Need a mid-holiday pick-me-up to help you through the long summer break? Never fear, Storytime Issue 60 is here to occupy those “run out of stuff” moments or long journeys. Packed with an inspirational mix of stories, poetry, activities, puzzles and a game, it will keep your kids happily immersed and trigger their creativity too.

In this issue, we have a big bad wolf, a mysterious kelpie, rival siblings, a sun god, a daring girl gamer, a singing tortoise, a musical sea shell and Tom Thumb! Intrigued? Find out more about it and our talented contributors below.

Inside Storytime Issue 60

The perfect poem for summer – The Sea Shell by Amy Lowell plunges you into an ocean adventure with pirates, parrots and more! It’s a great and easy poem to learn off by heart. In particular, Coco Zool’s illustrations made our day.

This issue’s Famous Fable has a timely environmental theme. The Singing Tortoise is a story from Africa with a simple warning about meddling with nature. Maria Bazykina’s illustrations bring it to life beautifully.

In Storytime Issue 60’s Storyland Adventure, Tom Thumb finds out that it’s not easy going on exciting breaks when you’re tiny. However, his best friends, Hansel and Pinocchio step in to surprise him. Giorgia Broseghini provides yet more fantastic illustrations for this series.

Flemish fairy tale Mr Wolf’s Candy House is our centre and cover story in Storytime Issue 60. It features a big bad wolf, a house made of sweets, two daring (and slightly cheeky) children and some rebel ducks! They seemed like perfect story ingredients to us and we hope you agree. What’s more we hope you love Davide Ortu’s illustrations as much as we do!

We’re excited to bring you a new Tale from Today by a former journalist, experienced children’s fiction writer and sausage dog owner, Jenny Woods. Level Up sees a young girl gamer face a real-life quest to get to the top of a tower. The rewards are great, if only she dares! Many thanks to Patrick Corrigan for the perfect illustrations.

We have another fantastic Greek myth for you too – the story of Helios and Clytie. Helios is the fickle god of the sun and Clytie is the dolphin-riding sea nymph who loves him. Like many myths, the story lacks a happy ending, but it does explain how a particular flower came to be. Fascinating stuff – and it was great to work with Francesca de Luca again, who illustrated this for us. Teachers and home educators can pick up our free resource pack for this story by getting in touch here.

Have you heard of Scotland’s mysterious and troublesome kelpies? You can find out all about these watery wonders in our Storyteller’s Corner folk tale, illustrated by Forrest Burdett. This particular tale has magic and drama and, who knows… it might just be true! By the way, if you’re going to Scotland this summer, let us know if you spot a kelpie.

Finally, Giada Gatti has wonderfully illustrated a moral tale from Bangladesh called Clever Sister, Foolish Sister. This might just be the perfect story to whip out if you encounter sibling rivalry this summer as it’s all about sharing.

 

School’s out, but that doesn’t mean enjoying stories should be out too! Reading is something to be nurtured all year round – and reading together is a memory your kids will treasure forever. Also there’s something extra-special about reading together in the great outdoors – from the beach to the park – so get out there and enjoy it while you can! You might even come across a candy house in the woods or a singing tortoise in a quiet copse. Incidentally, you can get more suggestions for great places to read outdoors here.

 

Make it a Storytime summer!