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Storynory - Audio Stories For Kids

Beautifully read and written audio stories for kids.  The original stories podcast, founded in 2005.

Storynory

Mr Fry's art class receives a surprise fast food delivery. The school suspends a boy called Freddie accusing him of using Mr Fry's phone to order the food. Stella's magic mirror tells her somebody else is guilty - but how can she let the world know that Freddie is innocent?

Stella and the Surprise Delivery

Jake discovers owls in his garden. His best friend Birdy should be pleased. But it turns out that Birdy has an ancient grudge against owls.

Birdy's Grudge

Stella's best friend Celeste has invited her on a trip to FantasyLand in the USA. But the date clashes with a family wedding. Can the magic mirror help Stella avoid a big disappontment? Support Storynory - visit our website, buy our latest book (Sleepy Star by Bertie Fraser for younger members of family)

The Magic Mirror and the Wedding

Stella's grandmother gives her an old mirror as a birthday present. There is more to this mirror than meets the eye. The first in a new series. An easy way to support Storynory is to buy Sleepy Star by Bertie Fraser on Amazon

Stella's Magic Mirror

A Chinese Monk - Tripitaka - is travelling through lawless lands on the way to India. He is protected on the way by Sun Wukong - a monkey warrior who is wild at heart. When they meet some bandits in the forest, Sun Wukong deals with them - but Tripitaka is not happy. From the Chinese epic story, The Journey to the West. Adapted by Bertie. Read by Jana. Please support us in any way you can.

Journey to the West: the Crown that Hurt

We continue the great Chinese epic about the Monkey Warrior, Sun Wukong, who must escort the Buddhist monk Tripitaka on his long journey to India to fetch the sacred scrolls. But first, Tripitaka must rescue Sun Wukong from his prison beneath a mountain, where the mischievous Monkey has been trapped for 500 years. Read by Jana Elizabeth and written and adapted by Bertie for Storynory. Please support Storynory in any way you can. We have been sharing free stories with families for 21 years.

Journey to the West: The Monk Rescues the Monkey

The Monkey steels a bicycle and rides it back to the jungle. He's surprised when the Bear rides off on it - and then loses it. Meanwhile, the little girl whose bike has been stolen is very sad... and cross. And the Bear is angry because she thinks he was the one who stole it.

The Stolen Bicycle

Have you ever walked into a place and thought, "I've seen this before" - even when you know you've never been there. This episode of our spooky series The Dutch Hotel explains why you might get that feeling sometimes.   This story is dedicated to Adam, Yarden & Neta who asked us to do something just a bit spooky.

The Dutch Hotel - Déjà Vu

  Hello, this is Jana, and I'm here with some lines by the English poet and artist, William Blake.  It's a sweet, simple poem, with a deep meaning. Little Lamb who made thee           Dost thou know who made thee  Gave thee life & bid thee feed.  By the stream & o'er the mead; Gave thee clothing of delight, Softest clothing wooly bright; Gave thee such a tender voice, Making all the vales rejoice!           Little Lamb who made thee           Dost thou know who made thee             Little Lamb I'll tell thee,          Little Lamb I'll tell thee! He is called by thy name, For he calls himself a Lamb:  He is meek & he is mild,  He became a little child:  I a child & thou a lamb,  We are called by his name.          Little Lamb God bless thee.           Little Lamb God bless thee. And that was The Lamb, by William Blake, published in 1789 in his book, Songs of Experience. Blake not only wrote and illustrated his poems, but he made the books himself.  He engraved words and pictures into metal so that they could be printed.  As you heard in this poem, he believed that all living things are united, because God made all of us.  For now, from me Jana

The Lamb - poem by William Blake

           Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) is born from a stone egg on Flower and Fruit Mountain. He seeks immortality and invincible strength in battle. Soon, the Jade Emperor hears about all the trouble he is creating on Earth and decides to give him a job so that he can keep an eye on him.         We are partly publishing this to fill a gap in our Chinse Years of the Animals Cycle (hence the mention to people born in the Year of the Monkey).  Jana and adapted for Storynory by Bertie. Do check out how you can support us on Storynory.   

The Monkey King (Journey to the West)

Where are your shoes when you can't find them? A small story about a pair of trainers (sneakers) that go for a run on their own. 

When Your Trainers go for a Run

What is more important in life, handbags or cake?   One of our Small Stories, aimed at our "smallest" audience members, but we hope the older ones among you will find this funny too!  This is about a Crocodile who loves to go shopping. The song at the end is sung by Jana! Jana of course narrates the story, written by Bertie. And if you would like to support us regularly or one off, please visit our website at https://www.storynory.com.

The Best Dressed Crocodile

The Monkey boasts that there is no animal in the Jungle that he can't trick.  The Bear challenges him - he knows one animal the monkey can't trick. The monkey takes up the challenge. The prize is a whole hive of honey. 

The Monkey Who Tricked Himself

A Bird of Paradise isn't actually a bird. It's a plant that looks like an exotic bird. Or is it?

Birdy and the Bird of Paradise

A lush, sleepy story about a star who leaves the nest and falls to Earth. Read and sung by Jana for Storynory - and written by Bertie.

Sleepy Star Leaves the Nest

We'd be very happy if you support us!  https://www.storynory.com/support-us/    The Fox Princess Hello, this is Jana, and I'm here with one of our Small Stories.  It's about a fox who can change shape.  And although it's very much set in London, stories of shape-shifting foxes originally come from Korea and the Far East    A fox went to watch the Changing of the Guard. She poked her nose through the railings of the palace. A boy pointed and called out, "Fox!" The fox did not want a guard to spot her. So she turned into a princess.   The guard opened the gate and bowed. Inside the palace, the red-headed princess gazed around. Everything was shiny and grand. Then she smelt something nice. She followed her nose to the kitchen.   The cook looked up. "What would you like, Your Highness?" he asked. She replied, "Chicken wings… And a saucer of warm milk."   She went upstairs to a bedroom. A footman brought a plate of chicken wings and a saucer of warm milk. She ate every last bite and lapped up the milk. After that, she went downstairs again. A young princeling smiled at her. "Let's play hide and seek," he said.   She closed her eyes and counted to twenty. She opened them.  She sniffed. And she found him hiding under the grand piano. They went out into the garden. The princeling closed his eyes and counted to 20. The princess turned back into a fox and hid under the shed.   The princeling searched. He looked behind the trees and inside the summer house. But he could not find her.   Then the King's dogs came into the garden. The fox felt scared. She ran. Across the grass, through the palace, and out of the front gates. A guard shouted, "Fox!" But she was gone. Back to the park.   And that was the Small Story of the Fox Princess, written by Bertie, and read by me, Jana.   And please don't forget, if you support us financially, via PaPal, Patreon or any other way, you can ask us for a first name shout out. And you can take part in our monthly writing competitions.  See Storynory for details.    For now, from me, Jana, goodbye.  Song The Fox Princess  Count to twenty. Don't look around. Listen out -  for the slightest  sound. Feel a  shimmer, or a spark — A rusty streak, through the dark . Shape shifts, flame flicks,  Moonlight shines, on your skin  Is this a game  Or the world we are living in   You're so magical… Wild at heart. Princess of nowhere — Master of art.   You're so magical… Seen, then gone. Only a pawmark Lingering on. You're so magical… Changing your face. Fairytale figure, Leaving no trace. You're so magical… Fleet and free. Princess of maybe — Who could you be?

The Fox Princess

A bear was walking down the road. He passed by a house and smelt a nice smell.  He stopped. He sniffed.  He looked through the window.  A little girl was eating her breakfast. This is a "small Story" for our younger listeners, but we hope if you are a little bit older you will also find it amusing.  We will be doing a few more of these.   Support us!  https://www.storynory.com/support-us/

The Bear's Breakfast

The results are in!  Jana reads the winning entries from our Writing Competition. We asked you to write about Birthdays, good birthdays, disastrous birthdays, any type of birthday. And here are the amazing winning entries.  Of course kids who grow up listening to Storynory are wizards with words!   Support Storynory to enter our next competition - the next competition is on the subject of SNOW  - send your snowy stories to us by February 14.  https://www.storynory.com/support-us/  Open to supporters.   

Birthday Competition

It's New Year in the Jungle and the animals are playing party games including Charades. The Bear has to pretend to be a flamingo. Do you think the animals will guess his secret?  Support Storynory for a name shout out and for entry into our next writing competition:  https://www.storynory.com/support-us/

New Year in the Jungle

The Cafe by the Sea is closed for Christmas. The humans are happy opening presents and eating food. But who can spare a crumb for the mice who live in the cafe?  Thanks to our sponsor. Listen to Wink: Stories for Better Bedtimes - https://lnk.to/wink-bedtime-storiesLA

Does Santa Visit Mice?

We revisit London's Luxurious - and haunted - Dutch Hotel. A famous actress is staying at the hotel. She asks Yogi and Nafsi to time-travel back to 1972 to meet her younger self and put right a wrong.   If you have younger kids, you'll enjoy our Sponsor's calming bedtime podcast.  Listen to Wink: Stories for Better Bedtimes - https://lnk.to/wink-bedtime-storiesLA.

The Dutch Hotel - Righting a Wrong

It's Halloween on the pond, and Tim the Tadpole is feeling scared. A Story from our archive to celebrate 20 years of Storynory! - Read by Natasha and written by Bertie. Cover art by Sophie Green.Look out for our new website coming up soon.

Halloween on the Pond Redux

This is Jana and I'm here with one of fairy tale land's most famous characters: Puss in Boots. He's the hero of many a holiday pantomime here in Britain. He's appeared as a character in the film Shrek and he's even starred in his own movie. But this version is a bit older than the movie. It was written in 1891 by JL Marks. Our hero is a very clever cat who likes to dress up as a human and walk around in a pair of boots. He performs all sorts of tricks to make his master rich. I would like a cat like that - and I'm sure you would too.

Puss in Boots

Jake and his family visit a Welsh farm for there holiday.  A man with a metal detector is looking for buried treasure on the farm. But Jake's best friend Birdy and a pig called the Emperor have even better noses for treasure! 

Birdy's Treasure Hunt

The Moon by Robert Louis Stevenson     Read by Richard Scott THE MOON has a face like the clock in the hall;   She shines on thieves on the garden wall,   On streets and fields and harbour quays,   And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees.      The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse,     The howling dog by the door of the house,   The bat that lies in bed at noon,   All love to be out by the light of the moon.      But all of the things that belong to the day   Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way;   And flowers and children close their eyes   Till up in the morning the sun shall arise.       And that was the moon, by Robert Louis Stevenson. I hoped you enjoyed that poem which conjures up the night time in some very visual verses.  

The Moon Poem

A pair of city mice visit the seaside cafe and invite Jimmy and Judith to the Big City! They make the journey and meet automatic vacuum cleaners and cats with fancy titles.

Jimmy Mouse and the City Slickers

The Cafe by the Sea needs a new Cake Baker. The owner runs a competition to chose the right baker for the job. All the customers can vote for their favourite cake. Natrually the mice who live in the cafe want to vote for their favourite cake-maker.

Jimmy Mouse and the Cake Competition

  Two fairy tales from Southern China. In the first, a man is lost in the jungle, and is crowned King of the Apes. The second is a little like a romantic fairy tale that is well known in the west.  Sponsored by Kaboom! Kaboom: An Audio Adventure Podcast An audio adventure podcast for the whole family to enjoy together

The Man Who Would Be King of the Apes

An Indian story that features a variety of characters, including a Tiger, a buffalo, a tree, and a road. Yes, that's an unusual collection, and there are more too.   A kind hearted gentleman sets a tiger free.  A good deed deserves at least a nice thank you, you might think. But that is not what the tiger has in mind.  

The Gentleman who saved a Tiger

By ELIZA COOK ( 1818-1889 ) Read by Natasha A MOUSE found a beautiful piece of plum cake, The richest and sweetest that mortal could make; 'Twas heavy with citron and fragrant with spice, And covered with sugar all sparkling as ice.

The Mouse and the Cake

birdy-and-garden-gnomes-16

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?

Snow White

Jake is going is going on a skiiing holiday. Mum is like a "swan on skiis" and Dad is like a Giraffe on stilts. What could possbily go wrong? And will Jake's best friend Birdy, the black crow, find is way out to the skii resort to help? Check out the Kaboom! Podcast too.

Birdy on the Ski Slopes

Two fun fables from India's Panchatantra - The Lion the Cave and the Jackal . The Bedbug and the Flea. And we introduce you to a great adventure podcast, Kaboom!

Two Animal Fables from India

Burns Night is a celebration held on the 25th of January in honour of Scotland's famous poet, Robert Burns. We celebrate this Scottish evening with the story of Tam O'Shanter (originally told in a poem by Burns) who stays out late and meets a gang of witches on his way home.

Tam o' Shanter or How Maggie Lost her Tail

Jimmy and Judith are sent on a mission to visit the Chinese Restaurant and bring back a feast to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Jimmy Mouse and the Chinese New Year

The classic Russian fairy story of a Prince who goes in search of the mystical and wonderful firebird or yar-bird.

The Firebird

A wise story from India about two tiny birds who take on the full force of the mighty sea. 

The Tiny Birds and the Mighty Sea

Jake's best friend Birdy is away on an important mission. Meanwhile Jake's little sister has some friends over and they are playing with some pretend spells. They try to put a bad luck spell on Jake. He's not sure if the magic is real or not, but all too soon he starts to suffer from a spell of bad luck.

Jake's Spell of Bad Luck

The mice who live in the café by the sea overhear that ghost pirates are coming to the café. Should they run away? Our Reluctant hero Jimmy mouse is sent to investigate.

Halloween at the Cafe

Jimmy Mouse finds a payment card and the mice decide to pay for cheese in future - just like the humans do - and they are surprised when the humans are angry with them.

Jimmy Mouse and the Magic Card

Jake wants three wishes - just like in a fairy tale. But although Birdy is no-ordinary bird, he is reluctant to grant Jake his wishes. You seek, real life isn't always so easy...

Birdy's Two and Half Wishes

Can we really live without chocolate? This is the question that Jake has when his mother bans sweets and chocolate. If only you could grow it in the garden... well with a little birdy magic, perahaps anything is possible.

Birdy and the Chocolate Tree

Three Mythical Stories about Lizards filled with ancient wisdom. Lizards. Mysterious, quick, and capable of extraordinary feats, like regenerating their tails. But what if I told you that these humble creatures also carry ancient wisdom? folklore, lizards are celebrated as symbols of transformation, wisdom, and resilience. The Gecko's Complaint: A Lesson of light from Malaysia The Lizard and the Sun: A Mexican Fable of Perseverance The Chameleon's Victory: A Madagascan Tale of Patience Check our our Lizard Wisdom video on YouTube - Storynory Channel.

Lizard Wisdom in 3 Fables

The second part of our story, Envy, set on the island of Crete. In the first part best friends Emily and Heidi set out on a school trip to Crete. Heidi is studying ancient Greek at School and her friend Emily - well she's just along for the trip. But somehow it is Emily, not Heidi, who gets all the praise from their teacher for knowing all about Greek mythology and even some modern Greek words. And Heidi, well, she's feeling just a little bit envious.  When we left them, they were about to take part in an archeological dig on the site where some rich people want to build a villa.  Dedicated to Zoe and Cyrus ... listen to the end to hear about the stories they sent us.  And to support us, see the sidebar on the front page of https://Storynory.com Also leave nice comments in all good podcast apps!  And you can now subscribe to our audio via YouTube.

Envy Part 2

Emily and Heidi are best friends. We first met them in a story called Fear (about a phobia of dogs).  In this story, they are both on a school trip to sunny Greek island of Crete.  Heidi studies ancient Greek. Emily is just along for the trip - and yet Emily seems to receive all the teacher's praise for her knowledge of mythology.  Heidi starts to feel an unfamiliar emotion. She's not sure what it is, but it threatens their friendship.  Read by Jana. Written by Jana and Bertie. Dedicated to Julia in Romania who supports Storynory.         

Envy

We tell the Greek Creation myth, including the Battle of the Titans, Prometheus steals fire from Zeus, and Pandora releases evils from her Jar. EPIC! Visit us at https://storynory.com for more stories! And get our audio on YouTube.

Pandora's Jar

The old Theatre in Katie's town is reopening - and the first performance is a musical about a young witch. Katie's friend Isis is very keen to audition for the part - the only problem is that she can't sing or dance! Katie comes to her friend's aid with a little magic - and unexpected results.

Katie and the Magic Theatre

The jungle is filled with the sound of chain saws. It turns out that the humans are building tracks through the jungle. What is this all about? The monkey the bear rush to find out. Sponsored by CrunchLabs. https://crunchlabs.com/story

Quad Monkey

We drop by to tell you about a podcast by our friends at kids Stories, Science and Secrets. We've known the creators for years and years, and we've long carried their adventures about a dog called Rockford on our website. Their audio has a lot in common with ours, and we are fans, and so are many of our listeners.. Now they have a new podcast called Kids Stories, Science and Secrets and our friend, Matthew Sweetapple is here to explain more - and there's a special excerpt.  https://www.rockfordsrockopera.com/lost-on-infinity/

Rockford Arrives on the Island of Infinity

Birdy is a rather special crow who can talk. He's befriended a boy called Jake, who thinks that Birdy is unique - a true one off - until, well listen to the story and find out. And at the end of the story we have a bonus, an excerpt from our friends at the Stories, Science and Secrets podcast.

Birdy and the Other Bird

Ever heard someone called 'narcissistic'? It means they love themselves a LOT. The word comes from an ancient Greek boy named Narcissus who was so into his own reflection, he forgot about everything else! Imagine missing out on life because you're too busy looking in a mirror. A water nymph named Echo tried to say "hi" to him but he was too in love with his own reflection to notice her. You could say Narcissus invented the Selfie! Remember, it's great to feel good about yourself, but don't forget the world around you! Read by Natasha Adapted by Bertie (from Ovid)

Narcissus (Greek Myth)

Introducing Stories, Science & Secrets, a podcast by our friends Elaine and Matthew Sweetapple along with the comedian Steve Punt. Our fellow Brits! Follow a dog called Rockford and a boy called Moog on a fantastic adventure and learn all sorts of stuff that is too interesting for school!

Introducing Stories, Science & Secrets

A cat is in love with a human princess. But he takes no notice of her ... until the cat transforms into a human princess. Based on fable by Aesop. Do you think there will be a fairy tale ending? Read by Jana. Written by Bertie for Storynory.

The Vanity Cat

Our cheeky monkey is bothered by an itchy flea. The flea claims he's "just like the monkey". What do you think? Read by Jana and written by Bertie for Storynory.

The Monkey and the Flea

Katie is learning Latin - the language of the ancient Romans - at school. What's the point of this deadbeat language? Her mother says there is every point to learning Latin, especially if you are a witch who needs to understand magic. And as Katie is not making much progress, her mother finds her a Latin Tutor - a highly unusual one as it turns out. Read by Natasha.  Written by Bertie. 

Katie and the Cat Teacher

Happy Chinese Year of Dragon 2024! All over the world, including London's Chinatown, you can see Chinese processions with banging drums, clashing symbols and a dragon dance performance. This story celebrates the rain-making qualities of Chinese Dragons

The Chinese Year of the Dragon 2024

We talk to our friends Matthew and Elaine Sweetapple, the Creators of Lost on Infinity by Rockford's Rock Opera, and we play the first episode of their story which now features in their Stories, Science and Secrets Podcast. The musical story of a dog called Rockford who travels to an island of extinct animals has been on our website for many years and is very popular.  The new podcast reveals the science secrets behind the story.

Stories, Science and Secrets Interview

A ghost is playing pranks on the hotel - some of them are funny but the trouble is, they are getting the hotel a bad name.   Who is the mischievous ghost?  Parents might like our story of Cleopatra (for 16+) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM-VD9pl4bA

The Dutch Hotel - The Mischievous Ghost

Happy Christmas! We celebrate with a story from the Jungle where Christmas is coming to the animals. Our tricky Monkey friend goes up the Big Mountain and meets a Christmas Elf. All the best to you from Storynory! What we want for Christmas? Leave us a nice comment somewhere please!