Most cases of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) present with arthritis, carditis or choreiform movements. However, a variety of clinical manifestations which are not included in the modified Jones criteria can be the presenting symptoms of the disease. We describe a case of a 10-year-old boy with ARF who presented with recurrent episodes of abdominal and cervical pain who later developed an active carditis which established the diagnosis of ARF. A high degree of suspicion and an awareness of the less common manifestations of ARF are necessary to make an early diagnosis and initiate appropriate treatment in certain cases of ARF.