Wondrous Tales
Michael Litzky, Storyteller
Video Clips
Contents
Tales of Willy and Francesca
Willy the Wolf and Francesca the Flying Squirrel have many adventures.
A multi-part epic in bite-size pieces.
1. Francesca Learns to Fly
2. I Don't Have a Name! (Part One)
3. I Don't Have a Name! (Conclusion)
4. The Wolf Who Had No Story
5. The Wolf Who Had No Story Part 2
6. The Wolf Who Had No Story Part 3
7. Willy Goes to the Hospital
8. The Ice King Makes the Sun Go Away, Part 1
9. The Ice King Makes the Sun Go Away, Part 2
10. The Ice King Makes the Sun Go Away, Part 3
11. The Ice King Makes the Sun Go Away, Part 4
12. The Ice King Makes the Sun Go Away, Part 5
13. Willy, Don't Eat the Moss!
Tales at Treehouse
A year-long cycle of folktales, fairy tales and legends from around the world for preschoolers
1: The Old Woman in the Vinegar Bottle
2: Schnitzle, Schnotzle and Schnootzle
3: The Winter Giant
For Younger Viewers
The Haunted House: a Silly Ghost Story
The Dragon Earns His Name
Elsa and the Evil Wizard
Francesca Learns to Fly
For All Ages
Wiley and the Hairy Man
Coyote and the Wonderful News
Crick and Crack
Grandmother Spider Steals the Sun
Rapunzel: An Original Telling
Wisdom or Luck
Live Performances
Ardenwood Historic Farm, 8/2/10
Treehouse Preschool, 8/18/10
Tales of Willy and Francesca
Francesca Learns to Fly
Copyright (c) 2015 by Michael Litzky
I Don't Have a Name! (Part One)
Why does everyone run from the poor dragon when he tells them he doesn't have a name? Copyright (c) 2016 by Michael Litzky
I Don't Have a Name! (Conclusion)
What name will the dragon choose from all the names floating around on little wings? Copyright (c) 2016 by Michael Litzky
The Wolf Who Had No Story
Willy the Wolf doesn't know any stories. Now he has to babysit for the little lamb (who always calls him "Daddy"). What will he do if the little guy asks for a story? (My adaptation of an old Irish folktale called The Man Who Had No Story.) Copyright (c) 2016 by Michael Litzky
The Wolf Who Had No Story Part 2
Willy has to find a story to tell the little lamb to put him to sleep. But the wind blows him everywhere and he's not finding a story -- or is he? Copyright (c) 2016 by Michael Litzky
The Wolf Who Had No Story Part 3
What story did Willy get from the Old Man to tell the Little Lamb? Find out... Copyright (c) 2016 by Michael Litzky
Willy Goes to the Hospital
This is the story the kids ask for the most at daycares where I tell. Copyright (c) 2017 by Michael Litzky
The Ice King Makes the Sun Go Away, Part 1
The evil Ice King wants to freeze the world into a popsicle so he tricks the sun into hiding its golden face. Copyright (c) 2019 by Michael Litzky
The Ice King Makes the Sun Go Away, Part 2
Willy and Francesca start on a quest to bring the sun back!
The Ice King Makes the Sun Go Away, Part 3
Francesca has a secret plan to bring the sun back...
The Ice King Makes the Sun Go Away, Part 4
Can the North Wind blow Willy into the sky to bring the sun back?
The Ice King Makes the Sun Go Away, Part 5
The children of the world help Willy bring the sun back.
Willy, Don't Eat the Moss!
Mommy Wolf warns Willy, "Don't eat the moss on the walls of the cave, it could make you sick!" But Willy can't help himself...
Tales at Treehouse
The Old Woman in the Vinegar Bottle
Copyright (c) 2015 by Michael Litzky
Schnitzle, Schnotzle and Schnootzle
A Christmas story from the Austrian Tirol. Kids love when I do the baby voice for the youngest brother! Source: The Long Christmas, by Ruth Sawyer. This telling copyright (c) 2015 by Michael Litzky
The Winter Giant
Glooscap the warrior can't fight the Winter Giant. Join the kids in the spell which puts Glooscap to sleeeepppzzzzzz... Source: The Maid of the North, by Ethel Johnston Phelps. This telling copyright (c) 2016 by Michael Litzky
For Younger Viewers
The Haunted House: a Silly Ghost Story
Here's a tale that the kids love around Halloween time. Kids aren't scared of the ghost at all because the ghost is scared of them (after all, ghosts are made of clouds, how could a ghost hurt you?). Copyright (c) 2010 by Michael Litzky
The Dragon Earns His Name
I made up this story for some of the preschools where I'm the regular weekly storyteller. By the way, the "Wise One" sock puppet was made by my mother when I was a kid. Some of the puppets are made by Folkmanis Puppets. Copyright (c) 2010, Michael Litzky.
Elsa and the Evil Wizard
I found this Swedish folk tale in a collection called The Maid of the North: Feminist Folk Tales from Around the World
Francesca Learns to Fly
A baby flying squirrel learns to fly. Copyright (c) 2010, Michael Litzky.
For All Ages
Wiley and the Hairy Man
It seems that every storyteller has a version of this African American tale. I can't even remember who I first heard it from but you can find it in The People Could Fly
Coyote and the Wonderful News
The many native American tales of Coyote the trickster inspired me to make up my own. Copyright (c) 2010, Michael Litzky.
Crick and Crack
I first heard this Irish tale more than 20 years ago from a friend of the family. The faerie people in the story are not cute little elves with pointy hats. They are a proud and ancient people and a mortal who has dealings with them never knows what might happen...
Grandmother Spider Steals the Sun
My adaptation of a story that has its origins in several Native American cultures, including Muskogee and Cherokee. It's a perfect example of a "Pourquoi" story, a story which tells how something came to be. I first heard it from storyteller Mary Ellen Hill, who found it in Michael Caduto and Joseph Bruchac's Keepers of the Earth
Rapunzel: An Original Telling
The Grimm Brothers' version of this story is, well, grim. One day I was reading Max Lüthi's Once Upon a Time: On the Nature of Fairy Tales
Wisdom or Luck
I adapted this from a story in the Pantheon collection Yiddish Folktales
Live Performances
August 2, 2010: At Ardenwood Historic Farm for Park'n It Day Camp
In this first part, I tell a true story from Ardenwood's history. Note: in all three videos there is noise from the wind and you'll hear the occasional chicken cluck. Ardenwood is a working historic farm. In fact, if you look carefully, you'll see chickens strutting around in the background a few times. But I loved telling at Ardenwood. The place is a miracle: even though it's in the elbow where two freeways meet, it's quiet and peaceful (chickens notwithstanding). You feel like you're in an island of peace from the last century. It's a great place to take kids.
Part 2: The first half of "The Wolf Who Had No Story," an original puppet tale based on an old Irish legend. Some of the puppets are made by Folkmanis Puppets.
Part 3: The final half of "The Wolf Who Had No Story."
August 18, 2010: Treehouse Preschool, San Francisco, CA
Treehouse is one of the preschools at which I'm the regular weekly storyteller. I really enjoy telling there. The staff is great, the facility is cozy and sweet and they're always working on innovative projects. You can read more about them at their website or read an independent review here. Some of the puppets are made by Folkmanis Puppets.
There are two stories in the video. The first is called "The Old Woman and her Bear." It's a very sweet Inuit folk tale about an old woman who adopts a polar bear cub. The kids loved it when I first told it and asked for it many other times. The other is “The King’s Sneeze,” adapted from a Grimm’s tale. You’ll get to see my favorite puppets Willy the Wolf and Francesca the Flying Squirrel and several others. I hope you enjoy the stories. All original material is copyright © 2010 by Michael Litzky.
All site content © 2011, Michael Litzky