Events are listed by city, then type. Submit listings at least ten days before publication to kidsGlist.co.uk, by post or by fax on 0131 557 8500. Listings are compiled by Ruth Hedges.
Activities and Fun
Back to School Sttti 2 Feb. 2~3pm. £l.50. Scotland Street School Museum. Museum of liducation. 225 Scotland Street. 2870500. Join teacher Miss Baxter for a living history class .set in Victorian times. Arrive 15 minutes early to dress tip in period costume before seeing props. a genuine gas tnask and the dreaded belt. CCA: Family Day Sun 9 Feb.
I lam-4pm. £5 per family. (‘(‘.-\. 350 Sauchiehall Street. 352 4900. Artist-led workshops for all the family including music. sculpture. drama and video.
Film
The White Balloon (l') Sat 8 Feb. l0.30am. £2.25; family ticket £9. (ilasgow Filtn Theatre. 12 Rose Street. 332 8l28. See Filtn Index.
Blue Planet (PG): Everest (l'): Cyberworld (1'); Into the Deep (l'): T-Rex (cert tbc). times vary. check Film listings for showing times. £5 (£3.50). IMAX Theatre. (ilasgow Science ('entre. 50 Pacific Quay. 420 5000.
Theatre
The Witch and the Wizard and Little Red Riding Hood Sat I Fcb. 2pm. £4 (£3.50). Scottish .Mask and Puppet Theatre ('entre. 8~ ll) Balcarres Avenue. Kelvindale. 339 6l85. Talking Heads presents its original take on the classic tale in which. on the way to meet granny. Little Red Riding Hood encounters Halitosis the witch.
Beauty and the Beast Fri 7-Sat 8 Feb. 2.30pm 8; 7pm. Mitchell Theatre. 6 (iranville Street. 0845 330 350]. The touching love story of the beautiful girl who finds love in her heart for an ugly beast.
The Adventures of Ivan the Slug
Programme of (‘hincse traditional art. including dance. kung fu. song. a spectacular acrobatic display and lion dance. .-\ll proceeds front the performance go to the School liducation Fund which aims to teach the ('hinese language and promote its culture.
Exhibition
The Golden Ages of Toys l'ntil Sat 7 Jun. Mon Sat l0am 5pm. Free. Museum of Childhood. 42 High Sll'L‘L‘l. 52‘) 4l42. Share the magic of Meccano. llornby trainscts. teddy bears and the wonderful array of toys that came to life between 1890 I930.
Outside the Cities
Activities and Fun
Unpicking the Past l'ntil Stir) 27 Apr. Mon- Sat l0am 5pm: Stm noon 5pm. Free. Low Parks Mitscum. 129 Muir Street. Hamilton. 01698 328232. l'nravelling the story behind the oldest costume in the tnuseum's collection.
Jammin’ Fri 3) Jan & Fri 7 Feb.
2 3.30pm. £l. llowden Park Centre. How-den. Livingston. ()l506 433634. .\ funky dance class for ages ill-l6 covering everything from breaking to hip hop. Bathgate Youth Dance Company Mon 3 & Mon l0 Feb. 4»~5pm (k
5.l5 6.45pm. £1 £|.50. Regal (‘ommunity Theatre. South Bridge Street. Bathgate. ()l506 777586. :\ng 8 ll & l2 16. New weekly dance class for young people with an interest in exploring different styles and performing.
2003 PREVIEW PICTURE BOOKS
With the panto season behind us and the touring-theatre storm experiencing a lull, it’s not a bad time to look ahead and pick out some bookish treats for 2003. And treats
there certainly are. That Pesky Rat
(Orchard Books, May) by Lauren Child shows the radical storyteller, artist and winner of the Kate Greenaway Prize 2001 at her best. Following the nose of that pesky rat who
West Lothian Youth Dance Tue 4 it Tue ll Feb. 4.30 5.30pm & 5.30 7pm.
£1 £l.50. llow den Park ('entrc. llowdcn. l.i\ ingston. 0l506 433634. Ages 8 ll 8 l2 l6. Try out diffcrenl dance styles front break dancing to hip hop.
New Lanark Science Fair Sat 8 Sun 9 Feb. ll.30am 4pm. £l.50 (£l ). .\'cw l.anark World llcritagc Village. New l.anark .Mills. New l.anark. 01555 66l345. Fun and educational day out with electrifying shows including the Big Bug show (suitable 6-plus). real liyc exhibits and il SL‘iL‘IlL‘L‘ (.ll‘clls.
Film
Follow That Bird (l') Tue 4 Feb. l0.30am; Charlotte’s Web tl') Sat 8 Feb. l0.45am; Madeline (P(i) Sun 9 Feb. 12.30pm. £l.50. MacRobcrt. l'niversity of Stirling. Stirling. 0| 786 46l08l. See Film Index.
Theahe
Popstar in 3 Morning! Sat l Feb.
I lam lpm. £3.50. Falkirk Town Hall. West Bridge Street. Falkirk. 0| 324 506850. .-\ chance for budding Britney s and (iareths to strut their stuff.
The Red Balloon Sat 1 Stir) 2 Feb. Sat 2pm; Stir) 3pm. £3.50 (£2.50); four tickets for £10. Adam Smith 'l‘lteatre. Bennochy Road. Kirkcaldy. 0|592 4 l 2929. Ages 4- plus. Visible Fictions rey ivcs its wonderful adaptation about a lonely little boy who finds and befriends a red balloon. Cinderella Sat 8 Feb. 2pm & 7.30pm. £6 (£4): family ticket £l6. MacRobcrt. l'niyersity of Stirling. Stirling. 0l786 466666. ()\ er 200 pupils between the ages of two and 42 come togcthcr for a dance
Kids
cxtrayagan/a .shtwvcasing \arying dance styles and a one act ballet ol' (‘indcrclla Happy Gang in a Fairytale Forest Sat 8 Feb. lptt) (S; 4pm. £6: £22 family ticket. (ircenock .-\rts (iuild. (‘ampbell SII‘L‘CI. (irccnock. (ll-175 72.3053. le‘ llappy (iang are back with more magic treats. Prince ('harming's been tending the forest for years but he's become a bit sellish in his old age stealing the magic dttsl for himscll. Who can sa\ c it’.’ ('omc and see.
The Princess and the Pea Thu
13 Fri l4 Feb. I lait) 8 2pm. £3. MacRobcrt. l'niyersity of Stirling. Stirling. 0| 786 466666. The delicate princess who cannot hear the discomfort of a single pea it) her bed is old news. Modern princesses are much tottgher. as Tutti Frutti productions shows in its latest production. West Lothian Magic Circle Family Show Thu l3- Fri 14 Feb. 7.30pm. Regal (‘ommunity Theatre. South Bridge Street. Bathgate. (H506 632588. Prepare to be astounded as West Lothian's resident trickstcrs show what they ’ve got up their sleeves.
The International Purves Puppets Biggar Pttppet Theatre. Broughlon Road. 01899 22063]. £5 (£4); family ticket £23 & £36. Book in advance as times are subject to change. Reductions for parties of lisc or more. Shows on offer oy er the next two weeks are:
Pips and Panda in Circusland Sat 8 Feb. 2pm. Ages tip to 7. An unusual basket sets off a my sterious chain of events for famous duo as they encounter Jiffy and Jafl’y the funny geese and Sugar the dancing horse when they spend a day at the circus.
that pes ky (“at
sleeps in a crisp packet while longing to belong to somebody, we see his envied friends Pierre the chinchilla, Oscar the Siamese cat and a host of other furry mates being pampered, swinging from trapezes and prancing about in all their collaged, photo-montaged, illustrated glory.
But the old dogs aren’t rolling over just yet, mind. John Burningbam, creator of Granpa and Mr Grumpy, marks the 40th anniversary of his first published picture book with a beautiful new tale, The Magic Bed (Jonathan Cape, March). Georgie needs a new bed and, in a junk shop, he finds one with his grandad that apparently possesses magical powers and, true to legend, at bedtime takes Georgie night-swimming. “ Burningbam’s sketchy, relaxed style for the ‘ domestic transforms into vivid, semi- abstract scenes, echoing the shift into dreamscape.
More disappointing, however, is Quentin Blake’s latest, Mrs Armitage, Queen of the Road (Jonathan Cape, June). In his coupling with Roald Dahl there was no greater illustrative genius and some of his own books, such as Mr Magnolia, have sparkled. Sadly, Mrs Armitage is lacking the story to cultivate a comparable verve in pictures.
Babette Cole’s Mummy Never Told Me (Jonathan Cape, February), on the other hand, lacks nothing; although you may wish at times it did. All the awkward little questions are laid bare, so to speak, with a centre spread showing daddy chasing mummy around the bedroom stark bollock naked with a feather duster, innocently captioned: ‘Why do mummy and daddy lock me out of the bedroom?’ Trying to explain mummy’s dilated pupils could be interesting chat.
Similarly challenging and tender is Andre Sollie and Ingrid Godon’s Hello Sailor (Macmillan, February), a story that hints at a gay relationship between a lighthouse keeper and a sailor in warm, emotional terms. It’s the first picture book to focus on a relationship between men and is also being published in time for Valentine’s Day, should you want to say a secret ‘hello’ to a special sailor.
Finally, the creative duo behind The Gruflalo, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, are back with A Squash and a Squeeze (Macmillan, May) which tells the story in verse of an old woman who’s all cramped up in her little house. The repetition, rhyme and nods to fables past (‘She buffed and she puffed and she pushed out the cow’) create a comforting read, but this trip down a well-trodden path is disappointingly pedestrian. So for 2003, seek out rats and sailors for the biggest excitement. (Ruth Hedges)
Sat 8 Feb. 2pm. £4 (£3.50). Scottish Mask and Puppet Theatre (‘entre. 8 l0 Balcarres Avenue. Kelvindale. 339 6l85. Richard Medrington puppets brings you the tale of the infamous Ivan and how he .squanders a fortune in just one night.
Activities and Fun
Quickies for Kids Royal Museum of Scotland. 2 Chambers Street. 247 42l9. Free. 'l‘cn-minute talks for children held every Sat and Stir) at 2.30pm.
The Warrior Monks Sat 1 Feb. £8 (£2—£6). lidinburgh ('astle. Royal Mile. 225 9846. Learn about the life of a 12th century Knights llospitaller.
Legend of the Saltire and Lion Sat 8 Feb. 1 lam. noon. 2pm & 3pm. £8
(£2 -£6). Fdinburgh ('astlc. Royal Mile. 225 9846. Living History Scotland tell the story behind the Saltire and the Lion Rampant of our national and royal llags.
Theatre
Bear in the Big Blue House Thu 3() Jan—Sat 1 Feb. Thu 6pm; Fri 230me Sat
1 lam. 2pm 8; 5pm. £9.50 £l5. Playhouse. l8—22 (ircenside Place. 0870 6063424. Jim Henson‘s furry friends head to a stage near
The Spookmaster Sat 8 Feb. I lam & 2pm. £4: family ticket £l5. Brunton Theatre. Ladywell Way. Mussclburgl). 665 2240. Ages 8-plus. Animated pttppets. lilm and music combine in Blueboat's concoction of spooky stories.
Chinese New Year Celebrations Sun 9 Feb. 1 3pm. £4. Festival Theatre. I3» 29 Nicolson Street. 529 6000. (‘ome and celebrate the ('hinese New Year with lidinburgh ('hinese School's wonderful
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Photo-montaged, illustrated glory . . . with trapeze artistry
. ‘dan ‘n‘ i ()l) LUSH? THE LIST 91