Ben and Holly's Little Kingdomが面白い！
Ben and Holly's Little Kingdomにはまっています
もともとこのアニメはNetflixで娘が自ら探し出ししばらくはまっていたものです。それが最近親の私のほうが、「これ・・とってもいい！？勉強にもなるし、世界観もとても安心できるしリラックスできる！」と感動して見入っています。（現実にはなかなか見入る時間はありません。子どもに邪魔されますし。でもついていたらなるべく見たいから手を止めたくなる！それくらい気に入ってます。）
Ben and Holly's Little Kingdomとは？
こちらはイギリスの子ども向けアニメで、Nickelodeon UKで放送していたものです。Netflixなどでの放送権はNickelodeon（US）が持っています。制作会社はPeppa Pigと同じところで、Ben and Holly'sを聞くとわかるのですが、Peppa Pigと同じ声優さんが登場しています。
内容はPeppa Pigよりも少し上の、未就学児向けっぽいですが、ノンネイティブの英語学習者のキッズであれば何歳でも勉強になるコンテンツではないかと思います。
その中でもTodpolesのエピソードがおすすめ
どのエピソードも好きですが、「これは！！」と思った回があったのでご紹介します。
Ben And Holly's Little Kingdom Tadpoles Episode 32 Season 1
「Todpoles」と聞いてすぐわかった方は素晴らしい・・（私は知りませんでした！）”おたまじゃくし”です。
【あらすじ】
- 自然教室で、池にきて学習する日。陸で生きる生き物、水中で生きる生き物、そして陸水両方で生きる生き物がある中で、水陸両方で池で生きる生き物、かえるについて皆で勉強します。実際に池からおたまじゃくしを取り、その成長過程を観察するのです。取ったおたまじゃくしを持ち帰ると手を挙げたのはPrincess Holly。家に持ち帰り、Nanny Plumの協力のもと、かえるまでの成長を見届けます。成長したかえるはまるで家族のようにお城に住み着きますが、Kingはかえるが苦手。どうしたらかえるを家から出すことができるのか？
Youtubeは字幕はありませんが、Netflixはあります。字幕なしでも、セリフはかなりゆっくりめです。とても聞きやすいです。
書き起こしてみました
ぜひ使える英語にしたいと思い、思い切って書き起こしてみました。*1
(Wise elf) For today's nature class, we shall be studying the pond. Some creatures live on land, like elves. Some creatures live in water, like fish. Others live in water and on land, like frogs. Who can tell me what frogs like to eat?
(Holly) Ice cream.
(W) Ho. Ho. No, Princess Holly. Does anyone else know?
(Other) Is it flies?
(W) Correct, Barnaby. Frogs eat flies. Would you like to see where frogs come from? Very well. Here we are. Frogs lay eggs called frogspawn*2.
(Other) They don't look like frogs.
(W) Ho. Ho. We'll have to wait a few days to see. Now who's going to look after our frogspawn?
(H) I will.
(W) Really, Princess Holly?
(H) Yes, please.
(W) Very well. I'll help you take them home to the little castle.
(H) Hooray, heh. Nanny Plum. Nanny Plum.
(Nanny Plum) Hello, Princess Holly, how did your lesson go?
(H) It was great. We learned all about frogspawn. And I've got some homework to do.
(N) That's very nice.
(W) Hello, Nanny Plum. Where do you want The frogspawn?
(N) Frogspawn?
(H) You always said I should learn more about nature, Nanny.
(N) Yes... But I did't expect it to be in my kitchen.
(H) It was great today, Mommy. We learned all about frogs, and I've got some homework to do.
(Queen) That's nice, darling. Goodnight.
(H) Morning time. Good morning, frogspawn. Oh. Where did those little fish come from?
(N)Those aren't fish, Holly. They're tadpoles*3.
(H) Hello, tadpoles. Uh, what are tadpoles, Nanny?
(N) They're baby frogs. They hatched from the Frogspawn.
(H) Wow.
(N) I'm a bit of an expert on frogs. By tomorrow they'll have changed again.
(H) Ooh. They start off as frogspawn, and then they get little fishy tails, and they're called tadpoles.
(King) You seem to know an awful lot about frogs.
(H) Nanny's teaching me all about them. Do you like frogs, Daddy?
(K) Of course, as long as they keep to their pond and don't bother anyone. They can be a bit slimy*4 and disgusting.
(H) Daddy.
(K) Goodnight, Holly.
(H) Morning time. Good morning, tadpoles.
(N) The tadpoles have got legs.
(H) Wow. That's amazing.
(N) Yes, Holly. But it'll be even more amazing later.
(H) Mommy. I want to show you something.
(Q) What is it, Holly?
(H) Come and see. I can't see my tadpoles anymore.
(Q) Tadpoles? They must be invisible.
(H) Nanny, did you do a spell on them?
(N) No, Holly.
(H) So where are they?
(Q) Oh, dear. I think the King has found them.
(K) Where did this come from? Ugh! Really.
(Q) What a fuss over such a little creature.
(H) My tadpoles!
(N) Your tadpoles have turned into frogs, Princess Holly.
(K) Tadpoles? Frogs? What on earth is going on?
(H) Daddy, I DID tell you I had some homework. Here froggies, this way. This is my room. And these are my toys.
(F) Croak. Croak. Croak.
(H) Let's play hide and seek. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, nine, ten. Coming, ready or not. Found you. Let's play another game. Hop, hop, hop.
(N) Bedtime, Princess Holly.
(H) Nanny, say hello to my friends, Fluffy, Tiddles, Mopsy and Ben.
(N) Um... Hello.
(H) Goodnight, froggies. Good morning, Ben.
(Ben) Are you coming out to play, Holly?
(H) I'm a bit busy, Ben. I'm playing with my frogs.
(B) Frogs?
(H) This one's very good at running and jumping. I've called him Ben.
(B) Oh.
(H) See you later.
(B) Okay. Bye.
(K) Do someghing about these frogs, please, Nanny Plum.
(N) Hm. They do seem to be getting bigger.
(Q) And noisier.
(N) If they're smaller, perhaps they'll quieter. Slimy eaters of flies shink to half your size. Oh. They're smaller, but somehow I seem to have made more of them. Shall I try the spell again?
(K) Uh, maybe not. Frogs belong in water.
(H) Yes, Daddy. Daddy says frogs belong in water, so... Let's magic the courtyard into a paddling pool. Hm. we won't be needing that door. Bye-bye, door. Good. Now we can fill the courtyard with water. Water, water. Splish splash splosh. There you go, froggies, a paddling pool. Daddy will be pleased.
(K) That's odd. Where's the door gone?
(Q) It was there earlier.
(K) No problem, I'll magic it back.
(H) Oh, no! Sorry, froggies.
(K) Holly Thistle! Did you do this?
(H) Yes Daddy. You said the frogs needed water, so I made them a paddling pool.
(K) That's enough! The frogs must go!
(H) Off you go. Shoo.
(B) Hi, Holly. Are you okay?
(H) No. Daddy says I've got to spend my frogs back to the pond, but they won't go.
(B) Hm. What we need is a clever plan to move them. Elves are very good at clever plans. And I'm an elf*5.
(H) So, what is your clever plan?
(B) We'll play leapfrog*6. You jump over my back and I'll jump over yours. Hoop-la. Hoop-la.
(H) How's this going to help? Hoop-la. Hoop-la.
(B) Look, they're following us. Hoop-la. Hoop-la. Here we are, the pond.
(K) Well done, Ben. Thank goodness they're not in the castle any more.
(H) But Daddy. I'll miss them.
(N) Don't worry, Princess Holly. They'll come back to the castle one day.
(H) Why?
(N) Frogs always return to the place where they hatched, to lay their eggs.
(K) Oh.
(H&B) Yippee-dee doo dah.
個人的にはNanny Plumのセリフでくすっとしてしまうことが多いです。シュールな笑いとtoddlerより少し上の未就学児が満足できそうなコンテンツで英語学習にぴったりです。
またこれは！と思うようなエピソードがあれば書き起こししてみたいと思います。
