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The Enormous Turnip, The Salmon of
Knowledge, King Duck and PUZZLES!
“One can’t have too many friends.”
 Favo ol d
urite stories
a nd new await you !
Explore our new Alphabet Zoo, learn
about the animals there, and enjoy a funny
fairy tale, a friendly fable and a fishy legend!
This issue belongs to:

blished every Illustrators:

Storytime™ magazine is pu Tim Budgen  Alphabet Zo
o
dio 2B18,
month by Luma Works, Stu Fermín Solís The Salmon
of Knowledge
London Rd,
Southbank Technopark, 90 Tihomir Celanovic  King Du
ck
rmo us Turnip
London, SE1 6LN. Paco Sordo The Eno
nt and the Dog
Pablo Olivero The Elepha
All rights and the Wood Fairy
© Luma Creative Ltd, 2017. Teresa Martinez Betushka
gazine ning of the Armadillos
reserved. No part of this ma Fabiana Faiallo The Begin
d without
may be used or reproduce

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publisher.
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On the
cover Read happily ever after...
Poems and Rhymes

Alphabet Zoo: A
The first in a new poetry series from
Bonnie and Boo’s special zoo!
6
Myths and Legends Around the World Tales
The Salmon of Knowledge
Irish hero Finn MacCool gets
an unexpected gift from a fish!
10 Betushka and the
Wood Fairy
A little girl meets a magical 32
dancing partner.

Storyteller’s Corner Brilliant Books

King Duck
A clever little duck becomes
a king – with the help of some
unlikely friends.
14 The Beginning of the
Armadillos
By Rudyard Kipling. How the 38
armadillo came to the Amazon.

Favourite Fairy Tales Storytime Playbox

The Enormous Turnip

20 46
Play our ABC game, make
paper dolls, and test your
An old man’s vegetable patch
brainpower with our puzzles!
produces a huge surprise.

Famous Fables Story Magic

27 50
The Elephant and the Dog Catch up with our favourite
A Sri Lankan fable about the zoo stories, this year’s first
importance of friendship. Book of the Month and more!
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Poems and Rhymes

Alphabet Zoo
nth, Boo and Bonnie’s grandpa owns a magical
This mo
, please zoo. Only one person is allowed to enter
readers
ay for
make w nning and that’s ... YOU!
begi
animals letter

L
with the

A! et’s see the Aardvark with its strange sticky tongue,

Just perfect for scooping up ants all day long.
With rabbity ears and a cute piggy snout,
It tunnels by day and at night it comes out.

6
Aardvark means earth pig, but we never knew,
It too has a tail like a kangaroo!
A hog, a ’roo, a burrowing bunny –
No wonder an Aardvark looks so funny!

Next door lives its friend, the Armadillo,

A curious armour-plated fellow.
It curls itself up like a leathery ball,
Protecting itself from a predator’s maul.

Don’t sneak up or you’ll get a surprise,

An Armadillo can jump six feet high!
But normally it’s quite a laid-back chap,
Insects for brek and a sixteen-hour nap.
 Deep in the reptile house … the Alligator,
One of the scariest beasts in nature.
With super-strong jaws to catch its prey,
And snappy teeth, so keep out of its way!

It waddles on land, but in water it glides,

Swishing its muscular tail side to side.
If you’re lucky our ’gator will sing for you,
Like a bellowing tuba: boom, boom, boom …

ANIMAL FACT!
Alligators really do ‘sing’ when they want to attract a mate.
When they sing, the water around them jumps and sprinkles,

8
as though it’s dancing! Visit storytimemagazine.com/free
for our Alphabet Zoo Fact Sheet.
Out in the field, Alpacas from Peru,
You might think they’re pulling faces at you.
Cousins of camels, related to llamas,
Their furry fleece is a favourite with farmers.

They’ll happily graze on grass together,

A herd of Alpacas, best friends forever,
But who’s that little one sleeping, just here?
A baby Alpaca – it’s called a cria!

Sshh, it’s bedtime for this little one.

See you next time for more animal fun!

9
Myths and Legends

The Salmon of
Knowledge
W hen the giant Finn MacCool was just a wee lad, his family
sent him away to be educated by old Finnegas, the wisest
man in all of Ireland.

Now, Finnegas lived by the banks of a pool with cool crystal waters, which
lay right next to the River Boyne. For seven long years, Finnegas had been
trying to hook one particularly special fish there. This fish was the magical
Salmon of Knowledge, and local legend said that just
one bite of the fish would give the person who
caught it all the wisdom in the world.

10
However, no matter how many hours Finnegas fished, day or night, he could
not catch the slippery character.

When Finn MacCool arrived at Finnegas’s little house, the old man was pleased
to have some company at last, and was delighted to share all that he had learnt.
The two got on well and Finn was a keen learner.

One day, as they sat at the edge of the pool with Finnegas teaching young Finn
MacCool how to write poetry, a glorious flash of silver caught the old man’s eye.
He leapt to his feet. “That’s it! I know it is. Seven long years and, at last, it’s here!
It’s the Salmon of Knowledge!” he cried.

Finn looked into the pool and, indeed, he saw a giant salmon, streaking through
the water like mercury. Finnegas quickly snatched his strongest net and dropped
it into the pool. He splashed about, trying to haul in the colossal catch.

After a mighty struggle, he managed to

catch the fish in the net and drag it out
of the water. But as he pulled it in,
the salmon took a mighty leap
towards the old man, and poor
Finnegas fell backwards.

11
Finn MacCool hastily grabbed the fish before it could wriggle back into the pool
and gripped it tightly in his giant hands. The battle with the salmon had exhausted
old Finnegas. “I need to rest, lad. Cook up the fish for me and I’ll eat it later,” he
said, then he retreated into his house for a nap.

So, while Finnegas slept, Finn built a great fire and prepared the massive fish. He
cooked it slowly on a spit over the flames. It smelt mouth-wateringly good. The
fish was almost ready when Finnegas began to stir from his sleep.

“It’s nearly done, sir – come and enjoy it,” called Finn, and he turned the spit once
more. However, just as he did so, the fire sizzled and a drop of piping hot oil from
the fish splashed onto his thumb. Without thinking, Finn put his thumb straight
into his mouth to ease the burning pain. At that very moment, he felt a rush of
knowledge flood his brain, and he was overwhelmed by deep and clever
thoughts. His mind felt more alive than ever before!

When old Finnegas saw the brightness in Finn’s eyes, he guessed that something
had happened. The young giant’s expression had completely changed.
12
“Did you eat some of the fish?” asked Finnegas, unable
to hide his frustration. Legend has it
that the Salmon of
“No, I swear I didn’t,” cried Finn. Knowledge carried such
wisdom because it ate
“Tell me the truth, lad!” demanded Finnegas. nine hazelnuts that
had fallen into the
Then Finn remembered the hot oil burning his skin mythical Well of
and he explained to the old man what had happened. Wisdom.
Finnegas sighed – there was nothing he could do now.

“Ah well,” he shrugged. “It seems all the wisdom in the world was meant for you
and not I, young man.” He congratulated Finn and patted him on the back, then
they enjoyed a feast of freshly caught salmon.

Finn MacCool, with all the wisdom in the world, no longer needed Finnegas to
teach him, so he set off for home and became the bravest hero Ireland ever had
– and whenever he needed some wisdom, all he had to do was bite his thumb!

13
 King Duck
Storyteller’s Corner

T here was once a duck who was very smart – so smart that he
had amassed a fortune from his business dealings. You could
say that he was a small duck with big brains.

Alas, the king of the land was quite the opposite. He was greedy and foolish,
and he emptied the royal purse on extravagant treats, while his people worked
hard and lived humble lives. When the king had used up all the money in the
treasury, he visited Duck and asked for a loan.

Duck was happy to help the king at first, but after two years of giving him money
and, with no sign of ever being repaid, Duck decided to pay the king a visit.

Early one morning he set off for the palace wearing his finest clothes. As he
waddled along the road, he sang, “Quack, quack, I’m off to get my money back!”

He hadn’t gone far when he bumped into his friend Fox.

“Good morning, Duck!” said Fox. “Where are you heading at this early hour?”

“I’m going to see the king to get my money back,” quacked Duck.

14
“Oh, please let me come!” said Fox. “I’ve always
wanted to see the royal palace.”

“Very well,” said Duck. “One can’t have too many

friends, but it’s a long way and you’ll soon get tired.
Why not make yourself very small, then jump down
my throat and I’ll carry you along in my tummy?”

“Brilliant idea!” said Fox, and he did exactly as Duck told him.

Duck waddled on along the road, singing, “Quack, quack, I’m

off to get my money back!”

He soon came to a ladder, leaning against an apple tree. “Hey there,

Duck!” said Ladder. “Where are you going at this time of the day?”

“I’m going to see the king to get my money back,” quacked Duck.

“Oh, please let me join you!” said Ladder. “I’ve always wanted to see
the royal palace.”

“Very well,” said Duck. “One can’t have too many friends, but how will
you walk? I know – why not make yourself very small, then jump down
my throat and I’ll carry you along in my tummy?”

“Brilliant idea!” said Ladder, and it did exactly as Duck told it.

Rhyme It!
Can you make up a rhyme
for Duck to sing? What else
rhymes with ‘quack’?

15
With a shake of his tail feathers, Duck my throat and I’ll carry you along in
set off again, singing, “Quack, quack, my tummy?”
I’m off to get my money back!”
“Brilliant idea!” said River, and it did
Before long, he came to a long river exactly as Duck told it.
meandering through a meadow.
By now, Duck’s tummy was getting
“Hello, Duck!” gurgled River. “Why
quite full. However, he waddled along
are you walking when you could
the road, still singing, “Quack, quack,
be bobbing along on me?”
I’m off to get my money back!”
“I’m going to see the king to get my
Outside the city walls, he met a queen
money back,” quacked Duck.
bee, leading her troops into a hive.
“Oh, please can I tag along?” asked “Welcome, Duck!” buzzed Queen Bee.
River. “I’ve always wanted to see the “What brings you to the city?”
royal palace.”
“I’m going to see the king to get my
“Very well,” said Duck. “One can’t money back,” quacked Duck.
have too many friends, but don’t burst
“Oh, please can we come with you?”
your banks to join me. Why not make
said Queen Bee. “We’ve always
yourself really small, then jump down
wanted to see the royal palace.”

16
“Very well,” said Duck. “One can’t “Please, tell him I am here and that I
have too many friends, but they might insist on seeing him today,” said Duck.
not be pleased to see you. Why not
Duck waited by the door, and the
make yourselves very small, then
servant passed his message to the
jump down my throat and I’ll carry
king. The king was not at all happy,
you along in my tummy?”
as he hadn’t got a penny to repay
“Brilliant idea!” said the Queen and Duck, so he said, “Just take the duck
her troops, and they did exactly as to the poultry yard and throw him in
Duck told them. with the chickens.”

So the servant returned and invited

Duck into the royal palace.
At last, with a bulging tummy, Duck
reached the royal palace and he “Ha!” thought Duck. “I’ll get my money
knocked on the door. A stern-looking back and enjoy a royal breakfast!”
servant opened it and Duck sang,
But the servant led Duck past the
“Quack, quack, I’m here to get my
throne room, and the ballroom, and
money back!”
the banqueting room, and out through
“Are you indeed?” said the servant, the back door, past the stables and
snootily. “Well, the king is having right into the poultry yard!
breakfast. He cannot be disturbed.”

17
“What’s going on?” asked Duck, but “What am I to do?” cried Duck, then he
the servant just laughed and walked remembered his friends again. “Oh,
away. When the chickens saw Duck in Ladder! Ladder! Please come out!” he
his fancy clothes, they were jealous quacked. “I need your help!”
and started to peck him.
In an instant, Ladder leapt out and
Then Duck remembered his friends. leaned against the side of the well.
“Fox! Fox!” he quacked. “Please come Duck climbed out with ease and sang
out! I need your help!” even more loudly, “Quack, quack, I’m
still here to get my money back!”
Fox leapt out from Duck’s beak and
chased the unfriendly chickens away, The king was enraged. “Guards! Grab
then Duck smiled and sang loudly, that duck and throw him in the oven!”
“Quack, quack, I’m still here to get
Moments later, Duck was thrown into
my money back!”
the roaring flames of a hot oven, but
When the king found out what had Duck wasn’t worried. “River! River!
happened, he was furious. “Throw the Please come out!” he quacked, and
duck down the well!” he shouted. River quickly flowed out from his beak,
dousing the fire, flooding the kitchen
So the servant grabbed Duck by the
and flowing into the hall where the
neck and threw him down a deep,
king was still having breakfast.
dark, narrow well.

18
Duck paddled into the hall singing as loudly as he could, “Quack, quack, I’m still
here to get my money back!”

The king was red with rage and waded towards Duck, his sword in his hand. “I’ll
cut off your head!” he shouted but, as he drew nearer, Duck quacked, “Bees! Bees!
Please come out! I need your help!”

In an instant, the bees swarmed out of his beak and chased the king across the
hall, through the palace and out of the city gates, stinging him all the way.

The king’s staff and the people of the city watched him go and they cheered wildly.
When they went into the palace and found Duck sitting on the throne, they decided
there and then to crown him. Better a clever duck than a foolish man, they said. So
that is how a little duck with big brains – and good friends – became the king!

19
Favourite Fairy Tales

The Enormous
Turnip
O
nce upon a time, an old man was given some turnip seeds
to plant in his garden, so he planted them, and he watered
them, and he hoped for the best.

20
Every few days, he tended the little vegetable patch at the bottom of his garden.
He weeded it and he watered it and he hoped for the best. After a month or so,
everything was growing nicely. His carrots had sprouted feathery tops, his potato
plants were tall and strong, and his turnips seemed to be growing nicely too. All
except for one turnip, which was a little bigger and a little rounder than the rest
and not quite like a normal turnip. Still, the old man hoped for the best.

When everything was ready to harvest, the old man went out with his basket,
hoping to fill it to the brim with vegetables, but when he reached his vegetable
patch, he was stunned to see that the turnip, which had been a little bigger than
the rest, was now gigantic. It was almost as tall as a man! It was so big, it had
covered up all the feathery tops of the carrots, it had crushed all the tall potato
plants, and it had destroyed the other turnips. It was an enormous turnip!

21
“Oh my!” said the old man. “Well, this until they were both out of breath, but
should feed us for a month or two!” He the enormous turnip stayed put.
grasped the turnip’s leaves and pulled,
but the enormous turnip didn’t budge.
“Oh dear,” said the wife. “I know, let’s
The old man tugged again with all his
call for our granddaughter.” So they
might, but still the turnip didn’t move.
called for their granddaughter and she
The old man pulled and pulled as hard
came running to help.
as he could, but the enormous turnip
wasn’t going anywhere, so he called “Wow!” said the little girl when she saw
for his wife. the enormous turnip.

When she saw the enormous turnip, “Wrap your arms around me,” said the
she gasped with surprise. wife, “and we’ll pull with all our might.”

“Can you help me pull out this turnip, So the granddaughter wrapped her
please?” asked the old man. arms around the wife, the wife held on
to the old man, and the old man took
So the wife held on to the old man and
hold of the turnip.
the old man took hold of the turnip, and
the two of them pulled and pulled as Together, the three of them pulled and
hard as they could, but the turnip still pulled as hard as they could, but the
didn’t move. They pulled and pulled turnip still didn’t move. They pulled
and pulled until they were red in the
22
face, but the enormous turnip didn’t “Woof, woof!” said the dog, which was
shift an inch. dog language for “Let’s call for the
cat!” Moments later, the cat sprang
“Oh dear,” said the granddaughter.
down the path, studying the enormous
“I know, let’s call for the dog!” So they
turnip with great curiosity.
called for their dog and it raced down
the garden, wagging its tail. It barked “Woof, woof, woof!” said the dog to the
when it saw the enormous turnip. cat. So the cat clung on to the dog, the
dog held the granddaughter’s skirt,
“Hello, dog!” said the granddaughter.
the granddaughter wrapped her arms
“Now, hold on to my skirt with your
around the wife, the wife held on to the
teeth and we’ll pull with all our might.”
old man, and the old man took hold of
So the dog held the granddaughter’s the turnip. Together, the five of them
skirt, the granddaughter wrapped her pulled and pulled as hard as they
arms around the wife, the wife held on could, but the turnip still didn’t move!
to the old man, and the old man took
hold of the turnip.

Together, the four of them pulled and

pulled as hard as they could, but the
turnip still didn’t move. They pulled Grow It!
and pulled until their arms ached, but Sow your own mini
the enormous turnip was stuck fast. vegetable garden and
hold a competition to see
who can grow the
biggest turnip!

23
They pulled and pu ll ed un t il
but the enor mou s t ur nip
they fell over,
just stood there!

Buried Treasure!
There are ten carrots hiding in this
picture. Tick this box when you’ve
spotted them all!
“Meeew!” said the cat, which was cat language for “Why don’t we call the mouse?”
Within seconds, a tiny mouse popped its head out of a hole near the vegetable
patch. It squeaked with excitement when it saw the enormous turnip.

“Miaow!” said the cat to the mouse. So the mouse gripped the tail of the cat, the
cat clung on to the dog, the dog held the granddaughter’s skirt, the granddaughter
wrapped her arms around the wife, the wife held on to the old man, and the old man
took hold of the turnip. Together, the six of them pulled and pulled as hard as they
could, but the turnip still didn’t move. They pulled and pulled again and – at last
– out came the enormous turnip!

That night, there was a fantastic turnip feast for everyone. Isn’t it amazing what you
can achieve by working together – no matter how big or small your friends are?

26
 Famous Fables

The Elephant
and the Dog
M any people say that cats and mice cannot be friends – well,
in Asia, they used to say the same of elephants and dogs.

You see, elephants didn’t like having

little dogs scampering around their
feet, and dogs feared great, hulking
elephants so much that they barked
every time they saw one. This would
make the elephants angry, and they
would rear up on their hind legs and
blow their trumpety trunks. Elephants
and dogs, people agreed, would
never, ever be friends.

Once, at a royal palace in Sri Lanka,

there was a fine elephant. He was
a bull – big and strong with shining
ivory tusks. This bull was the queen’s
favourite elephant, so he was given
the finest food to eat every day.

But just outside the palace walls,

there lived a stray dog. Her owner
had abandoned her, so she was
forced to scavenge for scraps to eat
and was a poor bony little thing.

27
One evening, the little dog caught the “Oh, hello there,” said the elephant.
scent of rich sweet rice wafting from
“Good evening!” said the dog. “I hope
the elephant’s stable and it made her
you don’t mind me coming here. I don’t
stomach ache with longing, so she
have an owner, you see, and I’ve been
sneaked into the stables and wolfed
dining on the food you’ve dropped.”
down the leftovers that had fallen
from the elephant’s mouth. “Not at all,” said the elephant. “There’s
no point in letting good food go to
The food was so good that she began
waste, is there?”
to visit the royal stables as often as
she could, and the dog was so small The elephant sat down and the two
that, at first, the elephant didn’t notice animals began to chat. Because the
her. After a few weeks, however, the dog had been eating by the feet of
scruffy little dog was transformed. She the elephant for so long, she had
was no longer bony, her coat was thick completely forgotten her fear. And the
and shiny, and her eyes were bright. elephant had quite forgotten that he
was supposed to find dogs annoying.
One evening, the elephant looked
So the pair talked for hours.
down and, for the first time, spotted
the little dog eating at his feet.

28
The dog came back every day after “What a fine-looking dog!” he called
that and the two became great friends. to the elephant handler. “Who does
They ate together, played together she belong to?”
and talked for hours about their lives.
“She’s mine!” lied the handler. “You
Sometimes, the dog even curled up in
can buy her from me if you like!”
the elephant’s trunk and fell asleep.
In time, they became inseparable. “She’s just what I’m looking for!” said
the man, and they agreed a price, then
The handler in charge of the elephants
the farmer took the dog away.
was surprised by their friendship and
the stablehands found it most amusing That night, the elephant couldn’t eat
to watch the two unlikely friends play. as he missed his little friend so much.
In fact, he stopped eating, drinking and
bathing completely – he even refused
Then, one day, a farmer came to sell to stand up. After a few weeks of this,
some of his fruit and vegetables to the the elephant handler sent a message
palace kitchens. As he passed by the to the queen to let her know that her
stables, he spotted the healthy-looking favourite elephant was unwell.
little dog playing with the elephant and
was completely charmed by her. 29
 The queen came to see the elephant and she brought along her wisest adviser,
who realised what the problem was at once. “This elephant isn’t sick, he’s sad!”
announced the adviser. “He must have lost something or someone very dear to
him. Now, what or who can that be?”

The guilty handler stayed quiet, but one of the stablehands stepped forward
and told them all about the little stray dog who used to come and play.

“And where has this dog gone?” asked the queen.

“A farmer took her, but we have no idea where he lives,” said the stablehand.

“Make an official announcement asking for the return of the dog who once lived
with the royal elephant,” commanded the queen. “Friendship is life’s most precious
gift and we should all learn to value it more!”

SORT IT! als

u so rt a list of anim
Can yo short to
big to small or als
from a n dom anim
fiv e r
tall? Pick t th eir pictur
es,
o k a
and lo nimal
pla y y o ur own a
then ame.
sorting g
30
The elephant handler hung his head in shame when he heard this, as he knew
that the queen was right.

It took a few days for the announcement to reach the farmer, but he returned
the dog as soon as he could. As they neared the palace, the excited little dog
leapt out of the cart and ran through the streets to see her playmate.

When she raced into the stables, the elephant was so overjoyed to see his friend
again, he leapt to his feet, lifted the dog up on his trunk and placed her on his
back. The stablehands laughed to see how happy they were together and the
elephant handler swore that he would never separate the two animals again.

So it turns out that people can be wrong – anyone can be friends, even when
everyone around them says that they should be enemies!

31
Around the World Tales

Betushka
and the Wood Fairy
A t the edge of a birch wood, deep in the Czech Republic,
there lived a poor widow with her daughter Betushka
and their two nanny goats.
Though they didn’t have much, Betushka always had a smile on her face and
a kind word to say. Every morning, Betushka left their tumbledown cottage to
take the nanny goats into the woods to graze. Her mother would give her a
basket with some bread inside, and a spindle and some flax to spin.

Betushka would skip into the woods with her goats and, when they’d found
a nice spot, she would sit down and spin until all the flax was used up. When
the spinning was done, Betushka would fill her basket with wild berries and
herbs and nuts and then, with the sun shining down on her, she’d sing and
dance and twirl around the clearing.

32
One morning, Betushka was just about to start spinning when a beautiful,
elegant lady suddenly appeared before her. She was dressed in a delicate
gown of pure white and her hair fell in long, golden ringlets to her waist. She
wore a crown of woodland leaves and flowers, and had a radiant smile. The
little girl was startled.

“Don’t be afraid,” smiled the lady. “Do you like to dance?”

“Oh, I love it very much!” said Betushka.

“Would you like me to teach you a special dance?” asked the lady.

“Yes, please!” grinned Betushka, as the lady took her by the hand.

Suddenly, music started up from nowhere and, when Betushka looked up, she
saw a whole orchestra of birds sitting in the branches of the birch trees. There
were song thrushes, larks, nightingales, robins, blackbirds and finches – all
singing a wonderful merry tune in perfect harmony.

Betushka and the lady in white twirled round and round. The little girl had never
felt so light on her feet – it was as though she was gliding through the air. At
last, when the sun was setting, the music stopped and the lady disappeared
as quickly as she had appeared.
33
Betushka suddenly realised she had They found the perfect clearing and
forgotten all about her goats and her Betushka had just started to spin when
spinning. She picked up her spindle the lady in white appeared before her.
and basket, and ran all the way home, The little girl didn’t dare to look up.
feeling guilty. “I’ll work extra hard
“Betushka, why won’t you smile at
tomorrow,” she thought.
me?” asked the lady.
When she reached home, she looked
“Because I am afraid that I will want to
so worried, her mother thought she
dance with you,” said Betushka, “and I
must be sick.
can’t dance. I have to do my spinning.”
“I’m not sick,” said Betushka, hiding the
“Come and dance and we’ll find a
spindle behind her back. “I just feel
way to get your spinning done later,”
tired.” Betushka didn’t say a word to
laughed the lady.
her mother about the lady in white.
The bird orchestra struck up its song
again and, before she knew what she
The next morning, Betushka skipped was doing, Betushka was on her feet,
into the woods with her goats. swirling around with the lady in white.
Once again, she forgot her spinning When she reached home, she gave
– all she wanted to do was dance, the reels to her mother but didn’t
dance, dance. mention the dancing lady in white.

When the sun began to set, the music

went quiet and the mysterious lady
The next day, Betushka set off again
stopped dancing. Betushka realised
with her goats and found a good spot
what she had done and burst into
for grazing. She began spinning and,
tears. “Oh, my spinning!” she cried.
just as before, the lady in white
“I can’t let my mother down.”
suddenly appeared before her.
But the lady in white sat down and
The little girl leapt up with excitement
began to spin. In no time at all, two
and the bird orchestra struck up its
reels were full. Betushka looked at
enchanting tune. Betushka held the
them in amazement and, as she did
lady’s hand and they danced and
so, the lady disappeared from sight.
swirled until sunset. Betushka’s eyes
Overjoyed, Betushka skipped home, shone with happiness.
singing cheerfully to her goats.

35
However, when the music stopped and they stopped dancing, Betushka again
felt terrible guilt. “What will my mother say?” she sobbed.

“Give me your basket, my sweet,” said the lady. “I will give you something worth
more than a reel, but you must not look at it until you get home!”

She handed the basket to Betushka and vanished in an instant.

That evening, Betushka walked home with an empty reel and a mind full of worry.
“What could be in the basket?” she thought. “What if Mother is angry with me?
I should never have danced all day!”

Betushka felt so worried, she couldn’t resist peeping inside the basket, and she
was terribly disappointed to see that it was filled with nothing but dry old birch
leaves. “What a fool I have been! I got just what I deserved,” she cried.

She crept into her cottage, filled with remorse, but her mother ran towards her,
all excited. “You’re home!” she said, grinning. “Where did you get those reels from
yesterday? I’ve been winding the yarn all day and the reels never seem to end –
on and on they go, as if they’re enchanted! We’ll never have to spin again!”

Betushka was so relieved, she told her mother everything – about the beautiful
lady in white and the dancing and the spinning. Her mother laughed. “Why, she
must have been a wood fairy!” she said. “You are so lucky, Betushka!”

“She also put a gift in my basket,” sighed Betushka. “But I peeped inside when she
told me not to, and it’s just full of old birch leaves. See …”

Betushka lifted the basket to show her mother and they both gasped and clapped
their hands with glee when they saw that the leaves had turned to solid gold!

With such riches, Betushka and her mother were able to buy a nice house with
some land and farm animals to keep their goats company – and they never went
hungry again. Betushka remained the cheerful little soul she had always been,
and, though she visited the birch woods many more times, she never saw or
danced with the wood fairy again.

36
 Locate It!
See if you can find the Czech Republic on
a map. Are there any birch woods there?
Where do you think the wood fairy lived?
Can you discover five interesting facts
about this country?

Spot It!
Can you spot this bird
in the orchestra? Tick
this box when you
find it!
Brilliant Books

The Beginning
of the Armadillos By Rudyard Kipling

T
his is a story of High and Far-Off Times. In the very
middle of those times was a Stickly-Prickly Hedgehog,
and he lived on the banks of the Amazon, eating shelly
snails and things. And he had a friend, a Slow-Solid Tortoise, who
lived on the banks of the Amazon, eating green lettuces and things.
At the same time, there was a Painted Jaguar, and he lived on the banks of the
Amazon too; and he ate everything he could catch. When he could not catch
deer or monkeys, he would eat frogs and beetles; and when he could not catch
frogs and beetles, he went to his Mother Jaguar, and she told him how to eat
hedgehogs and tortoises.

38
She said to him, graciously waving into the water and he will uncoil,
her tail, “My son, when you find a and when I meet a tortoise I am to
hedgehog you must drop him into the scoop him out of his shell with my
water and he will uncoil, and when paw. Which of you is Hedgehog and
you catch a tortoise you must scoop which is Tortoise because, to save
him out of his shell with your paw.” my spots, I can’t tell?”

One beautiful night on the banks of “Are you sure of what your mummy
the Amazon, Painted Jaguar found told you?” said Stickly-Prickly
Stickly-Prickly Hedgehog and Slow- Hedgehog. “Perhaps she said that
Solid Tortoise sitting by a fallen tree. when you uncoil a tortoise you must
They could not run away, and so shell him out of the water with a scoop,
Stickly-Prickly curled himself up into and when you paw a hedgehog you
a ball, because he was a hedgehog, must drop him on the shell.”
and Slow-Solid Tortoise drew his head
“Yes, are you sure?” said Slow-Solid
and feet into his shell as far as they
Tortoise. “Perhaps she said that when
would go, because he was a tortoise.
you water a hedgehog you must drop
“Now listen to me,” said Painted him into your paw, and when you
Jaguar. “My mother said that when meet a tortoise you must shell him
I meet a hedgehog I am to drop him till he uncoils.”

39
 “I won’t tell you,” said Stickly-Prickly,
“but you can scoop me out of my
shell if you like.”

“Aha!” said Painted Jaguar. “Now

I know you’re Tortoise!” Painted
Jaguar darted out his paddy-paw
just as Stickly-Prickly curled himself
up and, of course, Jaguar’s paddy-
paw was filled with prickles. Worse
than that, he knocked Stickly-Prickly
into the bushes, where it was too dark
to find him. Then he put his paddy-
paw into his mouth, and the prickles
hurt him worse than ever.

As soon as he could speak he said,

“Now I know he isn’t Tortoise. But how
“I don’t think it was at all like that,” do I know that this other is Tortoise?”
said Painted Jaguar, feeling puzzled.
“But I am Tortoise,” said Slow-Solid.
“But, please, say it again.”
“Your mother was right. She said that
“When you scoop water with your you were to scoop me out of my shell
paw you uncoil it with a hedgehog,” with your paw. Begin.”
said Stickly-Prickly. “Remember that,
“You didn’t say that a minute ago,” said
because it’s important.”
Painted Jaguar, sucking the prickles
“But,” said Slow-Solid Tortoise, “when out of his paddy-paw. “You said she
you paw your meat you drop it into a said something quite different.”
tortoise with a scoop.”
“Well, suppose you say that I said that
“You are making my spots ache,” said she said something quite different, I
Painted Jaguar, “and besides, I didn’t don’t see that it makes any difference;
want your advice. I only wanted to because if she said what you said I
know which of you is Hedgehog and said she said, it’s just the same as if
which is Tortoise.” I said what she said she said. On the
other hand, if you think she said that “You’ve mixed up all the things my
you were to uncoil me with a scoop, mother told me to do,” said Painted
I can’t help that, can I?” Jaguar. “My mother told me that I was
to drop one of you into the water, so
“But you said you wanted to be
jump into the Amazon and be quick
scooped out of your shell with my
about it.”
paw,” said Painted Jaguar.
“I warn you that your mummy won’t
“I didn’t say anything of the kind. I
be pleased. Don’t tell her I didn’t tell
said that your mother said that you
you,” said Slow-Solid.
were to scoop me out of my shell,”
said Slow-Solid Tortoise. “If you say another word …” the Jaguar
answered, but he had not finished the
“What will happen if I do?” asked
sentence before Slow-Solid Tortoise
Painted Jaguar cautiously.
dived into the Amazon, swam for a
“I don’t know, because I’ve never been long way, and came out on the bank
scooped out of my shell before; but where Stickly-Prickly was waiting.
I tell you, if you want to see me swim
“That was a narrow escape,” said
away, just drop me into the water.”
Stickly-Prickly. “What did you tell him?”

41
“I told him truthfully that I was a believe him, and it was quite true, and
Tortoise, but he wouldn’t believe it, now I haven’t anything to eat!”
and he made me jump into the river.
“Son, son!” said his mother. “Remember
Now he’s gone to tell his mummy!”
what I say. A hedgehog curls himself
into a ball and his prickles stick out.
By this you may know the hedgehog.”
They could hear Painted Jaguar
roaring, till his mummy came. “I don’t like this old lady one little bit,”
said Stickly-Prickly. “I wonder what
“Son, son!” said his mother. “What
else she knows?”
have you been doing?”
“And a tortoise can’t curl himself up,”
“I tried to scoop something that said
Mother Jaguar went on. “He only
it wanted to be scooped out of its
draws his head and legs into his shell.
shell, and my paw is full of prickles,”
By this you may know the tortoise.”
said Painted Jaguar.
“I don’t like this old lady at all,” said
“Son, son!” said his mother. “By the
Slow-and-Solid Tortoise. “Even Painted
prickles in your paddy-paw I see that
Jaguar can’t forget that. It’s a pity that
it must have been a hedgehog. You
you can’t swim, Stickly-Prickly.”
should have dropped it into the water.”
“Just think how much better it would
“I did that to the other thing; and he
be if you could curl up,” said Stickly-
said he was a Tortoise, and I didn’t
Prickly. “Listen to Painted Jaguar.”
Painted Jaguar was sitting on the “Excellent!” said Stickly-Prickly.
banks of the Amazon saying: “Now kindly lead me into the
water again and I’ll practise
“Can’t curl, but can swim –
some more.” And so Stickly-Prickly
Slow-Solid, that’s him!
practised, and Slow-Solid swam
Curls up, but can’t swim – alongside him.
Stickly-Prickly, that’s him!”
“Excellent!” said Slow-Solid. “A little
“He’ll never forget that,” said Stickly- more practice will make you a regular
Prickly. “Hold up my chin, Slow-Solid. whale. Now, unlace my back-plates a
I’m going to learn to swim.” little more, and I’ll try putting my hind
“Excellent!” said Slow-Solid, and he legs round my ears.”
held up Stickly-Prickly’s chin, while “Excellent!” said Stickly-Prickly, all wet.
Stickly-Prickly kicked in the water. “But it’s straining your back-plates a
“You’ll make a fine swimmer yet,” said little. They’re overlapping, instead of
Slow-Solid. “Now, if you can unlace lying side by side.”
my back-plates a little, I’ll see if I “Oh,” said Slow-Solid, “I’ve noticed
can curl up.” that your prickles are melting into one
Stickly-Prickly unlaced Tortoise’s another too. You’re looking more like
back-plates, so that by twisting and a pinecone than you used to.”
straining Slow-Solid managed to curl “Am I?” said Stickly-Prickly. “That comes
himself up a wee bit. from soaking in the water.”

43
 They went on with their exercises, me if I do not recall your name.”
each helping the other, till morning
“That’s very unkind of you,” said
came; and when the sun was high
Stickly-Prickly, “seeing that this time
they rested and dried themselves.
yesterday you tried to scoop me out
Then they saw that they were both
of my shell with your paw!”
quite different.
“But you hadn’t any shell. It was all
“Stickly-Prickly,” said Tortoise after
prickles,” said Painted Jaguar. “I know
breakfast, “we are not what we
it was. Just look at my paw!”
were yesterday.”
“And you told me to drop into the
“That was what I was thinking just
Amazon and be drowned,” said Slow-
now,” said Stickly-Prickly. “Scales
Solid. “Why are you being so rude
are a tremendous improvement on
and forgetful today?”
prickles – to say nothing of being
able to swim. Won’t Painted Jaguar Then they both curled themselves up
be surprised! Let’s go and find him.” and rolled round and round Painted
Jaguar till his eyes turned cartwheels
in his head.
By and by they found Painted Jaguar,
Then he went to fetch his mother.
still nursing his paddy-paw that had
been hurt the night before. He was “Mother,” he said, “there are two new
so astonished that he fell over his animals, and the one that you said
own painted tail. couldn’t swim, swims, and the one
that you said couldn’t curl up, curls;
“Good morning!” said Stickly-Prickly.
and both of them are scaly all over,
“And how is your dear mummy?”
and they’re rolling round in circles!”
“She is quite well, thank you,” said
Painted Jaguar. “But you must forgive

44
“Son, son!” said Mother Jaguar. “A So Painted Jaguar did as he was
hedgehog is a hedgehog, and can’t told, especially about leaving them
be anything but a hedgehog; and a alone – but the curious thing is that
tortoise is a tortoise, and can never from that day to this, no one on the
be anything else.” banks of the Amazon has ever called
Stickly-Prickly and Slow-Solid
“But it isn’t a hedgehog, and it isn’t
anything except armadillo.
a tortoise. It’s a little bit of both, and
I don’t know its proper name.” There are hedgehogs and tortoises
in other places, of course (there are
“Nonsense!” cried Mother Jaguar.
some in my garden); but the real old
“Everything has its proper name. I
and clever kind, with their scales lying
should call it ‘Armadillo’ till I’ve found
lippety-lappety one over the other
out the real one. And I should leave
that live by the Amazon, are always
it alone.”
called armadillos.

WIN! a le comes
ulous t
This fab K i p lin g ’s Just
dyard
from Ru W in a copy in
es .
So Stori m p e tition.
st c o
our late o n p a g e 50 !
more
Find out

45
 Storytime
Playb x
Thinking caps on – it’s puzzle time, with some colouring,
crafting and a bit of playing thrown in for good measure!

1 ROLY 2 BIRD WORDS

POLY! What is Betushka’s bi
Crack the code to find
rd orchestra singing?
out!

S
An escapee armadillo
has been rolling across
our puzzle pages – C T
E A
follow the trail and see
where he ends up!
N
L D
1
3
2 4

5
7
6 8 9

_ _ _’_ _ _ _ _ _!
 Ask
3 Pull-the-Turnip Paper Dolls a grow
n-up
!
Recreate the turnip-pulling scenes from this issue’s
fairy tale with our free printables!

• Download and print out our Paper Doll Sheets from

storytimemagazine.com/free, crease along the fold
lines and cut them out so that you have six characters.
• Decorate each one to look like the characters
in our story, or your own friends and family!
• Stick them together in a long line, then fold them
up again so you can only see the old man.
• Print out our Enormous Turnip Colouring Sheet,
colour it in and place it in front of the old man.
• As you tell the story, first make the old man
puppet pull the turnip, then unfold each paper doll
– one at a time – until you can see all six characters.

TIP!
 This is a great activity for the classroom. Print out enough
paper dolls so that there’s one to represent each child. Ask
the kids to decorate them and turn it into a wall display!

4
Quick
What does King Duck swallow first on his
journey to the royal palace?

Quiz! b. Fox

a. Queen Bee
c. Doughnuts

47
5 FRIENDS
Only one of these three trails leads the dog back
to her best friend, the elephant. Which one?
UNITED

A
B
C

6 Fishy One of the words inside the

Salmon of Knowledge is the odd

fun one out. Can you circle it?

ra in y S lo w -w itte d Smart
B
Intelligent Bright
Clever
6. Fishy Fun – Slow-witted.
Answers: 2. Bird Words – Let’s Dance; 4. Quick Quiz – B; 5. Friends United -
A
 How well do yo u know
ABC Me!
yo ur ABC? Brush up your skills and impress
is is a great ga me for long journeys or rainy afternoons.
everyone! Th

How to Play
You can play this game by yourself or in teams. All you need is a pen,
a timer and extra sheets of paper if you have more than one player.
Print off our ABC Game Sheets from storytimemagazine.com/free.
Follow the order of categories on our game sheet or choose
your favourite category to begin.
Set the timer. We recommend three minutes for younger players,
or one or two minutes for more of a challenge.
Once the timer is on, everybody tries to think of words beginning
with each letter of the alphabet. Write them on your sheet.
When the time has run out, go through the alphabet, share
your answers and score them. Here’s how to score: Print ou
1 point for each letter of the alphabet you’ve managed ABC Gam t our
storytim e Sheets
to find a word for (as long as it fits with the category).
emaga at:
zine.com
1 bonus point for each word you wrote down that /free
begins with x, y or z.

Count It!
1 bonus point for each word longer than 8 letters.
The winner is the person with the highest score.
colours
A animals
food
B books

Score per Round

transport
ABC Game Sheet

C countries
D
E
F
G
H
I

1= 2= 3=
J
K
L

49
M
N
O

S
Q
R
P

4= 5= 6=
T
U
Y
W
V
X
 STORY MAGIC
Zany zoo reads inspired by our new Alphabet Zoo poem,
a beardy and brilliant book of the month and more!

Top 3 Zoo Books!

We all love Rod Campbell’s Dear Zoo, but for
WIN A BOOK
more noisy, educational or hilarious zoo fun,
take a look at these fantastic reads too.
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by
This mon
Beginnin
th’s Brilli
g of the A
ant Book
extract, T
!he
Eric Carle and Bill Martin, Jr A fun introduction Rudyard rmadillos
Kipling’s , is taken
children’s classic c from
to identifying zoo animals and the sounds they tales, Ju ollection
copy for st So Sto of
make, with wonderful illustrations by Carle, who your boo ries. To w
visit: stor kshelf or in a
is best known for The Hungry Caterpillar. (Puffin) ytimema school li
gazine.c brary,
Poo in the Zoo by Steve Smallman and Ada om/win
Grey Covering two favourite topics of children
in one fun title! Follow Bob the zookeeper, as he
deals with droppings from many different zoo
animals, including a mysteriously glowing pile
WIN!
of poop. Great rhyming fun! (Little Tiger Press)
Zooology by Joelle Jolivet With gorgeous
illustrations throughout, this non-fiction title serves as
an excellent introduction to the world of animals – a
complete A to Z, in fact. A brilliant gift book! (Egmont)

Book of the Month t when

be rja ck wh o cu ts do wn trees for a living, bu
rly lu m
Jim Hickory is a big, bu od la nd cr ea tures homeless, he de
cides to
made so m e wo
he discovers that he’s As yo u ca n imagine, things don’t go
quite
. in his be ar d!
offer them a new home.. Du nc an Be ed ie is a real joy to read
, with
ck’s Be ar d by
to plan. The Lumberja illu str at io ns , adorable animals an
da
tte, ex pr es siv e
a beautiful colour pale
essage too. (Templar)
great environmental m
“My resolution for 2017 is to simply

Duncan’s reading
keep reading – both to my daughter
and for myself. Books provide a
resolution 2017 valuable escape hatch when the
real world gets too gloomy!”
 aginations grow !
helping little im
The queen came to
see the elephant and
she brought along
once. “This elephan
her wisest adviser,
t isn’t sick, he’s sad!”
the problem was at very dear to
who realised what something or someone
“He must have lost
announced the adviser.
can that be?”
him. Now, what or who
stepped forward
of the stablehands
stayed quiet, but one play.
The guilty handler dog who used to come and
the little stray
and told them all about
the queen.
dog gone?” asked
“And where has this nd.
he lives,” said the stableha
took her, but we have no idea where
“A farmer once lived
return of the dog who
ement asking for the
“Make an official announc hip is life’s most precious

ath
ded the queen. “Friends

‘O’Connor was standing bene

elephan t,” comman a beautiful,
with the royal more!” start spinning when
all learn to value it a was just about to
gift and we should One morning, Betushk her. She was dressed
in a delicate
y appeared before waist. She
elegant lady suddenl golden ringlets to her
and her hair fell in long, a radiant smile. The
gown of pure white flowers, and had
d leaves and
wore a crown of woodlan
little girl was startled.
to dance?”
the lady. “Do you like
“Don’t be afraid,” smiled
said Betushka.
“Oh, I love it very much!”
lady.
dance?” asked the
to teach you a special
“Would you like me
took her by the hand.
Betushka, as the lady
“Yes, please!” grinned up, she
when Betushka looked
up from nowhere and, trees. There
Suddenly, music started branches of the birch
a of birds sitting in the finches – all
saw a whole orchestr robins, blackbirds and
, larks, nightingales,
were song thrushes harmony .
merry tune in perfect
singing a wonderful

SORT IT!
girl had never
and round. The little
in white twirled round the air. At
anima
ls Betushka and the lady she was gliding through
list of – it was as though
sort a
Can you to small or
short to felt so light on her feet stopped and the lady
disappeared
anima
ls
was setting, the music
last, when the sun
from big
k five
random ures,
tall? Pic k at their pict mal appeare d. 33
as quickly as she had
and loo your own ani

t
y
then pla ting game.

And help us pull ou

sor
30

Dance with a ip!

Make friends with an Enormous Turn
woodland fairy
a royal elephant
it:
For free resources vis e.com
zin
www.storytimemaga Coming
Win t in issue
Brillian
Books! 30