The Stolen Bicycle

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.

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.

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

*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-WEB:c315edb3-7f85-4266-8fc8-f2b798e1461d-0" data-testid= "conversation-turn-2" data-scroll-anchor="false" data-turn= "assistant"> 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.

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. 

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 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. 

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

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.

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?