Wow! Where did that three years go? Yes, our latest Issue 37 marks the 3rd anniversary of launching Storytime. It was an act of love, madness and bravery, and we’re so grateful that you – our loyal and lovely readers – took it to heart and embraced it with such enthusiasm. Thanks to you, we’re still here today – and thriving against the odds in a plastic toy and ad-saturated children’s magazine market. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We promise many more wonderful stories, poems and gorgeous illustrations to come (plus all those lovely extras like free downloads, puzzles, crafts and games). Speaking of illustrations, to celebrate our 3rd anniversary, we’ve got a wonderful children’s Art Competition. Read more about it below!

First, we’d like to honour Storytime Issue 37’s contributors, who help make our magazine what it is (and give a sneak peek to anyone who is thinking of subscribing).

We’re delighted to have the brilliant Luke Flowers back in Storytime’s anniversary issue, this time with his off-the-wall crazy illustration of that most elusive of beasts – The Triantiwontigongolope – a funny poem by CJ Dennis. We are also very honoured to have Luke as the judge of our imaginary creature art competition – again, more on that below!

Brother Pig is the ideal story to read to kids who are, ahem, reluctant to use soap and water. Parents will appreciate this funny tale and the whole family will enjoy the illustrations by Charlotte Cooke. She’s captured scruffy Dougal perfectly.

For this issue’s myth, we revisit King Midas. The Midas Touch appeared in Storytime Issue 8 (which you can buy from our Back Issue Shop), but did you know that his story continued? The King with Donkey Ears is as funny as it sounds and Mathieu Strale‘s pictures are sure to raise a laugh or two.

Our brand new story, Miss Beck’s Spectacular Specs, is by children’s author Amanda Brandon. Amanda has been writing stories since childhood, and has published three fabulous books about a sheep who loves knitting. The story is illustrated by Anna Gensler, who has done a fantastic job of imagining Miss Beck’s world and the schoolchildren who help her.

This month’s cover and Favourite Fairy Tale is The Sly Fox – a really enjoyable baddie who gets what he deserves. Kids will take pleasure in booing him and cheering on the little red hen who outwits him. Rich, colourful and characterful illustrations are courtesy of Louis D. Wiyono.

Our fable, The Moving Mountain, brings to life the old saying “don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill” in an amusing way and it has lovely illustrations by Michaela Schuett

We have an interesting Around the World Tale from Portugal, called The Best Kind of Trouble. In it, a princess has to make a simple decision – would she prefer trouble when she’s young or trouble when she’s old? Her answer throws her life into chaos, thanks to a cantankerous golden eagle. The story has a fairy-tale feel to it and we think you’ll love Giulia Baratella‘s gorgeous illustrations.

Finally, our on-going animal poetry series Alphabet Zoo is back with more amazing artwork by Tim Budgen. This month’s visit to see Boo and Bonnie at Grandad’s zoo focuses on animals beginning with the letter L – the lemur, the loris and, of course, lions. Roar! Don’t forget to download your free Animal Factsheet and Poster to go with this issue here.

That brings us to our special 3rd anniversary illustration competition. We’re asking our readers, aged 3 to 9, to invent and draw an imaginary creature, inspired by Luke Flowers’ Triantiwontigongolope! The winner will have their work published in Storytime, get a print of their illustration, a certificate AND a bundle of illustrated books!

To get your creative juices flowing, we’ve put together an Awesome Art Pack for you to download – it’s packed with fun exercises, top tips and even a step-by-step drawing guide from Luke Flowers! In the pack, you’ll also find an entry form (or you can use the one in our magazine). Download it here!

Our rules are simple:

• You must be aged 3 to 9.
• Your imaginary animal must be original.
• Your drawing must be coloured in.
• Email your entry to [email protected] by Friday 10 November 2017.

That’s it! We hope you have a lot of fun doodling and drawing your creature. We can’t wait to see your entries and hope you enjoy our anniversary issue. Get in touch via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram if you have any thoughts or suggestions.

Happy reading and drawing!

(Storytime Ed.)

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