Ressources

Rainbow Tales. (CD with various tellers.) Cambridge, MA: Rounder Records Corp, 1997. Rounder Kids CD #8033. Approx 74 mins

Rainbow Tales, Too. (CD with various tellers.) Cambridge, MA: Rounder Records Corp, 1997. Rounder Kids CD # 8034 approx 74 mins.

I don't know when I've enjoyed collections of tellers as much as these. The CD’s are beautifully produced, from the great covers and excellent liner notes to, most importantly, the quality of the stories. You'll hear Donald Davis, Brother Blue, Carmen Deedy, Jay O'Callahan, Judith Black, Jackie Torrence, Garrison Keilor, J. Reneaux, Syd Lieberman, and Len Cabral among others.

A really nice touch is that Rainbow Tales, Too includes a middle school student who is a part of :he Roosevelt Troupe of tellers in Eugene,Oregon, a school based group which has been in existence for 25 years. Melissa Barkin did a creditable job and held her own among the nationally known tellers.

As you can imagine, the stories range widely in style and content. Some are told in two languages such as those by Michael Parent (English and French), and Olga Loya (English and Spanish)

Some are stories of real people such as Judith Black's powerful and moving story' of Mother Jones' march for children, and the warm personal stones of Carmen Deedy and J.J. Reneaux. Some are myth, all make for great listening. The liner notes have information on each of the tellers, including how to contact them for bookings. They make note, too, of the fact that the tellers,writers, and publishers of Rainbow Tales have donated their profits to benefit Grassroots Leadership, a non-profit organization that has worked since 1980 to help people in the South learn how to work together for a better world. Specifically these cd's will benefit the Barriers & Bridges program which works to help everyone understand and do something about the prejudices and hatreds which divide us. So now there is another reason to purchase these.

The CD's are perfect for family listening because they truly do have something for all ages to enjoy. Highly recommended.

Both recordings available from Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000003GA/?tag=wwwroundercom-20

Links from the rounders records website http://www.rounder.com/2011/03/albums/rainbow-tales

Rounder Records Corp. One Camp Street, Cambridge Massachusetts 02140. 617354-0700

The Second Story Review, Vol 3, No. 1, March 1998