Storytime Issue 62 will be popping into your postboxes this week, giving you the perfect excuse to curl up and indulge in the happiest of autumnal activities – reading! Yes, we’ve all squeezed the last drops out of summer. Now it’s time to wind down, embrace the darker nights and spend some quality time with stories. Music to our ears!
In this issue, we have a friendly mix of characters for you to meet, including a monster, dragon, elf, and mythical spider. Perfect to read with little ones at Halloween and beyond. Find out more about Storytime Issue 62 below.
Inside Storytime Issue 62
Firstly, our fable The Squabbling Siblings opens the issue. It’s a new take on Aesop’s fable, The Bundle of Sticks, and a great lesson in putting your differences aside to work as a team. Laura Proietti has done an excellent job of bringing our naughty puppies to life, which we hope will help children engage better.
Arachne shows off her weaving skills in Storytime Issue 62. Art by Gabi Tozati.
Long before Spiderman, there was Arachne the Spiderwoman from Greek mythology. In Storytime Issue 62, you can discover her story and find out how she gave her name to spiders. It’s a timely tale for a spidery Halloween, plus it comes with a message about not being boastful. Incidentally, we applaud Gabi Tozati’s art for this. It’s not easy illustrating someone who’s half-woman and half-spider!
Next up, we have an Around the World Tale from Brazil – How the Beetle Got Its Colourful Coat. When you start reading, you’ll think it’s another version of The Hare and the Tortoise. However, prepare for a clever surprise ending. Thank you Júnior Caramez for our bright and beautiful illustrations.
Our cover story is Monster Under the Bed, which has been expertly illustrated by Josh Cleland. If your child worries about the dark or unwelcome creatures hiding in their room, then this is the perfect story to allay their fears. What if the monster under the bed is scared of you – or even your pets? Find out what happens to our friendly monster in Storytime Issue 62. Warning! Reading this story will probably make you crave chocolate muffins.
A princess meets a jewel thief bunny in Storytime Issue 62’s fairy tale. Art by Vera Zatseya.
Back to the land of classic fairy tales – one of our most popular sections – and a special story from Portugal. The Princess’s Lost Rings is packed with many magical elements. It includes a princess with a precious collection, a jewel thief, a shape-shifting rabbit, a cursed prince, two forgetful storytellers and a donkey with backwards hooves. There’s so much to discuss after reading this story and there are fun things to do while you read it too. Vera Zatseya has created a stunning puzzle picture for you alongside her wonderful illustrations, so don’t miss it!
Continuing the fairy-tale theme, this issue’s Storyland Adventure follows Jack and Jill as they venture a bit further than up the hill. But, alas! They come face to face with a bad-tempered dragon. Giorgia Broseghini’s artwork for Jack and Jill and the Dragon is as lovely as ever and we hope you are enjoying this series.
We’re fully embracing autumn here in the UK. We love nothing better than collecting shiny conkers, splashing in puddles, admiring fiery leaf displays, and sitting around the fire pit with a warming stew. It might just be our favourite time of year, so Rachel Field’s poem Something Told the Wild Geese is the perfect accompaniment. It captures the changing seasons perfectly and is excellent to teach at KS2 level. In fact, you can download our teaching resource and lesson ideas for this poem here. Grab the issue and you can admire Shira Le’s illustrations too.
Finally, you can snuggle up in Storyteller’s Corner for a folk tale from Ireland. Billy and the Little Man is a tale of mischief, magic and marriage. Oh, and a lot of feasting too! Masha Klot has done a grand job of making the Little Man in question every bit as cheeky as he needs to be. Plus there are plenty of moments to make children laugh, question and cheer along with the action.
There are lots of activity ideas and free downloads to go with this issue, so check them out here. And, of course, we have our usual Playbox pages at the back of Storytime Issue 62 with puzzles, art challenges and a game. It’s learning to read… the fun way! But isn’t that how all learning should be?
Wishing you a very happy spooky season!
