Reviews & features: Kids

The Last Miner uses puppetry to profound effect

Moving, melancholic puppet show

This inventive show, developed by Tortoise in a Nutshell in association with Catherine Wheels, is short on action, features little dialogue and takes place on the tiny stage of the Hill Street studio theatre. But the tale of an elderly miner, living…

Farm Boy

Country tale in need of a jump start

Two men, Grandpa and Grandson, share the stage with a green Fordson tractor and a toolbox. The men weave stories that link four generations, covering the period in farming history where tractors took over from horses, and culminate in a hare versus…

Children's show Twinkle Twonkle combines educational with entertaining

Adventure in the sky at night

Imparting information in a show, without turning your stage into a classroom, is no mean feat. Given the enormous amount of facts and figures we learn during Twinkle Twonkle, it really is astounding that this doesn’t feel ‘educational’ – just…

The Mole Who Knew It Was None Of His Business

Making a song and dance about poo

This perennial favourite from Kipper Tie Theatre never loses its spark, thanks to a constant supply of young audiences, and a fresh crop of actors to deliver it. Based on Werner Holzwarth’s popular picture book, the story opens with a hit and run…

The Emperor's Quest: Chinese folk tale with modern flavour

A balance of catchy songs, snappy dialogue and a satisfying moral

The ageing Emperor is searching for a successor, and to help him decide he gives each child in his realm a seed to nurture. We follow green-fingered Ling and her pals, streetwise Soo and fretful Bobo, in their quest to grow the winning flower. Based on…

Charlie and Lola's Best Bestest Play

TV siblings take the the stage: utterly charming and engaging

When you’re taking a product as insanely successful as Lauren Child’s Charlie and Lola series and attempting to do something new, it can be a risky business. Both the books and the TV programmes have garnered millions of fans, some of whom sat…

The Songbird

Giant Productions's sound poetry at the Botanic Gardens

Glasgow’s Giant Productions makes its Fringe debut with this interactive tone poem about an exotic songbird captured by a ruthless logger. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Botanic Gardens, and performed by a pianist, cellist and two actors, the…

Jeremy Lion answers questions from kids

The children's entertainer answers the questions that popped into our mailbox

Bumbling children’s entertainer Jeremy Lion has taken time out from being near-permanently soused to explore some pressing environmental issues in his new show. He’s still got time for the kids, however, and was more than happy to answer the questions…

Magician Paul Nathan on the magic of sharing laughter with your children

Man behind The I Hate Children Children’s Show

5 reasons people should come and see your show. The show is hilarious for kids and adults; everyone learns how to do a trick and there are tricks and videos available after the show; we have an arrangement with Dr Ana Aguirregabiria, one of…

James Robertson - And the Land Lay Still

One of Scotland's most vital authors tackles our Q&A

James Robertson has been long-listed for the Man Booker Prize of 2006 for The Testament of Gideon Mack and has just published And The Land Lay Still.

5 questions: Kids show Tall Storrie and Wee Godley

Mother and daughter duo Ashley Storrie and Janey Godley

Glasgow comedy queen Janey Godley has pushed all her blue material aside to team up with daughter Ashley Storrie for their kids show Tall Storrie & Wee Godley. She tells us why we should go along. Give five reasons why people should come and see…

Tall Stories' Twinkle Twonkle secretly teaching kids

Mixing nursery rhymes and adventure with astronomy and science

Known for their respectful and highly entertaining adaptations of popular picture books The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom, sometimes Tall Stories just like to do their own thing. And, as shows like The Snow Dragon and Them with Tails demonstrated…

Stick Man Live on Stage

Based on the hugely successful children’s book by Julia Donaldson, Stick Man is the story of a loveable anti-hero who lives in the family tree ‘with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three’. But when a dog whisks an unsuspecting Stick Man…

The Last Miner gives children a history lesson

Underground puppetry tells story from the coal era

Once a vibrant industry, British coal mining has been relegated to museum shelves and miner’s memories. But through its atmospheric new show, Tortoise in a Nutshell aims to evoke the feeling of life underground. ‘There’s something almost mythical in…

Penguin brings interactive puppetry to the Fringe

Polly Dunbar's children books translate easily to stage

When writer and puppeteer Polly Dunbar creates her picture books, she’s got one eye on the page – and the other on the stage. ‘Although I’m not directly thinking of puppets whilst writing,’ she says, ‘I do keep performance in mind. Picture books are…

Wee Willie Gray brings musical storytelling to the Fringe

Andy Cannon's homage to Scotland's Robert Burns

As his witty homage to Robert Burns, Oor Rabbie and re-working of Tam O’Shanter ably proved, Andy Cannon knows a thing or two about Scotland’s bard. Teaming up once again with musician Wendy Weatherby, Cannon is taking on yet another Burns poem, Wee…

White brings a show for toddlers to the festival

Understanding how childrens' minds work

White is a show borne out of an understanding of, and fascination with, the way toddlers’ minds work. Co-creators and performers Andy Manley and Ian Cameron have kept the story and language simple, while the set has been built with award-winning…

Bobby & The Graverobbers - the alternative story of Greyfriars Bobby

Scottish history panto-style tale twists the classic legend

It’s a little known fact that Greyfriars Bobby was not a cute wee Scottie with ‘a Morningside accent and a tartan tammy who ran a couple of Edinburgh marathons and was always carrying old people’s bags’, Bob Skeldon tells us. Oh no, he was a much more…

The List Operators for Kids prepare for the Edinburgh Fringe

Aussie comic duo out for fun without the moral lesson

The List Operators for Kids have taken Australia by storm and are now preparing to face the Fringe with a show that dares to be funny, energetic, rude and absolutely 100% not educational in the slightest. Double act Matt Kelly and Richard Higgins…

Hairy Maclary and Friends brings classic children's book to the stage

Musical doggy mayhem based on Lynley Dodd's book

With their cast of colourful canines, Lynley Dodd’s Hairy Maclary books have garnered many fans the world over. Having secured the rights to perform them, Nonsenseroom Productions have been hard at work bringing the eponymous scruffy mutt and his…

Charlie and Lola’s Best Bestest Play

Lauren Child’s sibling adventures hit the stage

Lauren Child’s hugely popular brother and sister duo burst off the page, out of the TV screen, and onto the stage! It had to happen sometime, and Watershed Productions seem to have done an interesting job with the whole 2D/3D challenge. Featuring some…

Macbeth for kids aims to charm the Edinburgh crowds

Just Macbeth takes Shakespeare to children

Macbeth for kids: you’ve got to be joking? How on earth do you make the Bard’s bloodiest play palatable for wee ones? The apparent inappropriateness of staging the infamous Scottish play for young audiences, however, perfectly suits the remit of…

Twinkle Twonkle makes children's theatre from nursery rhymes

Tall Stories return to Fringe after success of The Gruffalo

Though they’ll always be best known for their charming adaptation of The Gruffalo, there’s a whole lot more to Tall Stories than a pair of terrible teeth. Regular visitors to the Fringe for over a decade, the company is known for its winning combination…

Edinburgh Festival 2010: More Fringe show highlights

Some of the shows to look out for at the Fringe

With over 2,400 shows to choose from at this years Fringe festival, it's all to easy to succumb to the paradox of choice. Here we present our picks for some of the smaller shows that are worth looking out for.

Sibling ribaldry: Twins, brothers and sisters at the Edinburgh Festival 2010

A round up of the top sibling shows in Edinburgh this August - Charlie and Lola, Twins, Cuban Brothers, Katia and Marielle Labèque and the Nelson Twins.