Grown-Ups Corner
Welcome!
This is the space for parents, carers and teachers who would like to learn a little more about the Story Worlds on this website.
Martin King's Story Playground is designed to give children a safe and imaginative place where they can enjoy stories and explore creative activities inspired by the books.
Everything here is created especially for young children aged 2-7.
What Children Can Do Here
Children can explore the Story Worlds in five simple ways:
Read
Discover storybooks and meet the characters from each world.
Explore
Visit places like Pea & Carrot's Garden, Arlo's Big World, and the Opposites Playground.
Play
Enjoy simple games and puzzles inspired by the stories.
Create
Build words, imagine stories, and take part in creative activities.
Collect
After completing some activities, children can download special pictures and rewards to keep.
The aim is to encourage curiosity, creativity and imagination through playful storytelling.
A Safe Place for Young Explorers
This website has been designed with young children in mind.
You'll find:
- No advertising
- No social chat or messaging features
- No external links for children to wander away from the site
- Activities that are simple, creative and age-appropriate
Children can explore the worlds freely and return to their favourite activities whenever they like.
Learning Through Stories and Play
Many of the story worlds also help children develop important early skills.
For example:
Pea & Carrot explores feelings and emotional understanding.
Arlo encourages imagination and playful storytelling.
Opposites helps children discover language and new words.
Through stories, puzzles and activities, children can practise:
- recognising emotions
- building vocabulary
- creative thinking
- early reading confidence
How Pea & Carrot Helps Children Talk About Feelings
Pea & Carrot is a gentle picture book series for ages 2-5, created for shared reading at bedtime, in calm corners, or during quiet moments together.
Rather than turning feelings into a lesson, the stories give children simple, recognisable moments where they can notice emotions, name them, and talk about them with someone they trust.
Families often look for books about happiness, sadness, anger, worry, fear, or other big feelings. Pea & Carrot approaches those moments gently, through friendship, warmth, and everyday storytime conversation.
Parent Guides
Start with Books to Help Toddlers Talk About Anger, a gentle guide built around Pea & Carrot: The Angry Book and the Feelings Time Capsule.
Or read Gentle Picture Books About Worry for Ages 2-5, inspired by Pea & Carrot: The Worry Book, Ruby Rhubarb, and the quieter ways children show what is on their mind.
You can also visit Picture Books About Sadness for Young Children, a softer guide shaped around The Sad Book and the quiet comfort of coming back to feelings together.
For a brighter guide, read Gentle Picture Books About Happiness for Ages 2-5, shaped around The Happy Book and the quieter ways children notice warm, growing good feelings.
And for moments that feel big or unsure, visit Picture Books About Feeling Scared for Young Children, built around The Scared Book and the small, everyday moments when fear needs a gentler way in.
About Martin
Martin King is a children's author and storyteller who loves creating imaginative worlds for young readers.
His stories are inspired by the joy, curiosity and endless imagination of childhood. Spending time with his grandson has been a constant reminder of how children see the world - full of questions, surprises and playful discoveries.
Through stories like Pea & Carrot, Arlo, and other story worlds, Martin aims to spark curiosity, encourage kindness, and help children explore their feelings and ideas through playful adventures.
Many of the activities on this website grew naturally from the stories themselves - turning the characters and worlds into places children can explore, play, and enjoy.
For Schools and Teachers
Many of the stories and activities can also be used in classrooms or group settings.
Teachers may find:
- downloadable activity sheets
- story themes around emotions and imagination
- games that support early reading and language discovery
You can learn more about school visits and classroom resources on the Schools & Events page.
Stay Connected
If you'd like to hear about new books, story worlds and activities, you can join the mailing list.
From time to time Martin shares:
- new story releases
- printable activities
- updates from the Story Worlds
Stories have a special way of helping children explore their feelings, imagination and curiosity. The Story Playground is simply a place where those stories can grow, play and be discovered.