“The God of Mountains used his powers to make four giant mountains appear in mid-air”

o ries give your

t
S ination wing
im ag s!
So come fly with us...
and a fairy horse, a talkative tortoise, four
Chinese dragons and a boy called Robert!
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ILLUSTRATORS:
Margaux Saltal Fairy Ointment
Tel Coelho The Tortoise and the Geese
Alexandra Petracchi Freya’s Golden Necklace
DanKerleroux Three Billy Goats Gruff
Angela Keoghan The Story of Flying Robert
Lucye Rioland The Four Dragons
Felicita Sala The Secret Garden

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 Let the adventure begin...
n t
O er he
cov Favourite Fairy Tales

Three Billy Goats Gruff

Can the goats brave a bridge with
a smelly troll under it? Find out! 21
Storyteller’s Corner Around the World Tales

Fairy Ointment
Discover what happens when
you meddle with fairy magic.
6 The Four Dragons
Magnificent mythical beasts
save the people of China.
30
Famous Fables Brilliant Books
The Tortoise and
the Geese
A talkative tortoise finds fame
for all the wrong reasons.
12 The Secret Garden
By Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Some magic and a little robin
lead Mary to a special place.
36
Myths and Legends Storytime Playbox

Freya’s Golden Necklace

16 44
Build a billy goat bridge,
design some jewellery, crack
A Norse goddess discovers
our brain teasers and more!
that treasures cause trouble.

Poems and Rhymes Story Magic

The Story of Flying Robert

28 50
Enter two cool competitions
By Heinrich Hoffman. A boy goes and discover our latest
out to play on a windy day. Book of the Month!
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Storyteller’s Corner

Fairy Ointment
M any years ago, there was an old nurse called Goody who
was known and loved by everyone for looking after the
sick and helping to bring bonny new babies into the world.

One night, when she was tucked up in bed and ready for sleep, there was a
loud knock at her door. Nurse Goody answered as quickly as she could and
looked down to see a strange little fellow hopping nervously from foot to foot.
He had pointy ears and a beard, and was quite clearly an elf of some kind.

6
“Madam!” exclaimed the elf. “My dear
wife is having a baby and we urgently
need your help!”
Before she could say a word, the elf
took Nurse Goody by the hand and
swept her onto the back of a horse
that was as black as coal. He leapt
into the saddle and they set off at
such a fast pace that the nurse felt
like she was flying through the air.
“Goodness!” thought Nurse Goody.
“What kind of baby am I about to
bring into the world? And where
might this elf be taking me?”
But Nurse Goody was naturally very
nosy, so she couldn’t wait to see
where they were heading – even if
that place was somewhere magical.
Moments later, they arrived at their
destination. The old nurse was rather
surprised and a little disappointed to
find that she was set down outside an
ordinary-looking cottage on a hillside.
She was even more surprised when
she stepped inside and found an
ordinary woman lying there. She
wondered how the woman had come
to marry someone from Fairyland!

Did You Know?

Many old Celtic folk tales feature magical fairy
horses – some tiny and white, some huge and black.
The Celts even had their own horse goddess called
Epona, who rode sitting side-saddle carrying a horn
filled with fruit and flowers!
7

The nurse set about her work and
very soon a healthy baby girl was
born with a most powerful set of
lungs. Oh, how the baby wailed! The
new mother thanked Nurse Goody
and gave her a small pot of ointment.
“She’ll stop crying when she has this,”
said the woman. “Please smooth it
over my baby’s eyelids, but be sure
not to put it near your own eyes.”
The nurse thought it was an odd
request, but as she was cleaning and
dressing the baby girl, she did as she
was asked, and gently smoothed the
ointment over the baby’s eyelids.
8
As soon as she did so, the little
baby stopped wailing and started
to chuckle. She gazed around the
room with wonder in her eyes.
“Hmm... I wonder what this ointment is
for?” thought Nurse Goody. “Perhaps
it’s for tiredness? I feel quite tired now.”
The old nurse’s curiosity got the better
of her. Ignoring the woman’s warning,
she checked that nobody was
looking, then smoothed a little
ointment over her eyelids.
When she opened her
eyes, she was amazed
at what she saw
before her!
Suddenly, she
could see that
she was not in an
ordinary cottage
at all, but in the
grand home of a
fairy, with intricately
carved furniture, fine
silk fabrics, dancing
butterflies and a ceiling
dotted with twinkling stars.
The mother, too, was far
from ordinary – she was
a fairy queen, wearing a
grand floral crown and a dress of shimmering midnight-blue satin. And the baby
had two teeny fairy wings and pointed ears, just like its elfin father!

Nurse Goody knew then that the ointment was magical and it had the power to
show things as they truly are. She was in Fairyland! However, she didn’t let on
what she knew, as everybody knows that fairies are secretive so, when the baby
and mother were comfortable, she asked the elf husband to take her home.

WIN!
Make sure you
enter our Fairy
Door competition
on page 50!

As the elf whisked her onto the back
of the black horse again, she could see
this time that it had wings. They sailed
through the air even faster than before
and, when they reached the old nurse’s
cottage, the elf thanked her kindly and
paid her generously.
A few days later, it was market day in
town and Nurse Goody went along to
do her shopping. As she approached
the stalls, she spotted the elf husband
filling up his basket with goods.
Nurse Goody walked up to him and
tapped him on the shoulder.
“Good day to you!” she said. “How
are your good wife and child faring?”
10
They sailed
through the
air even faster
than before…
The elf looked at her in shock, while
everyone around the stall looked at
the nurse in confusion.
“Can you see me?” asked the elf.
“Of course I can see you!” laughed
Nurse Goody, quite forgetting about
the magical ointment she had used.
“Argh!” shrieked the elf. “You used the
ointment when my wife told you not to!
Well, we can’t allow humans to see us.
I’ll have to fix that right now!”
With that, the elf jumped up and touched
the nurse’s eyelids. When she opened
her eyes, he had vanished from sight.
By now, a crowd had gathered round
Nurse Goody. You see, only she had
seen the elf, so they all thought she
was talking to herself. From that day
on, she became known as ‘Nurse-
Goody-who-talks-to-herself’ – and she
was never asked to help the fairies
again. And that is what you get when
you meddle with fairy magic!
 FIND IT!
Can you spot
three more
pointy-eared
elves in the
market place
? Tick
here when yo
11
u’ve
found them.
Famous Fables

The Tortoise
and the Geese
T here was once a tortoise who loved nothing more than to
talk and tell stories – especially stories about himself.

Next to the great lake where he lived, he entertained everyone with his tall
tales and imaginative adventures, in which he was always the brave hero.
From sunrise to sunset, he chattered so much, there was barely time for any
of the other animals to speak.

12
One day, two geese stopped at the
lake to rest and they listened to the
tortoise telling his stories. He was
delighted to have a new audience
and, when he finished, he asked them
where they had come from.
The geese told him that they had
migrated many hundreds of miles
over mountains and seas to escape
from winter’s storms, and they were
on their way to a lake of turquoise-
blue water, where the days were
always long and warm.
Their description sparked a deep
longing in the tortoise’s heart and,
for once, he fell silent.
“It’s all well and good telling tales of
my adventures,” thought the tortoise,
sadly, “but I’ve never been anywhere
other than back and forth between
my burrow and this lake.”
Suddenly, he felt overwhelmed with
the need to soar over mountains and
seas. “What stories I’ll be able to tell!”
he thought. “How my audience will
admire me! Why, I’ll be famous!”
“When you leave, can you take me
with you?” begged the tortoise.
The geese looked at him in surprise.
“But you’re too heavy to carry, and we
need all our wings to fly!”
The tortoise thought for a moment.
“What if we use a stick?” he suggested.
“You can hold it between your beaks
and I can hang on to it with my mouth.”
The other animals sniggered and
the snake hissed with laughter. “You
do know this means you will have
to keep your mouth shut, don’t you?”
snapped the crocodile.
“I promise to be completely silent!”
announced the tortoise. “Starting as
soon as we set out tomorrow…”
The geese agreed to the plan, and
the tortoise carried on telling his tales
until the sun sank behind the mountain.
Imagine It!
Imagine you’re a tortoise flying
high above your house or school
for the very first time. What does
it look like from the sky? Can you
draw a picture of how it looks?
14
The following day, the geese prepared
for the next part of their journey, while
the tortoise found a strong stick.
“Are you really sure about this?”
asked the geese.
“Definitely!” said the tortoise.
“And you promise not to talk?”
“Absolutely!” promised the tortoise.
“You do know that if you open your
mouth, you will be dropped from a
great height and fall to the ground?”
“Indeed!” nodded the tortoise. “I vow
to say nothing between now and the
moment we land.”
Then he gripped the stick tightly and
the geese took off, at first lumbering
across the lake and eventually soaring
high into the sky. The tortoise was
astonished by the view and found it
very difficult not to comment on it.
Soon, the geese passed over a city and, when the people looked up and saw
them struggling along with a stick between their beaks and something large
dangling from it, they were most confused.

“What is that great lump those geese are carrying?” they cried.

“Great lump?” thought the tortoise. “How dare they call me such a thing!” So he
shouted down to them, “Hey, I’m no great lump! I’m the tortoise adventurer and
I’m going to be famous far and wide!”

And, because he had opened his mouth, he lost his grip on the stick and went
tumbling to the ground, where he smashed his shell in half.

The tortoise did become famous far and wide,

but for all the wrong reasons – he became
famous for not listening to good advice
and for not being able to keep his
mouth shut!

15
 Freya’s
Myths and Legends

Golden Necklace
F reya was the Norse goddess of love and battle. She was fierce
and powerful but, like many gods, Freya had a weakness
– she couldn’t resist the glitter of gold.
One day, Freya left her home in Asgard to walk among the mountains of the black
dwarves. On her walk, she came across a deep cave with strange hammering
sounds coming from it. Curious, Freya entered the cave and followed it into a
dark tunnel, which ran deep into the mountain. The tunnel came to an end in
the workshop of four dwarves, who were the greatest goldsmiths in the world.

When Freya found them, they were adding the finishing touches to a golden
necklace so spectacularly gleaming that it lit up the cave like the bright sun. It
was set with amber gemstones and was the most beautiful thing ever created.

“How wonderful it is!” exclaimed Freya. “I would love to own such a fine piece
of jewellery. I can offer you many great treasures in return.”

The goddess Freya was famed

for driving a chariot pulled by
cats. Her other favourite form of
transport was a wild boar with
golden bristles. He was known
as Hildisvin, the battle boar!

17
“This necklace is called Brisingamen
and it is not for sale,” said one of the
dwarves. “However, you may have
it as a gift if you agree to stay here
and serve us for four weeks.”
The dwarves knew it was outrageous
to ask this of a goddess, but Freya
desired the necklace so much, she
agreed to be their servant. When the
four weeks were over, she fled home
as fast as she could, wearing golden
Brisingamen around her neck.
Freya hadn’t realised that Loki, the
trickster god, had followed her and
seen everything. Feeling mischievous,
he had already rushed to Odin, the
ruler of Asgard, to tell him how
Freya had served the dwarves! Odin
was furious with Freya for behaving in
such a lowly and greedy manner, and
he commanded Loki to steal Freya’s
necklace from her as punishment.
On the night of Freya’s return, Loki
turned himself into a tiny flea so that
he could fly through the gap under her
front door. When he reached Freya’s
bedroom, he found her fast asleep
with Brisingamen still around her neck.
Loki the flea bit her on the cheek and,
when the goddess restlessly turned
over, he took on his own form again
and, quick as lightning, undid her
necklace. Clutching it tightly, he
dashed out of her house.
But once Loki had Brisingamen in his
hands, all thoughts of giving it to Odin
vanished from his mind. So bewitched
was he by its dazzling gold and gems
that he decided to keep the necklace
for himself. That night, Loki went into
hiding, far away from Odin and Freya.
The following morning, when Freya
found her necklace was gone, she
despaired. In shame, she travelled to
Odin’s hall to confess what she had
done and apologise for her greed.
She asked for Odin’s help in finding
her necklace. Odin forgave her as, by
now, his anger had turned on Loki, who
had both tricked and betrayed him.
Odin called for the help of Heimdall,
a god with golden teeth and the power
to see and hear all. Heimdall closed
his eyes and everyone fell silent.
“Hmm... Loki is hiding by the sea,”
Heimdall said. “Let us go there.”
He mounted his horse, which had a
mane of gold, and Freya charged
alongside him in her chariot.
19
 When the god and goddess arrived
at the coast, Loki spotted them and
immediately turned himself into a seal
and dived into the sea to escape.
Heimdall wasted no time in doing the
same and what followed was a bitter
battle among the crashing waves, as
the two seals thrashed about and
fought each other.
Loki was the weaker of the two and
Heimdall’s all-seeing powers meant
that there was no hope of escape, so
it wasn’t long before Heimdall drove
Loki into a rock and overpowered him.
Answer: There are 22 amber gems.
20
Exhausted and wounded, Loki’s powers
soon weakened and he was forced to
take on his own form again. Heimdall
dragged him back to the shore and,
there, Loki reluctantly handed over
Freya’s stolen necklace.
Seeing all the trouble she had caused
among the gods of Asgard, Freya
vowed never to be tempted by the
glitter of gold again and she wore the
necklace Brisingamen to remind her
of her promise.
Count It!
How many amber gems
can you count in our
pictures? Write your
answer here!
 Favourite Fairy Tales

Three Billy
Goats Gruff
O nce upon a time, there were three billy goat brothers who lived
in a beautiful valley in the mountains. There was Little Billy Goat
Gruff, Medium Billy Goat Gruff and Big Billy Goat Gruff.

The three goats were always hungry and loved to gnaw all day on fresh green
grass, but they had eaten so much of it that their side of the valley had become
bare and dry. One day, they stood looking longingly at the green fields on the
other side of the valley and decided to live there instead.

However, there was only one way to reach the other side of the valley and
that was by crossing a bridge with a great big troll living under it! This troll
was well known for being grumpy – and for trying to eat up anyone
who dared to cross his bridge.

21
As the billy goats drew near to the bridge, brave Little Billy Goat Gruff offered to
go first. Off he went – trip-trap, trip-trap – over the bridge.

When he was halfway across, the troll lurched out from his hiding place. He had
a huge orange nose, wild hair, dangly ears, a crooked grin and beady, greedy
eyes. He smelt so bad, the flowers wilted on the riverbank. The little billy goat’s
knees knocked with fear to see him.

“Who’s that trip-trapping over my bridge?” roared the troll.

“It’s me, Little Billy Goat Gruff!” stammered the little goat. “Please let me pass. I’m
just going to the other side of the valley so I can feast on the sweet green grass!”

“NO! I’m going to gobble you all up!” shouted the troll.
“Oh, please don’t eat me,” pleaded the little billy goat. “I’m so small and thin! My
brother will cross the bridge soon and he is much bigger and fatter than I am!”

The troll’s eyes lit up at the thought of an even bigger meal and said, “Very well
then, off you go!” and it let the little billy goat trip-trap his way to the other side.

It wasn’t long before Medium Billy Goat Gruff decided to try his luck too. He
placed his foot nervously on the bridge, then went trip-trap, trip-trap across it,
making a lot more noise than his little brother before him.

Out jumped the troll again, who bellowed,

Act It Out!
Print out our Troll and
Billy Goat Gruff masks to
act out this story. Visit
the Issues page at:
www.storytimemagazine.com

2015
 “ Who’s t hat trip
-

Spot It! Can you find these close-ups in the picture?

We’ve flipped some of the pictures to make
it harder! Tick each box as you find it.
t ra pp in g over my bridge? ”
“It’s me, Medium Billy Goat Gruff!”
said the goat, as boldly as he could.
“Please let me pass. I’m just walking
to the other side of the valley so I can
feast on the sweet green grass.”
“NO! I’m going to gobble you all up!”
boomed the troll.
rubbed his grumbling tummy at the
thought of a big juicy goat for dinner.
“Very well then, off you go!” he said
and Medium Billy Goat Gruff trip-
trapped his way to the other side of
the bridge to join his little brother.

“Please don’t,” begged the Medium

Now it was Big Billy Goat Gruff’s
Billy Goat Gruff. “My brother will be
turn to walk across the bridge, and
along soon and he’s much bigger
his trip-trapping could be heard loud
and fatter than I am. In fact, he is
and clear as he walked over it.
the biggest of us all!”
The troll soon leapt out before him
“This must be my lucky day,”
and shouted, “Who’s that trip-trapping
grinned the troll and he
over my bridge?”

26
“It’s me, Big Billy Goat Gruff!” said the
goat, in his loudest voice. “Please let
me pass. I’m just walking to the other
side of the valley so I can feast on the
sweet green grass.”
“NO! I’m going to gobble you all up!”
said the troll, licking his lips.
“Oh no you’re not,” replied Big Billy
Goat Gruff, “for I have two strong
horns and I’m coming to get you!”
Then Big Billy Goat Gruff lowered
his horns and charged at the troll!
The troll was so surprised, he didn’t
move and, before he knew what was
happening, Big Billy Goat Gruff had
tossed him high into the air. The troll
landed splashing and spluttering in
the water below!
Big Billy Goat Gruff trip-trapped his
way happily across the bridge to
join his brothers, who were already
feasting on the sweet green grass –
and, from that day on, the troll never
again dared to bother anyone who
27
crossed that bridge.
Poems and Rhymes

The Story of
Flying Robert by Heinrich Hoffman

W hen the rain comes tumbling down

In the country or the town,
All good little girls and boys
Stay at home and mind their toys.
Robert thought, “No, when it pours,
It is better out of doors.”
Rain it did, and in a minute
Bob was in it!
Here you see him, silly fellow,
Underneath his red umbrella.

28
W hat a wind! Oh! How it whistles
Through the trees and flowers and thistles.
It has caught his red umbrella:
Now look at him, silly fellow –
Up he flies
To the skies!
No one heard his screams and cries;
Through the clouds the rude wind bore him,
And his hat flew on before him.

S oon they got to such a height,

They were nearly out of sight.
And the hat went up so high,
That it nearly touched the sky.
No one ever yet could tell
Where they stopped, or where they fell;
Only this one thing is plain,
Bob was never seen again!
Around the World Tales

The Four Dragons

M any thousands of years ago, the great country of China had
no rivers or lakes – just the sea on one side and the rain that
fell from the sky.

In that precious sea lived four mighty dragons called Long Dragon, Yellow Dragon,
Pearl Dragon and Black Dragon. They all served the Jade Emperor, who lived in
the heavens above, and it was their job to look after the people of China as they
sailed and fished in the sea.
All was well until the Jade Emperor
fell in love with a fairy enchantress.
The Emperor became so bewitched
by her that he quite forgot his duties
– including making the rain fall on
the crops below. Harvests quickly
withered and died, and the people
of China started to go hungry. They
prayed to the Jade Emperor for help.
“Dear Emperor!” they begged, on their
hands and knees. “We have not a
grain of rice to eat! Please send us
some rain before we all starve!” But
the Emperor didn’t hear them.
It pained the four dragons to see the
people suffer so much, so they flew to
the Jade Emperor’s heavenly palace.
When they entered his court, they
found him being entertained by the
fairy. He looked almost in a trance.
When he saw the dragons, he cried,
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t
you be guarding the sea?”
“Dear Emperor,” bowed Long Dragon,
“the crops are dying and the people
are hungry. We beg you to send some
rain before everyone starves!”
31
“Very well,” sighed the Jade Emperor “Aren’t we the dragons of the sea?”
and he waved them away. “Go back cried Black Dragon. “Let us carry as
to your watery home and I will send much water as we can and fill the
some rain tomorrow.” clouds with it!”

The dragons thanked him and he went “We must hurry,” urged Yellow Dragon.
back to listening to his fairy music, with “We don’t have much time!”
a faraway look in his eyes.
And so the four dragons dived into the
sea and swallowed as much water as
they could hold in their jaws. Then
The next day came and not a drop
they flew into the sky and sprayed the
of rain fell from the sky. The same
sea water into the clouds. They kept
happened the following day, and the
on doing this until the clouds were fit
day after that. The people became
to burst and rain began to pour down
truly desperate and the four dragons
heavily on the land below.
couldn’t bear to hear their cries.

“The Jade Emperor will surely punish

us for doing his job,” said Pearl The people of China rejoiced to see
Dragon, “but we must save these the rain and cheered so loudly that
people before it is too late!” they awoke the Jade Emperor from his

32
fairy entertainment. He looked down
from his palace and, when he saw
what the four dragons were doing,
he flew into a fearsome rage.
“How dare the dragons make it rain
without my permission!” he shouted.
The Jade Emperor sent his strongest
guards to capture the four dragons,
and they were dragged to his palace
for punishment.
Though the dragons pleaded and
explained how desperate the people
had been, the Jade Emperor was so
angered and insulted by their actions,
he refused to listen to them and threw
them into prison.
That night, the Emperor called for the
God of Mountains and asked him to
bring his four largest mountains.
“When you have them,” demanded
the Emperor, “place one mountain on
top of each dragon so that they may
never escape or disobey me again!”
The God of Mountains used his powers
to make four giant mountains appear
in mid-air and he placed one on top
of each of the four dragons, trapping
them there for eternity.
When the Emperor was satisfied,
the God of Mountains sent the peaks
back to where they belonged, with
the dragons imprisoned inside them.
But the four dragons were determined
to protect the people, so they changed
themselves into rivers, rushing down
from their mountain prisons, filling the
dry gorges, watering the fields and
flowing out to the sea. And this is how
China’s four greatest rivers came to be.

34
In the far south, the Pearl Dragon
flowed out to the sea as the Zhujiang
(Pearl River); in the south, the Long
Dragon became the Yangtze (Long
River); in central China, the Yellow
Dragon turned into the Huanghe
(Yellow River); and further north, the
Black Dragon transformed itself
into the Heilongjiang (Black River).
From that day on, whenever the
Jade Emperor lost interest in the
people he was supposed to care
for, nobody had to suffer because
the four dragon rivers were always
there to provide water for them.
Did You Know?
nsidered
In the East, dragons are co
wise –
to be friendly, helpful and
ers and
and masters of the rain, riv
are many
seas. Across China, there
d after
temples and shrines name
n light
dragons, where people ca
incense and pray to them.
35
 The Secret
Brilliant Books

Garden By Frances Hodgson Burnett

W hen Mary Lennox opened

her eyes it was because a
young housemaid had come into
her room to light the fire.

Mary lay and watched her for a few

moments and then began to look about
the room. She had never seen a room
like it and thought it curious and gloomy.

Mary went to the window. There were

gardens and paths and big trees, but
everything looked dull and wintry.
There was nothing to do. Perhaps it
would be better to go and see what
the gardens were like.

Martha, the housemaid, found her

coat and hat for her and a pair of
stout little boots and showed her
the way downstairs.

“If tha’ goes round that way tha’ll

come to th’ gardens,” she said,
36 pointing to a gate in the shrubbery.
Martha seemed to hesitate before she
added, “One of th’ gardens is locked.
No one has been in it for ten years.”
“Why?” asked Mary.
“Mr. Craven had it shut when his wife
died. He won’t let no one go inside.
It was her garden. He locked th’ door
an’ dug a hole and buried th’ key.”
Mary walked down the path, which
led to the gate in the shrubbery. She
could not help thinking about the
garden, which no one had been into
for ten years. She wondered what
it would look like. When she had
passed through the shrubbery gate
she found herself in great gardens,
with trees and flowerbeds and
evergreens, and a large pool with
an old grey fountain in its midst.
She saw, at the end of the path, a
wall, with ivy growing over it. She
went towards the wall and found
that there was a green
door and that
it stood open.
She went through the door and found
that she was in one of several walled
gardens, which seemed to open into
one another. She saw another open
green door, revealing beds containing
winter vegetables.
Presently an old man with a spade
over his shoulder walked through the
door leading from the second garden.
He looked startled when he saw
Mary, and then touched his cap.
Mary went down the path through the
second green door. There, she found
another green door and it was not
open. Perhaps it led into the garden,
which no one had seen for ten years.
As she was not at all a timid child and
always did what she wanted to do,
Mary went to the door and turned the
handle. She hoped she had found the
mysterious garden – but she found
herself in an orchard.
37
 Mary noticed that the wall did not
seem to end with the orchard –
it extended beyond it as if it enclosed
a place at the other side. She could
see the tops of trees above the wall,
and a bird with a bright red breast
sitting on the topmost branch, and
suddenly he burst into his winter song
– almost as if he was calling to her.
She stopped and listened to him and
somehow his cheerful, friendly little
whistle gave her a pleased feeling.
Perhaps he lived in the mysterious
garden and knew all about it.
As she thought of the bird and the
treetop he perched on, she stopped
rather suddenly on the path.
“I believe that tree was in the secret
garden – I feel sure it was,” she said.
38
She walked back into the kitchen
garden and found the old man digging.
“I have been into the other gardens,”
she said.
“There was nothin’ to prevent thee,” he
answered.
“There was no door there into the other
garden,” said Mary.
“What garden?” he said.
“The one on the other side of the wall,”
answered Mary. “There are trees there
– I saw the tops of them. A bird with a
red breast was sitting on one of them.”
To her surprise his surly old weather-
beaten face changed its expression.
A slow smile spread over it. He began
to whistle – a low, soft whistle. The next
moment, a wonderful thing happened.
She heard a soft little rushing flight
through the air – and it was the bird
with the red breast flying to them.
“Here he is,” chuckled the old man.
The bird put his tiny head on one side
and looked up at him with his soft,
bright eye, which was like a black
dewdrop. He was so pretty. He had
a tiny plump body and a delicate
beak, and slender delicate legs.
“What kind of a bird is he?”
“He’s a robin redbreast, an’ they’re
th’ friendliest, curiousest birds alive.”
The robin hopped about, pecking the
soil. Mary thought his black dewdrop
eyes gazed at her with great curiosity.
“What is your name?” Mary inquired.
“Ben Weatherstaff,” the man answered.
Suddenly a clear rippling little sound
broke out near her and she turned
round. She was standing near a young
apple tree and the robin had flown on
to one of its branches and had burst
out into a scrap of a song. Ben
Weatherstaff laughed outright.
“He’s made up his mind to make
friends with thee,” said Ben.
“With me?” said Mary. “Would you
make friends with me?” she said to
the robin. “Would you?”
Just at that moment the robin gave a
little shake of his wings and flew away.
“He has flown into the garden where
there is no door!” Mary cried out.
“He lives there,” said old Ben.
“Where is the door?” asked Mary.
“There must be a door somewhere.”
“There was ten year ago, but there
isn’t now,” he said.
“There must be!” cried Mary.
“None as anyone can find. Here, I
must go on with my work. Get you
gone an’ play.”
Ten years was a long time, Mary
thought.
She went to walk outside the long,
ivy-covered wall, and the second time
she walked up and down, the most
exciting thing happened to her.
She heard a chirp and a twitter, and
when she looked at the flowerbed,
there was the robin hopping about.
She chirped, and talked, and coaxed
and he hopped and twittered. It was
as if he were talking. His red waistcoat
was like satin and he puffed his tiny
breast out and was so fine and so
grand and so pretty that it was as if
“Perhaps it is
the key to the
garden!”
he were showing her how important
a robin could be. He allowed her to
draw closer, and she was so happy
that she scarcely dared to breathe.
The flowerbed was not quite bare.
There were tall shrubs and low ones,
and as the robin hopped about under
them she saw him hop over a small
pile of freshly turned-up earth.
Mary looked at it, and as she looked
she saw something almost buried in
the newly turned soil. It was like a ring
of rusty iron, and when the robin flew
up into a tree nearby she put out her
hand and picked the ring up. It was
more than a ring, however; it was an
old key, which looked as if it had
been buried a long time.
“Perhaps it has been buried
for ten years,” she said in a
whisper. “Perhaps it is the
key to the garden!”
She looked at the
key for a long time.
She turned it over, and thought about it. All she thought was that
if it was the key to the garden, and she could find out where
the door was, she could perhaps see what was inside.

Besides that, if she liked it, she could go into it every

day and shut the door behind her, and she could
play. The thought of that pleased her very much.

She put the key in her pocket and walked up and

down. However carefully she looked, she could
see nothing but thickly growing, glossy, dark-
green leaves. She was very much disappointed.

It seemed so silly to be near it and not be

able to get in. She took the key in her
pocket and made up her mind that she
would always carry it, so that if she
ever should find the hidden door
she would be ready.
 The following She put her hands under the leaves
day, Mary was and began to pull and push them
skipping along
the walk again and her hands to shake a little in her
when there, lo and
behold, was the robin
swaying on a long branch
of ivy. He had followed her and
greeted her with a chirp. When Mary
saw the robin, she laughed.
“You showed me where the key was
yesterday,” she said. “You ought to
show me the door today; but I don’t
believe you know!”
The robin flew from his swinging spray
of ivy on to the top of the wall and he
opened his beak and sang a loud,
lovely trill, merely to show off. Mary
always said that what happened
almost at that moment was Magic.
A nice gust of wind rushed down the
walk, and it was stronger than the rest.
It was strong enough to wave the
branches of the trees. Suddenly the
gust swung aside some loose ivy trails,
and Mary jumped toward the ivy and
caught it in her hand, because she
had seen something under it – a
round knob, which had been covered
by leaves. It was the knob of a door.
aside. Mary’s heart began to thump
delight and excitement. The robin kept
singing and twittering away, as if he
were as excited as she was.
What was this under her hands, which
was made of iron and which her
fingers found a hole in?
It was the lock of the door which had
been closed ten years and she put her
hand in her pocket, drew out the key
and found it fitted the keyhole. She put
the key in and turned it. It took two
hands to do it, but it did turn.
And then she took a long breath and
looked behind her up the long walk
to see if anyone was coming. No one
was coming. No one ever did come,
it seemed, and she took another long
breath, because she could not help it,
and she held back the swinging curtain
of ivy and pushed back the door, which
opened slowly – slowly.
Then she slipped through it, and shut
it behind her, and stood with her back
against it, looking about her and
breathing quite fast with excitement,
and wonder, and delight. She was
standing inside the secret garden.

42
 It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking
place anyone could imagine.

HIDDEN
TREASURES
There are five
keys hidden in the
pictures in this story.
Colour this flower in
when you’ve found
them all!

WIN! u l h a rd back copy

eautif out
To win a b arden, find out ab
cret G page 50.
of The Se et i t io n o n
our comp
 Stor y t i m e
Play b x
Open the playbox for super story puzzles, a teeny tortoise craft
and a testing game featuring the three billy goats gruff and a troll!

1 RIVER DRAGONS Draw lines to match each of these four

rivers to their dragons – and name them
too! Look at The Four Dragons for help.

A 1

B
2
3
C

2 Blown Away Flying Robert’s umbrella

BROLLY
has been blown away by
the wind. Can you find it
on these puzzle pages?
44
3 FAIRY Secrets
Pretend to rub some fairy ointment on your eyelids, then
join the dots to see this picture as it really is! It’s magic!

13.
12. 14.

9. 19.
11. 1. 15.
18.
8. 20.
10.
2. 16.
3. 17.
7. 21.
4.
22.
6. 5.
24.
35.

33. 23.
34. 25.
31.
32. 29. 27.
26.

30. 28.

4 Quick In The Tortoise and the Geese, which animal snapped

Quiz
and laughed at the idea of the tortoise keeping quiet?

A B C

45
 5
A
EGG CARTON Tortoise growsnk-ua
p
Make a talkative little tortoise so you can act out our !
Famous Fable! Here’s how to do it.
• Cut the base of an egg carton box into six
sections – you need just one section to make
your tortoise shell.
• Paint it bright green, let it dry, then splodge dark
green or yellow spots on it. Alternatively, you
could cut out small diamonds or squares from dark
green or yellow paper and stick these to the shell.
• From dark green card or craft foam, cut out four
rectangles with rounded corners for the feet. Stick them inside the
shell using PVA glue or sticky tape so that they poke out at the bottom.
• Also cut out a triangle for the tail and stick it to the back of the shell on the inside.
• Use a craft knife to cut a thin vertical slot, about 1cm long, in the front of the shell.
• Following our picture for guidance, cut the tortoise’s head and neck out of dark
green card or foam. Make the neck just over 1cm wide.
• Push the neck into the 1cm-long slot you cut earlier, so that the head sticks out.
• Stick a googly eye on either side of the tortoise’s head and draw on a mouth –
this tortoise likes to use his mouth a lot!
• Move the head up and down to make it look like your tortoise is talking!

6 LOCK & Key Can you work out which of these

keys fits the lock to the secret
garden? Look at their designs
for a clue!

B E
D
A C F
46
7 Design a Necklace
Can you design a necklace even more spectacular than the one which the
dwarves gave to goddess Freya? Don’t forget to add lots of gemstones!

46

47
D1 Black Dragon; 4. Quick Quiz – A; 6. Lock & key – E.
ANSWERS: 1. River Dragons – A3 Pearl Dragon, B4 Long Dragon, C2 Yellow Dragon,
 BILLY
GOAT BRIDGE
How to Play If you get it wrong, the Trip
Triangle falls
r Billy bbles it up.
All you need to play are ou into the river and the troll go
ters and
Goat Gruff Character Coun The question master now as
ks a Trap
em out at
Trip Trap Triangles. Print th question. If you get it right,
add the Trap
m/issues.
www.storytimemagazine.co Triangle to your bridge and
move your
.
Place your Billy Goat Gruff
character character counter forward
Troll River. ngle lunch
counters on the left side of If you get it wrong, it’s a tria
t!
Choose someone to be the
question for the troll and you stay pu
play together wrong in a
master. Everyone else can If you get three questions
me over and
as a team. row, the bridge collapses. Ga
goats!
The question master asks
the team the troll gobbles up all three
one of the Trip questions. the questions
Otherwise, keep answering
r until you’ve
Check the story for the answ
er and, if in Trip, Trap, Trip, Trap orde
river!
you get it right, lay the firs
t Trip Triangle made your way across the
ur character
on the bridge and move yo
counter onto it.

T R AP
T R AP
P
TR A TRIP
TRIP
A P
T R R IP
T
HINT!
Look at the P
I
story again TR
before you play!
 The Three Billy Goats Gruff need your
Download our Billy Goat
help to build a bridge across Troll River! Bridge Game Counters and
Can you work as a team to do it? Trip Trap Triangles from
storytimemagazine.com
1. What colour are 5. How many feet cross

TRIP
the troll’s trousers? the bridge in total?

2. How many squirrels 6. Name an animal in

did you count? the story that isn’t a
QUE
goat, squirrel or rabbit. STIO
3. Which goat wears
7. How many goat skulls
N S
a bell around its neck?
did you see in the river?
4. Which goat went over
the bridge first? 8. How many teeth does
the troll have?

TQURESTAIONPS
1. Which goat’s knees 5. What colour are the
knock with fear? rabbits in the story?
2. How many patches 6. What wilts when the
are there on the troll’s troll comes near to it?
trousers?
7. What kind of tree is
3. Which goat has the squirrel sitting on?
spots on its coat?
8. What colour are the
4. What do the billy butterfly’s wings?
goats like to eat?
T R AP
TR A
P
TRIP
TRIP TR
AP
T RI
P
TR

TR
IP
AP
 STORY MAGIC
Books are brilliant – we love them! Enjoy our pick of the best, win
a beautiful hardback, and feel inspired by fairies and fairy tales!
Book of the Month
There’s more garden magic to be had
in The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes
(out now, from Flying Eye Books). It’s a
gentle and touching tale about a teeny
gardener trying to care for the garden
he so loves against all odds – with
a feast of fabulous floral
illustrations to admire.
Also look out for Emily’s
inspiring first book, Wild,
which is full to the brim
with magic too.
My Favourite Fairy Tale…
Emily Hughes reveals one of
her most beloved fairy tales:
“Prince Darling, from Andrew
Lang’s Blue Fairy Book, is one
of my favourites. A spoilt, young
Prince is transformed into a
monster, and must live humbly
to ascend again. It’s a fantastical
lesson on empathy, humility
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50
WIN!
A Magical
Fairy Door!
Do you believe in fairies? We
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but we can offer one of five
adorable fairy doors from
The Irish Fairy Door Company
to help bring some fairy magic
into your home! To enter this
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The Secret Garden
Want to find out what happens
to Mary in the secret garden and
discover even more wonderful
secrets? Enter our competition
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Burnett’s classic tale, The
Secret Garden. Just visit
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 Magic, adventure & more!
Tasty tales for
Poems and Rhymes

The Story of Freya’s

young and old!
Myths and Legends

Around the World Tales

The Four Dragons

Stone Soup

Flying Robert
Storyti
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an old traveller

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Books

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He carried ilgamesh was
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which seemed
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large cauldron he was hungry.
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of an ancient
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called Uruk.
Trewella.
was three asked
mermaid just beyond years later when

knapsack,
carriage him if he appeared the cove. a local
had rattled miles from the Poems
By E. Nesbit would alongside
and Rhymes

civilisation
put their and she kindly the ship

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heads along station, needed
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every second.
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out for five the captain.
And every of the minutes The captain to her children as it was

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The little fairy

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the next village,

orchard then there quarry Matthew local fishermen by a mermaid. that
beyond, was a
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stopped at
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flashed
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30
in the forest

and powerful but, like many gods,

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All was well until the Jade Emperor

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prayed to the Jade Emperor for help. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t

not to see
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28
“Dear Emperor!” they begged, on
their
hands and knees. “We have not a “Dear Emperor,” bowed Long Dragon,
grain of rice to eat! Please send us

her but
“the crops are dying and the people
some rain before we all starve!” But are hungry. We beg you to send some

to listen
the Emperor didn’t hear them. rain before everyone starves!”

Get whisked away Ride on a No

31

to stories.”
with Flying Robert! goddess’s charse Find out what happens to four
RUMPE
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Find out more at:

Soup, Dree Fishes, The Great

Coming
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Puzzles!

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