Welcome to the Story Space …
Home of the “Mr. Chunky Healing Stories for Children” by Sue Pready
Background to the Stories
Sue writes …
My inspiration for the stories was Mr. Chunky himself, who came to us as a rescue cat through Cats Protection in 1997 which was a time of crisis for our family. Much to my surprise it soon became evident that Mr. Chunky was actively watching over us – particularly when he chose to spend his first night in our home strategically positioned on the upstairs landing, rather than in his brand new comfy-cosy cat basket downstairs! Little did I know that years later I would have the privilege of attending an animal communication course run by James French of www.trust-technique.com , during which I would discover at first hand that our animal friends know exactly the particular purpose they serve in being with their human ‘owners’.
Ultimately, Mr. Chunky died on 18 September 2003 in the most tender and expert care of The Queen Mother Hospital for Animals in Hertfordshire. It was soon after that in 2004 that I began writing what I knew would be a series of stories about Mr. Chunky and his many adventures ...
Why are they healing stories?
Although the main aim of the stories is to entertain children, their underlying purpose is to raise awareness of the immense healing power of our thoughts. As Mr. Chunky always says: “It’s the thought that counts!” In addition, each of the original stories was written from a healing perspective relating directly to the workings of the seven major chakras in turn. Hence, Story 1 relates to the base chakra, Story 2 the sacral, Story 3 the solar plexus and so on.
Regarding story structure, there are a number of themes running through each storyline:
The main characters are a brother and sister, Will and Gabi, who are aged 7 and 5 in Story 1 and alternate through the series.
Mr. Chunky has many friends and always provides an insight into situations that children can encounter in everyday life.
Although the stories often contain long words and fine detail, children tend to pick up the meaning of a word from the context it’s in. This helps to stretch both their vocabulary and their imagination whilst the other more familiar words and sounds carry the story along.
Simply by serving as a catalyst, Mr. Chunky seems to inspire children with his tales by firing their imagination and setting them off wondering about all sorts of things. At the same time, his stories can offer an easeful space which can have the effect of encouraging a child to relax, wind down and – as the case may be – gently fall asleep.
I very much enjoy sharing the stories with children in schools & children’s groups etc and have received back lots of comments, stories and animal memories from both children and grown-ups alike! As I look back, I realize more and more how deeply healing is has been for me personally to work through and mourn the loss of Mr. Chunky and other loved ones in this way.
Some of the comments received from children in Hertfordshire schools …
Sound & Story Sessions for Children with Sue Pready (Oxfordshire)
If you would like further information on Sound & Story Sessions for schools and/or children’s centres and the various story elements and/or therapeutic sound instruments which can be included, then please contact me to see what may be possible. I very much look forward to hearing from you. General enquiries welcome. (Fully insured & DBS checked).
Lastly, here is one of Mr. Chunky’s friends who has something important he wants to tell you!
Hello there everyone … my name is SMOT!
As a piece of the Earth, I am an ambassador for peace on Earth from the Mineral Kingdom.
I have travelled to many places in the world to tell all the children about Mr Chunky and his stories. Mr Chunky is a very good friend of mine!
I first appear in Story 3 which is called “Mr Chunky and the Very Precious Gift” and I do hope you enjoy listening to it! So here it is then - as a little gift for you (free download).
Downloadable Audio Story - Created and Told by Sue Pready
Story 3 - Mr Chunky and the Very Precious Gift - 10.14 mins - (2005) - 9.1 megs
Other story titles in the series (not yet published) are:
- Story 2: Mr Chunky and the Flutterby Box
- Story 4: Mr Chunky and the Vision of Loveliness
- Story 5: Mr Chunky and the Circle of Sound
- Story 6: Mr Chunky and the Windows of Wonder
- Story 7: Mr Chunky and the Coverlet of Dreams