CHILDREN'S STORIES

  • DIGITALES FOR CBEEBIES RADIO

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Children's Health, Children's Media Campaign, Children's Poetry, Children's stories, Education, Internet Safety, Online Safety, Parenting, Politics, The Children's Media Foundation, Uncategorized, Writing for Children

    Well everyone was banging on

    about the Internet – the dangers, the disasters.  I know – I’ve been involved in the campaigns to improve online safety and privacy, leading up to the Digital Economy Act 2017 and beyond.  And one of the things I’ve learned is that while politicians and vested interests move at glacial speed to make the digital world a safer place, our kids are growing up fast.  So I was chuffed to bits when that brilliant BBC producer John Leagas gave me the opportunity to help children learn a few survival techniques.

    Five stories to download on

    CBeebies Radio

    And just so you don’t miss one, here they are individually-

    Nan’s Gap Year

    The Digital Dog

    When Uncle Hansel Got Lost

    The Mystery At The Window

    The Cat and the App

    Don’t worry, they’re not worthy, preachy or teachy – this is me writing them!  Waggy dogs and lazy uncles… Globe-trotting grannies… And a cat who knows where it’s app.   Have a listen and enjoy exploring the online world with your little ones in these

    …digital… digi-tall… digi-tales…

  • THE BEST …TEE AND MO

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Animation, Children's stories, Children's TV, Parenting, Writing for Children

    That’s the title of my episode broadcast this week 14th March 2019 on Cbeebies and, well what can I say? It is. The Best.

    I was first involved with Tee and Mo way back when it was just a few games. The lovely people at Plug In Media asked me to help them develop it for TV. Writing pilot scripts and an interactive story for the CBeebies Storytime App along the way, I feel like a great aunt who has watched her little charge grow up. Glad to see the show is a success and also glad that my episode this Thursday is… The Best.

  • TELLING THE STORIES OF CHILD REFUGEES

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Children's Media Campaign, Children's Poetry, Children's stories, Politics, Prix Jeunesse, Refugees, Religion, Writing for Children

    You might not have been aware that it was #refugeeawarenessweek recently.  No matter, the terrible situations that some people find themselves in sadly haven’t gone away so here are stories I wrote for #CBeebiesRadio

    With some minor adjustments to protect both the kids in the stories and the kids in the audience, each is a true story.

    You might want to rant that such subject matter is entirely inappropriate for young children but young children are living through these things.  Stories are there to help us understand and find ways to deal with what is going on around us.  These stories celebrate the resilience, courage and love of young people and nobody is too young to celebrate love.

    If you have read this far, then (oops I didn’t ask permission but as I wrote it… bad me) have this:

    Taking Flight

    Everyone needs a safe place to live,

    Like a bird’s nest lined with warm feathers:

    Full of kindness and love, it’s the place we call home,

    A refuge from the world and the weather.

     

    But storms can sometimes blow nests from the trees

    And winter brings frost, ice and snow.

    Birds have to fly south or else they would freeze;

    To survive until spring, they must go.

     

    Their journey can last for thousands of miles,

    It’s a daring and dangerous quest,

    Flying across deserts and oceans and isles

    With little food and no time to rest.

     

    And people too must sometimes take flight,

    Like birds they have to migrate

    From the cruelty of rulers and armies that fight,

    Blown by the ice winds of hate.

     

    This journey can last for thousands of miles,

    It’s a daring and dangerous quest,

    Crossing countries and deserts and oceans and isles

    With little food and no time to rest.

     

    But unlike the birds, these people have names:

    They’re not just a crowd on TV,

    They love and they laugh and they work and play games:

    They are people like you and like me.

     

    There’s Farah and Birhan, Hivi, Rafiq

    With sisters and aunties and mothers,

    Serbest, Amez, Natania, Sadiq

    With fathers, granddads and brothers.

     

    Refugee children love stories and art,

    They love chasing and shouting and play.

    They’re sporty, they’re funny, thoughtful and smart

    And dream of being grown up one day.

     

    Their journey can last thousands of miles,

    With little food and no time to rest.

    Crossing deserts and oceans with hope and with smiles,

    It’s a daring and dangerous quest.

     

    Then after the winter, the birds fly away,

    But not to wander or roam:

    They fly back to rebuild the nests that they left,

    To the safe places they once called home.

     

    And refugees too love the land where they lived

    And many hope to return there they say.

    When summer brings the warm wind that forgives

    There will be freedom and peace there, one day.

     

    Now that is a journey of thousands of miles

    And a daring and dangerous quest;

    Bringing peace and forgiveness, laughter and smiles

    But of all journeys, that one’s the best.

     

    For everyone needs a safe place to live,

    When we find it, there’s no need to roam.

    There we can grow and learn and forgive,

    Full of love, it’s the place we call home.

     

     

  • TOP TIPS ON TENNIS, TWINS AND #TISSUES ON #CBEEBIES RADIO

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Books, Children's Health, Children's stories, Education, Parenting, Screenwriting, Writing for Children

    This week it’s all runny noses in my #allergies story.  You can hear  about Shaniqua’s #hayfever with #DrRanj at

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio/tennis-twins-and-tissues

    Why doesn’t her twin sister get it?

    And what’s the top tennis tip?

    Is there a top tennis tip? You’ll have to listen to find out.  Carefully or you’ll miss it.

    You missed it didn’t you.

    Never mind.  The story isn’t aimed at you reading this – I suspect you are much older than six.  All of these allergy podcasts are written to help younger children.  Alongside the stories, children talk about their own allergies and Dr Ranj Singh gives helpful advice.  I hope that your little ones find them useful and of course enjoyable.

  • MY #CBEEBIES #PETALLERGY STORY: IT’S GOT #DRRANJ AND #GUINEAPIGS!

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Books, Children's Health, Children's stories, Education, Nature, Parenting, Writing for Children

    Children and parents and, well anyone else, can listen to my story and find out what happens when a boy brings the school guinea pigs home in  Bohdan’s Beastly Allergy .  OK so the title has given away a bit about what happens but, look it’s got guinea pigs!  And pigeons.  And a little boy who desperately loves animals and cuddles.  And did I mention guinea pigs?

    This was possibly my favourite story in this series because the research involved guinea pigs and learning a new technical term: ‘pet dander’.   Jayne’s top tip: if dander ain’t dandy, then keep tissues handy…  Dr Ranj has proper top tips for sufferers of pet allergies at the end of the podcast.  But they don’t rhyme.

  • MY #CBEEBIESRADIO STORY ABOUT #ALLERGIES TAKES THE CAKE

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Children's Health, Children's stories, Education, Parenting

    #DrRanj reads my story Jamil’s Food Challenge and shares top tips on what to do if you or someone you know has a #foodallergy https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio/jamils-food-challenge

    It’s not much fun not being able to share the same food as your friends and it’s not much fun having to spend your birthday in the hospital allergy clinic.  But when the usual allergy tests suggest his body can now cope with eggs, Jamil has to decide whether to stay safe and only eat the food he already trusts or, with the help of his specialist nurse, expand his diet.  Knowing how poorly eggs have made him in the past, it is a scary notion and Jamil has to be very brave.  But maybe, just maybe, this year he won’t have to blow out the candles on a pretend birthday cake made of cardboard but will be able to have his first ever ‘proper’ birthday cake, and share it with all his friends!

    Having known children with very restrictive diets, I have been in awe of their patience and resilience.   From a distance, it can be easy to condemn them as ‘picky’ and to think they’re just being difficult.  But often these children are incredibly brave, having to guard themselves against things the rest of us take for granted.

    My thanks to #CBeebiesRadio for helping with the child testimonies and medical research.  In the spirit of good public service broadcasting, I was happy to  undertake the necessary research into birthday cakes and bouncy castles.

     

     

  • NEW #CBEEBIESRADIO SERIES ABOUT #ALLERGIES : IT’S EYEWATERINGLY GOOD!

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Children's Health, Children's stories, Education, Parenting, Screenwriting, Writing for Children

    I’m so glad to have written the stories for this fantastic series helping kids across the UK who have allergies, while making others aware of how they can help.   https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio

    Starting from 10th Jan with a new show every Wednesday until 7th February , this cracking series about allergies is not to be sniffed at.

    I’ll stop right there with the puns because allergies are only funny until you have one yourself.  Then it can be tiresome, disruptive, frightening, especially when you’re not yet even six.  To be the odd one out, with special food, special gloves, special medicine, when you’re feeling poorly, doesn’t feel very special at all.

    This series of five audio downloads explores different chronic conditions that some children may suffer: asthma, allergies to pet dander, nuts, dairy, pollen… what’s it like to suddenly react badly to something?  What’s it like when it happens to your friend? What’s it like to have to guard what you eat or drink or touch?   What’s it like to not be able to eat your own birthday cake?

    When you put it like that, it’s all a bit grim.

    So I didn’t put it like that.

    After all, these stories are for CBeebies and CBeebies is never grim.  So expect fun stories with nutty detectives, cub scouts, tennis aces, guinea pigs and pigeons, all read beautifully by the wonderfully reassuring Dr Ranj.

    Of course the stories answer all of those questions above: I based them on patient testimony and the expertise of a specialist nurse.  You can hear some of the children talking about their conditions in each episode as well.  My lovely producers were pleased with the result. I hope that you and your little ones will be too.

     

  • JAYNE’S TOP TIP FOR TWENTY EIGHTEEN

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Children's Media Campaign, Children's Poetry, Children's stories, Children's TV, The Children's Media Foundation

    A Happy New Year to everyone, 

    A peaceful new year to all,

    May your heart and home be filled with love

    And may your trousers be never too small.

     

     

  • JAYNE’S COLOURFUL STORIES AND POEMS ON CBEEBIES RADIO!

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Children's Poetry, Children's stories, Children's TV, Education, Screenwriting

    Had to abandon several plans this summer because those lovely people at CBeebies Radio asked me to to write some stories and poems for them sharpish. Hopefully my friends, real and imaginary, didn’t feel too neglected and they, especially if they’re under six years old, will enjoy the results. You can hear them from today on the BBC iplayer radio app, just look for the Cbeebies bug! Then from next Monday 6th November you can download my story The Paintpots from the CBeebies website

    The following Monday your little ones will be able to hear all about a quite magnificent Sock Drawer!

    And in between listen out for poems about the sounds of colours – how do they sound to you?

    Developing and writing these was a blast and an education. Here are some of the key things I learnt during this project:
    – Yellow is an existential colour
    – D.H. Lawrence has a lot to answer for
    – Snail snot should never be underestimated

    None of these conclusions found their way into the CBeebies material, you’ll no doubt be happy to learn. Instead, your preschoolers will enjoy discovering, for example that:
    The colour yellow is a primary colour
    But it’s a great mixer and go between.
    If blue gets all flustered, yellow really cuts the mustard,
    Shouting, “Bananas in custard!
    Hey look: we’ve made green!”

  • MY EPISODE OF LITTLE ROY IS ON I-PLAYER AND IT’S GRAND!

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: Animation, Children's stories, Children's TV, Parenting, Screenwriting, Uncategorized

    Oh this was fun to write! Have you seen Roy on CBBC? The cartoon boy in a real world. Well this is the prequel – Roy is five years old instead of ten. So it’s less about fitting in and more about finding out. He is a great character and the show is a lovely crossover from preschool to big kid content and I was very pleased to be involved.

    This episode, Dr Roy, which involves bandages, biscuits and a ‘ba-doom ba-doom’ big hearted little boy, was broadcast a week or so back on CBeebies and of course I missed it. But hooray for catch up telly! If you would like to watch it, then here’s the web address: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08ffx89/little-roy-18-doctor-roy