You can now freely listen to – and jump in – ten stories and a game that were formerly on my CDs.
They tend to be longer than my own stories as they’re based on the very interactive stories I have told in schools.
I retell the stories in a way that enables children to access them, participate in them and enjoy them.
All these particular versions © Charlie. And, yes – I did once look like this!
The yellow jungle frogs – a story and song (about 14 mins; originally recorded 1997)
This is my retelling of a story from South America.
Aimed at Nursery and Reception children.
The frogs love to sing and dance, but other creatures keep shooing them away. Finally, Mrs Owl makes their day!
Music and song composed by Charlie ©
Moon Lake (about 25 mins; originally recorded 2004)
This is my retelling of a story from India.
Aimed at Reception children.
The elephants live by a beautiful blue lake, but when the sun dries it up, they have to find another one. The trouble is – they find the rabbits’ lake. How can the little rabbits chase away the big, fat elephants? This story can be used to illustrate the water cycle and reflections. I have told this story countless times in schools and it’s great fun and always tremendously popular.
Herr Korbes (about 13 mins; originally recorded 1997)
This is my retelling of a Traditional Brothers Grimm story.
Aimed at KS1 children.
The cockerel and hen decide to cheer up the lonely and grumpy old man Herr Korbes. On their way to his house, they are joined by lots of others. The visit looks like it’s a disaster until they invite him to a ride with them in their carriage.
The rascally rattlesnake (about 22 mins; originally recorded 2004)
This is my retelling of a story from The Chickasaw Native Americans.
Aimed at middle KS1 children.
Baby rattlesnake hasn’t grown a rattle yet. He makes such a fuss that, finally, the chief gives in and finds a spare one for him. But he’s very, very naughty with his new rattle! Another very popular story I’ve shared many times in schools.
Music and song composed by Charlie ©
The dragon king (About 30 mins; originally recorded 2006)
I have developed this story from a snippet of a traditional Chinese tale.
Aimed at KS1 children and families.
The dragon king thinks the queen is sad, so he tries his hardest to make her happy. He’s not clever enough to realise that she’s fooling him. He searches the oceans for something really special to please her. But she’s never satisfied until, in the end, his funny story does make her laugh!
Music composed by Charlie ©
The first tigers – a story and song (About 30 mins; originally recorded 2006)
This is my retelling of a story from the Hmong people of Laos.
Aimed at upper KS1 children.
The tigers – He and She – would like to have some cubs.
She journeys through the forest to ask Shao – who’s old and wise and lives in the skies – how many she can have. She makes up a song to help her remember his answer, but the Eu bird doesn’t like the idea of lots of cubs in the forest, so she tricks tiger. This, perhaps, is one reason why there are so few tigers left in our world.
Music and song composed by Charlie ©
The radish thief (about 17 mins; originally recorded 2004)
This is my retelling of a story from Bangladesh.
Aimed at lower KS2 children and families.
The farmer needs to feed his family, but he is up against the hot sun, the terrible monsoon, bad neighbours – and a thief! There’s lots of joining in!
The old witch – a story and song (about 18 mins; originally recorded 1997)
This is my retelling of a traditional English story.
Aimed at lower KS2 children and families.
A girl travels into the countryside and helps all those she meets. But when she works for a witch, she discovers gold and is chased. All those she had helped, now help her.
Music composed by Charlie ©
Ophelia’s letter (about 10 mins; originally recorded 2004)
This is my retelling of a story/song/game from Ghana.
Aimed at lower KS2 children and families.
Ophelia has a pen friend in England. She likes to read her letter – her treasure – down by the river. However, a gust of wind has another idea. Her family play their part in mending her broken heart. They play a game with her that you can easily play as well!
How to play Ophelia’s game – (this can be as long or as short as you want to make it!)
You will need three people (Ophelia’s mum, dad and brother). They will stand in front of – and face – the rest of the group or class.They also need to stand side by side about a meter apart. A fourth person will be “Ophelia”. A girl, boy or grown-up can be Ophelia. You will need a little piece of “treasure” (I usually use a small piece of card about 5cm sq). At first, Ophelia must stand at the back of the group or class, and whilst s/he has her/his back turned to the family, the “treasure” should be hidden on one of them. It could be hidden in a pocket, up a sleeve, under a foot etc. Once it’s out of sight, Ophelia turns around and has to find it. The group or class give her/him clues by singing the song – softly if s/he is no where near the “treasure”, louder as s/he gets closer. When it’s discovered, give Ophelia a cheer! The game can be repeated many times with as many different Ophelias as you wish. You could also make a small percussion band with various shakers and rattles.
Use Ophelia’s song to accompany your game – The verse is repeated six times for you.
The Pepperbush – a story and song (about 21 mins; originally recorded 2004)
This is my retelling of a story from St Vincent in the Caribbean.
Aimed at upper KS2 children.
In the Caribbean, there is a tiny dot of an island. When a cloud covers the sun, a shadow is cast over the whole island. The scheming witch becomes queen and uses the king’s pepperbush to hide a terrible secret. However, the singing of the princess turns the tables on her.
Music and song composed by Charlie ©
This is the kalimba - or thumb piano - as played in the "Ophelia's letter" story and game.
And this is the South American gourd used in the same story to create the gentle sound of the river. It works in a similar way to a rain stick although by turning rather than tipping.