Betty Misheiker
Writer & Storyteller
an introduction…
Betty Misheiker spent a long & successful career writing and producing a wide variety of educational material for children’s programmes. She adapted material for both Radio and TV (also Children’s Theatre and Puppet Shows) and her stories and songs cover a wide range of topics, all dealing with educational subjects pertaining to children’s daily lives.
“It was an enormous challenge, each week, to make a new song and story about these animals. The songs would rise out of the story and THEY HAD TO CARRY THE STORY. The music would just start singing to me. The music wasn’t the difficult thing, the lyrics were the hard part. How did the animal look?… How can I describe this animal to a child… the way it looks? How can I teach a little child about a particular animal through an individual song and THEN it has to rhyme… AND be light… not like a heavy educational lesson… but still a song that is informative to a child? My songs had to be informative and rise out of the subject matter.”
In her SCHEDULE OF WORK, you will see how Betty has produced a wide range of material for many different educational programmes, aimed at Pre-School & Primary ages, as well as those in their teens. Throughout her career, Betty Misheiker has also continued to write and produce a wide range of adult plays, books and poems, several of which have won major competitions.
The popularity and recognition of Betty’s stories and songs has persistently expanded over a span of over 50 years and still, today, an enormous group of new dedicated generations continue to request education and entertainment by the magic of her material. “It is still so exciting for me, after all these years because each generation of little ones still like my same original songs”.
all about Betty…
Betty Misheiker was born in Pretoria (South Africa) on 7th June 1919. As the youngest of 4 children, her primary years were spent in Brits and Johannesburg (South Africa). The family moved to a small town, deep in the heart of the countryside, near the Bushvelt. It was a modest village, deep in the valleys, surrounded by dark ridged hills. Her elder siblings were sent off to schools in the nearest main town, but as she was too young to go, she remained at home and her early years were lived in the company of books. She spent much time, companionless, yet her days were filled by her imagination, conjuring up make-believe “companioned” scenarios, like the time she imagined having a friendly elephant who took her to school each day and proudly recalls how excited she’d get as he’d let his trunk down to allow her to jump off at the school entrance.
storytime…
A small sample of one of the many stories by Betty is shown below. For more information on where you can get more of her stories – see Schedule of Works.
Winky the Fish
Story, words & musical effects by Betty Misheiker
Winky was a little fish, about as big as… let me see… yes, about as big as you little finger. She was a tiny little fish who lived deep, deep down in the sea. High above Winky’s head, the waves went “whoosh….whooosh” as they rolled in towards the land, but under the water, where Winky lived, everything was still and quiet. All day long Winky and her friends swam around, in and out between the rocks and the seaweed that grew at the bottom of the sea. Round the many kinds of sea-flowers, they glided and back again, for all the little fish were warned not to swim too far away.
One day, as Winky was swimming along, she said to herself “I wonder….I wonder….Does the sea ever end? And if it does – what’s there? I think I’ll ask Mrs Oyster… She can make pearls, so she must be VERY clever.” Winky swam up to Mrs Oyster and “knock-knocked” on her shell. “Hello Winky,” said Mrs. Oyster as she opened her creaking door. “What can I do for you my dear?” “Please tell me Mrs. Oyster, does the sea ever end?” “Well Winky, my dear,” said Mrs Oyster, “I haven’t travelled much myself, to tell you the truth… but one day I heard Mrs Lobster tell Mr Crayfish that her uncle Crab and his whole family had gone to live amongst the rocks at the edge of the ocean. Now Winky, I myself truly don’t believe that the sea ever ends, but if it does, it seems that what you will find is rocks! That’s all I can tell you, so Goodbye!” Just as Mrs Oyster was closing her door “C-R-EA-K…” who should come swimming by… but Ellie, the Electric Eel. “Bahh!” said Ellie, “I heard what she told you!… Rocks indeed!… Shocking nonsense!” “Oh?… Well… then do you know the answer?” asked Winky. “Does the sea ever end?” “Does the sea ever end?” repeated Ellie Eel,
Hmmn-hmmn… let me see now… yes, yes, yes… I expect it does.” “So what does one find at that place where the sea ends?” asked Winky. “I’m not exactly certain, Winky, but I’d say you’d find sand!” “Sand?” repeated Winky, “sand and what else?” “Sand, sand, sand and more sand… that’s ALL you’ll find!… Rocks indeed!… Huhh!” With a wiggle-waggle of his long body, Ellie Eel disappeared from view. “Now who is right?” wondered Winky, “Mrs Oyster or Mr Ellie Eel? I think I’ll go and find Master Cod. He has a school of fish… so he ought to know.” and find him she did… ” Excuse me Master Cod,” said Winky, “I wonder whether you can tell me, does the sea ever end?” “Oh yes… indeed it does, Little One!” said Master Cod, in his most learned manner, “Most certainly and definitely… without a doubt… but… oh, Winky, Winky… beware, for I have been told that it is most dangerous there.”
“Dangerous? Really?” Winky was truly curious now. “Why is it so dangerous Master Cod?”
“Because…” said Master Cod, “At the place where the sea ends, there are lots of Fishermen!”
“Fishermen? What’s Fishermen?” asked Winky. “Oh, Winky, Winky, ” Master Cod, goggled his eyes at her, “it is high time you started coming to school! Fishermen are two-legged creatures who catch fish… yes… with hooks and lines and nets. Take my advice Winky… don’t go near the place where the sea ends.”
Mr Cod hurried back to his school of fish, leaving Winky still not quite sure what she would find… so… when she saw Zocky the Octopus moving fast in her direction, his eight tentacles streaming along at his sides, she called out “Hi there, Zocky! You do a lot of travelling, don’t you?” “I do… I do!” said Zocky, “So?” “I want to know, does the sea ever end? And if it does what will I find when I reach the end?” Zocky stopped and drew his tentacles together, in deep thought for a while.. “You’ll find it dry!” he said. Now Winky was really puzzled. “Dry? What’s dry?” “Where the sea ends, it’s dry!” said Zocky, and it’s dangerous for little fish to be dry, so take my advice Winky, and stay right here – deep, deep, deep ,down in the sea.” “Oh pooh… I’m not afraid of dry!” said Winky. “I’m going to find out for myself what it”s all about.” And she began to swim in a straight line, without turning to the left or to the right. On and on she swam… and she swam and she swam… Now and then Winky rested for a while and nibbled at a little piece of seeweed, and then she swam… and swam… and swam again… and just as she was beginning to feel quite sure that the sea really, truly, never, NEVER ends . . .
To find out how the story ends – click here to email.