An edition of STME should be just like an edition of Story Teller if it was still published today. This is my guiding principle whenever I plan an issue of STME. This could be achieved by ensuring that STME has the same range of stories that Story Teller featured, issue by issue; from fairy tales to poems, from myths and legends to modern tales. In this, this year’s STME does not disappoint. Cap-o’-Rushes should delight fans of traditional fairy tales while cartoon heroes such as Stuff and Nonsense will satisfy those looking for comic capers. The Chinese Zodiac and The Kitsune provide windows to the mystical Orient, while Judgement of Paris brings back the magic of Greek myths. For a slice of the contemporary world, we have The Captured Colours of Childhood and a modern version of Jason and the Argonauts. And, of course, no issue of Story Teller would have been complete without a fable (The Rat and the Elephant is featured here) or a poem or two (The Little Elf and The Tyger await in these pages).
There should also be nods to the original series. In this edition, we have another exciting instalment of Superbabe, a character originally created for Story Teller 2 (and the story itself has fun and numerous Easter eggs!) and we have another chapter from The Wind in the Willows to reunite us with those beloved of friends: Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toad. Summer and Autumn, The Curse of Jan Tregeagle and Giogress the Ogress’s Grand Ogre Slam are three original stories that offer distinctly Story Teller flavours, with echoes of characters and themes featured in the original series.
As ever, this edition was made possible only by the passion and dedication of the members of the Story Teller Facebook group. Their combined talents have conjured up yet again a time machine to take us back to the Eighties, that amazing era when a children’s magazine had the power to transport us to endless adventures.
Antonio Pineda
Creator of the ST Facebook Group
