Customer Reviews

Tell Me A Story 3: Women of Wonder

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This CD is the third in one of the most delightful offerings of this nature I have had the pleasure of listening to in years! The art of true story telling and the wisdom and lore from our many folktales is being slowly lost, year after year. Offerings such as this and the two preceding CDs help keep both the traditional story telling skills and the tradition of folk legends alive. When a good tale and a good teller of tales come together, a certain magic is present; a magic like no other and both traditions are alive and well due to Amy Friedman. She is providing us a wonderful service.

Tell Me a Story 3, Women of Wonder is a collection of six myths and legends from around the world. Brittan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Turkey, Siberia and America are all represented here in fine fashion. Each story is read by professional actors from around the world and each tale is introduced and accompanied by wonderful music provided by Laura Hall; each musical piece fits the tale perfectly.

Folktales and myths are one of my favorite genre and are somewhat different than fairy tales, which deal in complete fantasy (not that the stories here lack a bit of that mystical quality), and little vignettes such as we find with Aesop's Fables which are not as subtle as folktales when it comes to teaching lessons. With the choice Ms. Friedman has given us with her selections we need not fear the grimness of the Brothers Grimm; yet like fairy tales and fables and such, each of these six stories has a message; an important message...you just have to use your mind and think about it a bit. Folktales simply stick with a person longer as they do require thought. Here we get a good story, a dose of history, a smattering of different cultures, and lessons well learned. What more could you offer a child and have the added benefit of entertaining them at the same time?

As the title of the CD would suggest, these are stories that feature women; strong and smart women, I might add. Now some might feel that these tales from around the world have a feminist slant. I feel this would be a mistake. There was not one story here that with minor variations in the wording that could not apply to both female and male. But that being said; lets face it...our world, our history and all of our cultures have been filled with bright, smart, aggressive and talented women from the beginning and it is rather nice to find works such as this that point this out and provide wonderful and inspiring examples. Both little girls and little boys need to learn these facts, and as far as I am concerned, the sooner the better!

This particular CD lasts for approximately 68 minutes. Each story is separate and a stand-alone. This is good. What better way to entertain while taking either long or short auto trips? I found that the stories were just as fascinating for "big people" as they are for the wee ones...wonderful family entertainment. If you have only a short trip or a short time to listen, then one story at a time can the heard as the longest one here is only a bit over 13 minutes and the shortest a bit over 8. And other than reading a book or having one read to you, I cannot imagine a better way to spend a rainy afternoon.

There are two other CDs to this series Tell Me a Story: Timeless Folktales from Around the Worldand Tell Me A Story 2: Animal Magic. The first two are as delightful as the one being reviewed here. I strongly recommend collecting all three. These CDs are ideal for home use and are ideal for use in the classroom. It is difficult to give this work and the others a targeted age group. Certainly all of these tales are appropriate for the young (four and up) but they, to be quite frank, are just as appealing to young adults and older adults as well.

It is interesting to note that I listened to this CD and the other two and had two of my grandsons listen with me. They are ages 17 and 18. I swear that the only thing that goes through those young men's minds day after day, week after week, is their sports, girls and their SAT scores; not always in that order. Both were impressed and both enjoyed them as did I, who am well into my dotage. My daughter will be starting her 20th year of teaching first grade and plans to use these in her classroom this coming year.

I dearly hope that there will be more productions to come from Ms. Friedman...she is providing us with a very entertaining and valuable service.


Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

What could be a better treat than folk tales celebrating the power and creativity of women? In TELL ME A STORY 3: WOMEN OF WONDER, storyteller Amy Friedman interprets six tales from around the world that do just that, and presents them in a CD narrated by international stars.

The stories are enhanced by music from Laura Hall and illustrations by Jillian Gilliland; they are full of magic and strength:

A British merchant challenges his sons and daughter to solve a riddle and win their inheritance, and the daughter's sense of beauty and love take her to the finish post.

From Cambodia comes the tale of a hermit with magical powers who teaches a goddess and an ogre his secrets. Guess which was the better pupil?

An Ethiopian child craving the love of her stepmother needs the whisker of a lioness for a magic love potion. The same gifts that win the trust and love of a lioness can work on a stepmother too!

The compassionate wife of a Turkish pasha intervenes on behalf of a working man cheated by a magistrate. You'll love her simple but effective plan to get justice for the victim.

In a gentle legend from Siberia, the Moon takes human form and falls in love with a reindeer herder's daughter. With the help of a magical reindeer, she eludes capture and stays with the herd.

The boisterous Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind was A-MAZING -- she said so herself, as soon as she was born. She left old Tennessee to explore the Great Frontier, sleeping with hibernating bears and rescuing Davy Crockett with a rattlesnake lasso.

This is the third audiobook from Amy Friedman, based on her popular syndicated newspaper series "Tell Me A Story." Charming as the others are (Tell Me a Story: Timeless Folktales from Around the World, Tell Me A Story 2: Animal Magic) I think this is the best one yet. Get this CD--get it for your daughters, for your sons; give them some unforgettable folk heroines. Get it for yourself. Be prepared to set aside whatever you're doing as you are carried away into the magical world of WOMEN OF WONDER. Pure delight. Amy Friedman, we want more!

This CD is going to my six-year-old granddaughter in Australia, a "Sally Ann Thunder Ann" kind of girl who'd love to come to Maine and meet some bears for herself.

Linda Bulger, 2009

Amy Friedman's award winning team serves up another wholesome portion of "Tell Me a Story!" Women of Wonder, Tell Me a Story 3, presents a delightful assortment of world folktales from America, Britain, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Turkey, and Siberia, featuring expert women storytellers. Laura Hall's original musical compositions provide the perfect counterpoint. These tales contain fresh, new material: A daughter fills her father's house with music, joy and life fulfilling the terms of his will; an Ethiopian grandmother helps her granddaughter learn to cope with her mother's death and her father's remarriage. In the "Reindeer Maiden," a girl cleverly outwits the moon and dictates his phases to serve her people forever. Each story features women and girls who handle problems with perception and ingenuity. Each storyteller is well-matched to the tale she tells and Amy has continued the charming practice of having each selection introduced by small children.
The Tell Me a Story CDs are like popcorn - one helping is never enough! A perfect collection for Public Libraries or individuals, these CDs will provide hours of entertainment for fun family gatherings, long summer car trips or cozy winter evenings. Listening to stories told aloud captures the imagination, enabling children to visualize the characters and settings, and sharpens their listening skills. Kudos to Amy for her determination to preserve this oral tradition!

>
> Amy Friedman has written a remarkable work, the way she manages
> with ease to lull the listener into the very world that children seem to
> naturally embrace: the simple caress of caring, as well as the adventure, long
> overlooked, that we are here on earth to marvel at the many miracles that
> have been bestowed upon us, without which, we are doomed.
>
> Let this wonderful work, then, be spread from here to Maine, back again,
> across the oceans, weaving through the deserts of myriad countries, up and
> down a thousand mountain streams, child to child, as it breathes, happiness,
> forever...

This is the third in the outstanding children's audio book series - Tell Me A Story. And if you are familiar with the first two:Tell Me a Story: Timeless Folktales from Around the World and Tell Me A Story 2: Animal Magic(see my reviews for details) then I hardly have to sell you on this new addition.These Magical tales from around the world introduce children(and their parents) to new cultures, wonderful world music, and stories that are wonderfully read aloud -some by some marvelous children's voices- entertaining(will stand up to many repeat listens)and subtly teach good values and life's simple pleasures.Each book has fresh new stories that stand on their own(not sequels).

On CD, this one(Women of Wonder) is especially inspiring for girls, but put it in your CD player on a long drive and everyone will be captivated. Excellent quality CD - runs a total 68 minutes which includes 6 stories ranging in time from about 9 minutes to over 13 minutes,and overture of upbeat music that will grab you right off.

I listened to this book a couple of times already. Once by myself and then again with a couple of very young friends. The kids loved it,it kept their attention the entire time, and I also enjoyed the listen the 2nd time around as well.

A wonderful diversion from video games, and nice way to spend family time at home or on the road.Let "Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind" and other delighful characters take you and your kids on worldy adventures. Highly recommended for all ages.

Enjoy the read.....Laurie

also recommended:
Side By Side

We all know how very much children love to hear a story. However these are some stories that both children and adults will love to hear - over and over and over again.

Following her first two very successful CDs Timeless Folk Tales From Around the World and Animal Magic, writer/producer Friedman presents Women of Wonder, six multicultural folktales that enchant. Youngsters respond to stories from other lands, intrigued by far away places. Countries represented in this collection are Cambodia, Ethiopia, Great Britain, Turkey, Siberia, and the U.S.

This group is again enriched by the music of the talented Laura Hall. Fortunately for us this CD also includes an original song sung by jazz singer Margot Rose.

Friedman and Hall have certainly raised the bar in CD audiobooks - don't miss this one!

- Gail Cooke

My daughter (five-and-a-half) and I are great fans of the Tell Me a Story series of audio CDs. The stories are imaginative and fun, culled from the various mythologies around the world, and accompanied by creative narration and musical accompaniment. We own a couple of other titles in the series but this is one of our personal favorites since it centers on stories with strong female characters, either mortal or goddesses.

There are six stories in all, with an overture preceding (running about 2:50 minutes):

The Cleverest Tune 10:52 (a British folktale, read by actor Bryce Dallas Howard)
The Goddess and the Ogre 13:09 (a Cambodian legend, read by Jessica DiCicco)
Whisker of the Lioness 13:37 (an Ethiopian Tale, read by Margot Rose)
The Lady and the Judge 8:57 (a Turkish Folktale, read by Wendy Hammers)
Reindeer Maiden 10:40 (a Siberian Legend, read by Yvette Freeman)
Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind 8:15 (an American Tall Tale, read by Paula Poundstone)

The musical instruments used in accompanying the stories include the guitar, harmonica, keyboards, glockenspiel, percussion, saxophone, finger cymbals, violin, trombone, clarinet, etc. The stories are wondrous and will give flight to one's imagination. The multi-cultural nature of these stories also help children to develop an appreciation of stories from diverse cultures. Recommended!

The third title in the original and entertaining children's 'Tell Me A Story' audio book series, "Women Of Wonder" is written by Amy Friedman, directed by Lori Ada Jaroslow and musically enriched by composer Laura Hall. Comprised of stories about heroines and goddesses, this collection of myths and legends include the British folk tale 'The Cleverest Tune' read by Bryce Dallas Howard; 'The Goddess and the Ogre' a Cambodian legend read by Jessica DiCicco; 'Whisper of the Lioness', an Ethiopian tale read by Margot Rose; 'The Lady and the Judge', a Turkish folktale ready by Wendy hammers; 'Reindeer Maiden', a Siberian legend read by Yvette Freeman; and an American tale, 'Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind' read by Paula Poundstone. With a total running time of 68:03 minutes, "Women Of Wonder" is a pure delight from beginning to end and a welcome addition to family, school and community library audio book collections for children. Also very highly recommended are the first two titles in the 'Tell Me A Story' series: "Timeless Folktales" and "Animal Magic".

I bought the whole series for a cousin's son and they become his favorite recording. The series is beautifully produced and the stories have a lot of variety and different storytellers featured on each. You can't go wrong with this as a gift -- and not just for girls. Boys enjoy hearing about these powerful and magical (not just princess types) females.

This and all of the CDs in this collection are amazing. My daugther is 5 and she absolutely adores all of these stories. And so do her boy friends. This CD is not just for girls. I think her favorite one might be the Goddess and the Ogre, because she loves the voice of whoever narrates it. But she and I also loves the story about the story about the girl from Africa who gets the whisker of a lioness... The music is fantastic and all the tales are magical in a good way with lots of great morals and learnings. None of that bogus Disney type stuff that is actually feeding them all the wrong messages. But I will rant about that elsewhere. These collections are a life saver in the car on long rides and also just for chilling at home when I want her to have some quiet time. She and a friend will sit and listen rapt for an hour.