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“Gifts of Story” is a series of storytelling adaptations of stories by Aaron Shepard. You are welcome to tell these or any other stories by Aaron for fun or profit, except you may not sell recordings without permission. When performing, please mention the author and the children’s book, if any.Special features are available for most of the stories. These can include reader’s theater scripts, printable color posters, photo features, audio recordings, extended author notes, fun writing exercises, and alternate story versions. To find these features, follow links to Aaron’s Extras. For info on children’s books adapted for these versions, follow “About the Book” links or click or tap on the book covers.
For more stories, see Aaron’s World of Stories. For email notice of new stories, subscribe to Aaron’s Update.
Note: Bulleted links take you to different parts of this site.
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Besides browsing the detailed menu below, you can use Aaron’s Indexes to find stories, scripts, and picture books by title, age, genre, theme, country or region, historical period, ethnic group, religion, mythology, holiday, or activity. Or you can just run a search. |
GOS #1 ~ The Legend of Lightning Larry 
A cowboy with a huge smile, a gun that shoots bolts of light, and a hankering for lemonade takes on Evil‑Eye McNeevil’s outlaw gang.
GENRE: Fables (original), tall tales, humor
CULTURE: American (Western frontier)
THEME: Peacemaking
AUDIENCE AGES: 4–12, adult
LENGTH: 8 minutes
GOS #2 ~ The Legend of Slappy Hooper: An American Tall Tale 
Slappy is the world’s biggest, fastest, bestest sign painter, but he’s too good—his pictures keep coming to life.
GENRE: Tall tales, folktales
CULTURE: American
THEME: Pursuit of excellence
AUDIENCE AGES: 5–12, adult
LENGTH: 10 minutes
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Hear Cindy Killavey Tell!
The Legend of Slappy HooperFrom the CD
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GOS #3 ~ The Princess and the God: A Tale of Ancient India 
The princess Savitri must use all her wit and will to save her husband from the god of death.
GENRE: Myths, folktales, legends
CULTURE: Asian Indian (ancient), Hindu
THEME: Heroines, determination
AUDIENCE AGES: 7 and up
LENGTH: 10 minutes
GOS #4 ~ The Enchanted Storks: A Tale of Bagdad 
The Calif and his Vizier try a spell that changes them into storks, then find they can’t change back.
GENRE: Fairy tales, folktales
CULTURE: Iraqi, Middle Eastern
THEME: Recklessness
AUDIENCE AGES: 7 and up
LENGTH: 14 minutes
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Hear Sarah Saulter Tell!
The Enchanted StorksFrom the CD
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GOS #5 ~ The Gifts of the Grasscutter: A Tale of India and Pakistan 
Wali Dad, a humble grasscutter, never asked for wealth—so why can’t he give it away?
GENRE: Folktales
CULTURE: Asian Indian, Pakistani
THEME: Generosity
AUDIENCE AGES: 7 and up
LENGTH: 10 minutes
GOS #6 ~ Peddler Polly and the Story Stealer
The storytellers of Taletown are mysteriously losing their stories, while a stranger sells “storyboxes” in the town square.
GENRE: Fables (original), humor
CULTURE: ——
THEME: Electronic entertainment
AUDIENCE AGES: 9–12
LENGTH: 10 minutes
GOS #7 ~ The Baker’s Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale 
Van Amsterdam, the baker, is as honest as he can be—but he may have something left to learn.
GENRE: Legends, St. Nicholas tales
CULTURE: American (Dutch colonial)
THEME: Generosity
AUDIENCE AGES: 5 and up
LENGTH: 6 minutes
GOS #8 ~ The Battle of Song: A Northern Tale of Magic 
Excerpted, adapted from The Songs of Power
A young man faces an ancient one in a contest of magic.
GENRE: Epics, fantasy
CULTURE: Finnish
THEME: Boasting, generation gap
AUDIENCE AGES: 10 and up
LENGTH: 6 minutes
GOS #9 ~ The Calabash Kids: A Tale of Tanzania
The prayers of a lonely woman are answered when her gourds change into children.
GENRE: Folktales
CULTURE: African, Tanzanian
THEME: Name-calling
AUDIENCE AGES: 4–9
LENGTH: 8 minutes
GOS #10 ~ The Hidden One: A Native American Legend
The invisible hunter at the end of the village is sought as husband by every village maiden—but will Little Scarface even dare to try?
GENRE: Folktales, Cinderella tales
CULTURE: Native American, Canadian
THEME: Self-esteem, heroines
AUDIENCE AGES: 7 and up
LENGTH: 8 minutes
GOS #11 ~ Master Maid: A Tale of Norway 
When Leif goes to work for the troll, only the advice of a remarkable young woman can save him from his foolishness—if only he’ll listen!
GENRE: Folktales, tall tales
CULTURE: Norwegian
THEME: Stubbornness, heroines
AUDIENCE AGES: 5 and up
LENGTH: 12 minutes
GOS #12 ~ The Sea King’s Daughter: A Russian Legend 
A poor musician is invited to play in the Sea King’s palace, where he’s offered more than riches.
GENRE: Legends, folktales, epic ballads
CULTURE: Russian (medieval)
THEME: Making choices; value of arts
AUDIENCE AGES: 10 and up
LENGTH: 10 minutes
GOS #13 ~ The Crystal Heart: A Vietnamese Legend 
The mandarin’s daughter did not really see the boatman who sang from the river, but she’s sure he’s her destined love.
GENRE: Folktales
CULTURE: Vietnamese
THEME: Kindness, false imagining
AUDIENCE AGES: 7 and up
LENGTH: 10 minutes
GOS #14 ~ Forty Fortunes: A Tale of Iran 
When a young man’s wife makes him pose as a fortuneteller, his success is unpredictable.
GENRE: Folktales
CULTURE: Iranian (Persian), Middle Eastern
THEME: Pretension
AUDIENCE AGES: 7 and up
LENGTH: 10 minutes
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Hear Sarah Saulter Tell!
Forty FortunesFrom the CD
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GOS #15 ~ The Magic Brocade: A Tale of China 
To save his mother’s life, a young man must retrieve her weaving from the fairies of Sun Palace.
GENRE: Folktales
CULTURE: Chinese
THEME: Following dreams; creative process
AUDIENCE AGES: 4 and up
LENGTH: 12 minutes
GOS #16 ~ Master Man: A Tall Tale of Nigeria 
Shadusa thinks he’s the strongest man in the world—till he meets the real Master Man.
GENRE: Tall tales, folktales
CULTURE: West African, Nigerian
THEME: Machismo
AUDIENCE AGES: 4 and up
LENGTH: 10 minutes
GOS #17 ~ The Boy Who Wanted the Willies
Hans has never in his life been frightened—but a night in a haunted castle should finally give him his chance.
GENRE: Folktales, tall tales, ghost stories
CULTURE: German, European
THEME: Fearlessness
AUDIENCE AGES: 4–12
LENGTH: 10 minutes
GOS #18 ~ The Princess Mouse: A Tale of Finland 
When a young man seeks a wife by way of family tradition, he finds himself engaged to a mouse.
GENRE: Folktales
CULTURE: Finnish
THEME: Kindness, humility, integrity
AUDIENCE AGES: 4–12, adult
LENGTH: 12 minutes
GOS #19 ~ The Wicked Girl: A Tale of Turkey
A lovely slave girl matches wits with a handsome though bloodthirsty restaurant owner.
GENRE: Folktales, trickster tales
CULTURE: Turkish, Middle Eastern
THEME: Heroines
AUDIENCE AGES: 9 and up
LENGTH: 8 minutes
GOS #20 ~ More Than a Match
When the king’s most powerful warriors are defeated by a giant who’s blocking the road, the Wise One must find a way past.
GENRE: Fables (original)
CULTURE: ——
THEME: Means and ends, peacemaking
AUDIENCE AGES: 5–12, adult
LENGTH: 10 minutes
GOS #21 ~ The Christmas Truce 
A true story of peace in the midst of World War I.
GENRE: Historical fiction
CULTURE: European (World War I)
THEME: War and peace
AUDIENCE AGES: 10 and up
LENGTH: 12 minutes
GOS #22 ~ King o’ the Cats 
Peter is notorious for telling wild stories—so who will believe him now, with his crazy claims about cats?
GENRE: Folktales, tall tales, ghost stories
CULTURE: British (English)
THEME: Credibility
AUDIENCE AGES: 4–12, adult
LENGTH: 10 minutes
GOS #23 ~ The Adventures of Mouse Deer: Favorite Folk Tales of Southeast Asia 
Mouse Deer is small, and many animals want to eat him—but first they have to catch him!
GENRE: Folktales, trickster tales
CULTURE: Indonesian, Malaysian
THEME: Wits vs. power
AUDIENCE AGES: 4–9
LENGTH: 18 minutes (1 + 7 + 4 + 6)
GOS #24 ~ How Violence Is Ended: A Buddhist Legend
A prince must choose whether to heed his father’s last words or take revenge on the king who has killed both parents.
GENRE: Legends, fables, sacred stories
CULTURE: Buddhist, Asian Indian
THEME: Forgiveness
AUDIENCE AGES: 10 and up
LENGTH: 10 minutes
GOS #25 ~ Mop Top: A Tale of Norway
A wild princess must get back her sister’s head from a gang of troll girls.
GENRE: Folktales, tall tales
CULTURE: Norwegian
THEME: Heroines
AUDIENCE AGES: 5–12
LENGTH: 10 minutes
GOS #26 ~ When the Twins Went to War: A Fable of Far East Russia
The war-loving men of the Beldy clan are once more off to battle—but why are the wise young twins going with them?
GENRE: Folktales, fables, legends
CULTURE: Russian (Far East, native)
THEME: Militarism
AUDIENCE AGES: 7–12
LENGTH: 10 minutes
GOS #27 ~ One‑Eye! Two‑Eyes! Three‑Eyes!: A Very Grimm Fairy Tale 
Two‑Eyes is different from her sisters and others, because she has just two eyes.
GENRE: Folktales
CULTURE: German
THEME: Being different
AUDIENCE AGES: 7–12, adult
LENGTH: 12 minutes
GOS #28 ~ How Frog Went to Heaven: A Tale of Angola
Frog helps a young man who wants to marry the Sky Maiden.
GENRE: Folktales, myths
CULTURE: African, Angolan
THEME: Inventiveness, determination
AUDIENCE AGES: 3–9
LENGTH: 8 minutes
GOS #29 ~ The Millionaire Miser: A Buddhist Fable
Sushil is so stingy, even a god takes notice.
GENRE: Fables, folktales
CULTURE: Asian Indian, Buddhist
THEME: Stinginess
AUDIENCE AGES: 5–12
LENGTH: 7 minutes
GOS #30 ~ The Gifts of Friday Eve: A Tale of Iran
Though a woodcutter’s luck could hardly be worse, help is closer than he knows.
GENRE: Folktales, fables
CULTURE: Iranian (Persian), Middle Eastern
THEME: Thankfulness, sharing
AUDIENCE AGES: 5–12
LENGTH: 8 minutes
GOS #31 ~ Quackling: A Not-Too-Grimm Fairy Tale 
After waiting in vain for the King to repay a loan, Quackling wants his money back.
GENRE: Folktales
CULTURE: France
THEME: Benefits of friendship
AUDIENCE AGES: 3–9
LENGTH: 5 minutes
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For more stories, see Aaron’s World of Stories.
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