It’s spring time in Alberta, so let’s celebrate with a poem about nature. Between the time when I wrote the episode and recorded it, all the snow melted! In this episode we share some marvelous...

This is a story I’ve been meaning to write for a while. Many of the Sophie and Sebastian stories are about relationships and community. So I wanted the kids to do a kind deed. The...

This story is a return to the style of some of the earliest Sophie and Sebastian stories. Over time, the stories have of course become more complex, but this one is all about innocence and...

Time for another Sophie and Sebastian story. This one is all about using your imagination and telling exciting stories, the kind that make you forget everything you were doing before. It’s okay for kids to...

It’s been a while since we’ve shared a Sophie and Sebastian story. Looking back at 2020, the year started with ambitious plans, but sometimes life doesn’t cooperate. There wasn’t much time for creative writing. So,...

Time for some more poetry! In this episode we feature two poems, including this one, about the famous pirate Tessa Messa de Delicatessa! Enjoy. Tessa Messa de Delicatessa Was her Royal Majesty’s Professor Of Pirate...

In this episode, we celebrate the coming of spring and share a little poem about chickadees: Hi little chickadee, Busy and bright, You flit and you fly from Morning till night. Chickadee, chickadee, Fluffy and small, I see you, chickadee, Black cap and all. A little chickadee

Enjoy part 2 Uncle Frederick’s campfire story. Tip: you might want to listen to part 1 first. 🙂 Illustration by Will van Delft

Time for another story. This is part 1 of 2, as we listen to the first half of Uncle Frederick’s campfire story. Enjoy! Just a few quick notes. First, if you haven’t figured it out yet, the ads at the beginning of each episode are fake. Second, our illustrator Will van Delft is still hoping to do an original illustration for this series. And, third, I hope to have part 2 out in the next week or so. Stay tuned…

We’re back with another episode! And just for fun we even added a fake commercial at the beginning. There is no wooden toy company named ChipMonks, but it’s fun to imagine monks in their monastery, making wooden spoons and teddy bears… If you’re new to this series, make sure you start with chapter 1, “The Cat and the Cello.”

Time for our first monthly poetry show! We’ll start with something fairly simple: the limerick. As mentioned in the podcast, if you would like to submit a limerick you’ve written, just be in touch. We’d love to get our listeners do some creative writing! You can send us a message via Facebook, email us ([email protected]), leave a comment below, or use the Contact Us link. If you’d like to learn more about limericks, or refresh your knowledge of the rules,...

Continue listening to Adventures with Uncle Frederick. This is chapter 2, in which we hit the road. Enjoy!

Time for another Sophie and Sebastian story. Sophie recently broke her arm when she went sledding. Fortunately it was a minor buckle fracture, and she should be better soon. I also wanted to write about people’s favourite words, and the way words can start to haunt us when we think about them a lot. Some of the more difficult words in this story are the following: * Enjambment: when there is no pause at the end of a line of poetry but the idea spills over to the next...

Join us for a new series, as we follow the adventures of Uncle Frederick and his young nephew and nieces (Owen, Iris, and Katie). This is my attempt to write a kind of Charles Dickens novel for children. I’m interested in creating interesting and unique characters, funny moments, plenty of drama and mystery, and a complex and developing plot. Tune in regularly to find out what happens next. To help out our young listeners who might find some of the vocabulary difficult, here...

Happy new year everyone! In this bonus episode we’re sharing some exciting news about a new story series we’ll be starting very soon. We’re also hoping to increase the number of episodes we put out every month. To give a taste of what’s coming up, this episode includes a reading from episode 2 of Adventures with Uncle Frederick, as well as a humorous poem called “Day Dreams.” In addition, we’re making a special plea to support us on Patreon. We’ve added new reward tiers and we...

Many of our stories celebrate the passing of the seasons. There’s something beautiful about the way the world changes all around us. Even if we might not love every season–and winter is a little long in Canada, where we live–it’s still wonderful to experience so much variety! This story, then, is about autumn, when the leaves are falling, the days get shorter, and there’s a coolness in the air. It’s a story about playing outside and enjoying the last warmth before winter comes...

It’s a rainy day, but you can always have fun inside. In this story, Sophie decides that it’s time to play a hiding game. As you’ll find out the rules are very simple, but figuring out the clues and finding the prize before the other team does–now that’s quite a challenge. Illustration by Will van Delft This story was inspired by a memory of a children’s book I read when I was a kid. I can’t remember the title, but it was a story of children in a village (somewhere in...

Summer is almost over around here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it a little longer in story form! In this episode, Sophie visits her best friend Jasmine, and together they do everything they...

I’ve been wanting to write a school story for a long time. Our daughter Tessa wants to be a teacher (her favourite store is Staples!), but trying to teach little kids isn’t easy. This story...

We’re excited to share a new story about Sophie and Sebastian. This one is all about making great art. But what is art anyway? And how do you become an artist? Sophie and Sebastian try...

For this episode we thought we’d try something different! We thought it might be nice to retell the story of Nicholas of Myra, whose life inspired the legends of Saint Nicholas and Santa Clause. Truth...

In this episode we have a bedtime story about … bedtime! Oh, and of course there’s a llama, a hot air balloon, and much more. So snuggle up and enjoy! Illustration by Will van Delft.

Hard to believe it is already episode 20! In this story, Sophie and Sebastian have a mystery to solve. Someone does not seem to like the tiny library they made for all their neighbours. Who...

One wet and blustery day, Sophie’s friend Jasmine comes over for a visit. But Sophie and Jasmine don’t want Sebastian to play with them, so they do what girls do: they put up a sign...