Nyangara the Python

Nyangara the Python

Author: Tanya Batt and Peter Forster May 7, 2026 Duration: 25:39
Send us Fan Mail This story comes from the Shona people of Zimbabwe and was collected by a UK storytelling friend and colleague, Helen East in her book 'The Singing Sack'. While Batt-lamb is uncertain about large snakes, this story celebrates the bravery of a group of children who have the courage to fetch Nyangara, a python with healing powers, to cure their ailing chief. Support the show You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shop Or join the li...

From the cosy, creative space known as the Batt Cave, performance storyteller Tanya Batt and musician Peter Forster bring you A story and a song: musical stories for children. This podcast weaves together original tales and memorable melodies, creating a unique listening experience for young families. Each episode is a gentle adventure, built around themes of friendship, perseverance, and the simple joys found in everyday life-like the surprising power of vegetables. The stories have a quirky, wholesome charm, often leaving you with a sense of hope and the understanding that even difficult feelings don't last forever. Peter's catchy, folk-inspired refrains are designed for easy joining-in, turning each story into a shared musical moment. It’s the kind of audio you’ll find yourself humming long after the episode ends. Perfect for quiet afternoons, car journeys, or winding down before bed, this collection offers more than just passive entertainment; it invites participation and connection. Listening to this podcast feels like being welcomed into a warm, creative corner where imagination is always humming a tune. You'll hear Tanya's expressive storytelling voice, rich with character and warmth, perfectly complemented by Peter's skillful guitar and uplifting songs. Together, they create a world where problems are solved with kindness, sadness gives way to song, and every story has its own soundtrack. It’s a genuine, handcrafted audio experience from Aotearoa, made for singing along and feeling good.
Author: Language: en-nz Episodes: 100

A story and a song: musical stories for children
Podcast Episodes
When babies were dug for - an Inuit Tale. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:31
Send us Fan Mail For the third in our trio of fox stories ... this story comes from the Inuit and is about a woman who longs for and digs deep to find herself a child. A fox helps realise her dream. Support the show You…
Chicken Licken [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:21
Send us Fan Mail Tanya tells an energetic and fun version of this popular tale, about Chicken Licken who gets hit on the head by a falling acorn and thinks the sky is falling... then sets off to tell the King Support the…
Mr Fox's sack [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:22
Send us Fan Mail Tanya and Pete have dressed up to go to a party, and as Tanya is dressed as a fox , they have decided to tell a traditional English story about a certain Mr Fox and his sack.... I wonder what is in the s…
Anansi the Spider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:24
Send us Fan Mail This story (and catchy song) from the Batt Cave is from West Africa and is all about Anansi....the trickster spider man. Anansi was a very smart but troublesome god who was changed into a spider by his f…
Gluscabi and the Wind Eagle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:14
Send us Fan Mail The Batt Cave kicks off tonight with a song about air and then Tanya and Pete share a Gluscabi story that comes from the Abenaki first nations of America people. In this story Gluscabi's curiosity and fr…
The Giant Turnip [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:37
Send us Fan Mail Another of the Batt Caves's harvest stories: Tanya tells a story from Russia about a farmer and his struggles to harvest a Giant Turnip from his land. Support the show You can find our audios and books t…
The Farmer and the Boggart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:46
Send us Fan Mail Still on the theme of Harvest time: Tanya tells an English story about a Farmer and his dealings with the boggart... an old mischievous spirit set on causing trouble. Then they follow up with another old…
Easter Harvest Time [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:00
Send us Fan Mail Its Easter in the Batt Cave and in New Zealand that means Harvest time in the garden. Tanya, Batt Lamb and Pete have fun with the Batt cave participants identifying produce fresh from the garden and sing…
The Singing Sack [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:02
Send us Fan Mail Tanya tells this story from Andalusia in Spain to the Batt Cave about a young girl who looses her necklace. Be warned that it is a bit of a scary story with a mean Ogre with a bad attitude in it!! Suppor…
The ant and the grasshopper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:52
Send us Fan Mail Aesop is credited with several hundred fables: hot from the Batt Cave comes this tale of the ant who is industrious and hard working, and the grasshopper who takes a more laid back approach. In a first f…