Innehållsförteckning för July 2024 från Storytime

“Who can that be?” yawned the cat. She, the dog, the rooster and the donkey got up and opened the door a crack. A pale face stared in at them. The animals recognised one of the robbers that they had driven out of the house with their ‘music’! “Er, hello!” the robber stammered. “I ran away and got lost in the woods! I’m really wet and cold – may I please come in?” The animals had a discussion while the poor fellow shivered on the doorstep. “Can we trust him?” hissed the cat. “He needs help,” growled the dog, “and he certainly seems sorry!” The donkey said, “We were lucky to find shelter, so surely we can’t turn someone else away!” “You can come in,” the rooster told the robber,…

In 43 CE the Roman emperor Claudius sent his legions to take over southern Britain. They conquered the Celtic peoples who lived there and made them part of the Roman Empire. When the western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 CE, tribes from what is now northern Germany attacked Britain’s shores. They were called the Angles and the Saxons (or ‘AngloSaxons’), and they took over much of what is now England. (The country was named after the Angles!) In 793 CE, Vikings from Norway and Denmark began raiding the Anglo-Saxons. King Alfred the Great was a Saxon leader who held them back for a while – you can read about him in Storytime issue 92. Knut the Viking gathered a great fleet and invaded England in 1015 CE. After fourteen months…

This is a story about a girl who had several names. Her parents called her Joan – but when she got to kindergarten, there were too many Joans in her class! The teacher called her by her second name: Ruth. Her family had their own nickname for her. When she was a baby, she kicked so much that they called her ‘Kiki’! Kiki’s father, Nathan, was a kind man who worked for his family’s business. Her mum, Celia, was clever and loving… but wasn’t afraid of being strict if necessary! They lived in Flatbush, New York, in the same house as her uncle and aunt. They were one of many Jewish families who lived in that area. The street was a playground for the neighbourhood children. After their homework was…

BRILLIANT PICTURE BOOKS! PINK TRUCKS by Sam Clarke, illustrated by Cory Reid (Five Quills) is about a boy called Stink, who really likes trucks. But why can’t he get a pink one? The book has a fun,dynamic layout and bright and cheerful illustrations which are very appropriate for a book that questions unspoken gender rules about colours! BILLIE’S BUZZ by Alison Brown (Farshore) stars a plucky little insect who is determined to win a pet contest. However, Billie is worried that people might not like her if they find out that she is… a bee! The artwork is charming and humorous, and the story itself has a touching message about being accepted for who you are. PERLA THE MIGHTY DOG by Isabel Allende, illustrated by Sandy Rodríguez (Bloomsbury) tells us his own tale…

Knut was a mighty king. He was the ruler of Denmark, but that wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to conquer more land and show everyone that he was the greatest ruler of them all! That is why he summoned an army of fierce Viking warriors and set out to invade England. They sailed across the sea in a huge fleet and stormed onto the English beaches. The Anglo-Saxons who lived there tried to fight back, but they were no match for Knut’s Vikings! After many battles, the people of Britain surrendered and accepted Knut as their king. He was pleased, because he now had two kingdoms and a reputation as a great warrior! He also conquered Norway and other bits of Scandinavia. To show off how powerful he was,…

Ruth Bader got a scholarship to study Government at Cornell University and came top in her class. She then earned a degree in Law from Harvard Law School and Columbia University. Despite being one of only nine women in her class of 500, she tied for first place in her class at Columbia Law School. When she married, she took the name Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She went on to become a law professor and worked for the American Civil Liberties Union, focusing on women’s rights. Ruth fought against gender discrimination in many cases. She then became a judge. In 1993, Ruth was chosen as a justice of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the United States. She was the second woman (and the first Jewish woman) to serve on…

Bingo is a fun game where players cross off items on a card – the first one to cross them ALL off is the winner. In this version, you play it while being read fairy tales! GATHER YOUR FRIENDS! To play, you need 2-4 players, one ‘caller’ who will read the stories, three fairy tales (which you can find in issues of Storytime) and a Fairy Tale Bingo card and pencil for each player. You can download a sheet with four bingo cards on it using the QR code on the right. Print out the sheet and cut out the cards with a pair of scissors. HOW TO PLAY: Once all the players have their bingo cards and pencils, the caller starts reading a story. If the story mentions one…