With families always on the go go go, time for sharing stories with your children is going, going, almost gone! But the experience doesn’t have to be lost, thanks to the PlainTales series, which offers classic stories on CDs that can be played on any player, any time (goodbye, long, boring trips this spring break!). The series is now expanding with the release of new collections, PlainTales First Tales and PlainTales Explorers, available on CD March 10, 2009.
PlainTales, created by writer, entrepreneur and father Brian Keairns, was started with the mission of providing great audio stories for children and their parents, believing that hearing the world’s best stories read aloud is a great way for youngsters to develop language and thinking skills, all while being thoroughly entertained. Fables, fairy tales and original stories inspire, educate and encourage creative thinking, and the ones featured in the PlainTales series are chosen for their rich language, cultural significance and pure enjoyment, allowing families to share something special, together.
The PlainTales First Tales collection includes:
* “The Gingerbread Boy and Other First Tales†– Enthrall in the stories of the naughty Gingerbread Boy, the clever Billy Goats Gruff, the enchanted Frog Prince, the stalwart Little Red Hen and the courageous Bremen Town Musicians. Perfect for the littlest listener. R/T: 48 minutes.
* “Paul Bunyan and Other American Tall Tales†– Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill and Davy Crockett are some of the roughest, toughest characters ever to blaze the frontier. Clever as the crack of a whip and strong as a wildcat, these tall-tale heroes each left a legacy of larger-than-life deeds that have captured the American imagination for over a century. Three rib-tickling tracks tell the whole story. R/T: 60 min.
The PlainTales Explorers collection includes:
* “Animal Tales: Raccoon, Bear and Coyote†– Finally on his own, a young raccoon named Lotor needs to finds a new home before a predator finds him. Osa the brown bear builds a perfect winter den – with less-than-perfect results. And to survive a bleak winter, Hazard the coyote must find food for his pack, even if it puts him in grave danger. These stories about fictional friends are rich with detail about real animal behaviors. R/T: 48 minutes
* “Johnny Appleseed and Other American Legends†– What makes an American legend? Find out in these fascinating stories of national treasures, including Johnny Appleseed, whose apple trees bore the fruit that fed a nation of pioneers; Sacagawea, the Native American woman who bravely guided Lewis and Clark on their westward journey; and John Muir, a valiant protector of the West’s natural wonders and founder of the Sierra Club. R/T: 67 minutes
Previous releases in the PlainTales collection of celebrated storytelling CDS include:
PlainTales Classics:
“Selected Just So Stories†(Rudyard Kipling)
“The Tailor of Gloucester and Other Tales by Beatrix Potterâ€
PlainTales Fantasy Classics:
“Tales from the Book of Dragons
“The Reluctant Dragonâ€
PlainTales Literary Classics
“The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wildeâ€
“Tales from a Wonder Book for Girls & Boysâ€
PlainTales Adventure Classics:
“Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian Nightsâ€
“Rip Van Winkle and the Devil and Tom Walkerâ€
PlainTales storytelling CDs are recommended for ages 5-10 and are available for $14.95 each. To order, visit www.plaintales.com.