Pep, Polish and Paint

Written by Helena HarperIllustrated by Malachy McKinney

and,

First published 2010Kingsham Press Ltd

Kingsham Press LtdOldbury ComplexMarsh LaneEasthampnettChichester, West SussexPO18 0JWUK Copyright © Helena Harper 2010 Typeset in Trebuchet MS Printed in China ISBN: 978-1-904235-69-9

About the AuthorHelena Harper was born in Surrey, England, daughter of a German mother and English father, who met in Hamburg at the end of World War II. After graduating in German and International Relations, Helena spent two years in banking before deciding to train as a teacher. She has always loved to write fantasy stories for young children, and in the past few years has also discovered the joys of writing poetry for adults.

Pep, Polish and Paint is Helena’s first children’s book and is preceded by two collections of stories in verse, drawn from her professional experiences (It’s a Teacher’s Life...!) and family situation (Family & More - Enemies or Friends?). To find out more about Helena, go to her website www.helenaharper.com.

For

MY FATHER

who always believed in my writing

Sammy, the sun, heaved an enormous sigh and looked more miserable than ever.

A passing spaceship said, “Hello, what’s the matter?”

“I’ve lost my shine and I can’t seem to get it back,” said Sammy.

“I know exactly how you feel,” said Jimmy the spaceship. “I couldn’t fly once, but I took a pep-me-up drink and then felt right as rain. I’ll bring one with me when I come by next time. Don’t worry, you’ll soon feel fine!”

And off he flew leaving Sammy to think about pep-me-up drinks. He was still thinking about them, when a second spaceship flew by.

“Hello,” said Jenny the spaceship. “What’s the matter?”

“I’ve lost my shine and can’t get it back,” said Sammy.

“I’ve got just the thing for you,” said Jenny. “Polish, that’s what you need! I’ve got a very good polish at home. Used it myself when I was really dirty and afterwards looked like a brand new ship. Do the same for you. I’ll bring it along next time.”

And off she flew leaving Sammy to think about polish and pep-me-up drinks. Soon a third spaceship came along. He saw the sad looking sun and said, “Hello, what’s up?”

“I’ve lost my shine and can’t get it back,” said Sammy.

“Oh, is that all?” said Johnny the spaceship. “What you need is a new coat of paint. I’ll bring some along next time.”