Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2018 i Storytime

Jack may have found fame for slaying a boy-eating giant, but most people know him for leading Storyland’s favourite band and his hit song, ‘Fee fi fo fum, Look out, giants, Here I come!’ There are three musicians in the Magic Harp Band – Jack, who strums the guitar and sings; William Gruff, the eldest of the three billy goats, who plays the drums; and the magic harp, which is a lot happier making up catchy melodies with Jack than it was living with a grumpy old giant. Everyone in Storyland was excited because Jack’s Magic Harp Band was going to perform there after months of being away on tour. As they drove down the Long and Winding Road, the band felt excited, but Jack was also nervous – he…

Mrs Mumble was in the mood to bake an apple crumble. She had almost everything she needed – butter, sugar, flour and a little spice – but she didn’t have any apples. She had a fruit tree in her garden, which was heavy with sweet red plums, but plums are no good when it’s apple crumble you’re craving – and today she wanted apple crumble more than anything. So she filled up her basket with plums and set out to find some apples. “Maybe someone will swap their apples for my plums,” she thought. She hadn’t gone far when she heard a commotion of clucks and squawks. Her neighbour was herding geese in her poultry yard. “Good morning, Mrs Mumble!” she said. “Where are you off to?” “I’m hoping to…

It’s a little-known fact that cupboards under the stairs aren’t just for locking up future wizards or for storing vacuum cleaners – some are gateways to mysterious worlds, as Tyler Lee found out one day. Tyler was hanging up his school blazer and hoping for beans on toast for tea when he spotted a strange glow coming from under the cupboard door. The glow was getting gradually brighter. Mr and Mrs Nelson, his carers, were always nagging Tyler for leaving the lights on, so he opened the door to switch it off, but instead he found a huge luminous ball hovering in mid-air right in front of him. Before Tyler even had the chance to jump or shout, two big, bright eyes flashed open. The glowing sphere smiled and said,…

Anansi is West Africa’s most famous trickster character, though his tricks don’t always work out how he would like. Anansi is sometimes shown as a man with eight legs or as a spider with a human head. Long ago, at the beginning of the world, humans didn’t know anything. They didn’t know how to weave their own blankets and clothes. They didn’t even know how to make tools or grow food. They were quite helpless. When Nyame the sky god saw this, it made him sad. “What these people need is wisdom,” he said. “If they don’t get it soon, they won't survive.” So Nyame gathered all the wisdom he could find and placed it in a large pot. Anansi the spider had been slyly watching him while he did…

In Spain and many Spanish-speaking countries, when little children lose a tooth, it’s not the tooth fairy who comes to collect it, but a courageous mouse called Perez. Here is the tale of his adventures with a king. Bubi the First became the King of Spain when he was just six years old. Because he was so young, he was very kind to children and his first act was to build a toy factory and give away free toys. One day, when he was eating supper, one of his teeth began to wobble. His mother summoned the royal dentist who declared that the tooth needed to come out. Bubi was a brave boy, so he let the dentist tie some thread around the tooth, then the dentist pulled and pulled…

There lived a sage in days of yoreAnd he a handsome pigtail wore,But wondered much and sorrowed moreBecause it hung behind him. He mused upon this curious caseAnd swore he’d change the pigtail’s placeAnd have it hanging at his face,Not dangling there behind him. Says he, “The mystery I’ve found!”Says he, “The mystery I’ve found.I’ll turn me round!” He turned him round,But still it hung behind him. Then round and round, and out and inAll day the puzzled sage did spin. In vain – it mattered not a pin – The pigtail hung behind him. And right and left and round about, And up and down and in and outHe turned, but still the pigtail stout Hung steadily behind him. And though his efforts never slackAnd though he twist and…

One day, Lion was eating his dinner when a sharp bone got stuck in his throat. Lion felt so uncomfortable, he couldn’t carry on eating. He let out a thunderous roar of pain and hunger. Woodpecker had been snoozing on a nearby branch. When she heard the lion’s angry roar, and she jolted awake, flapping her wings wildly in shock. “What’s wrong?” she squawked. But the bone was lodged so tightly and felt so sharp, Lion couldn’t reply. No matter how hard he tried, Lion could only whimper, groan and roar. He stopped pacing back and forth and pointed a paw to his throat. Woodpecker flew over to Lion. “Is something stuck in your throat?” Lion nodded and let out a moan. “Open wide,” said Woodpecker, who was feeling a…

1 SING SONG Jack has lost his voice and he can’t remember the words to these top tunes. Fill in the blanks or make up your own funny lyrics! 2 QUICK QUIZ!  In our Famous Fable, what does the lion get stuck in his throat? 3 SPOT IT! There are eight pieces of Anansi’s pot of wisdom scattered across our puzzle pages. Tick this box when you find them all. 4 MEMORY TEST How good is your memory? Turn to our story Tyler Travels Through Time and look at the objects under the dome for 20 seconds. Close the page and then write down as many as you can remember here. 5 MAKE A MOUSEY TOOTH POUCH No need to sew – use craft foam or felt and glue to…