A programme for children under five
Ion Grundy 's ' Summer Friends,' to be heard on Thursday, is a story about insects and a baby rabbit, and is somewhat different in character from the animal tales we have broadcast so far. It is perhaps best classified as a nature story, and parents who have seen their offspring watching with absorbed fascination the activities of tiny creatures of field and garden will appreciate the impulse that produced it. Maybe it will prompt some children to further exploration and new discoveries of their own.
Animal stories, of course, form a staple ingredient of these broadcasts, for the bond between children and animals is strong, and animal tales have something to please even our youngest listeners who, though they may not understand the events, love the animal noises, identifying them with delight and imitating them with gusto. The older ones appreciate both noises and story, often taking the latter very seriously. A four-year-old boy. after the story of Peter the Kitten, ' went into several shops in our village ' (writes his mother) ' and asked if there were any kittens, chased a big cat and almost " cornered " him, and has instructed me to search all over the town to find him a kitten.' Elizabeth A. Taylor