Storytime may 2021

! e g n take the plu TM D A REwinning our o t r e t t e L et Earth! Plan HOOK’S ISLAND: A pirate captain makes a reptile friend! THE BIG GREEN KRAKEN The Raspberry Worm, The Bone-Hunter, Beowulf and a BASK OF CROCODILES! READING COMPREHENSION WRITING SUPPORTS THE ENGLISH NATIONAL CURRICULUM FULL OF INCREDIBLE ANIMALS! Awes TIC time plastic free! res entu e Adv om R UNTE H E N O THE B d calle village up – glish tle En to grow ed in a lit ce place poop ni s 1799, al in ry rn a ve anim of as bo asn’t farm cause ary w It w down, visit be Regis falling anted to Lyme were dy w ildings nobo the bu reet, and ell! st in the and the sm rt made the di ter He M The twelve peasant girls all spoke at once and this s what they said “My queen! We are sad to hear of your loss but we have twelve babies for you to care for n Rosanella’s place!” With that they took the covers off the cradles to reveal a dozen healthy baby girls Each one had a pink rose birthmark on her throat! Queen Balanice was amazed and agreed to raise them all as her own She dressed each one in a different colour so she could tell them apart The girls soon grew up and they were all k nd and intelligent But the queen realised that each one had a different nature She gave them names that reflected this One was Happy one was Wise another Grave and so on Beo and G wulf rende l Myth s and Over the years the palace became famous for its lovely princesses each wearing a different colour Many of the handsome lords and princes who visited fell in love with them but the pr ncesses refused any offers of marriage Adapte d from Le the Old En glish po ing H em ‘Beo roth wulf’ and he gar was th e rule loved held a r of th to pa gr e hall of eat banque rty! Every ni Danes, t in hi ght he H s gran would eorot, and d woo his lo feast den rds an and si d ng un til dayb warriors reak K ll rpen ing we ot d was n ily r fam m om and so es th d clo with ol ke e h! h b other r ll r e c was a LION IN LOVE of the Jungle ! The King gets a makeov er r fa out fo watch n t e b ted ge r nge h i ” eea ey wer he Wasps and the bees T hroughout the woods, all the insects were gossiping about a honeycomb that had been found in an old tree It was filled with delicious golden honey, and many creatures wanted to claim it for themselves The bees said that the honeycomb was their property but the wasps disagreed “We are quite certain that the honey is ours!” one of them buzzed “I almost certainly remember making it!” Now the bees and the wasps argued for a long time and became angry at each other Their argument might have led to fighting and stinging but a wise hornet stepped in The wasps and the bees agreed because they trusted the hornet and knew that he was both wise and fair “Aha!” said the bee lawyer “We bees are coloured black and yellow so the honey must be ours!” The next day all the insects and creepy crawlies in the forest gathered in a clearing to see the case be tried The hornet watched over them all from his place high up on a toadstool He wore a big white wig that made him look very important “Objection!” buzzed the wasp lawyer “We are also black and yellow so that proves nothing!” First the bees brought a snail as a witness The slimy little fellow blinked his stalked eyes and said “Last year I remember seeing some flying insects buzzing around the tree Though I cannot see well I remember that they were black and yellow!” The next witness was a ladybird “I saw many insects buzzing around that tree!” she said “They definitely had stingers!” “That is all the proof you need!” said the wasp confidently “We wasps are famous for our stingers!” “Not so!” replied the bee lawyer “We bees also have stingers which are just as impressive as yours!” COUNT IT! tools How many toads Write the can you spot? total here: “We not need to fight over honey!” he said “Both sides shoul and I will be the ju www.storytimemagazine.com/win Answer: there are toadstools e s b A JUN K TI E 'S on and the Arg onauts, Th an who w YARD GE NIUS ill harn ess th e wind ! NE JOIN US ON A JOURNEY ! H T N O M T X NE TM d n i f u o y l l i w What ? e u s s i g n i t i c x e s i h t n I g in it a w s r e d n o w It’s full of d n la n o – d e r e v o to be disc ! r e t a w e h t r e d and un : o t s g n o l e b e u s s i s i h T ! T I T SPO r Croc, “Miste tried ou y e v a h ?” g n i f r u s Storytime™ magazine is published every month by Storytime Magazine Ltd, 90 London Rd, London, SE1 6LN © Storytime Magazine Ltd, 2021 All rights reserved No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher Printed by Warner Group Editorial Director: Lulu Skantze Editor: Sven Wilson Commercial Director: Leslie Coathup Storytime and its paper suppliers have been independently certified in accordance with the rules of the FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council)® www.storytimemagazine.com ILLUSTRATORS: Matteo Gaggia The Wasps and the Bees Miriam Serafin The Bone-Hunter Valeria Abatzoglu Rosanella Giorgia Broseghini Hook’s Island Dyru (Julia Körner) The Big Green Kraken Beatriz Mayumi The Raspberry Worm Rogério Coelho The King of Crocodiles Rowena Aitken Beowulf and Grendel This issue was inspired by Y OUR amazing letters to Planet E arth! ad happily ever after Fam us Fables Storyteller’s Corner The Wa asps and the bees The raspberry Worm The stin nging insects have an argume ent about who owns a particullarly tasty honeycomb! What will you find? A kind deed leads to a happy ending for two little girls lost in the forest Awesome Adventures Around the World Tales The Bone-hunter The king of Crocodiles The true tale t of a little girl and the a amazing prehistoric creaturess she discovered! The story of a girl who marries a crocodile – and finds out there is more to him than meets the eye! Favourite Fairy Tales Myths and Legends rosanella Beowulf and grendel 14 A magical story about true love – and twelve rainbowcoloured princesses! ort Stories, Big Dreams Hook’s island When Captain Hook is trapped on a tropical island, he decides to go surfing with an old foe! 20 Tales from Today big green kraken Pippa an underwater ventur and makes a new frie 22 ORY T S R E V O C OUR The classic tale of a brave hero who battles a terrifying swampmonster – and his mum! 34 39 Storytime Playbox Find your way through a forest maze, some fossil sums, and have fun with an eco-friendly rubbish-collecting game Story Ma c Read the runner-up in our letter contest, check out three new book reviews, and enter a competition! 44 50 SEE Read the winning letter to planet Earth! PAGE 27 HELP YOUR KIDS CATCH UP ON READING WITH THIS SPECIAL OFFER! Reading and roaring are two of my favourite things! • READING CATCH-UP PACK Tips, games, car ds, charts, rewards, activities & more ! • A BUNDLE OF MAGAZINES Perfect for summ er catch-up reading ! • A STORYTIME SUBSCRIPTION Receive a new is sue every month! VISIT WWW.STORYTIMEMAGAZINE.COM/READING TO SIGN UP FOR THE READING CATCH-UP OFFER! Famous Fables The Wasps and the bees T hroughout the woods, all the insects were gossiping about a honeycomb that had been found in an old tree It was filled with delicious golden honey, and many creatures wanted to claim it for themselves The bees said that the honeycomb was their property, but the wasps disagreed “We are quite certain that the honey is ours!” one of them buzzed “I almost certainly remember making it!” Now, the bees and the wasps argued for a long time, and became angry at each other Their argument might have led to fighting and stinging, but a wise hornet stepped in “We not need to fight over honey!” he said “Both sides should present their case in court – and I will be the judge!” ! T I T N U O C dstools a o t y n a m How rite the W ? t o p s u can yo total here: The wasps and the bees agreed, because they trusted the hornet and knew that he was both wise and fair “Aha!” said the bee-lawyer “We bees are coloured black and yellow, so the honey must be ours!” The next day, all the insects and creepy-crawlies in the forest gathered in a clearing to see the case be tried The hornet watched over them all from his place high up on a toadstool He wore a big white wig that made him look very important “Objection!” buzzed the wasp-lawyer “We are also black and yellow, so that proves nothing!” “That is all the proof you need!” said the wasp confidently “We wasps are famous for our stingers!” “Not so!” replied the bee-lawyer “We bees also have stingers, which are just as impressive as yours!” Answer: there are toadstools First, the bees brought a snail as a witness The slimy little fellow blinked his stalked eyes and said, “Last year, I remember seeing some flying insects buzzing around the tree I cannot see well, but I am sure that they were black and yellow!” The next witness was a ladybird “I saw many insects buzzing around that tree!” she said “They definitely had stingers!” After hearing all the evidence, the hornet-judge was not sure what to say It seemed that the honey could belong to the bees or the wasps! However, there was a buzz as the elderly queen bee entered the court She walked slowly towards the hornet’s toadstool and said, “Your honour, I know how we can prove who the honey belongs to!” “Oh yes?” said the hornet, twitching his antennae “What you suggest?” “Simple!” said the queen “Let the bees and the wasps each build a honeycomb Then we can see whose honeycomb looks like the one in the tree!” The bees were proud of their honeycomb-building skills, and buzzed with excitement “Yes! We will make the biggest and waxiest honeycomb you have ever seen!” The wasps, however, were less keen They built nests of paper, but making a honeycomb was quite beyond them They didn’t say anything The hornet declared, “Wasps! If you can’t make a honeycomb, then this honeycomb must have been built by the bees After all, a person’s ability is proved by what they can do!” Awesome Adventures THE BONE-HUNTER M ary was born in 1799, in a little English village called Lyme Regis It wasn’t a very nice place to grow up – the buildings were falling down, farm animals pooped in the streets, and nobody wanted to visit because of the dirt and the smell! Her dad Richard was a carpenter He made furniture, but his business was not doing well in the poor village Mary and her family had to make with old clothes and sometimes went hungry There was one good thing about Lyme Regis, though: it was right by the beach! Richard would take Mary and her big brother Joseph to explore the shore under the tall cliffs overlooking the sea – but always told them to watch out for falling rocks! Mary would find strange fossil bones and shells on the sand and in the cliffs, and was fascinated by them “What strange creatures did these come from, and what did they look like when they were alive?” she wondered Things were about to change in the little seaside village A new road to London was built, so it was easier for people to visit The king spoke to the farmer and said, “Your daughter must now go with me to my palace beneath the river – but come back here in a year and you can go down to visit her in my kingdom!” The crocodile took Aruna’s hand and led her to the edge of the river As they approached, a tunnel formed in the water, leading down to the riverbed Aruna, the King of Crocodiles and the wedding party marched into the tunnel and disappeared The muddy brown river flowed back when they had passed, closing the tunnel The farmer and his wife watched all this in amazement before returning to their little house As the months passed, their fields gave a great harvest, but they missed their daughter Aruna terribly On the anniversary of Aruna’s marriage to the King of Crocodiles, the farmer and his wife went to the riverbank as they had been asked A tunnel formed in the river waters in front of them, revealing a path that led down into the depths They stepped onto the riverbed and walked down beneath the river The farmer and his wife went deeper and deeper through this tunnel, until they came to a magnificent palace It was made of carved marble, and surrounded by fine trees and bushes that were full of fragrant flowers As they approached the door, they heard a cry from inside the palace, and their daughter came rushing out to greet them She was dressed in silks and jewels fit for a queen, and looked happy and healthy She hugged them both and said, “Thank you for visiting me, for I have missed you so much! I am happy here, and my beloved prince takes good care of me He should be back any minute!” The farmer replied, “I am glad that you are happy in this beautiful palace – if only your husband was as goodlooking as it is!” With that, they heard the sound of trumpets, and a handsome man in golden armour rode up, followed by many servants The farmer was surprised, and said, “Who are you, good sir? And where is the great King of Crocodiles, my daughter’s husband?” 38 The handsome prince laughed and said, “I am the King of Crocodiles! This is my true form, which I take on in my kingdom!” Then his face turned serious “Your daughter misses you both Would you like to live with us in our palace beneath the river?” The couple gulped and replied that they surely would They lived happily with Aruna in the palace of the King of Crocodiles, and the farmer tended the gardens so that they became even more beautiful than before Learn IT! bask A group of crocodiles is called a words See if you can find out what the for a group of crows, snails, and otters are, as well! Myths and Legends and Grendel Adapted from the Old English poem ‘Beowulf’ K ing Hrothgar was the ruler of the Danes, and he loved to party! Every night he held a great banquet in his grand wooden hall of Heorot, and his lords and warriors would feast and sing until daybreak 39 The warriors in the hall just laughed at the swamp-monster and told him to go away – but this made Grendel even angrier! Using his great strength, he smashed open the door and charged into the hall, knocking aside Hrothgar’s warriors and overturning the banquet-table After gobbling all of Hrothgar’s food and terrifying his guests, Grendel slunk back to his swamp and went to sleep In the swamp nearby, there lived a large and grumpy monster named Grendel He had thick matted fur, hooked claws and huge saucer-like eyes that shone like lanterns The sound of Hrothgar’s parties kept Grendel awake at night, and this made him upset! One evening, he said to himself “I’ve had quite enough of this!” He went to Heorot and began banging on the door and yelling at them to keep the noise down This attack frightened the king and his underlings They no longer held parties at night, but instead grasped their weapons and waited in fear, lest Grendel should return! Hrothgar’s people wondered if a king who was frightened of a monster was fit to rule a kingdom! Some weeks later, a young and handsome hero named Beowulf visited Heorot with fourteen warriors He had come all the way from Geatland in what is now Sweden Beowulf had heard stories about the monster terrifying Heorot He was determined to defeat Grendel – and make a name for himself as a mighty hero!! Beowulf asked Hrothgar to prepare a great feast that evening He knew that the noise would surely attract the attention of Grendel! When the party was in full swing that night, the revellers heard a fu ious thumping and crashing outside It was Gren l, and he w s angry! The monster broke through the hastily repaired doors of Heorot, but found himself surrounded Beowulf and his me They fought him furi y with swords, axes and spears – but discovered that the monster’s fur was enchanted and coul not be pierced by weapons Grendel laughed and began triking a his foes with his long, muddy claws Beowulf was brave a d would not give up, however Throwin his sword aside, he grabbed the mons er’s arm and began yanking on it This really hurt Grendel and he tried to get away, but Beowul would not let go In fact, he pulled so hard tha arm off! Grendel yelped in surprise – he had not expected that! He ran all the way back to his swamp to hide How d you s o ay it? Beow ulf: B AY -o-wu Grend lf el: GR EN-di Hroth l gar: h ROTH Heoro -gar t: HAY -o-rot Geatl and: G EET-la nd 41 Hrothgar was very impressed that Beowulf had defeated the monster The next night, he held a great feast in honour of the hero Hrothgar’s men cheered for Beowulf, who waved Grendel’s arm above his head However, the celebration was interrupted by a ferocious banging The doors of the hall were smashed off their hinges, and into the hall strode a monster even bigger and more ferocious than Grendel It was Grendel’s mother, and she had come to complain about what Beowulf had done to her child! “You terrible humans disturb us at night with your parties!” she shrieked “And now that bully Beowulf has hurt my son and is showing off his arm as a trophy!” She began to smash up the hall, terrifying the gathered warriors, before going back to the swamp Beowulf followed her footprints back to the dismal marsh Her tracks ended at the edge of a green, slimy pool, and the hero knew that her lair must be down there somewhere He dived into the murky waters and swam down to a hidden underwater cavern Its floor was littered with bones and rusty weapons, and the walls were covered with glowing slime There he found a snivelling Grendel – and his monstrous mother When she noticed Beowulf, she attacked him – and the hero discovered that his sword could not hurt her, either! A blow from her claws sent him flying into the wall, and he had the wind knocked out of him However, on the ground he saw a huge sword, half-covered in slime and bones It glowed, as if enchanted with magic spells! As Grendel’s mother charged towards him, Beowulf picked up the mighty sword and swung it at her, wounding her terribly She shrieked in pain and fled the cave, never to return – and Grendel ran after her Neither of them was ever seen again Beowulf swam up out of the monsters’ dank lair and returned to Heorot, where Hrothgar was waiting for him The king patted Beowulf on the shoulder and boomed, “Thank you for defeating those terrible monsters! People will still be telling your tale hundreds of years from now!” 43 o b y a Pl Make a fun fan, decorate a colourful reptile ruler, and help the Big Green Kraken clean u t n EXIT Pretend you are the bi d who has to guide Lisa nd Aina from the raspberr patch to their home Can you find the path they should take? Also, how many berries can y u find to eat as snacks? RT STA WHO’S THE MONSTER? Beowulf has carved the name of a monster on the wall – but he has put it in code! Work out what the monster’s name is by crossing out every second letter! E H T H C T A M YCOMB HONE parts e m o S ! Uh-oh new s ’ e e b e h of t fallen e v a h b m honeyco k out r o w u o ny out – ca elong b s e c e i which p and – s e c a sp in which t fit ’ n s e o d ece which pi ere? h w y n a in C B A MAKE A PAPAYA ASK A FAN! GROWN-UP! Keep cool like Captain Hook with this foldable fan! • • • • • • • • You will need: two A4 sheets of orange paper, scissors, a black marker pen, a glue stick (or sticky tape) and two ice lolly sticks Cut the two sheets of paper in half lengthwise – you will need three of the half-sheets to make your fan At one end of the three half-sheets of paper, draw lots of dots with the black marker – these are papaya seeds! Fold each of the halves concertina-style, making the folds across the narrow edge Each fold should be 1cm wide Stick the three sheets of folded paper together at the narrow edges so they make one long piece of concertina-folded paper Spread glue on both sides of an ice lolly stick – except for the last 3cm! Then insert the glued area of the stick into the last fold on one end of the folded concertina and press so the glue sticks firmly Leave the 3cm of the stick with no glue sticking out of the fold That will be the handle! (You can also use sticky tape to attach the stick to the folded paper.) Repeat with the other stick at the other end of the folded paper To use your new fan, bring the two ice lolly sticks together as shown in the illustration, making the paper unfold in a circular pattern Wave it to keep cool! ! P I T D You can make other fruit-fans too! Try using red and green paper, for a watermelon effect! BLING THE KING The King of Crocodiles is getting ready for his wedding! Draw cool jewellery and decoration onto this picture, and then colour it in! RAINBOW PRINCESSE These dancing princesses should be arranged in the ord der of the colours of the rainbow – which three princesses belong in the empty spaces? B FOSSIL Little Mary Anning is selling some of her fine fossils to customers How many shillings is each of these groups of fossils worth? ITE B O L TRI ing ill Sh AMMONIT E Shilling s C A E D = + B + C + + L SKUL ings ill h S + = + = ANSWERS: The Berry Maze – see below, and there are 25 berries; Who’s the Monster? – GRENDEL; Match the Honeycomb – D, C, B, A doesn’t fit; All the Rainbow Princesses – D; Fossil Sums! A 9, B 13, C 6 A THE BIG GREEN ECO-ADVENTURE This is a board game with a difference! You don’t win by getting to the end first – instead, you win by picking up the most rubbish and making the ocean a nicer place! om/free to c e in z a g a timem ture Go to story Big Green Eco-Adven he e Pippa, h t t u o t u download t c Print and t e e h ounters, s c r n e t e n k a r cou K Dad and ’s a p p i P , ters k n u o c Shar h is b b ll the ru as well as a lay as p o t t n a w racter you a h c h ic h t your w u P ! t s Pick r fi s k player pic t s e g n u o T space y R A T The S e h t n ounter o character c rubbish g in t t u p s n n take tur e h t s rd The r a e o y b a l e P h t f o squares e h t n ext to a o n s r h e is t b b u r coun t u can’t pu o y , is e l u h on it! r is b b only u r s a h already square that t many a h t e v o m dice and a l l o r t player s s r e e g y n a u o Pl y e oard – th b e h t n o s s rolling, e n r u t e squar k a t n layers the P t you land s r If fi s n l l io o t r c e ir lockwise d c a keep it! in o t g t in e o g g u o y rubbish, f o e c ie p a on ched the a e r e v a h s player After all the should o y d o b y r e v are, e he hav t h is b b FINISH squ u r f pieces o y n a m w most s o h e h t up h it w r e he play r has e y a l p e n gathered T o more than f sh, (I ! r b e u n r in f o w s e c the mber of pie u n t s e h ig h the ners!) in w l l a e r a they 48 10 y a l P o t How T R S 22 19 18 24 n i F 21 20 h is 23 17 11 16 15 STORY MAGIC Find out about three fabulous new books – and read the runner-up in our Letter to Planet Earth contest! F O S k O O B H T N O M E H T IF I HAD AN OCTOPUS by Gabby Dawnay, illustrated by Alex Barrow (Thames & Hudson) is a gorgeously illustrated book about how amazing it would be to have an octopus as a pet The pictures and rhyming text are great fun, and you will learn a lot about our tentacled friends by reading it, too! THIS IS NOT A UNICORN by Barry Timms, illustrated by Ged Adamson (Nosy Crow) stars one of our favourite mythical creatures The zany artwork and bouncy rhyming text make it clear that unicorns can all kinds of incredible things! Want to find out more? Then read this book! BIG FEELINGS by Alexandra Penfold, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman (Bloomsbury) is a quirky and lovingly illustrated tale about a group of children playing together – but it is also about the different emotions they experience! Reading this book with someone else is a great way to start a discussion about naming and coping with feelings COMPETITION RUNNER-UP! Dear Plan et Earth, My name is Adam a nd I am alm you are m ost yea y home pla rs old Yes n e t, and I’m know how , writing to much I ca let you re about y ou You are h ome to m any wond flowers, o erful thin ceans, an gs such as im a ls and of sorry we course hu have not mans! I’m taken car e of you a I’m going s we shou to try my ld have very best by reducin t o k eep you h g pollution ealthy and waste atmosphe that harm re your I’m alread y using m etal straw future I w s instead ill reduce of plastic h o w my family much pap In the er I use an to buy re d encoura cycled th ings ge We all sho uld work together to make a Best wish differenc es e Adam CONGRATULATIONS TO ADAM RUMBLE, AGED 7! WIN! Do you know w hich sto the sent ry ence on p a Send us ge is f your ans rom? wer to e to win th nter a dr is month aw ’s books storytim – go t : emagaz ine.com win NEXT MONTH: A magic mirror that shows you who you really are! ... r u s Storytime? ?? magazine is published every month by Storytime Magazine Ltd, 90 London Rd, London, SE1 6LN © Storytime Magazine Ltd, 2021 All rights reserved No part of this magazine may be... Director: Leslie Coathup Storytime and its paper suppliers have been independently certified in accordance with the rules of the FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council)® www.storytimemagazine.com ILLUSTRATORS:... BUNDLE OF MAGAZINES Perfect for summ er catch-up reading ! • A STORYTIME SUBSCRIPTION Receive a new is sue every month! VISIT WWW.STORYTIMEMAGAZINE.COM/READING TO SIGN UP FOR THE READING CATCH-UP