After a long time I can finally say that, story number 25 is here! Just in time for Christmas 🎄😃 This story is about a relentless Goose named Suzy who wants to top her Christmas tree with a star from the sky. No one can stop her from trying every possible way to get it! A tale of determination and a touch of seasonal magic ✨ Suzy Goose and the Christmas Star 🪿 🌟 Written and illustrated by the one and only Petr Horáček. Thank you Petr Horacek and Walker Books Limited for this wonderful Christmas story 💫 🧿 🎄🪿 What inspired you to write this story? "Suzy Goose and the Christmas Star is the third book in the series. The first one is called; Silly Suzy Goose. It’s just a Christmas story although I did write it in the summer walking on the Somerset’s moor. The place where my mother-in-law lives and where we usually spend Christmas” Ten things you didn’t know about Petr Horáček: 1. I love children's drawings. 2. I love looking at the sky. 3. I love walking in woods and picking mushrooms. 4. I love snow and I know how to ski. 5. I love cakes (any cakes!) and vanilla ice cream (or any other ice cream!). 6. I love playing tennis. 7. I love watching people walking their dogs. 8. I love music – from the very old to the very loud and rattley. 9. I love listening to the radio. 10. I can't spell. (It's rather embarrassing.) (Cited from https://www.walker.co.uk/contributors/Petr-Horácek-4457.aspx) www.petrhoracek.co.uk www.walker.co.uk @p.horacek_ @walkerbooksuk Subscribe to his YouTube channel: Petr Horacek To buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Suzy-Goose-Christmas-Star-Horcek/dp/1406326216 Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas 😃 Send me some of your Christmas pictures: [email protected]🎄💚 @grabsomesticks Instagram: https://instagram.com/grabsomesticks?igshid=gcvsbmv1h4dy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063972793171 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grab-some-sticks/message

I’m back with story number 24! This story was written by Evelyn who is nine years old and lives in New York. She likes Roblox, to read books and play with slime. The reason why she wrote this story is because she likes dogs and wants to keep them safe 😊 🐶 🐩 🐕 The story is called: Millie - The Lost Dog Thank you Evelyn and I am sure everyone will love your story 😃 #youngwriter Like/subscribe/review ☺️ Instagram page: https://instagram.com/grabsomesticks?igshid=gcvsbmv1h4dy Facebook: @grabsomesticks For messages, drawings and videos, Send to: [email protected] Thank you 🙂 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grab-some-sticks/message

Story number 23 is here! Collaborating once again with the talented and inspiring Nicole Kraiem who brings us her second story, “The Bubble King” @ngkraiem Written by Nicole Kraiem Illustrated by Georgiana Grigoras Edited by Joseph Kraiem Nicole Kraiem: ‘The character illustration is based on my youngest son, who's nickname is Bear. I had written this story when I was pregnant with him six years ago. My husband, who is in the military, had been humming a tune he heard earlier, which sparked the rhythm of the book, while my daughter was playing with bubbles. Since I was currently pregnant with a boy, I decided to make the character a boy also. The original name of the character was Jasper but after creating the character of “I Dream” off of my daughter's likeness, my son asked if I could make a character that looks like him too, sparking the changes with the name and likeness you see today in the book. What I've learned from spending time with children, especially my own is that representation truly matters. Every child wants to see someone like them featured in books.  In respect to what I am currently working on now, I am at the end process of solidifying the illustrations for my first book series, “The Adventures of Gillie The Incredible.” It follows a rambunctious little boy who always gets into mischief as he tries to learn and navigate what it means to be a little human in the world and yes, almost everything the character does has been based off of something one of my four have done at that age, including making a "master cheese sandwich," which the character does. There is a moral, or rather a learning point in every Gillie book, which I hope will teach children, in the same way that social play does. Along with the Gillie series, I am in the process of starting the storyboard for my children's story, “Selma's Song” which follows a young girl, as she tries to go through the grieving process, after losing her grandmother. Lastly, I am two-thirds through writing my first adult novel, which follows a couple as they navigate life and mental health issues as an interracial couple and military family” Sounds wonderful Nicole! We can’t wait for your future publications and we hope you enjoy this beautiful story with the boy with the curly auburn hair ☺️ #representationtrulymatters To buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Bubble-King-N-G-Kraiem/dp/1639015876/ref=sr_1_2?crid=11NOKMXUSOFSC&dchild=1&keywords=the+bubble+king+n.g+kraiem&qid=1630506743&sprefix=the+bubble+king%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-2&fbclid=IwAR2dO3Y41uta5yVC3Uo-SokHl0snRyqWWmKIiS24bJJwLSiOPGW3c2BFR3s Thank you once again Nicole! ❤️🖤🤎❤️🖤🤎 Like/subscribe/review ☺️ Instagram page: https://instagram.com/grabsomesticks?igshid=gcvsbmv1h4dy Facebook: @grabsomesticks For messages, drawings and videos, Send to: [email protected] Thank you 🙂 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grab-some-sticks/message

Story number 22 is here! Continuing on with the last instalment from, “The Adventures of Henry the Field Mouse”. Henry meets a new furry friend on the riverbank who challenges him to a race! Written by Jo Coker. Illustrated by Barbara Richards. Edited and published by Sue Dockstader. I have really enjoyed reading from this series of stories and I hope you’ve enjoyed listening to them 🐭 ☺️   Jo and Sue are continuing to offer to the podcast listeners a 15% discount from their Etsy shop! Use the code: HENRY15 or simply go straight to the following link to receive 15% off: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HenryFieldMouse?coupon=HENRY15   To follow the continuing mother/daughter/granddaughter publishing adventures: www.adventuresofhenryfieldmouse.com @henryfieldmouse You can also head over to https://www.adventuresofhenryfieldmouse.com/storytime for more chapters read by the author, as previously broadcast on Cotswolds Radio, and look for the colouring pages to download for your little adventurers to create their own Henry field mouse! We hope you enjoy this next adventure 😊 🇭🇰 🇬🇧 🐁 Like/subscribe/review ☺️ Instagram page: https://instagram.com/grabsomesticks?igshid=gcvsbmv1h4dy Facebook: @grabsomesticks For messages, drawings and videos, Send to: [email protected] Thank you 🙂 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grab-some-sticks/message

I’m back everyone with story number 21! Continuing on with the tales from, “The Adventures of Henry the Field Mouse” I will be reading the excerpt where Henry and his hedgehog friend Bertie stroll around at night and Henry sees something peculiar in the water… Written by Jo Coker. Illustrated by Barbara Richards. Edited and published by Sue Dockstader. Octogenarian author Jo enjoyed another new adventure recently when she was interviewed by her local radio station for their book club show on @Cotswoldsradio- proving again, you are never too old to try something new! And as if that wasn’t enough excitement, Jo’s granddaughter (who the books were originally written for) flew in from Germany to join her Grandma as she shared her stories with little adventurers at the Northleach Heritage Craft Fair last week.   Jo and Sue would like to offer our podcast listeners a 15% discount from their Etsy shop! Use the code: HENRY15 or simply go straight to the following link to receive 15% off: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HenryFieldMouse?coupon=HENRY15   To follow the continuing mother/daughter/granddaughter publishing adventures: www.adventuresofhenryfieldmouse.com @henryfieldmouse We hope you enjoy this next adventure 😊 🇭🇰 🇬🇧 🐁 🦔 Like/subscribe/review ☺️ Instagram page: https://instagram.com/grabsomesticks?igshid=gcvsbmv1h4dy Facebook: @grabsomesticks For messages, drawings and videos, Send to: [email protected] Thank you 🙂 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grab-some-sticks/message

Story number 20 is here! (We have reached 20 stories!😱) Our next story tells the tale of an inquisitive field mouse called Henry who has a prickly encounter with Bertie the hedgehog, who is snoring in a compost heap! This story is part of a series written by a grandma wanting to keep in touch with her grandchildren before the days of email and video chat. (You can see the letters she wrote them when you swipe left ⬅️☺️) It’s called: “The Adventures of Henry the Field Mouse” written by Jo Coker. Illustrated by Barbara Richards. Edited and published by Sue Dockstader.   Jo Coker: “When my grandchildren moved to Hong Kong, I wanted them to stay interested in the English countryside, so I started writing stories for them about an imaginary mouse living under my garden shed! Little did I know my daughter would keep my flimsy airmail pages and publish them into a beautifully illustrated book 20 years later- so now little adventurers everywhere can read about the antics of Henry the Field Mouse! Henry meets lots of different animals on his escapades, so I hope that my simple tales of adventure in an English back garden will encourage little ones to pull on their wellies and go outside to explore the countryside. My original stories stretched to two books once the pictures were added, then after being persuaded a trilogy would be nice, I wrote another set of stories at age 85. Working with my daughter (who now lives in the US) to get the third book published was a wonderful way to keep busy and connected during this past awful year of lockdown and isolation.”      To buy the books: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HenryFieldMouse or take trip to the beautiful Cotswolds town of Northleach and pick up a copy at the Post Office or the Black Cat Café.   To follow the continuing mother/daughter/granddaughter publishing adventures: www.adventuresofhenryfieldmouse.com @henryfieldmouse Thank you Sue for getting in touch and I love how we have that HK connection! 🇭🇰 🇬🇧 🐁 🦔 Like/subscribe/review ☺️ Instagram page: https://instagram.com/grabsomesticks?igshid=gcvsbmv1h4dy Facebook: @grabsomesticks For messages, drawings and videos, Send to: [email protected] Thank you 🙂 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grab-some-sticks/message

In the U.K. it was an incredibly joyous feeling when the country came together for the Euros. For me, what was even better was experiencing it all from my hometown of Wembley. The home of football. Nothing beats the feeling of unity. Our England football team did us proud. There are some players that are inspirational both on and off the pitch and I have nothing but admiration for them. So it comes with great sadness that after a penalty shoot out in the final game, our three lions were subject to abuse. Abuse not about their football skills but about the colour of their skin. If we had won, the comments on social media would have been celebratory and joyous but it wasn’t. The true feelings of some hateful individuals came out and I won’t call them England fans because they’re not. True England fans felt incredibly let down by the aftermath of this hate and this shameful behaviour needs to stop. Here’s a poem written by Adaeze Obasuyi @rooted_branch that sums up the feelings of last week. Rashford, Sancho and Saka. We stand by you. You did us proud ❤️🙌🏾❤️ This poem is more suited to older children/adult audience. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grab-some-sticks/message

Story number 18 is here! We are continuing our series of stories from you! The #youngwriter and this week, we have a young girl named Sasha (8 years old) who wrote a story called: “Dog Adopted” 🐶 Sasha: “My name is Sasha, I'm 8 years old and I live in Pinner with my mum, dad and Sister. I enjoy running, reading, and riding my bike! I like dogs and decided to write a story about one!” Thank you Sasha! I’m sure everyone will love your story ☺️ I love the cover art too! @eternalkitchenltd Like/subscribe/review ☺️ Instagram page: https://instagram.com/grabsomesticks?igshid=gcvsbmv1h4dy Facebook: @grabsomesticks For messages, drawings and videos, Send to: [email protected] Thank you 🙂 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grab-some-sticks/message

Story number 17 is here ❤️ Sometimes in life, an event occurs that makes you pause and think. To stop. To stop with the swiftness of life and to simply appreciate the everyday joys. To not sweat over the small stuff and to really make you appreciate how short life really is. With this is mind, I felt like it was fate that led me to Chelsey Gomez’s story. Her story is called: “Stickers On Her Bald Head” @ohyouresotough @ohyouresotough_designs Chelsey Gomez: “I have lost my hair twice to chemotherapy and cancer. My daughter was very young while I was battling cancer. I introduced the concept of my soon to be bald head to my daughter with a promise. I promised she could put stickers all over my head after my hair fell out! I hope this story helps other parents talk to their children about cancer and hair loss in a fun way. No scary terms like radiation or chemotherapy - just a gentle and silly story that kids can relate to.” Thank you @ohyouresotough for your bravery and I hope this story helps not just children but adults also. Check out her awesome illustrations too 😍 The book is available to purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B095Q848XS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Subscribe to her YouTube channel 🥰 https://youtube.com/c/ohyouresotough0 Check out her Etsy shop for cancer support gift items: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Ohyouresotough Chelsey had also written a guided journal for adult cancer patients: https://www.amazon.com/Cancer-Hole-Patients-Humorous-Survivors/dp/B08SGZ7S1P/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&qid=1624320469&refinements=p_27%3AChelsey+Gomez&s=books&sr=1-2&text=Chelsey+Gomez https://linktr.ee/Ohyouresotough Instagram page: https://instagram.com/grabsomesticks?igshid=gcvsbmv1h4dy Facebook: @grabsomesticks For messages, drawings and videos, Send to: [email protected] Thank you x --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grab-some-sticks/message

Story number 16 is here! We are continuing our series of stories from you! The #youngwriter and this week, we have a young girl named Flossie (six years old) who wrote a story called: “The Magic Mermaid” Flossie: “My name’s Flossie, I’m 6-years-old and I live in Huddersfield. I love listening to your podcast and I was excited to hear you might like to read one of my stories.  I enjoy going on day-outs with my family, box-modelling and crafts and riding my bike. I love being busy and go to Gymnastics, Swimming and Drama Clubs, and I’m a Rainbow too.     I love reading so I decided to write this story so I could read it to my little sister Frankie. I am going to keep a copy of it in my memory box to look back at when I’m older. I like going to the seaside and I always look out for mermaids. Once I thought I saw a mermaid waving at me (although it might have been an octopus) so I decided to write this story about what might happen if someone actually met one. I think magic is really cool and I imagine that mermaids have some kind of magical powers so I used this idea in my story too.” Mermaids are certainly a popular theme! Thank you Flossie! I’m sure everyone will love your story 😃 🌊🧜‍♀️ @mumawaywithme Like/subscribe/review ☺️ Instagram page: https://instagram.com/grabsomesticks?igshid=gcvsbmv1h4dy Facebook: @grabsomesticks For messages, drawings and videos, Send to: [email protected] Thank you 🙂 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grab-some-sticks/message