Episode 63: The Little Fir Tree

Merry Christmas, from Tales from the Lilypad. I've been researching Norwegian folktales and, as always, am awed by the sadness and suffering in children's stories of yore. This is a sad story, or is it? It's about how it feels to be a little tree. Or is it more about being a person? A retelling by Marlene Wurfel of Hans Christian Andersen's beloved Christmas classic story for kids & family.

Episode 62: Three Billy Goats Gruff

Rearrangement and retelling by Marlene Wurfel of the Norwegian folktale the Three Billy Goat's Gruff. A bedtime story for the littlest, middlest, and biggest siblings.

Episode 61: The Very Unimportant Mouse

Curd ia a terribly unimportant mouse who would never save the day just by being kind.

Episode 60: Escape from Cat Castle: Primrose the Mouse

Primrose The Mouse lives in an enchanted forest in and enchanted castle where all the humans turn into cats. Can she escape to perform a heroic task? This tale promises adventure, enchanted forest creatures and a whole lotta razzle-dazzle.

Episode 59: Cat Castle II Sleepytime in the Enchanted Castle

This is a sequel to the Tales from the Lilypad's version of Grimm's The Poor Miller's Boy and the Cat. In the Grimm's fairytale, a poor boy is rescued by a cat who brings him to her enchanted castle in which all the servants are kittens. Inspired by the fairytale, this original 20 minute sleepycast or sleep mediation by Marlene Wurfel is to help kids fall asleep or to just rest and relax at naptime. Welcome to sleepytime at the Enchanted Castle where the sweetwater river flows past all the sleepy little kittens in the sleepy fortress in the enchanted forest.

Episode 58: Cat Castle Part I

A Tales from the Lilypad retelling of the Brother's Grimm's The Poor Miller's Boy and the Cat. This story has EVERYTHING: enchanted princesses, revenge, comeuppance, plot twists, and did I mention a castle in which all the servants are kittens?

Episode 57: The Polka Dot Story Rerelease

Vintage Tales from the Lilypad circa 2015. One of the first original Tales by Marlene Wurfel. It's a love story to lake life, swimming, existential polka dots, and freckles.

Episode 56: Surly the Garden Gnome

Surly the garden gnome is annoyed by the lack of instructions in the Gnominomicon on how to parent. How are parents supposed to get by on just the advice 1) Be Kind and 2) Listen Deeply. Maybe if there were better instructions, all the gnome parents he knows would be better at their job. Good thing he doesn't have any little ones to take care of. Until...

Episode 55: Mom and Pop's Bunny Burrow and Easter Egg Shop

A bedtime story for little ones who dream of bunnies in burrows, of easter eggs and easter eggs hunts, and, of course, of spring cleaning.

Episode 54: Lily in the Garden

Can we tend to our emotions and feelings just like we can tend to plants in a garden? Episode 54 is a mindfulness story. It's a 21st century fable about self-care.

Episode 53: The Changeling

The boy and the girl whose job is the preparation and service of oatmeal have another adventure in the grey-as-porridge kingdom. Potions! Fairies! Portals to other, magical realms!

Episode 52: Sleep Meditation with Three Fairies

In this original Tales from the Lilypad sleep meditation for kids, ocean sounds and bird sounds help generate feelings of wellness while Lily, a frog, tells the story of Riventhorn who find three fairy eggs on his walk along the ocean shore.

Episode 51: The Gift of the Magi

Episode 50: Night Rounds at the Menagerie

Episode 49: Halloween Story Too: Dave the Monster and Nightdash in Grimvale

Thank you to Geddy! for the beautiful podcast cover art for this sequel to Nightdash.