Storytelling is best done in person. There’s no substitute for the human voice communicating a tale in the here-and-now. But, alas, in this life there are sometimes pressing needs that encroach on storytelling time.
Rather than forgo the joy of sharing stories or—quelle horreur!—turning on the television, the wonderful world of podcasting has a solution. Wardour’s Studio’s Super Great Kids’ Stories is a marvelous weekly podcast featuring timeless tales from around the world told by exceptional storytellers.
Based in London, England, and hosted by Kim Normanton, the show offers a veritable encyclopedia of myths and fairy tales from around the world. Many of the stories, like any good human experience, include songs and ditties that captivate and stick with you. While next reading The Lord of the Rings or Bread and Jam for Frances, a mother may even be moved boldly to sing forth the songs therein. That is, after all, how they are meant to be experienced.
It is worth noting, too, that Super Great Kids’ Stories even has the apostrophe in the correct place, a rare feat in modern written English. This podcast is a gem.
As stated previously, a podcast blasting from a smartphone or laptop is not the same as a story told from memory or a tale read in the same room. But it can add texture to downtime and amusement that does not deaden the imagination. Quite the reverse. The Super Great Kids’ Stories are often imaginatively invigorating and often overflow into coloring and the telling of one’s own tales.
It’s an odd thing to introduce young children to the world wide web, but for those who aren’t squeamish about that, electronically submitting a picture is easily accomplished and will even result in a personalized email from Kim Normanton herself. After hours of listening to the podcast, that feels like more than a minor brush with celebrity.
Super Great Kids’ Stories are marvelous entertainment that convey a cultural heritage not readily accessible to many. This is high-quality listening that can help to avoid the mind-wilting television use with which our isolated society is tempted. And after listening to enough of the repertoire, little children will sing whimsically, “A ticky tacky tack / A ticky tacky tick / Here I come with my walking stick!”
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