Make a list of the ways that the Smeds and the Smoos are similar / different. Is being different from others a bad thing? Can the Smeds and the Smoos learn to get along? (Image credit: BBC) The Smeds and The Smoos voice cast on their roles Tall Stories know a thing or two about adapting Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s books for the stage. This is their fourth one and there is a gentleness about their production – and a lovely sense of enfolding the young audience into the action – that does Donaldson’s mesmerising works great justice. The dramaturgy isn’t perfect (too much filler!) but this is my son Benji’s first visit to a proper theatre and, other than a few lapses in concentration, he has a wonderful time.

It’s a massive honour for The Smeds and The Smoos to be recognised with an iEmmy,” says Julia. “The message of The Smeds and the Smoos is as timely today as it has always been: life too precious to spend it fighting over our differences. Kids’ movies (and books) are such an indispensable vehicle for cementing these crucial messages in the formative years. I’m so grateful to Magic Light for the chance and particularly to Julia Donaldson for trusting me with her words.” So a couple of our old comrades from Triggerfish made the move over to the UK for this project and other projects. Annike Pienaar was our animation supervisor, James Mann was our shot supervisor, Tamara Polonyfi was our head of surfacing, and Shannan Taylor came on as our art director at the end. It was so comforting to have these long relationships that we could trust.” I think the story carries some good messages of tolerance and acceptance whilst appealing to a younger audience. It shows generational differences and views, demonstrating how the views of the younger generation are important and can help to open older generations to changing their views and beliefs. Write a sequel to this book? What might happen to the Smeds and the Smoos (and their new baby) next?But peace is restored, and love conquers all in this happiest of love stories. Teaching Ideas and Resources: English I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him). Look at the other plants and creatures in the illustrations and think about how they might be adapted to living on the alien planet. This story feels hyper relevant when you look at everything that's going on in the world at the moment. Republicans vs. Democrats, Conservatives vs. Labour, everywhere you look it's a red vs. blue world and for little ones who have no understanding of politics and no idea why everyone is so angry at each other it must be quite scary. It feels like The Smeds and the Smoos has arrived at exactly the right time, bursting onto the scene to remind children that underneath we are all the same. It doesn't matter what colour you are, and oftentimes the people warning you to stay away from others have no idea what they're really talking about. This book has been in our house for one evening and it’s already been the subject of numerous requests to “read that again, please” which is pretty much the highest praise a children’s book can get.

This story reminds me a bit of Romeo and Juliet, and the film adaptation of Gnomeo and Juliet as they all focus on a forbidden love based on family views. Before Malcolm and I had our three sons we used to go busking together and I would write special songs for each country; the best one was in Italian about pasta. The film will be the 10th TV adaptation by Magic Light Pictures of a Donaldson/Scheffler title for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The films have become firm fixtures in the Christmas schedules.Last year Superworm, which aired on BBC One on Christmas Day and starred Olivia Colman and Matt Smith, was the third most watched programme with eight million viewers (30-day all-screen figures). The Smeds And The Smoos. Image Credit: J.Donaldson/ A.Sheffler. Licensed by Magic Light Pictures Ltd. My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes.

Music Played

There are lots of made-up words in this book. Can you make a glossary to explain what they all mean? Could you make up some of your own words and write definitions? Make a list of all the rhyming words in the book. Can you think of other words that rhyme with those? As with all previous Julia Donaldson festive adaptations on BBC1 there's an all-star voice cast for BBC1's latest Magic Light Pictures offering The Smeds and The Smoos, which is narrated by The Shape of Water star Sally Hawkins... The film has been acquired by Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer and Nawfal Faizullah, BBC Drama Commissioning Executive. Magic Light has been providing festive family treats to BBC One for over a decade, and their films, based on the books by the award-winning duo, are among the most popular family titles on BBC iPlayer.

ALSO READ: ‘Outlaws’ heartthrob Mnqobi Kunene on his breakthrough role: ‘It was meant for me’ WORKING DURING THE PANDEMIC Adjoa plays Lady Agatha Danbury in the series Bridgerton and has starred in Silent Witness, Broadchurch, The Awakening, The Bill, Casualty and Doctor Who. She also starred in EastEnders in the 1990s, playing Karen. The Smeds and the Smoos visit other planets to find Janet and Bill. Can you imagine a new planet that they might explore? The Smeds and the Smoos follows two young aliens. A Smed, named Janet and a Smoo named Bill. The Smeds and the Smoos are rival. Janet and Bills’ families tell them stories to warn them of the others. But Janet and Bill fall in love. This books follows the story of a smed and a smoo who are both warned by their families to avoid the other. One is red and the other is blue. Despite their families views the smed and the smoo run away together and get married. Whilst Janet and Bill have ran away, their families look for them and in the process begin to form positive relationships.

The story uses phonetically decodable words and rhymes throughout which would give children the opportunity to read the story for themselves and recognise word patterns.

Op ‘n verre planeet woon daar Smooie en Smoue. Smooie is rooi, slaap in beddens, speel graag in water, drink pienk melk en eet brood. Smoue is blou, slaap in gate wat hulle self gawe, speel graag op hulle heuwel, drink tee en eet groen bredie. Fleur, ‘n mooie jong Smooi, se oupa het haar nog altyd teen Smoue gewaarsku soos wat Fanie, ‘n knap jong Smou, se ouma hom nog altyd teen Smooie gewaarsku het. Maar eendag ontmoet Fleur en Fanie en begin skelm saam speel totdat hulle, jare later, besluit om te trou. Maar o wee, die familie…… Dit dwing Fleur en Fanie om ‘n plan te beraam om hulle families anders te oortuig. I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married. Read the title of the book first. What do you think it is about? What is a ‘Smed’? What is a ‘Smoo’? Where do they live? What might happen in the story? I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books. I feel conflicted about The Smeds and the Smoos. A Smed and a Smoo fall in love despite multiple warnings from their grandparents about why they should be avoiding each other, but unlike Romeo and Juliet this love story has a happy ending.

Julia Donaldson’s uses phonetically decodable alien words, such as ‘loobular lake’ and ‘glompoms’. This means that children are able to watch the decoding of alien words, modelled by a reader, or are able to practise decoding them themselves within a fun and memorable story, giving their work at school on alien words meaning and excitement.