Amazin are

g new friends
Waiting
for you inside!
You’ll meet a fierce little dinosaur,
a troublesome catfish, a very silly vizier
and twelve cool dancing princesses!

This issue belongs to:

SPOT IT!
Which s
tory is
this bot
tle from
?

Storytime™ magazine is published ILLUSTRATORS:

every month by Storytime Magazine Ltd, Chiara Carapallese Boots and his Brothers
3 Endless Street, Salisbury SP1 1DL Wiliam Luong The Earthquake Fish
Mariane Cândido Gubbon Seer
© Storytime Magazine Ltd, 2023. All rights
Francesca Romana Baccioti The Princesses
reserved. No part of this magazine may be
Move In!
used or reproduced without prior written
Qazaleh Barootian Mayhem in the Museum
permission of the publisher.
Fran Matsumoto Sacagawea Leads the Way
Printed by Acorn Web Offset Ltd.
Öykü Akarca The Magic Garden
Editorial Director: Lulu Skantze Cristina di Pietro The Measure of Rice
Editor: Sven Wilson
Commercial Director: Leslie Coathup www.storytimemagazine.com
Storytime and its paper suppliers
have been independently certified
in accordance with the rules of the
A Cornish folk tale, a myth
FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council)®.
from
Japan and a story from Kaza
khstan!
 Favourite Fairy Tales

BOOTS and
HIS Brothers
O nce upon a time, there was a king who had a
castle on top of a high hill. It had lovely views
of the Norwegian fjords – but it had two problems.
“The huge oak tree outside blocks the
sun,” complained the king, “and I need
a well for fresh water. If someone could
chop down this tree and dig me a well,
I would give them half my kingdom!”

People came from far and wide to

do these tasks. However, they did
not know that the oak tree was magical.
If someone tried to chop its trunk with
an axe, it grew back thicker than ever!
And if they tried to make a well, they
soon discovered that there was solid
rock beneath the soil, which broke
their shovels.

People kept trying to chop down the

tree and dig a well, but none of them
succeeded. The king got sick of this,
so he sent out a proclamation.

“Anyone who tries to complete

these tasks and fails,” it said, “will
be imprisoned on a distant island!”
In the forest nearby, there lived As they were walking through the
a woodcutter who had three forest, they heard the sound of an
sons. The eldest was Peter, and axe chopping wood. It came from
the middle one was called Paul. up on the hillside.
The youngest brother was named
“I wonder what that could be?”
John, but everyone called him
said Boots curiously.
‘Boots’ because he wore huge
hand-me-down boots on his feet. “It’s obviously just a woodcutter!”
said Peter. “Let’s keep going!”
“I think we should try to chop down
that tree and dig a well for the king!” But Boots climbed the hill and found
said Peter one day. an axe that was chopping away at
a tree, all by itself!
“Yes, how hard can it be?” said Paul.
“Excuse me, but why are you here?”
“I agree!” said Boots.
Boots asked the axe.
So the three of them set off for
“Oh, I am waiting for you!” it replied.
the king’s castle.
“Please put me in your bag!”

7
Boots took the axe with him and Boots did as the shovel said before
rejoined his brothers. The three of rejoining his brothers on the road.
them continued on their journey.
They passed by a green hill that
As they passed through a narrow had a stream trickling down it.
valley, they heard a loud noise
“Where does the water come from,
from up on a cliff.
I wonder?” said Boots.
“I wonder what that could be?”
His brothers laughed. “What a silly
said Boots.
question! Surely it comes from a
“Why waste time?” said Paul. “It must spring – now let’s get going!”
be a bird, pecking at an old tree!”
But Boots was curious. He climbed
But Boots clambered up the cliff and the hill and saw that the water
found a shovel that was digging a flowed from a walnut that was
hole, all by itself. lying on the ground.

“Hello there, Mr Shovel!” said Boots. “Hello!” said Boots. “Why are
“Why are you here, all alone?” you here on this hill?”

“Oh,” replied the shovel, “I was “Why, I am waiting for you!”

waiting for you. Please put me replied the walnut. “Put me
in your bag!” in your bag!”

8
So Boots wrapped the walnut in Paul went next. He decided to
dry moss and took it with him. dig a well and stuck his shovel
into the earth. But after only a
Before too long, the brothers
few inches, he hit solid rock and
reached the king’s castle on
his tool broke beyond repair!
top of a hill.
“At least your brother won’t be lonely
“So you’ve come to chop down my
on that island!” the king chuckled.
tree and dig me a well?” said the
ruler. “Be warned: many others have Finally, it was Boots’s turn.
tried and failed – and I sent them
“Give up now and I’ll let you go
away to a distant island!”
free!” the king said. But Boots took
But the brothers were determined the magic axe from his bag and held
to complete the king’s tasks and it up so it glistened in the light.
get the reward! The first to try was
The axe began chopping at the
Peter. He chopped away at the
tree so quickly that it was a blur.
tree with all his might – but the tree
It cut so fast that the tree could not
just grew bigger as he chopped.
regrow – and in a trice, its mighty
He finally had to stop, exhausted!
trunk fell. Boots had completed
“Too bad!” said the king smugly. the first challenge!
“It’s off to the island with you!”

9
“Impressive!” the king exclaimed. “But you still have to dig the well!”

The young man took his magic shovel and began digging. To the
king’s amazement, the tool went through earth and stone, and
before long, Boots had dug a neat well many feet deep.

“But where is the water?” complained the king. “A well must have water!”

Boots winked and pulled the walnut from his bag. He tossed it into
the well… which filled up with cool, clear water.

The king was very pleased! He had to admit that the youngest brother
was brave and resourceful and deserved his reward. He gave Boots
half his kingdom and set his brothers free into the bargain.

Boots built a nice castle for his family to live in and planted many oak
trees around his land with acorns from the magic tree he had cut down.
He hung his magic axe over the mantelpiece and never stopped
being curious about things!

COLOUR I
At the en
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Boots ma tory,
kes a cas
his own! tle of
How wou
decorate ld YOU
your cast
storytim le? Go to
emagazin
to downlo e.com/fr
ad a pict ee
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10
 Myths and Legends

The Earthquake

I n ages past, people had many things to be afraid of.

They were scared of spirits and volcanoes and fierce
storms. But in Japan, the thing that they feared most
of all was a giant catfish called Namazu.
This fish was so huge that when he thrashed his tail, earthquakes
would shake the land. People never knew when the ground
would begin to tremble and make their homes fall down
around their ears!

They asked the goddess Amaterasu for help,

and she heard their prayers.

Amaterasu summoned the thunder god

Takemikazuchi, who was famous for his
great strength and fierce temper.

11
“We must stop Namazu from making But one day, Takemikazuchi had
these earthquakes!” she told him. to go on a long journey. He needed
“You should stay by the pond where someone to watch over Namazu
he lives. If he begins to thrash his while he was away!
tail, put a heavy boulder on him
He went to Ebisu, the god of
so he cannot move!”
merchants and fishermen, and
said, “Will you keep watch over
the giant catfish for me? If he
Takemikazuchi stood guard over
makes trouble, use a stone
the great catfish from that day on.
to weigh him down!”
Whenever Namazu twitched, he
would pick up a stone and place Ebisu bowed and said that he
it on the fish’s wide back. The would. He went to the pond
thunder god did this for many where the catfish lived and
years, and the people of Japan found a shady place to sit.
were very grateful. They no longer
feared earthquakes and built mighty Ebisu found it very relaxing to
cities like Kyoto, the home of the hang out by the pond. The god
emperor, and Edo, where the soon forgot why he was there in
country’s military leader lived. the first place. He lay down –
and before long, he fell asleep.

12
That was just what Namazu had
been waiting for! While Ebisu
snored, the fish began to thrash
his great tail – and the ground
began to shake! However, the noise
of the thunderstorm above
A massive earthquake struck the
Takemikazuchi’s head woke him up.
nearby city of Edo. Many houses
collapsed, leaving people without “What happened?” he asked.
shelter, and lots of fires broke out.
“You dozed off – and when you
Takemikazuchi heard the thundering did, Namazu thrashed his tail
sound of the earthquake from a and wrecked the city of Edo!”
long way away and rode back yelled the thunder god.
as fast as he could to find out what
had happened. He was upset when Ebisu was sorry and apologised
he saw the fine city of Edo in ruins! to Takemikazuchi a hundred times.
To make amends, the god of
The thunder god was so angry merchants scattered gold coins
that a great storm broke out above over the city of Edo to pay for
his head. He went to the pond, the cost of rebuilding it.
where he found Ebisu. The god
of merchants was still fast asleep! Takemikazuchi then went to
Namazu in his pond.

“Do you know what trouble you

have caused?” he thundered.
“Your tail-twitches have
brought much suffering to
the people of Japan!”
Namazu was frightened by the god’s anger. Shortly before a great
“I’m sorry!” he said, his whiskers twitching. earthquake struck the
“I was upset at the humans because they do city of Edo in 1855, a
Japanese fisherman
not like catfish like me, but eat other fish
saw a catfish thrashing
instead!”
around in the water.
This led to a belief that
“That is no excuse!” boomed Takemikazuchi.
a catfish could cause
“Now I must stop you from ever doing it or predict earthquakes!
again, as I promised Amaterasu I would!” That was the origin of
the myth of Namazu.
With that, he heaved a huge stone onto Nowadays, pictures of
Namazu’s back, so he could not move at all. the great catfish were
said to protect homes
Namazu was trapped at the bottom of the from earthquakes –
pond. He remains quiet for long periods of and images of catfish
time – but sometimes he tries to wriggle free can still be seen on
and causes the earthquakes that shake earthquake-warning
Japan to this day! signs in Japan!

14
 Storyteller’s Corner

Gubbon Seer
G ubbon Seer was a clever old man who had a strange
sense of humour. He loved to play tricks on people!
One day, he gave a sheepskin to his son, Jack.

“I want you to find someone who will buy this from you,” he said with a twinkle
in his eye. “But they must let you keep it, too!”

So Jack left the farm where they lived and set off down the road. He asked
everyone he met if they would pay him for the skin and let him keep it as well
– but they just laughed at him!

Jack sat down by a stream, feeling frustrated. Surely his father had given
him an impossible job! Just then, a maiden came by to wash her laundry.

“Why are you so glum?” she asked.

15
Jack told her what his father had A few years later, the king decided
asked him to do. to build the biggest castle in the
world – and he hired Gubbon Seer
The maiden smiled and said,
and young Jack to do the job!
“My name is Nessa – and I will
pay for this skin and let you keep it!” The father and son set off to the
building site. The road was long,
Nessa dunked the sheepskin in the
and Gubbon Seer got bored.
stream, trimmed off the wool and
gave him back the skin. She then “Make this journey shorter!”
handed him four silver coins. he told his son.

When Jack went home and told Jack was confused. “How can
Gubbon Seer what had happened, I do that?”
the old man laughed. “Nessa is a
His father just said, “If you don’t
clever young lady!” he chuckled.
know, then you shouldn’t have
“You should invite her to tea!”
come. Go home!”
Nessa accepted Jack’s invitation
Jack went back to the farm, puzzled.
and came to have tea with them.
Jack liked her very much! The two Nessa met him at the gate and
were soon married and lived on the asked “Why are you back so soon?
farm with Gubbon Seer. And where is your father?”

Jack sighed and said, “He asked me

to shorten the journey – but I did not
know how, so he sent me home!”

16
Nessa laughed and said, “Tell him a story – that will
make the journey seem shorter. Oh, and always be
polite to the king’s servants!”

Jack promised that he would and ran down the road

to catch up with Gubbon Seer.

He told his father a story, and they had such a jolly

time that the miles seemed to pass quickly.

Soon, they arrived at the place where the king wanted

to build his castle. Gubbon Seer and Jack got to work
– and they were very polite to all the king’s servants!

After a year of building, the castle was nearly finished.

It was the largest castle in the world, and the king
was very pleased with it!

“What a fine job you have done!” he exclaimed.

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” replied

Gubbon Seer. “Once we complete the
arch over the gate, it will be finished!”

“That is very good!” said the king.

“Then I will give you your reward!”

Jack and Gubbon Seer were

looking forward to getting paid
and going home when one of the
king’s servants came up to them.

17
 Gubbon Seer agreed and scribbled
“Excuse me!” the man said.
a short message on a piece of
“You have always treated us
paper. It said, ‘Give him crooked
well, so I must tell you something.
and strait!’
The king will not reward you at all!
“Take this message and show it to
“Once the castle is finished, he will
my son’s wife,” he told the prince.
lock you up so you cannot build
“She will know what it means!”
a bigger castle for another king!”

Gubbon Seer chuckled

When Prince Alfred arrived at
“Do not worry! I have a plan!”
Gubbon Seer’s farm, Nessa
The next day, the king came to greeted him.
the building site again.
“What do you need, Your
“Well, is my castle finished?” Highness?” she asked.
he demanded.
“Your father-in-law sent me here
Gubbon Seer shook his head sadly. with this message!” he replied.

“No, Your Majesty. To finish the gate, She looked at the note and nodded.
I need a special tool from home.
Nessa took Alfred into the house.
My son and I will go and get it!”
She then stood on the edge of
“Oh no!” said the king. “My son, a big wooden chest and tried to
Prince Alfred, will collect this tool!” reach a hole high up on the wall.
“Can you reach it?” she asked the She passed a sheet of paper and
prince. “You are taller than me!” a pen through the keyhole in the
chest and told Alfred what to write.
Alfred stood on the edge of the
chest and reached up into the hole. A few days later, the king received
But when he did so, Nessa grabbed a letter from the prince.
him by his heels so that he fell into
‘Dear Father,’ it read, ‘Please pay
the chest. She then slammed the
Gubbon Seer and his son what you
lid shut and sat on it.
owe them and let them go free.
She knew that a ‘strait’ was a narrow If you do, I will be set free as well.
place and ‘crooked’ meant ‘bent Please hurry, it is dark in here.
over’ – just like the prince was, Best wishes, your son Alfred.’
inside the cramped chest!
The king had no choice but to do as
Alfred panicked and told Jack’s the letter said. He paid Gubbon Seer
wife about how the king planned and Jack many gold coins and then
to lock up Jack and Gubbon Seer. let them go back home.

“Is that so?” replied Nessa. The pair built many more amazing
“In that case, you should castles for other kings – and
write a letter to your father!” everyone knew not to mess with
Gubbon Seer, Jack and Nessa!

19
 Short Stories, Big Dreams

The princesses
MOVE IN!
T he other eleven princesses were packing up the last
of their things when Adeline pranced into the palace.

“Haven’t you finished yet? I can’t

wait to show you our new place!”

The twelve dancing princesses

were sad to leave the palace that had been
their home for so many years. But they were
also keen to move into the new apartment
Adeline had found for them to live in.

“It’s right in the middle of town!” she said.

“There’s a dance studio where we can give
classes – and a loft upstairs to sleep in!”

The princesses got to work taping up their

boxes of dance shoes and costumes and
labelling them for the movers. Then, they
got on their bikes and followed Adeline
as she pedalled to their new place.

The princesses enjoyed the ride.

“Look at all the lovely trees with

their spring leaves!” April sighed.
“And the cool cafes!”

20
But when they finally
arrived at their new
home, the princesses didn’t look shoulders to scrape the old
so keen. They noticed there were paint from the walls and then
cobwebs on the dirty windows. had fun splashing new paint on.

“This doesn’t look very nice, Adeline and Fabrice swept and
does it?” Augusta grumbled. vacuumed and mopped the floor
until it was clean. Then, it was
When Adeline unlocked the door,
time for their grand finale. They
things didn’t seem much better.
tied polishing rags to their feet and
The dance floor was dirty and
danced all over the dance floor!
dusty, the paint was peeling,
and the loft was full of junk! The twelve princesses pranced
and pirouetted and slid all over
The girls felt discouraged. But
the slippery surface until it was
then Aurelie adjusted her glasses.
shiny and polished…
“Adeline, I think we can make
this into a very nice home... When it was all done, they hugged
if we all work together!” each other and looked around
happily at their new home.
Before long, Octavia and Nova were
gathering up the rubbish in the loft “Perhaps we can add some of these
and throwing it down to Isadora, who new moves to our dance classes
put it in a bag. Mia, June and Julia tomorrow?” clapped Nova, feeling
clambered up on each other’s very excited indeed!
 Worlds of Wonder

In the MUSEUM
F ergus normally hated school trips. He usually tried
to explain that he would learn a lot more if they just
let him read in the library instead.

But today was different! Fergus was the

first one off the bus, and he vaulted up
the stairs of the museum two at a time.
He sprinted through the front doors…

There it was! It towered above

everything else in the main hall of
the museum – the massive skeleton
of the Tyrannosaurus rex. He’d
pestered his mum into taking him
to see it dozens of times, but it
still took his breath away!

Its head alone was the size of a

small car, and the dozens or teeth in
its mouth were longer than his hand.

As he stared up at it, Fergus wondered

for the thousandth time what it would
have been like to see this beast when
it was alive…
“Fergus! I should have known you’d whispered about who they thought
be first in line on this trip!” this person would be!

Mr Burton came into the hall, with There was a bang as the door
the rest of the class trailing behind. at the top of a stairway opened.
A tall, lanky woman skipped down
“Yeah, bone-brain Ferg really loves
the steps towards them. She wore
dinosaurs!” laughed Holly. A few of
a purple scarf and boots that looked
the others giggled.
as if they were a million years old.
Fergus ignored them. Dinosaurs
Fergus didn’t recognise her. He
were far more interesting than
could tell the difference between
football or movies or whatever
a Diplodocus and an Apatosaurus
Holly and her friends were into.
in a second, but people all looked
That was just a fact!
the same to him.
His classmates began chatting
The other kids recognised her,
among themselves as they looked
though – and some even gasped!
at the exhibits in the hall. Mr Burton
clapped his hands. The lady came up to their group
and bowed in a grand way.
“Pay attention, everyone! We have
a special surprise – a certain “Petunia Neville, at your service!
celebrity will be showing us You might know me as an inventor,
around the museum...” game developer, pop singer and
underwater explorer – but today
Gasps went through the
I’m going to tell you about one of
class. Some of the kids
my other interests…”

23
She led them through a door marked “We usually only find fossils
‘PRIVATE – NO ENTRY’. of dinosaurs – bones that have
been turned to stone over millions
The kids found themselves in a
of years. But in Canada, I found
dimly lit corridor. Petunia walked
something that has been perfectly
down it while she kept talking.
frozen for ages. This is… a dinosaur!”
“There is more to this museum than
Fergus was thunderstruck. A real
meets the eye! The exhibition halls
dinosaur… right here in front of him!?
are open to the public, but back
here are workshops where staff “It’s not big enough!” sneered Holly
prepare exhibits for display. from the back. “And dinosaurs don’t
have feathers!”
“You might not know this, but I am
also a palaeontologist. I recently This annoyed Fergus! “Actually,
went digging for dinosaur bones dinosaurs could be as small
in northern Canada – and found as a chicken – or bigger than
something fascinating.” She grinned. an elephant!” he said firmly.
“I want to share it with you!” “And scientists now think that
many of them had feathers –
With that, she threw open a door
like their modern descendants,
to reveal a bright white room. In the
the birds!”
middle was a large cylinder filled
with a clear liquid – and floating in Mr Burton nodded. “Quite right,
it was a very strange creature! Fergus. This here is a Triceratops
from the Jurassic era, of course…”
It was about the size of a large pig,
but with a parrotlike beak and a “Oh no, this is a Protoceratops,
frill behind its head. Long, quill-like a relative of the Triceratops from
feathers sprouted from its tail. the Cretaceous!” Fergus corrected
him. “Look, it’s much smaller and
Petunia pointed at it proudly.
doesn’t have three horns!”

24
Petunia smiled. “You really know “It’s going to eat us!” squealed
your stuff! Anyway, we’re preserving Holly as she pushed through the
the dinosaur in this tube and hope door and ran out of the room.
to find out more about it…”
Fergus knew better. A Protoceratops
Just then, Fergus thought he saw was vegetarian, and it wouldn’t
the dinosaur twitch. He must have want to eat someone as silly
imagined it – after all, hadn’t it been as Holly anyway.
dead for millions of years?
The Protoceratops’s beady little
The kids had gathered around eyes noticed the open door, and
to stare at the dinosaur when it the dinosaur charged towards it!
suddenly thrashed its legs and tail!
Petunia couldn’t think of anything
The cylinder it was in shattered, and
to say (for once!) and was frozen
liquid spilled out all over the class.
to the spot. Mr Burton was trying
Petunia was open-mouthed. to guide the panicking kids towards
“That thing is alive?” the fire exit.

The kids panicked as the dinosaur Fergus felt calm, though. He had
struggled to its feet and let out a always wanted to meet a real live
high-pitched squawk! dinosaur, and he wasn’t going to
miss this chance!

25
 a rd th e thundering soun
H e he d of its feet,

SPOT IT!
Find all these
exhibits and
tick them off!
Answer: There are 8 stands!
and a c ra sh a s it burst into
the main hall.

How many
of these blue
stands are in this
scene? Write your
answer here!
He sprinted into the huge room Fergus felt admiration for the
just behind it, breathless. creature. It had woken up in a
strange place, millions of years
The Protoceratops looked around
after it was born – but it was still
– it seemed just as frightened as
brave enough to attack a predator
the visitors and museum employees,
many times its size!
who were screaming and fleeing
in all directions. The poor thing must be scared,
though. Fergus walked slowly
Then, the dinosaur spotted
towards the dinosaur.
the Tyrannosaurus skeleton in
the middle of the hall. Its eyes The Protoceratops reared up and
narrowed, and it let out a shriek! thrashed its tail, as if warning him
to keep away.
The brave little creature ran forward
and lashed out with its feathered tail. This made Fergus think. Many
There was a sound like thunder meat-eating dinosaurs walked on
as the skeleton collapsed around two legs – so perhaps he looked
the Protoceratops, who gave a like a predator? He got down on
squawk of triumph! all fours and crawled towards it.

28
The dinosaur calmed down and let out a peculiar noise. It was a kind
of… chirp? Fergus copied the sound, and the Protoceratops gurgled.
It seemed happy!

Soon, he was face to face with the creature. He slowly reached out a
hand and patted the dinosaur’s frill. It gurgled again and closed its eyes.

Petunia and Mr Burton came into the main hall and looked in wonder
at Fergus and his new friend.

“You certainly have a way with dinosaurs!” the palaeontologist said.

“I’ll give this wonderful creature a good home – if you will help me
to take care of it after school!”

Fergus smiled, but he didn’t stop patting the dinosaur…

29
 Awesome Adventures

Sacagawea
Leads the Way
W inter was coming on the Great Plains of North
America. In their village on the Knife River,
the members of the Mandan tribe were very busy.
Some scraped hides or hung out strips
of meat to dry, while others repaired their
earth lodges to keep out the icy wind.

Sacagawea had lots of work to do,

so she didn’t know why Toussaint had
dragged her away from the village.

“Who are these strangers you want

me to meet?” she asked. “Anyway,
I shouldn’t be walking around this
much. You know I’m pregnant!”

Her husband grumbled under his

breath. He was a trader who came
from France, which was a country
beyond the eastern sea. He wasn’t
good at speaking Shoshone, the
language of the Mandan tribe.
However, he had decided to stay
in North America when he fell
in love with Sacagawea.
Finally, he replied, “The strangers Toussaint took her to meet their
are ‘Americans’, who have come chiefs, who had strange names:
to explore the lands to the west. ‘Clark’ and ‘Lewis’.
They need someone who can
Lewis was a tall man in a buckskin
communicate with the tribes in
coat, while Clark wore the blue
this area. I told them that you
jacket of a soldier. They looked
speak the languages of the
serious but said some kind-sounding
Shoshone, Snake and Hidatsa
words to Sacagawea and bowed
peoples – so they will take us
politely to her. Sacagawea was still
with them and pay us well!”
nervous, though. The men carried
Sacagawea followed Toussaint weapons that looked like spears
down the river to where the – but Toussaint told her that they
strangers had built a fort. It was a could knock down a buffalo from
very impressive place, with stout a hundred paces away!
wooden walls eighteen feet high!
Sacagawea and Toussaint spent
Inside, they found rows of tents that winter in the camp of the
in which the Americans lived. Americans. Lewis and Clark asked
Sacagawea noticed that there were Sacagawea lots of questions
about forty white men in the camp about the Native Americans
– but no women. and their way of life.

31
While she was staying there, about the plants, animals and
Sacagawea gave birth to a baby rocks he found. Clark drew lots
boy. She named him Jean Baptiste, of squiggles on pieces of paper.
but the Americans called him ‘Pomp’ Toussaint told her that these
and loved to play with him! drawings were called ‘maps’,
and that they were pictures
When spring finally came and
of the lands they went through.
the ice melted on the river, it was
time to set off. The members of the Sometimes, the expedition met
expedition got into their canoes Native Americans from other tribes.
and began paddling upriver towards These tribes were often nervous
the mountains in the west. about this big group of strangers
entering their land.
Sacagawea sat in the bow of the
front canoe, holding little Pomp. But Sacagawea would talk to the
From there, she would look out for Native Americans and convince
landmarks and guide the expedition. them that the members of the
expedition did not want to fight.
She noticed that Lewis and Clark,
She explained that Lewis and Clark
the American leaders, were as
just wanted to ask questions about
curious about the world as she was.
the land nearby and write down
Lewis was always going on long
everything they learned.
walks and writing notes in journals

32
Sacagawea would repeat what Without her, the expedition probably
the Native Americans told her would have starved.
to Toussaint. He translated it
As they continued their journey up
into French, and a man called
the river, the current got stronger.
Jusseaume would translate
A sudden gust of wind struck the
what Toussaint said into English so
sails of the canoe that Toussaint,
Lewis and Clark could understand
Sacagawea and Pomp were
it. This took a very long time!
travelling in. They managed to
Sacagawea was more than just hold on, but several things fell into
a translator, though. She was very the river – including the explorers’
knowledgeable about the land and journals, which recorded everything
what grew there. When they ran they had learned on their journey!
low on food, the Americans were
Toussaint panicked and started
puzzled when Sacagawea took
praying, but Sacagawea kept calm.
a pointy stick and began poking
With Pomp on her back, she leaned
holes in the ground. Before long,
out of the canoe and grabbed the
she had discovered dozens of
journals out of the water. Lewis
root vegetables called Jerusalem
and Clark admired Sacagawea’s
artichokes that had been gathered
courage and later named that
by mice! She also found wild
river in her honour.
liquorice, which was very tasty.
After paddling for many weeks, When he started speaking, she
the expedition reached the recognised the sound of his voice…
Rocky Mountains. To go further,
She leaped to her feet and cried
they would need to leave their
out, “My brother!” Cameahwait
canoes behind and travel over
was surprised, but he recognised
the mountains. Then, they could
Sacagawea as his long-lost sister!
build new canoes and paddle
down a river on the far side. Many years before, Sacagawea
had been kidnapped by another
Lewis and Clark knew that the
tribe. It was while living with
expedition needed horses to
them that she had learned other
carry them and their gear over
languages. Now, after a long
the mountains. They decided to
journey, she was finally reunited
trade with the Shoshone Native
with her family. She introduced
Americans who lived nearby to
her son to his uncle, and they
get the animals they needed.
celebrated this happy occasion.
Sacagawea went with them to
Cameahwait’s tribe was happy
meet a Shoshone chief whose
to trade horses with the expedition
name was Cameahwait. He
and agreed to guide them safely
was a serious-faced young man –
over the mountains. On the far
and Sacagawea thought there
side, they found a river that
was something familiar about him!
flowed to the west.

34
They cut down trees and used them
to make new canoes.

Sacagawea again sat in the bow of the WHAT

lead canoe, holding Pomp in her arms.
HAPPENED
NEXT....
It was wonderful to see the green forests
and hills of this beautiful new land unfold
in front of them.

After days of sailing, they came to the L ewis and Clark’s epic
journey began in 1804
and took two years. The
mouth of the river, and Sacagawea saw
eight-thousand-mile expedition
an unimaginably vast sea. It was the Pacific
was a great success and
Ocean! Lewis and Clark’s expedition had provided new geographical,
succeeded in crossing the North American ecological and cultural
continent… and they could never have information about previously
uncharted areas of the North
done it without Sacagawea!
American continent.
Sacagawea was invaluable
for this expedition – without
her help, they would never
have been able to cross this
territory. She knew about local
languages and sources of food.
Clark realised that she had
been vital to his success,
and when the expedition
was over, he invited her and

FILL IT IN
her family to come and live

!
near him in the city of St Louis,
Lewis an Missouri. Sadly, Sacagawea
d Clark w
and mad rote dow got ill and passed away when
e sketche n notes
they saw s of every she was 25 years old.
on their jo thing
their jour urney, an Sacagawea will always be
nals were d
Print out extraordin remembered as a brave and
a journal ary!
storytim page from inspiring woman who helped to
emagazin explore a continent. Dozens of
and then e.com/fr
explore a ee
place ne b ea utiful sculptures have been created
ar you. M of her, parks have been named
and sketc a ke notes
hes on th after her, and a gold dollar coin
what did e sheet –
you disco was even minted in her honour!
ver?
 Around the World Tales

The Magic garden

E arly one morning, a farmer was awakened by
the sound of someone knocking on his door.
When he opened it, he saw his friend and neighbour, the shepherd.
The man looked most upset!

“Woe is me!” the shepherd cried. “Last night, bandits broke into
my barn and stole all my sheep! How will
I make a living now?”

The farmer sighed sadly. Bandits were

unfortunately common in that part of
Kazakhstan. He was determined to
help his neighbour in his time of need.

“Do not worry!” he said. “I have plenty of land,

and I will give you half of it so that you can
start your own farm!”

The shepherd thanked the farmer for his

generosity! He began ploughing the soil
on his new farm so he could plant crops.

After he had been working for many hours,

his plough hit something hard in the ground.
The shepherd dug it out and discovered that
it was a vase full of gold coins. Someone
must have buried it many years ago!

The shepherd carried the jar to the house

of his friend the farmer.

36
“Look what I found in the land “It came from the ground,” said the
you gave me!” he told the farmer. first student, “so it should be buried
“This belongs to you!” back in the ground!”

But the farmer would not hear “No, the two men brought it to
of it. “Oh no, my friend,” he insisted, our teacher!” said the second.
“I gave you the land and everything “He should keep the money!”
in it. Keep this treasure!”
“I disagree!” said the third. “This
The shepherd frowned. “I can’t keep land is ruled by the khan, so the
something that is not rightfully mine!” coins should be given to him!”

The two could not agree, so they The wise man shook his head,
decided to go to the town’s wise disappointed. “It seems that I
man. He was at home, teaching have not taught you wisdom!”
his four students.
The fourth student had not yet said
The farmer and the shepherd told anything. He thought carefully about
the wise man about their problem. the problem before he spoke.

The old man stroked his grey beard “If neither the shepherd nor the
and smiled. “Why don’t we ask my farmer will accept the money,”
students what they think? If neither he said, “then we should use
of these friends will accept the gold, it to create a wonderful garden
then what should we do with it?” here in town.

37
“In it, people who have no homes As the young man walked past a
could rest on the grass, drink cool merchant’s cart, he saw that it was
water from the streams and eat fruit filled with cages. In the cages were
from the trees. It is they who need dozens of birds from all over the
these things the most!” world – eagles and quails and
swans and parrots and flamingos
The wise man nodded, and the
and owls and pelicans. All the birds
shepherd and the farmer agreed
looked miserable and bedraggled.
that this was a fine idea.
“Where are you taking them?”
They handed the money from the
he asked the merchant.
vase to the fourth student.
“Oh, they are for the eldest son
“As you came up with the idea
of the khan!” said the merchant.
of the Garden of the Poor, you
“He collects birds of all kinds!”
should buy the seeds for it. Go
and purchase them in the city!” The student could not stand to
see the birds being so miserable.
So the fourth student picked up
his bag and set off, weighed down “Please, let me buy them from you!”
with gold coins. he said to the merchant.

The road was long and dusty, The man laughed. “How can
but the student passed the time you afford it? They are worth
by imagining how wonderful the a thousand gold coins!”
garden would be!
The student showed him the gold It was a finch – and it held
he was carrying, and the merchant a tiny seed in its beak.
took it in return for the birds.
As he watched, the little bird
The young man opened the planted the seed in the soil.
cages and set the birds free.
There was the whir of many wings,
They stretched their wings and
and dozens of the birds he had set
fluffed their feathers before flapping
free landed nearby. All of them
and fluttering away into the sky!
held seeds, which they carefully
It made the student very happy buried in the earth.
to see them go – but then he
Pelicans and flamingos arrived
realised what he had done.
with their beaks filled with water.
“Oh no!” he said “I don’t have any They used it to water the seeds.
money left to get seeds for the
As the student watched in
garden. What a fool I have been!”
wonder, shoots grew from the
He felt most upset as he trudged soil, and they were tended by
back to his hometown. the birds. They grew into bushes
and trees before his eyes –
When he arrived, he went to the
he was sure that there was
place where the garden was
magic at work here, but
supposed to be planted.
he did not know what kind.
“Now it will never even exist…
The garden was a most
thanks to me!” he thought ruefully.
amazing place!
Just then, something flew up and
landed on his shoulder.

39
 They were forced to wait outside,
It had cool streams, lush meadows, angry and frustrated.
and green trees whose branches
Some days later, a group of beggars
were heavy with fruit.
and humble workers arrived on foot,
A thick hedge sprouted out of the for they had no other means of
soil around the garden. There was transport. The gate unlocked itself
an open gate in it. for them! They ventured inside
to bathe in the streams, enjoy the
Word soon spread about this
tasty fruit and find peace beneath
magical place. Merchants and
the shady trees.
noblemen alike wanted to see
it and claim it as their own. They The wise man patted his student
came there on horses and camels on the shoulder.
and in carriages, looking forward to
“Well done, young man!” he said.
seeing the garden’s many wonders.
“This garden is truly special –
But when they tried to enter, the for it gives peace and joy to those
gate slammed shut in their faces who need it most, and no man
and locked itself with seven locks. shall ever own it!”

40
 Famous Fables

The Measure
of Rice
A good emperor needs honest ministers to help
him rule. However, one emperor believed that
his most important minister was a bit too honest!

The Valuer’s job was to say what the

price of everything in the empire should
be. He did his best to set fair prices, so that
buyers and sellers alike would be happy.

This did not please the emperor!

“The Valuer should set the prices that

I want – then I can buy things cheaply
and sell them dearly!” he grumbled.
“What’s the point of having a Valuer
if he doesn’t set the prices I want?”

One day, the emperor saw a foolish-

looking man wander into the palace
courtyard. His hair was uncombed,
his shoes had holes in them and his
shirt was dirty.

41
“Hello there, good fellow!” said the “Oh, that sounds like the perfect
emperor. “What are you doing here job for me!” nodded the foolish man.
on this fine day?” “Where do I sign up?”

The man blinked at him and said, The next day, the emperor fired the
“Oh, I was bored and decided to honest Valuer. The other ministers
have a look at this big building. were not pleased!
Fancy, isn’t it?”
“Who will set the prices now?”
The emperor nodded and asked, they grumbled.
“What do you do for a job?”
The emperor just smiled.
The fellow shrugged and said,
“Meet my new Valuer!”
“I don’t have one! My last boss
wanted me to work hard when The foolish man came into the
I felt like lazing around…” room. He now wore a fancy hat
and a fine silk robe, which he had
The emperor laughed and said,
already spilled food on!
“I think I have the perfect job for
you! I will pay you a gold sovereign The new Valuer started setting
a month, and all you need to do is prices. People brought in all kinds of
make up prices for things. You can things to be valued – rocks and fruit,
sit around all you want, and I’ll even jewels and potatoes, peacocks and
give you a fancy hat to wear!” fish, grain and elephants.
The foolish man had no idea how The horse trader was speechless!
much anything was worth, so he The emperor grinned and said,
just said whatever price came “Give him a cup of rice – and tell
into his head. him to put the horses in my stable!”

People were confused and upset The horse trader had no choice
by many of the prices he set, but but to accept the Valuer’s price.
what could they do? He was the He took the stallions to the stable
emperor’s Valuer, after all! and told the stable-boy, “That new
Valuer is very silly! He made me
trade my horses for a cup of rice!”
One day, a horse trader came to
The stable-boy nodded. “Everybody
court, leading five hundred fine
says he is a fool. You should ask him
stallions. He bowed to the emperor
how much a cup of rice is worth!”
and the Valuer and said, “How much
are my horses worth?” The horse trader thought this was
a good idea. The next day, he went
The emperor wanted the horses,
back to court, carrying the cup of
so he told the Valuer to set a
rice he had been given.
very low price.
He waited in line to see the Valuer.
The Valuer pretended to think
When it was his turn, he held out
for a moment and said, “Your
the cup of rice.
stallions are worth… a cup of rice!”

43
“Yesterday, you said that my five The emperor was humiliated.
hundred horses were worth a cup He fired the Valuer on the spot
of rice,” the horse trader said. and took away his fancy hat.
“But what is a cup of rice worth?”
The foolish man fled from the
The foolish Valuer was surprised palace while people yelled
by this question. He said, “Your and threw things at him.
cup of rice is worth, er… this whole
Everybody took their goods home
city, and everything in it!”
and the horse trader got his horses
There was silence… and then back. The emperor hired the honest
everybody started shouting at once. Valuer to set prices in the empire
again – and the foolish man
“That is silly!” yelled the emperor’s
decided to look for a new job!
other ministers. “This city is worth
far more than a measure of rice!”
Storytime

Dig up dinosaurs, sort through some shoes, find

a dangerous fish and race to the Pacific Ocean!

1 PICTURE
The Magic Garden is a very special place.
PRETTY AS A Figure out which four pieces will complete
this beautiful image and circle them all!
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.

J.

2 CATFISH!
CATCH THE

Oh no! Namazu has slipped out from under

his stone and is hiding somewhere on these
pages! Can you help Takemikazuchi find
him before he causes another earthquake?
Colour in the storm when you find the fish! 45
 MATHS
The foolish Valuer has made two valuations!

3 MUDDLE Write in the box how much two cheeses

are worth, based on what he said...

is w o rt h and
If a
a is w o rt h
re
t h e n H O W MA NY A P P L ES a
w o rt h ?
ASK A
4 MAKE A DINO DIG!
Follow these steps to create your very own
dinosaur-themed sensory-exploration game!
GROWN-UP!

• You will need a large, shallow plastic or cardboard box

measuring at least 40cm long, 30cm wide and 10cm deep,
plastic dinosaur toys, a bucket of clean sand and gravel,
a large paint brush, a trowel, a pencil and notepad, and a
dustpan and brush to clean up with afterwards!
• Clean out your box and seal up any holes or gaps in
the bottom and sides with cardboard and tape.
• Pour a layer of sand and gravel into the bottom of the box, about 2cm deep.
• Firmly press a couple of dinosaur toys into the sand and gravel.
• Add another layer of sand and gravel until the toys are covered, then add
more dinosaurs on top.
• Put more layers of sand and gravel and dinos in the box until it is almost full.
Finish off with more sand and gravel so no toys can be seen on the surface.
• Now it’s time to get digging! Start gently brushing and digging away at the
gravel until you find a dinosaur. Lift it up and brush it clean!
• Draw a sketch of it in your notepad and write about any special features
that you notice. Keep digging until all the dinosaurs have been found.
• Complete the notes in your book by looking up the dinosaurs you found
and giving them their correct names!

TIP!
You can hide other toys in the box too! You could dig for
old trains, action figures or even letters of the alphabet!
 There’s a lot of tidying up to do at
NT
5 THE COU the dancing princesses’ new home!
SHOES Can you help to organise their
dancing shoes? How many
pairs can you find below?

6 QUIZ!
QUICK 7 TROUBLE
TOOL
Gubbon Seer and his son are very
busy building the king’s castle!
Can you work out which two tools
What kind of nut did they would NOT use for this job?
Boots use to fill up the
?
well he dug for the king A. B.
A. Peanut
D.

B. Walnut
C. E.

C. Cashew nut
F.

6. Quick Quiz! – B. 7. Tool Trouble – B. and F.

3. Maths Muddle – Two cheeses are worth eight apples. 5. Count the Shoes – There are 9 pairs.
ANSWERS: 1. Pretty as a Picture – A, D, E and G. 2. Catch the Catfish! – It’s on page 47!
 LO R I N G
EXH SACAGAW P EA DANGER
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You run o

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food! Mist of
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a turn.
h a v i n g a race to
w i s a n d Clark are a c i fi c Ocean
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T h e fir st p la y e r to reach it wins!
Ocean.
 R T
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 STORY MAGIC
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LET’S TALk ABOUT... Building Connections

LET’S CONNECT WITH OTHERS TrY THIS!
AND FEEL GOOD! Is there something you love to do? Why
Children’s Mental Health Week is not find a group that shares this interest?
from 6th-12th February 2023, and it’s It could be an art group, a dance class or
all about supporting children’s mental and a football /
club. Going there can be a great
emotional wellbeing. This year’s theme is way to find new friends.
‘let’s connect’. Building positive connections When you meet new people, try introducing
with others can help us to thrive in life – but yourself and saying something nice to them.
it doesn’t happen by chance. Connecting Also, don’t forget to pay attention to what
with others takes practice, and it’s a very they have to say – listening is a very important
important life skill! part of connecting with someone!

THINk DEEPEr! Connecting with others stops us from feeling lonely. If there’s
something tough going on or you feel sad, be courageous and speak to someone
you trust – they can give you the support and connection you need to feel better!
Jessica Bowers is our expert consultant for the My Mind Matters! section. She is a wellbeing writer,
counsellor and psychotherapist. Visit her website for more information: www.jessicabowers.co.uk