Innehållsförteckning för January 2026 från Storytime

He'd convinced his parents to let him keep it in the shed and had put up shelves to hold his best specimens. There were bracket fungi and mushrooms on rotten wood, slimy jelly fungi, spindly yellow staghorns and scarlet elf cups. Alex was fascinated by all the forms they took! In jars were bits of food that had been taken over by furry, fuzzy or dusty moulds. Alex had put up flyers offering guided tours of his ‘funguseum’ around the neighbourhood. Nobody had taken him up on the offer… yet! Alex's mum and dad were happy that he was interested in science. For his birthday, they'd given him a microscope that would let him see his fungus friends in close-up! When looking through the microscope, Alex discovered other fascinating life…

The boys were charcoal burners. They would chop down trees with their axes and burn them to make charcoal. Though they were brothers, each one was quite different. Finn only thought of himself and Felix was always grumpy, but Lukas was kind to everyone. One evening, the three brothers stomped back home. Their mother greeted them with a smile and gave them a bowl of soup and a piece of bread each. “My portion is too small!” complained Finn. “This soup's too salty!” grumbled Felix. “Thank you, Mother!” said Lukas. While his brothers ate noisily, the youngest son told his mother about his day. Just then, they heard a knock at the door. Outside was a man dressed in green, with a crossbow under his arm and a golden horn…

1 DICE ROLLING! Yudhishthira is playing another game with his brothers, and he needs to add up the numbers shown on these dice. Are you a maths whiz who can help him? 2 MOUSTACHE MATCH Walruses are famous for their moustaches, but they all have a different style! Can you find the moustache that matches the one on the left? 3 FUN WITH FUNGI Petri dishes weren't the only mouldy things in Alex's shed! What are these objects under all the mould and fungi? 4 DANCING DRAGONS The celestial dragons have invited their friends to a dance party in the sky. How many can you spot in the picture below? 5 PLATO'S PUZZLES Are you smart enough to be a philosopher? Find out by answering these tricky questions! What are…

With a swish of her flippers, she swam down towards the bottom of the bay. The little walrus started searching for her favourite food – clams! Uki found them in the mud using the sensitive bristles on her snout. “Yum!” she thought. “There's nothing tastier than nice, crunchy shellfish!” When Uki had eaten her fill, she floated up to the surface. Her mum was waiting for her. “Did you have a nice breakfast, darling?” Lots of other walruses were bobbing nearby in the cold Arctic waves. “Yes… but I feel sleepy now!” Uki replied. “Why don't you take a nap on this ice floe?” Uki's mum helped the little walrus up onto the ice. The sun emerged from the clouds, and Uki felt pleasantly warm. It wasn't long before she…

There was also a fluffy little lapdog who lived in the house with the farmer and his family. He was fed tasty food in a silver bowl and slept in a warm basket by the fire. The farmer's children laughed and clapped when the pup ran around the house, chased his own tail or barked in a funny way. “Oh, what a cute fellow you are!” the farmer's wife said when the dog stood on two legs and begged. She gave him a piece of steak as a treat. The family was paying so much attention to the dog that they didn't notice the donkey peering in through the window. He looked a bit grumpy! Donkeys normally look grumpy, but this one had a reason. He felt envious of the…

In ancient times, the celestial dragons could be found there. Their scales glistened like jewels and their eyes shone like stars. They lived high in the heavens, far above the clouds, where the air was crisp and clear. The great green dragon was Longwei. His scales were the colour of emeralds. As he flew through the heavens, he left a trail of shimmering green light behind him. Longwei was strong and brave, and he defended the people of China with his long claws and fiery breath. Ling was the slender and graceful purple dragon. Her scales caught the sun like jewels, and her body flowed across the sky like a winding river. Purple and blue lights cascaded down as she passed. Ling and Longwei were friends. On long winter nights,…

“I don't see what's so great about it! There aren't any green leaves or colourful flowers!” grumbled Sienna. Her wellington boots left deep footprints in the snow. Ivy looked thoughtful. “But we can make snowmen and have snowball fights…” Sienna sighed. “For me, all winter means is shorter days and colder toes!” The two sisters left the park and went home. They didn't know that someone had been listening to them from behind a tree! He was a tiny fellow with a long, pointy nose. His hair was spiked with frost. Despite the cold, his feet were bare. “So the little girl doesn't think that winter can be wonderful?” he said in a voice like ice cracking on a pond. “Well, old Jack Frost will do something to cheer her…

Each brother was special in his own way. Yudhishthira was just and merciful. Bhima was as tall and strong as a tree. Arjuna was very clever and the greatest archer in the land. Nakula was the handsomest man in the world, and a master swordsman. Last was Sahadeva, the youngest, who was kind and always spoke wisely. They were known as the Pandava brothers. The boys were very young when their parents passed away. Their uncle, Andha Raja, became the new king, and the Pandavas were raised with their one hundred cousins, the Kauravas. Duryodhana, the eldest, was jealous of them. “They think they're so great!” he complained. “I bet they'll want the Kuru throne back!” His uncle, Shakuni, also hated the Pandavas. He told Duryodhana what to do. “You…