Welcome to My World. Below is a list of stories I perform. Thumb through them and pick out some you would like to hear or tell me what you are looking for and I'll suggest a few. Happy browsing!
Sir Frederick, the Dragon
Sir Frederick has to always be the best at everything. No other dragon can best him. When he finally has it all, he is still not happy. Finally he meets a dragon just as great as himself. And he learns what it means to be a friend.
Old MacDonald grew Potatoes
Old MacDonald has a big problem, I mean potato and it will take all of his friends and a good deal of thinking to solve this problem. A great participatory story for all those wiggling souls.
The Pirate's Treasure
Grey Beard, the pirate hates being a pirate. When he decides to change occupations, a suspicious farmer offers him a treasured deal.
"[Pirates!] was funny and cool." -East Elementary 4th grade students, St. George, UT
"All of my kids commented on how great the pirate story was."
-Grace Rex, Scera Park Elementary, Orem, UT
The Lion Makers
Taken from the Panchatantra, this story comes from India. Three learned Brahman take it upon themselves to 'educate' a fourth Brahman on the virtues of academic knowledge. Ingnoring the common sense advice the fourth Brahman gives them, they find their future, limited. A story that illuminates the difference between academic knowledge and plain old common sense.
Dermond McCarty and the Legend of the Blarney Stone
This original legend offers its listeners a possibility of how the Blarney stone came to get its magic.
Grandma's Pies
Grandma's pies were famous in my family. At reunions now, people still want her recipe. Here is the story of how Grandma gave me the gift of her pies.
You can listen to a rough recording of it here:
Bowling is a Contact Sport
You remember, don't you, when you went bowling and the highlight of the evening was hanging your fingers over the puff of air put there to 'dry' the sweat off your hands? Move over arm chair bowling. We are ready to break out in a sweat somewhere else besides our finger tips.
Burglar Bold
Grandma Lillie often sang us a song. Here it is again but told in Cowboy Poetry style.
Fair, Fair, Life's not fair
This trickster folk tale is found in many cultures. And it asks the question, "What is really fair?"
Tiger's Whiskers
A young wife finds that her husband who has just returned from war no longer has any love in his heart for her. She begs the local wise man to make a love potion for her. He agrees if she will obtain a whisker from a tiger. Doing all that she can to obtain the whisker, she finds a strength she didn't know she had.
Squanto
Each life has a purpose. The story of Squanto's life, however, takes so many twists and turns. Those twists and turns seemed chaotic until a few years before his death, when it all came together.
The Spinning Wheel
In this tale from Scotland, a couple deeply in love hit a stumbling block in their marriage in the form of a spinning wheel. The famous wee folk come to the rescue in an unexpected way.
The Ghost of Sifty Sifty Sam
Chef Dan takes on the challenge of ridding a haunted house of the Ghost of Sifty Sifty Sam.
Order in the Court
On a hot July day when I was 8, the tooth I had put under my pillow for the tooth fairy disappeared during the day. I was determined to bring the thieves--my teasing brothers--to justice. Laugh and then cry as the story illustrates how laughter strengthens our hearts during hard times and makes the load lighter.
Rhonda the Witch and her Magical Farm
Rhonda, my neighbor, is a witch. But one magical evening while looking for dinner, she discovers she has more magic living in her back yard than she ever imagined.
Joy to the World, a Christmas in CT
My mother loved to sing. She had all of us singing as soon as we spoke. When asked to think of my favorite Christmas song, I think of this story.
Hoobayahs
Deep in the darkest forests, there once lived hideous creatures called Hoobayahs. Their favorite food: Children. But little dog Terpie is not going to let them get his precious girl. Come along on a slightly spooky tale as Pamela Hanks and Ginger Parkinson tell this tale together.
Tulips and Parsley
If you have ever wondered how parsley came into the world, this story about Flower Fairies provides an excellent explanation.
The Ivory Cups
This story uses a knight, a dragon, and a bunch of Flower Fairies to explain how a certain mountain flower come to be.
The Little Red Hen Bakes Bread
When I and each of my siblings were in 3rd or 4th grade, my mother would volunteer to come in and do a bread making demonstration for our classes. She always started with the Little Red Hen...and you could say it was the story of her life.
