Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2019 i Storytime

The other farm animals yawned and nestled deeper into their beds of straw, but one animal was awake and alert and had been on the prowl all night. It was a fox – a hungry fox – and she was lurking around the hen coop trying to find a way in. When she spied the cockerel, she licked her lips. She stalked up to him and said, “Cockerel, while you’re up there sounding your morning alarm, you should tell everyone the exciting news.” “What’s that?” asked the cockerel, wary of his old enemy. “Haven’t you heard? The queen has issued a special treaty. She has called for peace between all animals. No birds or beasts can hunt each other ever again. Isn’t it wonderful?” “Yes, that does sound wonderful,” agreed…

Of course, this didn’t deter princes and knights from distant realms coming to try their luck, but none of them were very good storytellers, let alone tellers of tall stories, so they all failed to win the princess’s hand in marriage. In a faraway village, a clever young peasant called John heard the princess’s proclamation and decided to try his luck too. He made his way to the palace and demanded an audience with the king. The king was certain that if a dashing prince or knight couldn’t succeed, then a peasant stood no chance, so he invited John to perform before himself, the queen and the princess. “Good morning, young lad,” said the king. “What brings you here?” “Oh, I’m looking for a strong-minded, clever wife,” answered John, bowing…

Once upon a time, there was a woman with three daughters. They were called One Eye, Two Eyes and Three Eyes. Strange names, you might think, but they’re not so strange when you know how they got them. The eldest daughter was called One Eye because she only had one eye. The middle daughter was called Two Eyes, because she had two eyes, and the youngest daughter, Three Eyes, as you can guess, had three eyes! Two Eyes’ sisters were so jealous that she looked like everyone else, they were endlessly cruel to her. “You’re as ugly as any other common person,” they taunted her. “You aren’t special like us!” They were so spiteful, they forced Two Eyes to do the worst chores, wear their old rags and eat their…

Many moons ago, King Hotu Matu’a and Queen Vakai ruled a beautiful land called Hiva at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. All was well and their clan lived in harmony until, one day, the king’s wise man Hau-Maka came to the king in great distress. A vision had come to him in the night. He had seen the future of Hiva and it was not good. “A flood will destroy our land,” he told the king. “We must leave here as soon as we can, but all is not lost. Our god Make-Make came to me in the dream and he led my spirit far across the ocean towards the place where the sun rises. We reached a new and better land. It is an island in the middle…

BOOKS OF THE MONTH! LITTLE GREEN DONKEY by Anuska Allepuz (Walker Books) follows a donkey who won’t eat anything other than grass. However, when he eats too much, the colourful result makes him rethink his stubborn behaviour and he agrees to try new things. Perfect for picky eaters. THE ONE-STOP STORY SHOP by Tracey Corderoy and Tony Neal (Little Tiger Press) plunges readers into a magic world of stories as a brave knight seeks adventures in outer space, the Wild West, a jungle and the deep, dark ocean. Along the way he also finds an unexpected sidekick. Brilliant fun! NORM by Sylvia Liang (Thames & Hudson) is an ode to being individual, told and illustrated in the most amusing, heartfelt way. Norm and his best friends Plain and Simple like…

All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling, UP TAILS ALL! Ducks’ tails, drakes’ tails, Yellow feet a-quiver, Yellow bills all out of sight, Busy in the river! Slushy green undergrowth Where the roach swim – Here we keep our larder, Cool and full and dim. Everyone for what he likes! WE like to be Heads down, tails up, Dabbling free! High in the blue above Swifts whirl and call – WE are down a-dabbling, UP TAILS ALL!…

Pearl had been in training to be the Easter bunny since she was a ball of fluff. Her mother, grandmother and many generations before her had been entrusted with the magical Easter basket. Pearl’s friends envied her. “Imagine being surrounded by chocolate,” they sighed. But that was precisely the problem. Pearl didn’t like chocolate. It was brown and melty and, somehow, it always ended up on her pale fur. Pearl took great pride in her neat and tidy fur. “You’re a funny bunny,” said her mum when Pearl complained. It was Easter soon and Pearl was old enough to help her mum with preparations. She was dreading it. “You won’t get messy – the eggs are covered in foil,” said her best friend Suki, trying to reassure her. “It’s not…

1 FARM FUN Starting in the top left corner, see how many animals you can find in this grid. Each animal follows on from the one before it. WRITE HOW MANY ANIMALS YOU SPOTTED HERE. 2 MOAI MAD Draw mouths and make the moai smile. Colour them in Draw mouths and make the moai smile. Colour them in too! Did you know that moai statues aren’t just heads? Their bodies are sunk below the ground! 3 SCRAMBLED EGGS Something has gone wrong at the Easter egg factory and the wrappers have got messed up. Draw lines to match the mixed-up halves. 3 SUN AND MOON Spot five differences between these two pictures from Miser and Merry. One picture is under the sun and the other is under the moon. 5…