Tell Me A Story 2: Animal Magic by Amy Friedman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Tell Me A Story 2: Animal Magic
Book Review: Animal folktales from around the world
Summary: 5 Stars
This is another delightful collection of seven folktales from around the world, which can be enjoyed by all ages. Written by Amy Friedman, and directed by Lori Ada Jaroslow, the music was composed by Laura Hall of "Who's Line is it Anyway?" The beautiful and colorful illustrations on the CD jacket are by Jillian Gilliland.
1. The Tortoise & the Magic Drum
Narrated by Glenna Forster-Jones (Sierra Leone): Broadcaster, Performer, Actress
Setting: Nigeria
[The secret of a magic drum
Makes a tortoise rather glum]
2. The Poet & the Dragon
Narrated by Peter James Smith: Actor (Ed, from The West Wing)
Setting: China
[Poems soothe a noble beast
In this fine story from the East]
3. Kerplunk
Narrated by Gideon Emery: Actor, Voice credits on games including Final Fantasy XII
Setting: Australia
[Just like the Chicken Little tale
You should let common sense prevail]
4. The Elephant's Reward
Narrated by Meera Simhan: Actress
Setting: India
[Even though you may be small
You may be useful after all]
5. The Talking Cat
Narrated by Len Cariou: Performer, Actor, Academy Award winning Narrator
Setting: Canada (French)
[A woman living with her cat
Is startled when it starts to chat]
6. Coyote's Gift
Narrated by Arigon Starr: Award winning singer, songwriter, musician, actor, artist and playwright
Setting: Native American
[Stolen fire from the sun
Has animals working as one]
7. The Cricket's Song
Narrated by Giselle Achecar: Actress
Setting: Guatemala
[The little yellow cricket's songs
Show her where her heart belongs]
Also of note is the use of musical instruments from the countries of origin of the stories. Listen for the African xylophone (balafon), ganjukoi bells, bongos, gamelon, koto, Tibetan bowl, penny whistle, dulcimer, sruuti box, tabla, melodica, marimba, maracas, flute and shaker.
Very interesting stories narrated by a talented group of performers, this would be another age appropriate gift for that budding storyteller on your list.
Amanda Richards, August 1, 2008
Book Review: Book on CD
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a good CD. My son is very sensitive to "conflict" in stories. He's only three and not ready for the content. It's creative listening for older children.Book Review: Adults as well as children are sure to enjoy this engrossing audio anthology.
Summary: 5 Stars
Tell Me a Story 2: Animal Magic is an audiobook on CD comprised of fantastic retellings of classic folktales about animals. The stories have diverse origins from around the globe, and each revolves around a different amazing beast. The narratives are The Tortoise and the Magic Drum, a Nigerian Tale (5:38); The Poet and the Dragon, a Chinese tale (9:15); Kerplunk, an Australian tale (8:07); The Elephant's Reward, an East Indian tale (7:52); The Talking Cat, a French Canadian tale (10:36); Coyote's Gift, a Native American tale (8:52), and The Cricket's Song, a Guatemalan tale (11:28). Adults as well as children are sure to enjoy this engrossing audio anthology.
Book Review: Tell Me a Story 2 : animal magic
Summary: 5 Stars
We absolutely love this cd. Our kids LOVE it too. So inventive and fun to listen to the amazingly told stories. Great voices and a wonderful alternative to watching TV or movies for sure. Our kids want to go to bed listening to the CD and it is working wonders to get them settled and happy in the evening. We listen to it in the car too and the kids alwasy ask for it. A must have! Book Review: Tell Me A Story 2: Animal Magic will delight many attentive listeners, both young and old.
Summary: 5 Stars
As long as humanity had a language, there existed storytelling where people exchanged myths, history, philosophical musings, etc.
In every culture and corner of the world there are storytellers who amuse, educate, entertain, spread knowledge, preserve their traditions and values, and in some cases even mislead with false facts.
Amy Friedman's second in her series Tell Me A Story 2: Animal Magic has once again reflected this art of storytelling as she presents in CD format with music composed by Laura Hall eight international tales from all corners of the world. As summed up by the CD's cover, "The multicultural rhythms and tales of Tell Me A Story: Animal Magic reflect the spirit of these words offered in 1854 by Chief Seattle: ...if all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit..."
Read by some of the most gifted screen and stage actors, Tell Me A Story 2: Animal Magic contains tales even the most TV addicted reader can listen to into without distraction. In addition, as pointed out to me by Friedman, one element that distinguishes this CD from the first one is that all the actors (or their families) hail from the story's land of origin.
Listeners are swept away to all corners of the globe where we can be enchanted with the Nigerian tale, The Tortoise and the Magic Drum, the Australian Tale, Kerplunk, the Chinese tale, The Poet and the Dragon, an East Indian tale, The Elephant's Reward, a French Canadian tale, The Talking Cat, a Guatemalan tale, The Cricket's Song, and a Native American tale, the Coyote's Gift.
As is the case with all stories, each one reflects a different theme, some may be humorous, perhaps inspirational or educative. For example, The Tortoise and the Magic Drum explains the origin of one animal's uniqueness-why it often lays hidden in muddy waters.
In the Chinese tale, The Poet and the Dragon, we learn that according to the traditional Chines calendar, Duanwu Jie-or the Dragon Boat Festival in English-takes place on the 5th day of the fifth lunar month. The origins of the festival are told in this tale of the poet, Qu Yuan, a great patriot, loved by his people and who warns his king, King Chu, of his impending removal from power.
Moreover, what all of these stories have in common is their knack of providing just enough clues to capture our imagination, intellect, and emotional response involved in figuring out what is going on in the story.
Children thrive in their need to hear a good story-something that will ignite their imaginations, and no doubt, Tell Me A Story 2: Animal Magic will delight many attentive listeners, both young and old.
As the American novelist, poet, dramatist, Reynolds Price stated in his book A Palpable God, "A need to tell and hear stories is essential to the species Homo sapiens--second in necessity apparently after nourishment and before love and shelter. Millions survive without love or home, almost none in silence; the opposite of silence leads quickly to narrative, and the sound of story is the dominant sound of our lives, from the small accounts of our day's events to the vast incommunicable constructs of psychopaths."
Norm Goldman, Editor Bookpleasures
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