Here are some excerpts from Primary 5-7 writing this week. See if you can guess the animals being described.

“A New World” by Katy Amos

The tiny crack of golden light, the cosiness of the blanketing darkness surrounds me. My mother’s comforting warmth. I hear the beating of her heart in the utter silence of the den.

Glowing with excitement I wriggle forwards. The crack of light getting bigger and the den becomes brighter. Fresh, peculiar smells fill the air. Almost there, just one corner to turn.

Emerging with uncertainty my mother nudges me…

The lush green grass carpeting the spongy earth beneath, the sparkling silver dew drops lie magically dreaming on their padded beds of bracken. The violet tulips sway in the gentle summer breeze, soaking up the gorgeous golden light looking down on us.

Chirping happily the birds protect their nests in the pearl white blossom above.

White fluffy clouds sail by in the ocean blue sky above. Fuzzy bumblebees look after their scarlet roses and lemon coloured buttercups.

Danger. An unusual smell fills the air, rustling in the bush behind. I curl up. Feeling the presence of my mother comforts me. My body armour protects me. I uncurl myself.

I lie in my den.

“Jumping” by Joe Younger

Slowly I pulled myself upright and looked above me. I saw two black, shiny eyes looking at me, a nose all wet and smooth. I climbed out of the soft, furry pocket I was inside. The “bigger me” bent down so I could feel the sparkly, brown, hot and dry hills of sand.

There seemed to be a huge hot and bright circle in the sky. In the distance two copies of me were playing and I went to join them.

Trying to move forward I fell down sluggishly. The one whose pocket I was in started to bounce. I tried and instantly mastered the art.

When I got to the copies of me, which I had now realised were my siblings, I joined in the fun. I jumped so high I could hardly believe it.

Jumping made me feel excited and free. My siblings were jumping as well, as high as me.

Looking around I saw lots of “bigger me’s”. Realising that most of them had pockets reminded me of my own warm, fuzzy pocket. I also noticed grey fuzzy creatures climbing on the one with many arms. One of the creatures was holding some green fur in its mouth that came from the one with many arms.

After burying my feet in the sand, my feet felt warm and the sand tickled in between my toes. It felt great.

Giggling, I stood up again. I could feel the warm circle’s heat.

Turning to face them I waved goodbye. I jumped back to the one whose pocket I was in. I climbed back in as the circle turned silver and I wondered what adventures awaited me when the circle becomes orange again.

“My First Breath” by Sam Anderson

I open my eyes to a vast plain of brilliant blue. Cautiously I push forward, keeping close to my mother. Small groups of sleek silvery things drift past.

As I look on, I see an unnatural phenomenon.

It has fins like the silvery sleek things but much, much bigger. It shines a bright light. I close my eyes.

Full of fear, I open my eyes again. My mother guides me away. There was a deep rumble and the large thing turned and drifted away.

My mother sees something. She shot for a small crevice in a colourful rock and thrust her nose in. She emerges with another sleek and silver thing. She gives it to me and I gulp it down in one.

My mother leads me back home. Ahead of us was a thing like my mother…

I was unsure what it was….

It has sharp teeth, it tries to bite my mother but she dodges. She pulls me towards a cave and the sharp-teeth thing moves on, not seeing is, looking.

I can still taste the sleek silver thing as we drift on.

She leads me in a different direction. One that makes me feel odd.

I race up and burst through the blue. For a second, I stop and take in the landscape. More blue stretches out before me, never ending. A circle of light beams down. I avoid looking at it.

In the distance, a green shape.

I fully emerge. Some of the blue that stretches out moves. I fall into the blue.

My mother reassures me. I emerge again and a fountain of the blue shoots from my back. I fall under, come back up. I feel alive. I feel happiness. I dive under and play with others of my kind.

“My First Steps into the World” by Serena Amos

Huddled together in the warmth of the den. The comforting sound of lots of little hearts beating. Sleepily, we awake for the first time in weeks. Curiously, I clambered clumsily out of the den.

It was glorious. The ground beneath my paws felt soft and damp. The air was cold, sharp and so full of new smells, I felt alive like never before. My eyes were still a bit blurred from being closed for so long but I felt safe under my mother’s watchful guard.

Suddenly, there was a huge fierce snarl and without warning my mother yowled for me to come back to the den. I ran as fast as I could go. We were safe.

The horizon had turned a beautiful scarlet. Above there were light dots that I didn’t understand. Behind them was a big flat dark thing. My first dark.

“The Blue Liquid” by Ellyn Humble

Crawling out from under my shell, my feet making footprints as I stumble around trying to make my way to the massive blue liquid crashing in and out.

Looking around, my brothers and sisters start scattering in fear trying to reach the massive blue liquid before a giant white bird in the sky comes and scoops one of us up.

Finally reaching out and touching the blue it dissolves right into my feet leaving me wet and slimy.

Diving into blue liquid a school of brightly coloured fish swim right past me.

Suddenly noticing I’m alone I feel frightened and lonely. The smell of salt is strong and fresh which calms me down.

Feeling the liquid push against my face as I try and swim. Slowly pushing through the liquid my eyes start to close. Forcing them open again I try to swim on.

The blue liquid is getting darker as I go.

I finally reach the open sea but not knowing what to expect.