Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2016 i Storytime

Long ago, on the Orkney Islands, north-east of Scotland, there lived a fisherman who spent most of his time at sea. One blustery day, after battling the wild waves and with only a small catch to show for it, the fisherman headed home to his cottage on the beach. As he moored his rowing boat, he heard beautiful voices singing a melodic tune – it sent tingles down his spine to hear it. Across the bay, he saw a group of people splashing about in the sea, laughing and singing. “I must be dreaming!” mumbled the fisherman. “Who in their right mind would play in these icy waters at this time in the evening?” He walked towards them and, as he drew close, the swimmers caught sight of him. They…

A tribe of noisy monkeys lived together in a great tree by a river where the crocodiles basked and hunted. Every day, the monkeys would tiptoe down to the water to take a sip, and, every day, the crocodiles would lie in wait and try to snap them up in their mighty jaws – but the monkeys were always too quick. One day, the smartest and bravest of the monkeys was admiring an island in the middle of the river, which was covered in fruit trees. “Wouldn’t it be good to dine on those sweet fruits?” he asked his family. They all agreed. “But it’s too far to jump. It’s dangerous! Those greedy crocodiles will snap you up!” wailed the monkey’s mother. The monkey studied the river and spotted a…

How to Play The aim of the game is to jump from the riverbank to a rock then to the island to collect fruit – and back again – without getting caught by a crocodile. The winner is the person who collects the most fruit! You need two or more players, a dice and our Fruit T okens and Monkey Island Game Counters, which you can download from: www.storytimemagazine.com/free Players take it in turns to roll the dice and follow these instructions: • Roll an odd number (1, 3 or 5) – jump onto a rock. Roll another odd number to get to the island. • Roll an even number (2, 4 or 6) – get snapped by a crocodile! If you get snapped three times in a row .…

Under a toadstool crept a wee Elf, Out of the rain to shelter himself. Under the toadstool, sound asleep, Sat a big Dormouse all in a heap. Trembled the wee Elf, frightened and yet Fearing to fly away lest he get wet. To the next shelter – maybe a mile! Sudden the wee Elf smiled a wee smile. Tugged till the toadstool toppled in two. Holding it over him, gaily he flew. Soon he was safe home, dry as could be. Soon woke the Dormouse – “Good gracious me!” “Where is my toadstool?” loud he lamented. – And that’s how umbrellas first were invented! Invent It! Go on a nature walk and collect things that could be useful for teeny elves. Can you find a use for an oak leaf,…

Once upon a time, there was a princess whose favourite pastime was playing with a golden ball the king and queen had given her for her birthday. One day, the princess was playing in the palace gardens, when she threw the ball up high, and it landed – SPLASH! – in an old well. The princess ran to fetch her ball, but the well was so dark and deep, she couldn’t see a thing down there. “Oh, what a fool I am!” she cried. “I’d give anything to get my golden ball back! My jewels, my clothes, my crown... anything!” Just then, a frog stuck its head out of the murky water and croaked, “You say ‘anything’, princess?” The princess leapt back, startled. “Yes, anything! But I can’t see how…

One thing was certain: that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it. It was the black kitten’s fault entirely. The white kitten had been having its face washed by the old cat for the last quarter of an hour, so it couldn’t have had a hand in the mischief. But the black kitten had been finished with earlier in the afternoon, and so, while Alice was sitting curled up in the great armchair, half talking to herself and half asleep, the kitten had been having a grand game of romps with the ball of wool Alice had been trying to wind up, and had been rolling it up and down till it had come undone again; and there it was, spread over the rug, all knots and…

Many believe that long ago, in the Atlantic Ocean, there was a vast and beautiful island – a paradise that was the envy of the whole world. It was called Atlantis. At first, Atlantis was ruled over by Poseidon, who was the god of the sea. When he fell in love with a mortal woman called Cleito, he built a grand palace for her on top of a mountain in the middle of the island, and he surrounded it with three great rings of water to protect her. These rings of water also ensured that the island remained forever rich and fertile. Poseidon and Cleito were very happy together, and they had five sets of twin boys. As soon as he was old enough, the eldest of the ten sons,…

High up in the apple tree climbing I go,With the sky above me, the earth below.Each branch is the step of a wonderful stairWhich leads to the town I see shining up there. Climbing, climbing, higher and higher,The branches blow and I see a spire,The gleam of a turret, the glint of a dome,All sparkling and bright, like white sea foam. On and on, from bough to bough,The leaves are thick, but I push my way through;Before, I have always had to stop,But today I am sure I shall reach the top. Today to the end of the marvellous stair,Where those glittering pinnacles flash in the air!Climbing, climbing, higher I go,With the sky close above me... The earth far below. Write It! Write a list of five things you might…