Classics Children’s stories and fairytales are stories that have proven the test of the time and endured generations of retellings. Children’s stories, like many collected by the Brothers Grimm, reappear in our culture as both books and new movie versions each with their own take, giving us yet again a new appreciation for fairy tales. It’s no surprise that the fairy tale genre is a favorite among children and adults alike. What with princesses, princes, dragons, goblins and more, these stories let our imaginations soar to far away places. I love to read classics stories because I can do so many fun voices when I am creating my interpretation.
We have seen many classic children’s stories get a new modern twist. I do this myself adding my own story at the beginning of each book I read to set the stage, though I personally tried to select some of the most original classics I could find, to re-expose young people to these versions.
We have seen new twists to the plots of classics, with the addition of a character or characters, and even the story being told from a new point of view. One of my favorite examples of this is "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" by Jon Scieszka, that takes a twist on the classic "The Three Little Pigs." The story is told from the wolf's point of view, and he explains it was all a misunderstanding and that he is truly innocent, he merely wanted to borrow some sugar.
Geek Club Books offers what they call Classic fairy tales with a geekish twist. They are called Dorktales. In Dorktales, Jonathan Murphy (a professional voice actor and children’s performer), is joined by his plucky puppet sidekick, Mr. Reginald T. Hedgehog to tell goofier versions of classic tales.
I invite you to listen to one of their original, clever, kooky, whimsical, fun, hilarious Dorktales: “The Three Little...Hogs?” or “Little Red”. Dorktales are written by Karen Simpson Gardiner who specializes in writing entertaining scripts for family entertainment.
Jonathan will be performing at the Orange County Children’s Book Festival on Sept 28th. The event promotes literacy and features books and activities for kids. I am excited to meet him there, as I will also be reading on the storyteller stage.
And of course, I also invite you to watch my versions of these classic tales.
The Three Little Pigs Little Red Riding Hood
Here is a great list of fairy tales, old and new from the Madison public library. Your local library may have many of these too. I would be remiss if I didn't mention what a great opportunity it is for young writers to change up a favorite story. Remember, every year I hold my annual Be-a-Famous Writer Contest for grades K-4.
Comments