Kids

Big Noise - The community orchestra for children under 12

Music group draws inspiration from ‘El Sistema’ philosophy of Venezuela

Musical director Francis Cummings takes his place in front of the 40-strong orchestra and raises his arms, poised to launch into Henry Purcell’s ‘Rondeau’ from the Abdelazar Suite. ‘No counting to three, because that’s for children,’ he says. The…

Glasgow looks forward to 2014 with the Commonwealth Family Festival

The event will celebrate all the nations attending the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the city

It may be over a year away, but now that the Olympics are fast becoming a happy memory, it’s time for the Commonwealth Games to step into the spotlight. And in the run-up to Glasgow 2014, there’ll be no rest for that happy thistle-headed chap Clyde, as…

Edinburgh and Glasgow Hallowe’en highlights

The best spooky events on and around October 31st 2012

There’s a strong emphasis on storytelling in Edinburgh’s Hallowe’en events this year. Owen Pilgrim’s Hallowe’en Stories (Edinburgh Printmakers, 31 Oct) are suitable for ages 8+, while Marion Kenny’s Meet the Ancestors song’n’story sesh should suit those…

Oliver Cox of Owen & Olly discusses Children's Classic Concerts: Mission Impossible?

There can be few sounds more chilling than the opening bars of Jaws. Instantly recognisable no matter what context you hear them in, within seconds images of shark fins push all other thoughts aside. So it’s no surprise to find that John Williams…

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

The third in the animation trilogy offers superb entertainment

The naughty animals from Central Park Zoo return in this new animation from Dreamworks, and the third time proves lucky for Alex the lion and his chums, with Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted offering superb entertainment. After the lacklustre…

Frankenweenie

Tim Burton’s latest is a triumphant black and white animation

The commodified pseudo-weirdness of Tim Burton has become a bit of a bugbear, even for those who once fell hard for his particular brand of whimsy. Wearying in its repetition of the same Goth-lite tropes, over-reliant on Johnny Depp’s cutesy bug-eyed…

Christine Devaney discusses The Adventures of Butterfly Boy

The kids' dance production is the debut project from Pucko Company

Maybe it’s because of the lack of words to explain what’s happening; or because it’s perceived as too high-brow for wee ones — whatever the reason, dance shows for children are thin on the ground. Attempting to address this lack is Pucko Company, a…

A Dream on Midsummer’s Night

Inspired kid-friendly outing for one of Shakespeare's lighter plays

Beautiful though his prose may be, understanding Shakespeare can be hard enough for adults, let alone children. With its romantic comings and goings, A Midsummer Night’s Dream may be one of the bard’s lighter plays, but there’s no denying the language…

Julia Donaldson, James Robertson (trans) - The Gruffalo in Scots

James Robertson's translation breathes fresh life into Julia Donaldson's story

Can there be a children’s bookshelf in the land that doesn’t hold a copy of The Gruffalo? Julia Donaldson’s picture book has been a perennial hit with pre-schoolers since it was first published in 1999, with new toddlers discovering it all the…

Paperbelle

Imaginative fun for the very young

Creating a show that straddles the fine line between engaging a pre-schooler, and not scaring them, isn’t easy. Harder still to capture the imagination of the grown-up whose lap they’re sitting on or next to. Yet with this delicate, sweet and funny…

Boris and Sergey’s Vaudevillian Adventure

Droll and bawdy puppet double act

Droll and bawdy puppet double act Nothing covers cracks like cuteness. Boris and Sergey are two faceless leather bunraku puppets that look like reconstituted old footballs sprung to life. They speak in gravelly Russian honks and have more than enough…

Giddy Goat

Hilltop musical fails to scale the heights

Growing up on a mountain side, the eponymous goat is too young and timid to jump off a rock, until he’s called upon to rescue a stranded sheep, and discovers his hero within. Jamie Rix’s picture book adapts well for the stage, and there’s certainly no…

Children's shows from Scotland at 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Shows from Catherine Wheels, Frozen Charlotte, Le Petit Monde and more

It’s great to have so many visiting companies at the Fringe, but just for a moment, we’re going to celebrate the home-grown Scottish talent right on our doorstep The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk One of Scotland’s finest children’s theatre companies…

The Golden Cowpat

Lo-fi Jackanory with ukulele-to-blues soundscape

Farmer Hector has fallen on hard times. The pigs and geese have been sold, his once robust vegetables are puny and small. Salvation comes from the rear end of a cow. Betty, an ornery beast much given to tipping her herd-mates, produces 24-carat…

Circus in Hand

Hand made circus puppetry with a human touch

There can’t be many circuses at the Fringe where you can behold a ringmaster standing on a giraffe’s head or a tap-dancing zebra. But then there can’t be many circuses at all where the performers are made from neat slices of stretchy fabric, adorably…

Horrible Histories - Barmy Britain

Gruesomely entertaining alternative history lesson

The history of these islands is littered with enough corpses to fill a month’s worth of Fringe shows, so hats off to Birmingham Stage Company for managing to pack so much blood and gore into a bare hour. Terry Deary’s deliciously gruesome book…

Lapin Wants Ice Cream

Puppets on the beach à la Française

With a pre-schooler’s brain bearing a remarkable resemblance to a sponge, it’s the perfect time to introduce a foreign language to them. Tania Czajka knows this, and has created a cast of fun characters to deliver the message. Holidaying on the beach…

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppets

Five things about 2012 Edinburgh show Boo Lingerie!

1. What 5 things should everybody know about you? ‘That we are not a kids show! Except that, this year, we are also doing a kids show; that we are also doing our brand new show of songs, sketches, socks and violence at 10.40 at night; that this is our…

Edinburgh International Book Festival: Top 5 Kids events

Patrick Ness, Michael Morpurgo, Louise Rennison, Doctor Who and more

Patrick Ness With A Monster Calls, Ness is cementing his already burgeoning reputation as a must-read author for the 12-16 group. When this book about a boy dealing with his mother’s battle against cancer won him the Carnegie Medal, Ness said the…

Freedom Family Circus

Straight-up circus makes up for wobbles with warmth

This sunny-demeanoured circus troupe hail from various parts of the USA and Chile, and have apparently only been performing as a complete line-up for around six days. Which could explain a few of the hiccups in their acts: juggling balls and skittles…

Treasure Island

Comedy on the seven seas

There’s nothing groundbreaking about this new show from Derby’s Uncontained Arts. But sometimes it’s OK to just tell it like it is, and Treasure Island has enough unusual characters and exciting plot developments for them to get away with it. Building…

Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales

Julia Donaldson over-kill

Scamp Theatre’s 2011 adaptation of Stick Man was a skilful blend of lively storytelling, great songs and playful actors. They did Julia Donaldson proud. So it comes as something of a disappointment to see what they’ve done with Tiddler. As you would…

The Machine

Fun show with subtle green message

This is no clever title – there really is a machine in this new show from Little Cauliflower theatre company, and what a machine it is. Occupying a large space in the middle of the stage, the eponymous equipment has clearly been months in the…

The Snail and the Whale

Tall Stories' Donaldson adaption is imaginative and heartfelt

Tall Stories are no strangers to the inside of a Julia Donaldson picture book, having made their name on the children’s theatre circuit with The Gruffalo over ten years ago. Since then, they’ve tackled The Gruffalo’s Child and Room on the Broom, and…

Petya and the Wolf

Childlike in chaotic naiivety but enough depth to entertain all

Two Russian actors present this idiosyncratic physical retelling of the familiar tale of how Peter outsmarts the hungry wolf, soundtracked by a recording of the Prokofiev score with English narration. Although the story is simple enough for all ages to…