Homespun Tales: A Country-Flavored Collection Review

Seven great storytellers share six stories recorded live from the National Storytelling Festival on an audio-cassette entitled Homespun Tales: A Country-Flavored Collection. This tape is distributed by August House Publishers and lists a phone number of 800-525-4514 with ours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

Side One:

• The Snake and the Frog (time 2:58 by Doc McConnell) recounts looking for fishing bait in the strangest of places. With dry weather that got the Baptists to start "sprinkling" and the Methodists to "use a damp washcloth," Mr. McConnell's account might just surprise you at the end.
• The Farmer Who Vanished (time 5:45 by Kathryn Windham) tells of a ghost story. Ms. Windham mentions that a good ghost story can leave you wondering whether or not it actually happened. With a date and lots of details, Ms. Windham's delightful accent just might make you wonder if this story could be true.
• The Crack of Dawn (time 14:11 by Donald Davis) is one of my very favorite stories as he recounts how his floating great-aunt would come to stay at his house. It sounds like he learned quite a bit about life from her. She sounded like a pretty interesting character who had snuff complexion but was willing to save his hide regarding the white chanelle bedspread. After some sobering and strange news in the barn, Mr. Davis finally has all of his questions answered by a big oak tree. I also enjoyed a tape of several other stories by Donald Davis entitled Christmas at Grandma's.

Side Two

• Wiley and the Hairy Man (time 7:54 by Jackie Torrence) is one story that my 7-year-old and 5-year-old absolutely love. Mrs. Torrence had such a way of telling a story that people would laugh at the most mundane observations. Ms. Torrence lived in my husband's home town, and he had the opportunity to hear her speak several times. This story of a little boy walking through the woods and trying to escape the Hairy Man is much more funny than scary. My kids were especially enthralled when they heard what the Hairy Man wanted to do with a bundle of clothes and to hear how Wiley tried to get himself out of trouble since his mom did not see the milk turn red.
• The Foolish Bet (time 10:53 by Barbara Freeman and Connie Regan-Blake) is a delightful dual account of how two women tried to see whose husband was the biggest fool. With one old man a hypochondriac and the other making sure that he could see what only his wife claimed to see, this one had me laughing out loud. My husband did not find it nearly as funny as I did...I'm not quite sure why. Would the bet ever be settled between two women that seemed to always be "arguing and carrying on?"
• The Peddler's Dream (time 6:10 by Elizabeth Ellis) tells the story of an old peddler whose heart was much bigger than his pocketbook. The children loved him while the townspeople figured he would be asking for a handout soon. With no money and no food, the peddler resisted the directions of the angel in his dream two times, but perhaps he would heed the instructions the third time so that he would "hear what he was supposed to hear and see what he was supposed to see." This one has a delightful twist at the end!

My Viewpoint:

My Mom and Dad used to love to go to storytelling festivals and Mom mentioned that she had heard several of these great storytellers live. I would love to see them in person myself, but with three small children, a recorded version is about as close as I will get for now. Each of the storytellers has a distinct style in Homespun Tales: A Country-Flavored Collection, and I enjoyed all of the stories. Many people who tell stories today seem to get laughs out of putting other people down or using foul or obscene language. This tape does not use those tactics, and I think it is better for that. I know that Jackie Torrence has died, and I am glad to know that her stories, and these other great tales are recorded for people to enjoy for years to come.