I first heard this Irish tale more than 20 years ago from a friend of the family. The faerie people in the story are not cute little elves with pointy hats. They are a proud and ancient people and a mortal who has dealings with them never knows what might happen…
My adaptation of a story that has its origins in several Native American cultures, including Muskogee and Cherokee. It’s a perfect example of a “Pourquoi” story, a story which tells how something came to be. I first heard it from storyteller Mary Ellen Hill, who found it in Michael Caduto and Joseph Bruchac’s Keepers of the Earth .
The Grimm Brothers’ version of this story is, well, grim. One day I was reading Max Lüthi’s Once Upon a Time: On the Nature of Fairy Tales where he quotes delightful excerpts from Italian, Maltese and other versions of Rapunzel. I said, “Put those pieces together and you’ve got a wonderful story!” So I did. The shortened telling on this video includes only some of those delightful pieces. Sometime soon I’ll record the full-on version. The ending is my own.
I adapted this from a story in the Pantheon collection Yiddish Folktales by Beatrice Weinreich. I love the “story within a story within a story” structure. The ending is my own.
This is a true history story from Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont, CA. Note: this was told live outdoors for the kids of the East Bay Regional Parks Park’n It Day Camp. There is noise from the wind. You’ll also hear the occasional chicken cluck. Ardenwood is a working historic farm. In fact, if you look carefully, you’ll see chickens strutting around in the background a few times. But I loved telling at Ardenwood. The place is a miracle: even though it’s in the elbow where two freeways meet, it’s quiet and peaceful (chickens notwithstanding). You feel like you’re in an island of peace from the last century. It’s a great place to take kids.
Treehouse is one of the preschools at which I’m the regular weekly storyteller. I really enjoy telling there. The staff is great, the facility is cozy and sweet and they’re always working on innovative projects. You can read more about them at their website. Some of the puppets in this video are made by Folkmanis Puppets.
There are two stories in the video. The first is called “The Old Woman and her Bear.” It’s a very sweet Inuit folk tale about an old woman who adopts a polar bear cub. The kids loved it when I first told it and asked for it many other times. The other is “The King’s Sneeze,” adapted from a Grimm’s tale. You’ll get to see my favorite puppets Willy the Wolf and Francesca the Flying Squirrel and several others. I hope you enjoy the stories. All the original material is copyright © 2010 by Michael Litzky.
Here’s me telling a story of magic, dreams and a fairy princess. Originally created live online for kids.
Here’s the 2nd part of the fantasy dream story.
Here’s the third chapter of the fantasy dream story…
In which the princess brings back the sun through a swamp of soggy cereal and Chili the cat steals the show.