Storynory - Stories for Kidshttp://storynory.com
His Royal Highness Princess Bertie the Frog has commanded these classic children's stories to be podcast. If enough children listen to his stories, one day he will turn back into a handsom prince.
The Wild Man
Posted: August 2010
It takes insight to understand the suffering of wild or strange creatures.
The hero of this tale is a boy who takes pity on a Wild Man kept in a cage in the courtyard of a castle. He risks his life to set him free, only to meet him later on, alone, in the woods.
This story has been told many times, in slightly different ways. The Brothers Grimm called their version “Iron Hans” and and Andrew Lang called his “The Hairy Man”. This is Bertie’s version, which follows the original plot, but which puts a little more emphasis on the themes – such as the indignity of the captive Wild Man, and the boy’s initial panic at the moment of success.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Christmas Beauty
Posted: August 2010
The Michaelmas (Christmas) term at Waverley College has come to an end. Sally is about to go back to her family, but her neighbour, the mysterious Princess Talia, has no home to go to. At the last moment, Sally calls her mum and asks if she can bring her friend home for Christmas.
Talia proves to be an illusive guest, who comes and goes without warning, causing worry and annoyance in the O’Brien family. As ever, the explanation for Talia’s behaviour is somewhat strange and possibly supernatural. An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Remarkable Rocket
Posted: August 2010
The story begins with a fairytale wedding. Waiting in the wings of the celebrations, is the “Remarkable Rocket” who is making ready to go out with a spectacular display. We soon learn that he is a most egotistical firework, who loves to talk about his own superiority – much to the annoyance of the other fireworks in the box.
This children’s story by Oscar Wilde is full of sparkling dialogue, rather like his stage plays, and not quite so much like his other more spiritual fairy tales. You can enjoy some of the master’s salty whit for which he was famous, such as :
“Indeed, I have always been of opinion that hard work is simply the refuge of people who have nothing whatever to do.”It’s a lengthy story sustained by the many voices of Elizabeth.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.The 1001 Nights
Posted: August 2010
This is the story that begins the 1001 stories of the Arabian nights. A terrible sultan marries a new bride every night, and in the morning he executes her. Only Sherehezade, the greatest story-teller the world has known, has a chance to soften the heart of the man with a tyrannical grudge against all women.
The backdrop is quite harsh, but the stories are wonderful. An audio podcast in MP3 format.Tom Thumb
Posted: August 2010
English fairy tales are usually gutsy and adventurous - Jack and the Beanstalk for instance. Tom Thumb is no exception. Tiny Tom has numerous death-defying escapades, which make for a very lively story.
An audio podcast in MP3 format.Urashima
Posted: August 2010
This picturesque Japanese tale has loads of charm, but is a little bit sad. It will take you to a beautiful underwater world, and back to the reality of mortality on dry land.
These days we adapt many of the traditional tales ourselves, but this one is taken more or less straight from the English text of B. H. Chamberlain who published a number of Japanese stories in the 1880s. An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Leap-frog
Posted: August 2010
This miniature fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen is so short that it’s almost an anecdote, but although it’s small, it’s perfect in it’s own way.
Three animals have pretentions to jump above their stations in life and marry a princess. They all think that they have a grand and high society manner, but only one of them really understands that a little humility can go a long way in life. An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Timeless Beauty
Posted: July 2010
Our Awaking Beauty, Princess Talia, goes out for the evening with her fellow students at college. She becomes upset when the conversation turns to time. She tells them how she feels so lost because she has “slipped through time”. The others find it hard to understand and think that she’s stranger than ever. But then Basil has the weirdest experience that perhaps lets him know how she must feel. An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Cat that Walked by Himself
Posted: July 2010
Most domestic or farm animals have to earn their place by the fire. Kipling’s short story (from the Just So Stories) tells us why cats can drink milk from a bowl AND live a semi-wild life by themselves. It takes us back to the time when people lived in caves. As always with Kipling (who also wrote the Jungle Books), the language is sonorous and wonderful. Bertie thinks that Richard’s reading of this tale is a classic. An audio podcast in MP3 format.When the Sun Hid in Her Cave
Posted: June 2010
One of Japan’s oldest legends tells us how the gods invented fun and music. It all began when the Sun Goddess went into an epic sulk and hid in her cave. The gods had to find a way to cheer her up and coax her out. The story of how they did so is both beautiful and amusing.
Incidentally, the Japanese flag includes the symbol of the sun in the form of a red disk. An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Princess Who had a Heart
Posted: June 2010
This, the fourth part of our Awaking Beauty series sees Princess Talia in rather a different and unexpected light. Princess Talia is now moving in her own high circles, and Sally, her first friend and Westerly College, Oxford, is rather regretting that she does not see so much of her anymore. But then Sally receives some bad news…. An audio podcast in MP3 format.The Desolate Island
Posted: June 2010
This parable from the Middle East has a mysterious and spiritual tone, and is also rather intriguing. It’s about a slave who asks his master for his freedom. A series of adventures bring him great good fortune, but fortune can always be reversed again. An audio podcast in MP3 format.
Links
Review the full list of podcast channels in our category for English and literature, including contemporary and traditional poems as well as learning the English language.
Whilst all the podcasts listed in this directory are selected in line with our criteria, we do strongly recommend educators that the contents of all podcasts, podcast feeds and channels are regularly auditioned to ensure that they are suitable and appropriate for the age range of the children and young people.
Thursday, 2nd September 2010
