Indholdsfortegnelse for March 2020 i Storytime

Spring was springing in Storyland, and it was time for the three bears to leave their beds after a long snoozy winter. Baby Bear was up first. He ran into his parents' room. “Time to get up, Mummy and Daddy! The sun is shining and spring is here!” Mummy Bear yawned and stretched and stuck a paw out of the covers. She put on her slippers and said, “Let’s have porridge to celebrate. Wake up, Daddy Bear!” Daddy Bear grumbled and groaned and snuggled deep under the covers. “Too cold!” he moaned. “Come on, Daddy!” said Baby Bear. “It’s not cold. It looks lovely outside.” With a twinkle in his eye, he crept over to Daddy Bear’s side of the bed and tugged off the covers – then he shrieked…

Hand in hand they dance in a row,Hither and thither, and to and fro, Flip! Flap! Flop! And away they go –Fluttering creatures as white as snow. Like restive horses they caper and prance;Like fairy-tale witches they wildly dance;Rounded in front, but hollow behind,They shiver and skip in the merry March wind. One I saw dancing excitedly,Struggling so wildly till she was free,Then, leaving pegs and clothes line behind her,She flew like a bird, and no one can find her. I saw her gleam, like a sail, in the sun,Flipping and flapping and flopping for fun.Nobody knows where she can now be,Hid in a ditch, or drowned in the sea. She was my handkerchief not long ago,But she'll never come back to my pocket, I know.…

Once upon a time, the son of a rich baron was riding along when he came to a meadow filled with beautiful purple flowers. He decided to take a shortcut through the field, but within moments he fell asleep. The horse stayed grazing in the meadow while the rider slept in the saddle. At last a crow flew down and pecked the horse. It reared up so suddenly, the rider was jolted awake. “What’s happening?” he cried. “I pecked your horse to wake you up,” squawked the crow. “This field is enchanted and you have been asleep here for three years!” The rider realised his beard was over a metre long, so he knew the crow was telling the truth. “How can I thank you, crow?” asked the rider. “You…

Edith was an inventor – the best inventor in town. Well, almost. Most of her inventions still needed some work! Edith’s amazing self-closing cat flap was brilliant – if only it hadn’t shut just when the cat was halfway through! And Edith’s whistle for calling her dog was wonderful. It was just a shame that everyone else’s dogs came running too when she blew it. When Edith heard there was a competition to invent a brand-new machine, she had to enter. Her idol, the famous inventor Jenny Rocket, was going to be the judge! Edith plotted and planned and, every day after school, she rushed home to work on her incredible invention. At last it was finished – just in time for the competition. Edith stood back to admire her…

Many years ago China was under attack by a fierce army of invaders, so the Emperor decreed that one man from every family must join the army and fight for his country. Huan Hu lived in a village in the north. He had once been a great general, but he was now too old and frail to go to war. His only son was still a toddler and he had a teenage daughter, Mulan, but women weren’t allowed to join the army. The whole family was deeply unhappy because they all knew Huan Hu would never survive another war. It worried Mulan so much that she couldn’t sleep at night. When the day came for him to leave, Mulan spoke up. “Father, I have learnt so much from you. You…

A poor seamstress lived in the dark basement of a big townhouse. She had to work long hours to make enough money to support her family, but she was happy, and she sang all day. A very rich man lived in the house above. His rooms were large and sunny. He wore fine clothes, and he always had plenty of good things to eat, but still he was never happy. All night long he lay awake worrying about money – how to make more, or how to keep what he had safe. Often he didn’t fall asleep until dawn. Now as soon as it was light, the poor seamstress began to work. She sat at her sewing machine and sang loudly. Her song floated up to the rooms of the…

Sir Lancelot was the bravest knight at King Arthur’s Round Table, but he was very rarely at Camelot because he was nearly always on a quest. The other knights longed to be as strong and courageous as Lancelot and wished they could join him. One day, this wish came true for Sir Lionel, who was Sir Lancelot’s young nephew. “Mount your horse,” said Sir Lancelot. “Let’s seek an adventure.” Sir Lionel was greatly honoured to be asked and rode off with Sir Lancelot into the green forest and over the hills beyond. The sun was beating down and the two knights felt hot in their armour, so they stopped for a rest in the shade of a large tree. Sir Lancelot decided to take a nap, so Sir Lionel kept…

How to Play To play, you need two players, a dice, two sheets of paper, two pencils and our Mulan’s Battle Counters. Print them off at storytimemagazine.com/ free Roll a dice to decide who will be Mulan and who will be the enemy. The highest number is Mulan. Also roll a dice to see who will move first – the player with the highest roll takes the first turn. Now each player must decide where they are going to place four of their warriors on the grid. They are in hiding, so don’t actually put them there and don’t let your opponent know! Secretly write down the grid references on your piece of paper. Player 1 chooses a square from the grid and places a warrior on it in plain…