Free Lulu Bell and the Christmas Elf by Belinda Murrell Page A

shortbread for the teachers.’ She ticked the list off on her fingers. ‘Then make Christmas decorations and props for the school concert on Monday. And we have to finish making the costumes.’
    â€˜Lucky we have lots of helpers coming over for the working bee,’ said Lulu.
    Dad looked at everyone in horror. He didn’t enjoy craft as much as the rest of the family. ‘I’d love to help but I think it’s time I went to work.’
    He hurried off next door. Lulu’s dad was a vet. The family lived in a rambling old house right behind the Shelly Beach Vet Hospital. Saturday mornings were always busy with lots of animal patients to see.
    Usually Lulu loved to help there. But not today. This Saturday morning Lulu was very excited about helping Mum instead.
    Mum picked up the empty cardboard box. She tucked it under her arm. ‘Let’s get cracking, honey buns.’

Chapter 2
Preparations
    Soon the kitchen was filled with delicious smells. The spicy scent of nutmeg and cinnamon from the apple sauce. The buttery sweetness of choc-chunk shortbread baking.
    Rosie and Gus were cutting out more dough with star-shaped biscuit cutters. Jessie, the smiley dog, sniffed around the floor searching for crumbs.
    Lulu juiced a pile of lemons. She poured the juice into a saucepan with butter and sugar.
    Mum stirred the mixture on the stovetop until it was hot and thick. Then she poured the syrupy lemon butter into several clean jars. The golden liquid glowed and steamed in the sunlight.
    â€˜Nearly done,’ said Mum.
    â€˜I can’t wait to give our present to Miss Martin,’ said Rosie. ‘She will love it.’
    Miss Martin was Rosie’s year one teacher. For Christmas they would give each of their teachers a thank-you present of home-made goodies. There would be jars of apple sauce and lemon butter, plus home-made jam and choc-chunk shortbread.
    â€˜So will Miss Baxter,’ said Lulu. ‘She deserves a delicious present. She has been the best teacher.’
    â€˜I don’t want a new teacher next year,’ said Rosie. Her voice wobbled. ‘I wish I could have Miss Martin forever and ever.’
    Mum smoothed Rosie’s hair back from her forehead. ‘You’ll have a lovely new teacher next year, honey bun,’ said Mum. ‘Won’t she, Lulu?’
    Lulu nodded. ‘All the teachers are nice, Rosie. You’ll see.’
    Rosie stuck out her lip and shook her head.
    When the cooking was finished, Mum cleaned up.
    Lulu and Rosie sat at the kitchen table making Christmas star bunting. They cut out stars from brown cardboard recycled from old boxes. Then the girls painted each star with a wash of purple watercolour.
    Gus was sitting on the floor and sticking glitter on his star. There seemed to be more glitter on the floor than on the cardboard. Jessie tried to lick it up. She ended up with a sparkly blue muzzle.
    Lulu used the hole puncher to cut holes in the stars. Then she strung the stars on a long piece of string.
    â€˜Look, Mum,’ said Lulu. ‘What do you think?’
    Lulu and Rosie held up one end of the string each. The stars fluttered in the breeze from the open door.
    â€˜Good work, honey buns,’ said Mum. ‘That will look gorgeous on the tree for the concert.’
    At ten o’clock, Lulu’s best friend Molly came over to help. She arrived with her brother Sam and mother Tien. Molly’s mum was good at sewing and often helped to make costumes for the school.

    Mum and Tien started cutting up old white sheets. They were making angel dresses for all the kids in Rosie’s class.
    Rosie was the model. She wore a halo of gold tinsel on her hair and gold tinsel around her waist. Lulu and Molly made more tinsel haloes and belts.
    Sam and Gus practised forward rolls in the kitchen. As usual, Gus was wearing his favourite superhero outfit.

    â€˜I wonder where Roy is?’ asked Mum. ‘He said he’d come