When young Masha goes into the woods to pick mushrooms, she gets lost. As if that’s not bad enough, a bear takes her to his home and insists she stay there forever to clean his house. Masha comes up with a clever escape plan which involves baking some delicious cherry pies. Listen to storyteller Cat Weatherill tell this fun song-story from Russia and find out if the plan works.

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Yeh-Hsien, an orphan with shiny black hair and skin as soft as silk wishes to go to the lunar new year celebrations with her sister and step mother. She’s told to stay at home and cook, but with a little help from a magical fish, and a pair of slippers that make no noise, her wish just might come true. Listen to Kim telling this ancient Chinese version of a Cinderella-style love story to find out what happens.

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Listen to Jason Buck tell his gripping version of the European story, Rumplestiltskin – complete with a nasty little goblin, a frightfully greedy King, and a clever girl who gets herself out of a tricky situation.

It’s a little bit scary but not very. Packed with wisdom and entertainment.

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Kim tells the story of the twelve animals which represent the Chinese New Year. As the Lunar New Year approaches, each animal wants it to be named after them, but no one can agree which animal is most deserving. The Jade Emperor steps into solve the problem by proposing a race. Listen to this lively story and discover who wins, and who loses.

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In a grand house high up on a hill above the sea lived an old man who had a little granddaughter whose face he had never seen because his lovely daughter died at her birth… Nick Hennessey tells a moving English version of the Cinderella story. A word of warning –this version is unsettling at times so if this doesn’t sound like one for you and yours, have a listen to our other story this week ‘Star Coin’, told for our younger listeners.

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Star Coin is a Brothers Grimm story from Germany about an orphan girl who has nothing left in the world but the clothes on her back and a piece of bread. As she walks through the forest, looking for her luck, she encounters various people in need and helps them, but is left standing in the snowy forest with only a thin undershirt and no food or shoes. Who will come to her aid? Listen to the magical voice of storyteller Simone Schuemmelfeder, and take heart.

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A blacksmith sets off on a journey leaving a wife at home. The wife is expecting a baby, and after the months pass without a word from her husband, an unexpected visitor appears. He’s covered in fur and has one eye in the middle of his head. Should she trust him? Listen to this week’s fairytale told by Wangari the Storyteller from Kenya and find out.

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A girl lives with her Mum and little brother on the edge of a forest. When her brother is snatched away by the snow geese she asks for help from some unlikely assistants. But they’ll only help her if she agrees to eat food she’s never tried before. Can she give up habits of a lifetime in order to save her little brother? Listen to storyteller from Cambridge Marion Leeper and find out. A heart-warming story from the chilly north.

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To start off the new year – a gripping story from Romania. If you like fairytales and dragons and tricksters, then this is definitely the story for you. And it’s told by talented storyteller Emily Hennessey who conjures up not one, but two scary dragons. What’s not to like?

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Greek Storyteller Despina Ariou shares her Granny’s Christmas story. It's about troll- like creatures called the Kallikantzari who make mischief at Christmas by stealing delicious food and sometimes even stealing children. Eek! These creatures are slightly scary, but fear not, this is a fairytale with a happy ending.

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