MYTH PACKET: Classical Greek; The Curse of Echo & Narcissus; Native American Indian: Six Wives Who Ate Onions; African: The Goat Well - This packet features myths drawn from three significant cultures. The entertaining stories are designed to build student appreciation of multi-cultural diversity by ways in which peoples have tried to understand Nature, the meaning of existence, and the search for comprehension of self and others. The project gives students the incentive to explain these and other myths in terms of modern scientific knowledge and various present-day cultural standards. Our Readers Theatre approach helps bring these unfamiliar but fascinating tales to vivid life through dramatic interaction. Casts; 5, 5, 5. Times: 20, 25, 15 mins. $15.95.

ABUNAWAS: A VERY CLEVER FELLOW - This authentic Ethiopian folk tale tells of a tricky servant who outwits his Emperor at every turn and finally wins power and riches instead of death. The humor and possibilities for vivid characterizations make this script especially desirable. It can serve for a study unit on other lands and customs. Cast: 5. $9.95


ANIMAL FABLES: “The Courtship of Arthur and Al,” “The Goose That Laid the Gilded Egg,” and “The Crow and the Oriole” by James Thurber - I - Discover 3 of Thurber’s most hilarious stories in which beavers, farmyard animals, and wild birds act as foolishly as their human counterparts. Students will love enacting these delightful fables by one of America’s most enduring humorists. Performance: 10 min. each. Casts: 5 each. $12.95


THE DRAGON PACKET: “The Tale of Custard the Dragon,” by Ogden Nash; “The Fifty-First Dragon,” by Heywood Broun; and “The Reluctant Dragon,” by Kenneth Grahame. - These classic selections are especially appealing to audiences of all ages who can appreciate high-spirited humor presented through satiric points of view. They range from simple verse to prose texts of increasing length and complexity. Custard tells the story of a naughty little girl who, along with her kitten, dog , and mouse, ridicules her cowardly pet dragon before a pirate attack. 51st Dragon pokes fun at our educational system by telling of a principal who gives a cowardly student a magic word to use in dragon fights. Reluctant Dragon shows how a young boy arranges a mock battle between St. George and the dragon when he discovers that both are equally good friends. Casts: 5 each. $12.95

THE FOUR MUSICIANS - A delightful retelling of the traditional tale of four aging animals who seek their fortune in the city. Cast: 7. 10 min. $7.95

FOUR UNCLE REMUS TALES: “Some Goes Up,” “ The Wonderful Tar-Baby,” “ The Briar Patch,” and “Saddle and Bridle” by Joel Chandler Harris - Here are 4 of the best-loved Uncle Remus stories -- an enduring part of our national literary heritage. The scripts are based on the original texts with the dialect edited for today’s young readers. These versions can be performed separately or together for a full program involving an entire classroom. Casts: 4 each. $11.95

A GIFT FOR MR. LINCOLN: History Packet, by Treasa Thomas - Becky and her father travel by wagon to Gettysburg with a muffler the girl has knitted for President Lincoln. There is an accident, and the kindly president comes to the rescue. This script combines an exciting and tender story with a wealth of historical fact and the full text of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The Director’s Prompt Book also includes two actual documents concerning a girl who wrote Lincoln asdvising him to grow a beard and his reply. Students are instructed how to make their own scripts out of this unusual material. Cast: 5. $10.95

HIAWATHA’S CHILDHOOD by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - This section of The Song of Hiawatha by America’s beloved poet takes the Indian hero from his infancy to manhood. It provides an opportunity to study poetry in the context of values belonging to a vanishing culture -- a vivid introduction to the Native American. Cast: 6, 2 drummers. $8.95

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK - This version revives the blood-chilling favorite in a novel retelling that offers new psychological motivations and an unusual conclusion. Cast: 6. $7.95

THE MAN WHO RODE A TIGER - This authentic Indian folk story tells of a simple man who mistakes a tiger for his donkey. Out of this situation arises a series of events that lead the man to wealth and fame. Hilarious comedy and striking action make this script an unusual opportunity for creative performance. It can serve for a study unit on other lands and customs. Cast: 5. $9.95

PETUNIA by Roger Duvoisin - This delightful story by a popular current author impresses young students with the importance of reading as Petunia, a silly goose who cannot read, gets her barnyard friends into one comic predicament after another. Cast: 9. $9.95

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN by Robert Browning - This famous poem is prepared with exceptionally thorough notes and background material that make it useful for a full unit of study as a poetry project. Cast: 5. 12 min. $9.95

PINOCCHIO by Carlo Collodi - This world masterpiece for the young of all ages contains one of the puppet’s most popular adventures -- his run away from school to the country called Funland where those who live only for pleasure become donkeys. Drawn from chapters 31-34, our treatment returns to the original story. Those acquainted only with the Disney film will be delighted to learn how rich, earthy, probing and truthful the Collodi creation is in our exciting and comic 30 minute version. Cast: 8. $11.95

“Self-Examination” from TOM SAWYER, by Mark Twain, and “The Mad Tea Party” from ALICE IN WONDERLAND, by Lewis Carroll: Two Classics. - These excerpts are an ideal introduction to two 19th-century masterpieces of humor for young people. Students will discover the richness of two famous stories, often enfeebled by television, motion picture and stage versions, through performance of the original texts. This packet recommends relating these classics to a comparative study project of Civil War America and Victorian England. Casts: 5 or 7 & 6. $9.95

THE SIGNIFYING MONKEY: How to Do RT Packet: - A classroom guide to making and staging RT scripts giving simple, step-by-step principles, illustrated by the delightful traditional poem about the Monkey and the Lion in an anonymous Harlem street language version. An easy and popular approach for students to adapt and stage materials for group performance. Cast: 4 (variable). $9.95

THE STORY OF LENGTHWISE by Ernestine Cobern Beyer - One of the most charming stories ever written about vocabulary. It tells of a bookworm who decides to eat a dictionary in order to face the outside world. The amusing events are recounted with wit and humor. An ideal script to motivate word study. Cast: 5. $9.95

TAMMY TORTOISE AND THE LEPRECHAUN by William Adams - A Tortoise who wants wings seeks out a fast-talking Leprechaun and has many exciting adventures as a result of her wish. Cast: 5. $7.95

THE THREE BEARS: Bilingual Packet. Available in Spanish-English or French-English versions. (Both versions differ from same title listed in Early Elementary Packets.) - Beginning Spanish and French students of any age will enjoy this script with a modern flavor. The popular folk tale is arranged for various bilingual approaches. The script can also be performed entirely in English. Specify which foreign language you wish. Cast: 6-12. $9.95

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ by L. Frank Baum - An edited version of the full novel, a popular favorite of young people for almost a century. Our script is divided into 4 parts. A cast of 8 can present the entire work, or 4 casts of 8 each for a total of 32 participants. All of the major events of the story are included using the author’s own words for a rich literary experience. Cast: 8 to 32. Approximately 15 minutes for each part. $14.95

SEE HIGH SCHOOL & ADULT SECTION FOR THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDED TITLES:

THE BALLAD OF THE OYSTERMAN; BILINGUAL PACKET: AESOP’S FABLES; THE ELEPHANT’S CHILD by Rudyard Kipling; PROLOGUE TO READERS THEATRE - II; THURBER FABLES II: THE LITTLE GIRL & THE WOLF and THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN