POEMS, SONGS & STORIES FOR KIDS!


THE VIOLIN - a bedtime story from OKIDO 61 MUSIC

WHO AM I? poem from Okido 86 DNA

Over the tracks POEM from OKIDO 88 TRAINS

WONDER WANDA - SUPERWORMY! POEM from OKIDO 84 RECYCLING

THE SOUND OF SUMMER poem from OKIDO 85 BIRDS

Interplanetary Squabble! poem, illustrated by Alex Barrow, from Okido 83 Our Solar System

 WASH THAT VIRUS AWAY song, illustrated by Alex Barrow, from Okido 82 VIRUSES 



Roller-coaster around the body! Poem, illustrated by Aex Barrow, for OKIDO 81 (from A Roller-coaster Ride Around the Body, published by Frankline Watts) 




DIFFERENT AND THE SAME, illustrated by Rachel Ortas & Alex Barrow, for OKIDO 80 BIODIVERSITY

WHO ATE ALL THE SANDWICHES? ILLUSTRATED BY ALEX BARROW, for OKIDO 79 NUMBERS


The Electric Song! Illustrated by Alex Barrow, for OKIDO 78


The Skeleton Bop, illustrated by Alex Barrow, for OKIDO 77 TEETH & BONES (from A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE AROUND THE BODY, published by Franklin Watts)


THE LIBRARY poem, illustrated by Ian Morris, for OKIDO 76 BOOKS


Little boat, little boat poem, illustrated by Alex Barrow for OKIDO 74


The moth and the moon, illustrated by Alex Barrow for OKIDO 73


A song for our planet POEM, illustrated by Alex Barrow, for OKIDO 72 MY PLANET



The COCK-A-DOODLE CHOIR, illustrated by Alex Barrow for OKIDO 71 ON THE FARM


WHATEVER THE WEATHER SONG, illustrated by Alex Barrow for OKIDO 70 WEATHER 


SENSES AT THE SEASIDE, illustrated by Alex Barrow for OKIDO 68 SENSES


Where's Your Habitat? illustrated by Daisy Hirst for OKIDO 67


Roller-coaster Round the Heart, illustrated by Alex Barrow. POEM  for OKIDO 66 BLOOD (from A ROLLER-COASTER RIDE AROUND THE BODY BOOK, published by Frankin Watts)


THE DATA BUS POEM for OKIDO 65 CODING


My New Bike, illustrated by Lesley Barnes, for OKIDO 64 CYCLING



IMAGINE IF THE WORLD WAS JUST ONE COLOUR! from Okido 63 COLOURS






The Colourless Night story from Okido 63 COLOURS


The Tiny Egg - from issue Okido 62 Dinosaurs


MR MOLE poem from Okido 60 Mammals


Dum-diddy dum poem from Okido 61 MUSIC


ARCHITECT ME! from Okido 54 ARCHITECTURE


'BRAIN RIDE' from Okido 53 BRAIN
'Spring is Singing' from Okido 48 SPRING

'SUN & MOON, a Rendez-vouz' from Okido 49 MOON


'JITTERBUG BALL' from Okido 50 CREEPY CRAWLIES  
'RUSTY'S HOLIDAY' from Okido 51 HOLIDAYS


'TIME FLIES' from Okido 52 TIME
Now Okido 47 is a real smasher...it's all about POO & WEE...



Onto Okido issue 46 - an interactive poem called: LOOK AT ALL THE SHAPES!


 

Okido re-booted a fantastic new ROBOTS issue for number 45 - January 2017 - to mark Okido magazine going MONTHLY! (See Robot Dance/Can you do the Robot? below...)

And in Okido 44 there's DREAMS (also from A Roller-coaster Ride Around the Bodypublished by Franklin Watts 2017)
 

The Ocean of Emotions, is the latest poem in Okido 43 EMOTIONS (from A Roller-coaster Ride Around the Body, published by Franklin Watts February 2017)


One of my very best faves, illustrated by Rachel Ortas, Fish and Me from Okido issue 42, WATER.

whoop-a-do! Okido issue 41 My Garden is out NOW!


Here's a little interactive 'picture-poem' for this issue

Oo-la-la...already we're at issue 40 of OKIDO...!


The Boy and his Teddy Bear illustrated by Rachel Ortas, from Space issue of OKIDO 39

Sneaky-peak of the next issue - what could this one possibly be about..? FOOD!




It's OKIDO 37 folks: the TV issue!
"WHIZZ BANG WHOOSH WHEEEEE - TIME TO GO AND WATCH TV!"
And for the 'Friends' issue of Okido...

"He likes to quack - I like to purr..."

"We had joy we had fun we had seasons in the sun…"


Four little seeds, for OKIDO 35 SEASONS

DINOSAURS WERE AWESOME!
from Okido 34


From the latest issue of OKIDO
ALL ABOUT ME (that's you and me and everyone!)




Hang on, where have I seen these guys before…? 
Look through the poems to find out!

From OKIDO 32



Meet 

PAM & the PEA

From OKIDO 31 - Healthy!






Tyrone the T-Rex by GD
Illustrations by Alex Barrow


The Seed Song (click to listen) 
music by Marie Merlet 

Okido HAIR issue


Strange creatures are super-cool

The strangest creatures are to me,
The ones I love the best.
The stinky, ugly and the odd
Are cooler than the rest.
Forget the cuddly, cute and soft
With large, appealing eyes;
I far prefer the ones that might
Just take you by surprise…

The Midwife Toad will carry
Several strings of yellow eggs,
Holding all his precious babies
Round his super-daddy legs!



















The pink and Naked Mole Rat
Like a sausage sabre-tooth,
Could also hold the secret to
Our own eternal youth



















The Cuttlefish can shape-shift
And it changes colour too;
Both invisible and skilful
In the Super-Powers Zoo!

There are polecats called Zorillas
Who can even make you blind
With a super-stinky substance
That they squirt from their behind (yuk!)

The Tardigrade or Water Bear
Is very VERY small (only teeny)
But it’s almost indestructible
Hey, does it die at all.?!

The Hairy Frog when frightened,
Makes attackers stop and pause,
For it breaks the bones inside its hands
Revealing little claws (eurgh!)

Don’t get too close to Viperfish
Unless you want a fright
From watching how they lure their prey
By switching on a light.

Who has the energy to jump
Two hundred times its size?
The Flea is such an acrobat
It wins the bouncing prize!

50,000 miles a year
Across a global sky,
Is just about the distance that
An Albatross will fly.

Who can make the loudest noise?
(And this one’s really great)
It’s the tiny Water Boatman
As he serenades his mate!

Yes the strangest creatures are to me
The ones I love the best…
The stinky, ugly and the odd
Are cooler than the rest.
So do not underestimate
This weird and motley crew;
All creatures have a place on earth
Including me and you!

© Gabby Dawnay 2013
You can read more about Curious Creatures in JUMP! mag

THE OKIDO SPACE ISSUE HAS LANDED....

Sneaky preview of latest poem for Okido 25 - GIRLS & BOYS!

THERE'S A WHOLE WORLD IN MY PARK...



Legend of the Library

In the stillness and hush of the carpeted room 
In the space between Magic and Rhyme, 
By the window that lends a warm light to the gloom 
Sits a child who’s forgotten the time… 

With her head in a book and her heart in a land 
That is made up of legends and spells, 
She is holding a world in the palm of her hand 
And absorbs every tale that it tells… 

Many wonders reside on the pages of books 
Resting quietly, tucked up in bed 
As they sit on the shelves and collect in the nooks 
Waiting each to be picked out and read.  

Because here in the silence of library life, 
In the rustle of books and their kind, 
You will find that the pen is a mightier knife 
And that power lies all in the mind. 

Gabby Dawnay 
For Cityread London April 2013 





Feelings OKIDO FEELINGS & EMOTIONS issue made with Children's charity, Place2Be
CLICK on link to hear the song


BODY SOUNDS BOATING!

SENSES




OKIDO 23 FOOD/Taste


CAN YOU DO THE ROBOT?
Click here to hear the Robot Song!!

OKIDO 5 - bugs and microscopic creatures 

The Animal Zoo OKIDO 24 - ANIMALS 

The Riverside Band OKIDO 20 - MUSIC - click on the link to hear the song!


OKIDO NIGHT & DAY issue


OKIDO MUSCLES & MOVEMENT issue


OKIDO 17 - DIRT (In conjuction with The Wellcome Trust)


OKIDO BIODIVERSITY issue

OKIDO 11 - BLOOD
LISTEN TO: Whatever the Weather OKIDO 16 - WEATHER
HEAR THE WEATHER SONG HERE



THERE’S ANOTHER ME THAT’S NAUGHTY

There’s another me that’s naughty
And it’s very plain to see
That the other naughty person
Absolutely isn’t me.

When I tidy up my bedroom
I make sure it’s spic and span
But the other me that’s naughty
Doesn’t buy into my plan...

So with everything I put away
The naughty me will shout
That he hasn’t finished playing,
And leave all the best toys out!

When my clothes are in a jumble
Don’t you see, it’s just the same?
It’s not me that left them messy
It’s the naughty me to blame!

And that special bar of chocolate
That went missing from the drawer,
It’s the naughty me who took it
(Like the many times before…)

So if someone trampled mud in,
Well there’s no use in asking: “Who?”
It’s the naughty me that just forgot
The thing he had to do.

Please remember when you think it’s me
I’m really not the one
It’s the naughty me that’s far too fond
Of having all the fun!

© GD December 2013




From the Okido HABITAT issue, in conjunction with the Museum of Childhood




ALL WORDS © GABBY DAWNAY BUT USE IN SCHOOLS, IS COMPLATELY FREE! ALL I ASK IS FOR SOME FEEDBACK.
Send to:
gabbydawnay@gmail.com





BACKGROUND information...

My first picture book - called A Possum's Tail - is a collaboration with brilliant illustrator Alex Barrow and came out 6th February 2014. A second book called London Calls! is a whistle-stop tour of London, led by a Pearly grandma and her granddaughter. London Calls! came out on 4th September 2014 and is my second book with Alex Barrow. A Possum's Tail was nominated for the 2015 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal.
Both books are by Tate Publishing.

Please see my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE or CURRICULUM VITAE for more details & updates.

As well as writing children's books, for children's television and two award-winning children's magazines, I do both private and commercial art commissions, a selection of which you can see here.

The children's shoes are part of an ongoing series of "first shoes", including several cards commissioned by the Almanac Gallery.

Hand-drawn, bespoke invitations, announcements, portraits and menus, such as the examples here are also available upon request..

Any enquiries please email: gabbydawnay@gmail.com

OKIDO MAGAZINE AND TV

I've been a regular contributor to children's art and science magazine OKIDO since 2007. HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY (WOW) beautiful Okido!

An Okido animated kids tv show, based on characters from the magazine is currently in production with Doodle/Squintopera http://www.doodle-productions.com. The original adaptation of the show (co-created/adapted by myself, producer Ceri Barnes and Doodle Productions) was acquired by CBeebies. 52 x 11 minute episodes will be coming to a screen near you soon in 2015.......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .............................
MESSY GOES TO OKIDO Series ONE & TWO is now available to stream on Netflix & most episodes are available to watch on YouTube. Series THREE is currently in production.

CBeebies

CBeebies
OKIDO

Cartoon Forum 2011 Okido booklet

Cartoon Forum 2011 Okido booklet
Okido Cartoon Forum 2011

Happy Birthday OKIDO!

Happy Birthday OKIDO!
Okido was 5 years old this issue...the wonderful art and science magazine for kids I've been lucky enough to have worked on for the past - 8 - years now