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Published by spencer.coombes, 2021-09-21 16:30:39

Oliver's Big Bump

National School Public Relations Association
2017
Written by Brett Sweeney Art by Vanessa Parson-Robbs




This book is for all the Head Strong owls at the District School Board of Niagara. When you’re playing, be sure to play safe and stay healthy!
191 CARLTON ST. | ST. CATHARINES, ON | L2R 7P4 | (905) 641-1550 | DSBN.ORG COPYRIGHT © DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD OF NIAGARA 2018




There she goes again,” thought Oliver. “She’s showing off.”
Oliver ruffled his feathers and grumbled as he watched his big sister soar through the sky. Olivia could do anything out there: back flips, front flips, you name it.
Oh, and she was fast. So fast that when she flew by him, a huge gust of wind knocked Oliver’s blue baseball cap off his head.
“She did that on purpose!” He huffed.
5


Even though Oliver was bothered by Olivia’s air show, he was secretly impressed. She was the fastest owl in the whole school.
With Olivia on the team, there was no doubt their school would win tomorrow’s big race.
Oliver was on the team too. “One day, I’ll be team captain,” he dreamed.
It was Oliver’s first year racing. Coach Kelley said if he kept working hard, he would keep getting better.
6

Oliver was sure he would become a great racer. Puffing up his chest feathers, he proudly declared, “I’m just as fast as Olivia – maybe even faster!”
“Oh no you’re not!”
Oliver sighed and rolled his eyes as his big sister came gliding in for a perfect landing on his branch.
“You must have fallen out of the nest after you hatched, little brother.
I really don’t see how you could even dream about being as fast as me.” Olivia wrapped her wing around Oliver and gave him a peck on the cheek.
7


Oliver was getting angry. He did not like being treated like a child.
He pushed her wing away and looked at his sister. Oliver frowned and said, “If you think you’re better than me, you’re making a big mistake. Why, I could even beat you in a race!”
Olivia laughed. “You’ll beat me when pigs fly,” she chuckled.
Oliver wasn’t sure he could beat his sister in a race, but all his friends had flown in to see what was happening. Oliver did not want to look foolish in front of them.
8

“Fine,” he said. “Let’s race right now!”
“Ok, if that’s what you really want,” said Olivia.
Coach Kelley didn’t want the team racing outside of school.
He worried that someone might get hurt. The owls didn’t
want to get in trouble, so they decided not to race at the school. They weren’t wearing helmets either.
“All right, here are the rules,” started Olivia. “We’ll go along the farmer’s field and through the barn. First one back is the winner.”
9


Oliver was nervous. He knew the barn was full of other animals
and farm equipment. Only experienced flyers could make it through quickly. But, he wanted to show Olivia he was as good as she was.
The two young owls lined up at the starting point. Oliver took a deep breath. “This is not going to be easy,” he thought.
“On your mark, get set – GO!”
The owls cheered as the two birds leapt off the branch and into the sky.
Oliver tried his best to keep up with his sister.
10


As they made the turn around the field and headed towards the barn, Oliver saw his sister slowing down. Olivia knew she had to be careful in the barn.
“This is my chance to catch up,” he said. He began flapping harder than he had ever flapped in his life.
But something was wrong. Oliver was going too fast and couldn’t control himself. “Whoa! Oh no,” he cried, trying to slow down.
Then everything went black.
11


The next thing he knew, Oliver was lying on the ground. His sister and friends stood around him. Olivia looked worried. “Oliver,
are you ok?”
“I – I think so...” Oliver said.
His friends couldn’t believe what they had seen. “You smashed your head right into the barn!” they said.
Oliver felt dizzy, confused, and his head hurt. He wished everyone would stop talking
for just a second. All that noise was really bothering him.
12


“Oliver, I’m going to get mom and dad. You don’t look good,” said Olivia.
“No, no, no. I’m fine,” said Oliver. He thought it was just a little bump on the head and no big deal. Plus, he didn’t want to get in trouble.
“Olivia, you can’t tell anyone, pleeeease,” Oliver begged. “If coach finds out, I won’t be allowed to race tomorrow.”
Olivia didn’t feel good about this. “Well... ok Oliver,” she said. “I won’t say anything but I really think you need to talk to mom and dad.”
13


That night, Oliver wasn’t his usual hungry self. He never turned down pizza, but he just wasn’t in the mood to eat.
Something was definitely wrong. Oliver was wobbly on his legs. He bumped into walls and couldn’t walk straight. He didn’t even want to fly.
After stumbling into his room, Oliver thought he would rest up, watch some TV and play some video games. “That always makes me feel better,” he thought.
14


Except, Oliver wasn’t getting better. The TV felt too loud. His headache came back. Forget playing video games. They made Oliver sick to
his stomach.
It was the night before the big race, but Oliver wasn’t thinking about competing. Really, he wasn’t thinking about much. He couldn’t focus at all.
Oliver’s mother tucked him into bed and wished him luck in the big race.
15


Olivia was worried. Oliver was acting really strange. But she remembered her promise.
The next day, Oliver still felt sick. But he still wanted to race. His parents and friends had all shown up to watch.
Oliver wanted to make them proud, but wished they could all be quiet. His head still hurt.
16


He lined up with the other Owls on the starting line. The official started the countdown.
“On your mark!”
Oliver leaned forward into the starting position. Everything felt like it was spinning.
“Get set!” Oliver closed his eyes for just a second to catch his breath. The dizziness was so bad now Oliver couldn’t even tell which way was up. He fell over.
“Wait! Please wait,” he said.
17


Oliver’s parents and coach quickly flew over to him. “It’s ok Oliver, everyone falls. Get up and we’ll try again,” said Coach Kelley.
But Oliver couldn’t. It was time to tell the truth. “There’s something I need to tell you all. Olivia and I were racing yesterday and I hit my head against the barn. Now, I feel really sick. Please don’t be mad,” said Oliver.
Coach Kelley said, “We’re not mad, Oliver. We’re all very worried. You need to
see a doctor right away.”
18


Dr. Owlexandra carefully checked Oliver from beak to tail feathers.
“You’ve got a nasty bump there Oliver,” Dr. Owlexandra said. “This is very serious.”
Dr. Owlexandra explained that Oliver had a concussion. “A concussion is like a bruise on your brain,” she said. “You can’t see it, but you can definitely feel it.”
“That’s why I felt so dizzy and sick,” said Oliver.
Dr. Owlexandra nodded. “It’s also why you had trouble standing up straight, why you didn’t want to eat and why light and loud noises bothered you so much.”
“You need rest Oliver, and lots of it.
You have to be careful with a concussion so it doesn’t get worse,”
said Dr. Owlexandra.
“That means no TV,
no video games and
definitely no racing!”
19


“I didn’t know it was so serious,” said Oliver. “I should have told someone sooner.”
Olivia felt terrible. Although she sometimes fought with Oliver, she didn’t want to see him get hurt.
The doctor said it’s difficult to tell when someone hurts their head. “Here’s my best advice for all birds,” said Dr. Owlexandra. “If you bump your head – tell someone right away!”
“As for you Oliver, as long as you follow doctor’s orders, you’ll be back to your old self in no time at all,” she smiled. Oliver was happy he finally asked for help.
Before closing his eyes for some much needed rest, he smiled and asked his sister if she would teach him to be a better racer... once he got better, of course.
“You bet little brother,” she smiled. And the two owls hugged.
20


Dr. Owlexandra’s Prescription for Head Strong Owls
When recovering from a concussion, it is important that you follow the steps below:
Take it easy:
That means no sports, running or climbing. This will be hard for awhile, but it is best for your brain that you let it recover.
You don’t want to hit your head a second time.
Get lots of rest:
As you first recover, you will not be able to have any screen time.
As you start to recover, you will need to limit television, video games and anything else hard on the eyes. Sleep regularly, and no late nights hooting with the rest of the owls.
Follow your doctor's advice:
Your doctor will come up with a plan to help you get better quickly. Your parents will help you to make sure you follow the plan.
Talk to your school:
Before you come back to school, your parents will work out a plan with
your teacher and principal to make sure that your brain is getting better.
When you come back to school, you may not be able to do all the things
you would like at first, like playing outside or running in physical education class. You might need some extra help before you start to feel well again.
It takes time but you will have a lot of help along the way.
But most importantly:
If you hit your head... tell someone right away!
Dr. Owlexandra


HOW OLIVER GOT HIS HOOT BACK!!
I had to stay home for a couple
days. I couldn’t do anything fun, but that wasn’t so bad, because I still felt pretty sick.
When I got back to school, I had to stay in for breaks while all the other owls got to go outside. I know it was for the best, but I was still pretty sad.
sigh...
WOW! I sure learned MY lesson. Hitting my head on the barn wasn’t fun! Not telling anyone made it even worse. If I ever hit my head again, I’ll be sure to tell my mom,
dad, coach or teacher. I feel great now. I can race with Olivia, play video games and even eat pizza now that
I don’t feel sick. It takes some time, though.
In case you ever get hurt, let me tell you how I got better...


After about a week, I started to feel a lot better. I could start
taking part in my regular activities - as long as
they didn’t make me feel worse.
Noise still bothered me, but my teacher said I could take a rest or do quiet work in another room whenever I needed. Everyone was really nice to me.
After taking it easy and getting help from my school...
I feel awesome! I’m flying and hooting with all my friends again!!
Nice and slow... Good Job Oliver!


ISBN 9780995095816 90000 >
9 780995 095816


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