskers and one long tail. "One more crown," she whispered to herself.
Page 13
A crown for her brother Theo, who loved rockets. Nellie drew a rocket with three flames and a wobbly star window. Theo would want a tall one, so she made it tall.
Page 14
Nellie looked at the four crowns on the floor. Something was still missing. She took the longest piece of paper and made one more crown for herself, taller than all the others.
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On top of her tall crown, Nellie stuck a gold paper star. Then she drew one tiny thing on every crown: a carrot, a note, a cat, a rocket, and on hers, a little pair of scissors.
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"Crowns!" said Nellie, marching back into the room with her arms full of paper. "For everyone. They fit, I checked." Dad put his on over his glasses. "A carrot!" he laughed. "That's me."
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Mum's crown went on sideways, and she sang one loud note. Grandma's cat crown made her giggle. Theo wore his rocket crown and shouted, "Three, two, one, blast off!" Then everyone looked at Nellie.
Page 18
Nellie climbed onto the sofa in the middle. Her tall crown wobbled, and the star on top leaned to one side. "Wait," she said. "The star has to be straight." She fixed it, and everyone waited.
Page 19
Dad set the camera and ran back to his place. "Everybody say potatoes!" he said. "POTATOES!" they all shouted, and the camera went click.
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The photo came out that evening. Five people, five paper crowns, all different, all a bit crooked. Nellie's crown was the tallest, and the gold star on top shone right over everyone.
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"That's my favourite photo ever," said Grandma. Nellie looked at the crowns on every head. "Mine too," she said. "Because everyone got one. And one more crown for me."