Flora's Bush Brushes

Flora loved sunny afternoons in her house. The light streamed through the window, making dust bunnies dance in the air. Today was a perfect painting day. She carefully set out her pots of paint—a bright blue like the sky, a grassy green, and a warm, wattle yellow. In front of her was a big, white piece of paper, just waiting for a story.

She had the perfect idea! She wanted to paint the cheeky kookaburra she’d seen in the gum tree that morning. She reached for her jar of paintbrushes, but… oh no! The jar was empty. Mum had taken them all to the laundry to be washed. There wasn't a single clean brush in sight. How could she paint her kookaburra now?

"I'll just use my fingers!" Flora declared, being a great problem-solver. She dipped her pointer finger into the blue paint. But when she tried to draw the kookaburra, it was all wrong. Swish, swoosh, SPLAT! The paint went on too thick. Her kookaburra looked more like a big blue puddle. "Oh, fiddlesticks!" she sighed, looking at her messy fingers and the even messier paper.

Feeling a bit glum, Flora looked out the window into her backyard. She saw a sturdy twig that had fallen from the big gum tree and some lovely, smooth leaves scattered on the grass. Suddenly, her eyes lit up! She dashed outside, grabbed the twig and a few different leaves. Using the twig for the kookaburra’s beak and a big, flat leaf for its fluffy feathers, she began to paint. Dab, dab, sweep! It worked! Her kookaburra looked wonderful.

Flora held up her finished painting. It was the best kookaburra she had ever made! When Mum saw it, she gave Flora a huge hug. "How clever you are!" she said. "You made your very own bush brushes." Flora smiled, feeling warm and proud. She learned that you don't always need the perfect tools; sometimes, the best ideas are waiting right outside your window.