Folk Myths

"What is your favorite story?" is the question children across the country often ask professional storyteller Pleasant DeSpain. As he attempts to answer, his list grows longer and longer, until he confesses he likes them all. An untiring researcher of oral traditions, DeSpain is known for his concise versions of world folktales specifically crafted for retelling. This new, digital recording of 10 stories is excerpted from DeSpain's 22 Splendid Tales to Tell from Around the World, Volume One.

This live recording could not be more fun! A seasoned storyteller who loves rhythm and song joins with a traditional musician playing instruments ranging from mountain dulcimer to a cardboard box drum to create multicultural magic. The stories come from Siberia, the Makah tradition of Alaska, Cajun Louisiana, Palestine, the British Isles, and the American South.

World Tales of Wisdom and Wonder is a collection of folktales told in a weave of poetry, prose, original melody, and guitar. Drawn from cultures around the globe, these colorful tales offer a leap into fantasy and some homespun wisdom passed down through the oral tradition.

When the animals all get together in the jungle, they discover that the noise that they have been making is indeed music. Dylan Pritchett weaves a tale that helps us disover that we all have music inside just waiting to come out. Illustrated by Erin Bennett Banks.

The children who populate these classic stories are heroes and heroines of timeless tales. Their unpredictable antics confound evil and treachery at every turn and leave listeners of generation after generation transfixed and uplifted. A forced marriage. A dangerous job. A horrible assignment. "Character-building experiences," we quip. And that's the truth. Painful as the truth may be, we cannot achieve our potential without facing force, danger, and horror head-on.

You know the tale of poor Little Red Riding-hood, that the Wolf deceived and devoured, with her cake, her little butter can, and her grandmother? Well, the true story happened quite differently, as we now know. First of all, the little girl was called and is still called Little Golden-hood; secondly, it was not she, nor the good grand-dame, but the wicked Wolf who was, in the end, caught and devoured.

In this story from Peru, we meet a baker who is so stingy that he wants to charge people just for smelling his baked goods. When the baker takes his case to court, the wise judge decides to teach the greedy man a well-deserved lesson. Illustrated by Tom Wrenn.

A big bully lion is no match for the Clever Monkey in this retelling of a classic story from West Africa

A terrible danger is looming on the horizon, and Faolan is the only one who knows how to fight it. Will he be able to claim his rightful place as leader and lead his clan in battle? Unless Faolan can inspire the pack to stand together, it could be the end of the wolves of the beyond.

It’s 1955, and Laurie Valentine’s best friend Dickie has contracted polio. Confined to a breathing machine in the hospital, he begs Laurie to stay by his side and tell him a story. As Laurie creates the tale of the giant Collosso and the young boy destined to stop him, Dickie starts to believe he’s part of the story. But when Laurie is forced to stop telling the story, Dickie has to reach within himself to create his own ending.

Here are the great stories of the Heroic Age, from the myths of the making of the universe to the death of Heracles. Set against the colorful background of Greece and the Aegean, the adventures of heroes such as Perseus the Gorgon-slayer, Dionysus, Theseus, and Jason and the Argonauts once again come to life.

Il quinto anno a Hogwarts si annuncia carico di sfide difficili. Harry non è mai stato così irrequieto: Lord Voldemort è tornato. Che cosa succederà ora che il Signore Oscuro è di nuovo in pieno possesso dei suoi terrificanti poteri? Al contrario di Silente, il Ministro della Magia sembra non prendere sul serio questa spaventosa minaccia. Toccherà a Harry organizzare la resistenza, con l'aiuto degli amici di sempre e il tumultuoso coraggio dell'adolescenza.

Maleficent was a different sort of faerie. For one thing she was raised by all the Fair Folk after her parents were killed. For another she believed there had to be some good in everyone, even humans. Happy and spirited, Maleficent was beloved by all who knew her. That is until she experienced the ultimate betrayal by a trusted friend.

Questo è il volume centrale delle avventure di Harry Potter. È un momento cruciale nella vita di Harry: ormai è un mago adolescente, vuole andarsene dalla casa dei perfidi Dursley, vuole sognare la Cercatrice di Corvonero per cui ha una cotta tremenda... Francesco Pannofino è un celebre attore italiano di cinema, TV e teatro, nonché voce ufficiale italiana di George Clooney.

In her debut children's book, Rebecca Solnit reimagines a classic fairy tale with a fresh, feminist Cinderella and new plot twists that will inspire young listeners to change the world. In this modern twist on the classic story, Cinderella, who would rather just be Ella, meets her fairy godmother, goes to a ball, and makes friends with a prince. But that is where the familiar story ends. Instead of waiting to be rescued, Cinderella learns that she can save herself and those around her by being true to herself and standing up for what she believes.

A classic fable from Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories, read by Johnny Morris. Have you ever wondered how and why the animals came to be as they are? In these magical tales, drawn from stories he heard as a child in India as well as on folk traditions he later collected all over the world, Rudyard Kipling gives some wonderfully imaginative explanations.

These classic stories of magic, imagination, and inspiration will delight children again and again. From "Puss in Boots" to "A Day at Santa's Workshop", these tales will capture children's interest and spark their imagination.

Learn about the evolution of Roman Myths with iMindsJNR audio learning series for younger minds. Romulus and Remus were twins who were raised by a wolf. In 753 BC they moved away from their home in Alba Longa to build a new city. But they fought over the site and name of the future city and Romulus slew Remus. Romulus then founded the city of Rome. So goes the myth which tells of the beginnings of ancient Roman culture.

The sheriff asks a butcher to dinner, hoping to cheat him out of his money. But the butcher is really Robin Hood, and he has a surprise!

The sheriff has an arrow-shooting contest, hoping to catch the best arrow-shooter, Robin Hood. But a strange man in red wins the prize instead.