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Scarlett

Thu, 14 Apr 11

Scarlett is twelve years old and is trying to understand the world around her. She asks questions about everything, all the time. She also says that she already knows five languages…

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A Serious Case

Tue, 15 Mar 11

My friend is afraid of spiders. This isn’t very unusual; a lot of people are afraid of spiders. But my friend isn’t just afraid of spiders, she is totally, completely and utterly terrified of them…

A cat and a dog

The cat that walked by himself

Tue, 08 Mar 11

Rudyard Kipling used to tell his daughter stories like "How did the camel get his hump?" The stories end with a poem as a summary. This one tells us why many people prefer dogs to cats.

An opera mask and some roses

The comeback

Tue, 15 Feb 11

Fausto Ruiz got off the boat at the port of the city where he had been born fifty years ago, and to which he had not returned for twenty years.

A tree on a white background

Banyan Tree

Wed, 26 Jan 11

"O you shaggy-headed banyan tree standing on the bank of the pond, have you forgotten the little child, like the birds that have nested in your branches and left you?"

A man skiing

The Skier

Wed, 19 Jan 11

Afel was twelve years old when he saw them. “What are those?” he asked his uncle excitedly. “Skis,” replied his uncle, “And those people are called skiers.” Afel was in love. He wanted to be a skier.

Story: The Christmas the Lights Went Out

The Christmas the Lights Went Out

Wed, 15 Dec 10

Five people, whose lives interrelate, live the build-up to Christmas in different ways in different places. A sudden blackout changes their lives forever...

A spilt pill bottle

On Chloris being ill

Wed, 01 Dec 10

"Long, long the night, Heavy comes the morrow" In this poem (written as a song), the great Scottish poet Robert Burns laments the illness of his loved one.

A big fake nose and glasses

Mr Smith's new nose

Thu, 18 Nov 10

It is the 22nd century and the world is very different. With new technologies, people can have the bodies that they want. See what happens when Mr. Smith decides to change his body.

Poem: I wandered lonely as a cloud

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud…

Mon, 25 Oct 10

'…That floats on high o'er vales and hills…' This famous poem by William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was inspired by the spring flower, the yellow or golden daffodil.