Family Circle's Storyland Theatre (Vols. 1-4)

(Contents--Vol. 1: "The Remarkable Horse", "Donkey and Goose", "The Little Dragon"; Vol. 2: "New Year's Eve", "The King of Togo Togo", "Foolish Rabbit"; Vol. 3: "The Wooden Box", "The Three Little Pigs", "The Wooly Mammoth"; Vol. 4: "The Bird Man", "Superbowl Sundae", "Moon and Otter", "The Magic Princess".) The most elaborate Care Bear story-line there is wouldn't hold a candle to this excellent four volume series of dynamite stories. No special effects, no gimmicks, no licensed characters--just three of our most gifted storytellers: Jay O'Callohan, Laura Simms, and Rafe Martin doing what they do better than CBS, NBC, or ABC could ever dream of: telling stories. The traditional (Rafe Martin's wonderfully expressive retelling of "The Three Little Pigs") is evenly mixed with the new (Jay O'Callohan's howler "Superbowl Sundae", in which a daughter, ignored by her football-engrossed father, sets up her own game: pitting a heavy team of banana slices against a spunky group of maraschino cherries. We're not telling who wins.) Highly recommended for both public and pre- to elementary school libraries.