Storytellers

Originally produced in 1986, this excellent series, which features four American storytellers, has been repackaged in an attractive boxed set containing four volumes: Animal Stories, Magic Tales, Scary Stories, and Tall Tales, Yarns and Whoppers. Each of the volumes presents stories by each of the storytellers: Joe Bruhac, who specializes in Native American stories set in the Adirondacks; Olga Loya, who delivers her Hispanic-based stories in both English and Spanish; Alice McGill, who won an ALA Notable Award for her latest audio recording Flying Africans; and Emmy Award winner Jon Spelman. The tales and stories range from the traditional ("Tailypo," "Monkey Takes a Ride," "Turtle's Race With Bear," etc.) to the truly outlandish ("Bill Greenfield and the Big Mosquitoes"--which fly in "flocks" not "swarms"--and "The Big Piece of Blue Corn," Spelman's hilarious takeoff on "Jack and the Beanstalk.") While some stories will appeal more to some than others, the wide variety of choices will please most people most of the time, and all the tellings benefit from the performances of truly gifted master storytellers. Sure to be a very popular addition to library shelves, the Storyteller series is highly recommended. (Available from: Atlas Video, Inc., 4915 St. Elmo Ave., Suite 305, Bethesda, MD 201814; 1-800-999-0212; as well as other distributors.)