Storyshaped

We had a totally magical walk through picturebook author Mariesa Dulak's Storyshaped life on the podcast today, which took us all the way from Barbados to Harrogate, and plenty of other places besides! From nursery rhymes to Stephen King, and William Blake to Barbara Throws a Wobbler, join us as we follow Mariesa through the fantastic collection of tales (both written and spoken) that have shaped her work and made her the person she is today. Let's go!Find Mariesa online at her website: www.mariesadulak.comBooks mentioned in this week's episode include Mariesa's own:There's a Tiger on the Train (ill. Rebecca Cobb)The Silver Shadow (ill. Alea Marley)And the stories which shaped her include:Nursery rhymes and songs told and sung to her by her parentsThe fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers GrimmOne Thousand and One Nights/Arabian Nights, folktales from the Islamic Golden AgeThe Flower Fairies, by Cicely Mary BarkerThe work of Alison UttleyWinnie the Pooh: Changing Guard at Buckingham Palace, by AA Milne and EH ShepardThe work of Dr SeussThe Chronicles of Narnia, by CS LewisThe Worst Witch, by Jill MurphyThe work of Enid BlytonFungus the Bogeyman, by Raymond BriggsThe Tinderbox (fairytale)The work of Roald DahlThe work of Stephen KingBlubber, by Judy BlumeForever, by Judy BlumeThe work of John AgardThe work of Benjamin ZephaniahThe work of Malorie BlackmanLittle Soldier, by Bernard AshleyFlower Block, by Lanisha Butterfield (illustrated by Hoang Giang)Out of the Blue, by Robert Tregoning (illustrated by Stef Murphy)Songs of Innocence and Experience, by William BlakeTyger, by SF SaidSkellig, by David AlmondNot Now, Bernard, by David McKeeWhere the Wild Things Are, by Maurice SendakBarbara Throws a Wobbler, by Nadia ShireenThe work of Julia DonaldsonThe work of Janet and Allan AhlbergThe Cafe at the End of the Woods, by Mikey PleaseThe Full Stop that Got Away, by Laura Baker (illustrated by Nathan Reed)Butter, by Asako YuzukiThe Island of Brilliant podcast, hosted by Nadia Shireen and Frank Cottrell-BoyceOur podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Well - whew! Get ready for this week's episode, Storyshapers, because it's a whirlwind of mythology, folklore, history, archaeology and magic, all thanks to the enthralling Ellen Ryan. Ellen is a journalist and author, who likes to spend time visiting archaeological sites, researching the richness of Ireland's folklore, mythology, and history, and creating fantastic, inclusive, immersive, and lovingly constructed tales and retellings of some stories we might *think* we know... Come on a wander through the landscape of old Ireland with Ellen, and find out how she's Storyshaped.Find Ellen online at her agent's website: https://belllomaxmoreton.co.uk/childrens-fiction/ellen-ryanBooks mentioned in this week's episode include Ellen's own:Girls Who Slay Monsters (ill. Shona Shirley MacDonald)Gods Don't Cry (ill. Conor Merriman)And the stories that have shaped her include:Under the Hawthorn Tree, by Marita Conlon-McKennaThe work of Siobhan ParkinsonFlight of the Doves, by Walter MackenThe Milly McCarthy series, by Leona FordeThe Hounds of the Morrigan, by Pat O'SheaThe work of Patricia LynchThe Táin, ed. and modernised by Thomas Kinsella, illustrations by Louis le BrocquyThe Corpus of Electronic Texts (The UCC CELT Project)The Book of the Elders, eds. Ann Dooley and Harry RoweThe work of John Carey, medievalist and language scholaresp. Magic, Metallurgy, and Imagination in Medieval Ireland, by John CareyThe work of Daniel Curley, archaeologist and guide at Rathcroghan Royal Site and Visitor Centre)Ireland's Immortals, by Mark WilliamsThe work of Miranda GreenThe Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend, ed. Miranda GreenOur podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

This week, we had the JOY of chatting to the very funny, very talented, very lovely Catherine Wilkins (or you might know her as Catie, if you're a fan of her stand-up comedy). She brought us on a wondrous meander through her Storyshaped life, from the country of Disney to the tales of Mossycoat - and everything in between! Come with us as we wander through the stories that have shaped her life and work, and get ready for a dose of major 80s cartoon nostalgia. 'For the honour of Greyskull... I am She-Ra!'Find Catherine online at her website: www.catherinewilkins.co.ukBooks mentioned in this week's episode include Catherine's own:My Best Friend and Other EnemiesMy Brilliant Life and Other DisastersMy School Musical and Other PunishmentsMy Great Success and Other FailuresWhen Good Geeks Go BadThe Weird Friends Fan ClubYou're Not the Boss of Me!Café ChaosAnd the stories which have shaped her include:She-Ra (80s cartoon and the modern remake)The movies of DisneyThe Mysterious Cities of Gold (cartoon)Ulysses 31 (cartoon)The Twits, by Roald DahlFantastic Mr Fox, by Roald DahlThe Magic Finger, by Roald DahlThe Demon Headmaster, by Gillian CrossThe Worst Witch (series), by Jill MurphyPride and Prejudice, by Jane AustenThe Harry Potter books, by JK RowlingCatwitch, by Lisa Tuttle and Una WoodruffNorse Mythology, particularly a book owned by Catherine's dadCollected Fairy Tales, particularly an edition owned by Catherine's dad, which included the tale MossycoatAnd... The Rabbit That Jumped Too High, by Catherine Wilkins, aged 6! *heart-eye emojis*Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

We've only gone and snagged the fantastic, prolific, and very wonderful Helen Peters for the podcast - and it's her turn in the hotseat today! We were charmed to take a stroll through the Storyshaped life of an author described as 'one of our finest modern children's storytellers' by Waterstones (who, to be fair, know their stuff), and we learned all about how Helen's childhood was shaped as much by the farm she grew up on as it was by the stories she surrounded herself with. These stories not only shaped her, but they shaped her brilliant creative output, too. Come on - pull yer wellies on and let's get going.Books mentioned on this week's episode include Helen's own:Friends and TraitorsAnna at WarEvie's GhostThe Jasmine Green seriesThe Secret Henhouse Theatre trilogyFind Helen at: helenpetersbooks.comAnd the stories that shaped her include:Winnie the Pooh, by A.A. Milne, illustrations by E.H. ShepardThe Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth GrahameTarka the Otter, by Henry WilliamsonThe picturebooks of Molly BrettBrambly Hedge, by Jill BarklemLittle Women, by Louisa May AlcottWhat Katy Did, by Susan CoolidgeHeidi, by Johanna SpyriBallet Shoes, by Noel StreatfeildCurtains Up, by Noel StreatfeildThe Growing Summer, by Noel StreafeildThe Famous Five series, by Enid BlytonThe Secret Seven series, by Enid BlytonThe St Clare's series, by Enid BlytonSix Cousins at Mistletoe Farm, by Enid BlytonThe Railway Children, by E. NesbitThe Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson BurnettThe Casson Family series, by Hilary McKayThe Exiles, by Hilary McKayMillions, by Frank Cottrell-BoyceFramed, by Frank Cottrell-BoyceHoles, by Louis SacharLiar & Spy, by Rebecca SteadThe Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne FrankCue for Treason, by Geoffrey TreaseKing of Shadows, by Susan CooperOur podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

This week, we welcome Alastair Chisholm - yes, only the brilliant, prolific, award-winning, award-nominated picturebook and middle grade author - to the podcast, and we hope you'll join us for the journey! Alastair has written about starships lost in space, about characters who can see back through time, about huge mecha-animals powered by human will, and - best of all - about ninja frogs, and that's just to name some of the books in his incredible back catalogue. Come with us as he takes us through the stories that have shaped him, and which continue to shape his world and his work.Books mentioned in this week's episode include some of Alastair's own:The Dragon Storm series, illustrated by Eric DeschampsThe Consequence GirlOrion LostAdam-2I Am WolfI Am RavenAnd the stories which have shaped him include:The Silmarillion, by JRR TolkienThe Grey King, by Susan CooperThe Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan GarnerCharmed Life, by Diana Wynne JonesHomeward Bounders, by Diana Wynne JonesHowl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne JonesArcher's Goon, by Diana Wynne JonesAsterix, by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo (et al)The Eagle comic, founded by Marcus Morris2000 AD, created by Kelvin Gosnell, Pat Mills, John WagnerThe Chronicles of Narnia, by CS LewisThe work of Nicholas FiskThe work of Jan MarkThe work of Isaac AsimovThe work of Robert HeinleinThe Stainless Steel Rat, by Harry HarrisonThe Best of Harry Harrison - short story anthologyThe Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, by Stephen DonaldsonZenith, by Grant Morrison and Steve YeowellThe Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway (Alastair's edition has illustrations by CF Tunnicliffe and Raymond Sheppard)The Chrysalids, by John WyndhamThe Day of the Triffids, by John WyndhamThe work of Sir Terry PratchettLegend, by David GemmellMaster and Commander (series), by Patrick O'BrianSword of the Sun, by Sinéad O'HartThe World Between the Rain, by Susan CahillWren, by Lucy HopeA Kind of Spark, by Elle McNicollSticky Pines: The Bigwoof Conspiracy, by Dashe RobertsBird Boy, by Catherine BrutonDungeon Runners, by Kieran Larwood and Joe Todd Stanton The work of Christopher EdgeOur podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

We were beside ourselves with glee this week as we sat for a chat with the brilliant Celine Kiernan, an artist who has been influencing - and Storyshaping - our lives since way before she began writing her brilliant children's books. Celine's career began in the animation industry, where she was part of the team who brought the world such incredible tales as The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go To Heaven, An American Tail, and more - and we got the pleasure of chatting to her about that time in her life, as well as her own work, and the stories which have shaped her incredible literary and artistic output. This one was super-special. Come and join us, won't you? Somewhere out there...Books mentioned in this week's episode include Celine's own:The Moorehawke Trilogy (The Poison Throne, The Crowded Shadows, The Rebel Prince)Into the GreyThe Wild Magic Trilogy (Begone the Raggedy Witches, The Little Grey Girl, The Promise Witch)ResonanceAnd the stories that shaped her include:Twinkle, a periodical comic and annualLittle Grey Men, by BBDown the Bright Stream, by BBThe Yearling, by Marjorie Kinnan RawlingsThe Borrowers, by Mary NortonJudy magazineThe Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan GarnerThe Moon of Gomrath, by Alan GarnerThe Mouse and his Child, by Russell HobanRiddley Walker, by Russell HobanWater Babies, by Charles KingsleySomething Wicked this Way Comes, by Ray BradburyThe Doll House (later, Tottie) by Rumer GoddenNed Kelly and the City of the Bees, by Thomas KenneallyThe work of Raymond ChandlerThe work of John SteinbeckThe work of Charles DickensThe work of Ernest HemingwayThe short stories of Moira McHughBrides of Rollrock Island, by Margo LanaganTender Morsels, by Margo LanaganSavage Her Reply, by Deirdre SullivanTangleweed and Brine, by Deirdre SullivanPiranesi, by Susannah ClarkeJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, by Susannah ClarkeThe Small Hand: A Ghost Story, by Susan HillOur podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.