storytelling FOR CHILDREN
Story for the play and imagine prize 2026
This is a story created and developed for the “Play and Imagine” prize organized by the Orleans House Gallery. The story serves as a starting point, as well as the drawings, to create a context from which imagination can be accessed. The main aim is to invite children and their parents (or guardians) to find the angels’ feathers and to redecorate them as they imagine them to be.
Below is the story accompanied by the drawings:
“On a hidden-to-the-eye but detectable-by-the-heart planet, located four baby’s feet on the right, two children’s feet up north from the moon, a tribe of baby angels lives in peace and harmony.
This planet is made of rocks and sand with mini-ini hills scattered around, like the stars which each baby angel is protecting. The stars are big balls of light with intricate roots design where moon water flowed. Each child’s soul on Earth is gifted a star and a baby angel for protection from bad thoughts. These take every opportunity to enter the children’s heart.
One day, the baby angels see a group of older angels flying in the sky above them. They are wearing shiny blue, scarlet and golden tunics. The baby angels look at their faded beige cotton tunic and wonder why they aren’t given beautiful clothes like the older angels had.
Thus, they ask for the reason for this to the Creator who responded to them: “In time and with patience, you will wear tunics weaved by the most skilled spiders and decorated with the most beautiful flowers and birds feathers found on Earth.” Nevertheless, the baby angels don’t believe the Creator and they stop looking after their stars. Meanwhile on Earth, the children start crying as the bad thoughts have taken advantage of the situation and they have entered their hearts.
The Creator sees what is happening and decides to send down the wind of impatience. This is a storm like no other. It is so strong and whirly swirly. The baby angels run to find shelter but the wind blows away all the feathers from their wings.
After three days the wind stops and the baby angels come out and realise that not only, they can’t no longer fly, but also they can’t protect their stars as their wings have gaps.
Now it is up to the children on Earth to gather the lost feathers of the baby angels.”