Rabbit Ears Treasury of Animal Stories: How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin, How the Game Got His Hump, How the Leopard Got His Spots, The Monkey People

 

Title:  Rabbit Ears Treasury of Animal Stories: How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin, How the Game Got His Hump, How the Leopard Got His Spots, The Monkey People

Author:  Rabbit Ears

Genre:  Animals / Folktale / Manners / Respect / Africa / Colombia
Year Published: 2007

Year Read: 2009

Series: Rabbit Ears Treasury

Publisher:  Listening Library (Audio)

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 7+ (Some Rude Behavior)

“Rabbit Ears Treasury of Animal Stories” is one of the first audio CDs released from Rabbit Ears Entertainment (or Rabbit Ears Productions as I fondly love to call it) and this audio CD features four stories called “How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin,” “How the Camel Got His Hump,” “The Monkey People” and “How the Leopard Got His Spots.” Each story is narrated by a famous celebrity during the 80s and 90s and it will be an instant treat for anyone who is a huge fan of Rabbit Ears stories!

Since I have already reviewed some of these stories on separate reviews, I will just briefly summarize each story:

How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin
Told by: Jack Nicholson
Music by: Bobby McFerrin
When a rude rhinoceros eats the Parsee Man’s delicious cake, the Parsee Man starts to take revenge on the rude rhinoceros.

How the Camel Got His Hump
Told by: Jack Nicholson
Music by: Bobby McFerrin
When an arrogant camel refuses to do his share of work, it is up to the Djinn of all Deserts to set the camel straight.

The Monkey People
Told by: Raul Julia
Music by: Lee Ritenour
When an old man comes to a village full of lazy people and shows them monkeys cut out of leaves doing all the chores, the people learn the hard way about the importance of hard work.

How the Leopard Got His Spots
Told by: Danny Glover
Music by: Ladysmith Black Mambazo
When all the animals moved to the forest to hide from the Leopard and the Ethiopian, the Leopard and the Ethiopian must learn to camouflage themselves in order to eat to survive!

Oh my goodness! Imagine my surprise when I first heard about this animal series coming out on audio CD! I was so excited about listening to Jack Nicholson, Danny Glover and Raul Julia narrating these fantastic tales that I remembered from my youth! Each story was extremely interesting to the next story and the narrators and the musicians have both done an excellent job at narrating and providing appropriate music to each story. Out of all four stories featured on this audio CD, my favorites were “How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin” and “How the Camel Got His Hump” which were both narrated by Jack Nicholson and both had music by Bobby McFerrin. In both stories “How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin” and “How the Camel Got His Hump,” Jack Nicholson narrates both stories in an extremely silky voice that soothes you to the bone as you hear him narrate these stories and anyone who has seen Jack Nicholson in “The Shining,” will definitely be surprised at how calm he sounds in narrating these stories! Bobby McFerrin is truly magnificent in providing music for each story as he mainly uses his voice to create music for each story which brings so much creativity to the stories. Another story that I enjoyed on this disc was “How the Leopard Got His Spots” as I loved the way that Danny Glover narrates this story in an African accent which brings creativity to this story and Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s music is truly wonderful as they vocally sing in African tones.

Again, there is no book to go with this audio CD; however the narration and the music provided in this audio CD will help many fans still love this audio CD. 

All in all, “Rabbit Ears Treasury of Animal Stories” is a true treat for fans of the fantastic Rabbit Ears series and who love Jack Nicholson, Danny Glover and Raul Julia and I am sure that many children and adults will love this audio CD for many years to come! I would recommend this audio CD to children ages seven and up since the “Just So Stories” might be too complicated for younger children to understand.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen

 

Genre:  Denmark / Fairy Tale / Family / Romance
Year Published: 1989
Year Read:  1994

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

“Thumbelina” is one of the most cherished stories in the Rabbit Ears Storybook Classics series and is surely a classic in its own right. Kelly McGillis’ tender narration, along with Mark Isham’s memorizing music and David Johnson’s exquisite drawings, combine to make “Thumbelina” one of the tenderest stories in Rabbit Ears history.

Kelly McGillis’ narration is extremely tender as she makes this story extremely touching and soothing to watch and she also greatly expresses Thumbelina’s sorrow of being married to the mole in a sorrowful tone which brought life to that scene. Another great aspect of Kelly McGillis’ narration is that she provides a wide variety of vocal talents like Robin Williams when she uses a high-pitched voice to voice the field mouse and a croaking voice when she voices the toad. Mark Isham’s music is extremely soothing and memorizing to listen to and the scene where Mark Isham’s music takes center stage is in the scene where Thumbelina finds the flower angels’ kingdom as Mark Isham accompanies this scene with soothing guitar sounds. David Johnson’s illustrations are extremely beautiful and light toned especially when he illustrates Thumbelina as an extremely beautiful girl with blond hair wrapped up in a braided ponytail and who wears a blue overall dress. Also, the scene where there is an image of the white marble palace by the lake is extremely breathtaking as you can see the reflection of the palace in the lake.

“Thumbelina” is probably Rabbit Ears’ most beloved story and it will surely be an instant treat to children young and old. I would recommend this story to children ages three and older since it has nothing inappropriate for the children.

* 1989 Grammy Award Nomination for Best Recording for Children

 

Also reviewed at: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

Story Discussions #3: Pecos Bill (1988)

Hey everybody! Welcome to “Story Discussions,” where we talk about various Rabbit Ears stories each week and you can talk about what you liked or hated about the Rabbit Ears story we will discuss for that week.
This week’s Rabbit Ears story we will be discussing this week is:

Pecos Bill (1988)

Narrated by: Robin Williams
Music by: Ry Cooder
Illustrated by: Tim Raglin
Another personal favorite from the “Rabbit Ears: Storybook Classics” series, this tale was just so fun to read and I really enjoyed Robin Williams’ hilarious narration as he gave each character a lively personality and it made the story really interesting to sit through!  I also loved Ry Cooder’s music as it fits perfectly with the story’s western theme and also gives this story a very upbeat tone.  Tim Raglin’s illustrations further brings out the colorful world of this old tall tale as the landscapes that Pecos Bill visits are colorful and vibrant at the same time!
So, what did you liked or hated about Robin Williams’ narration on “Pecos Bill?”
Please feel free to answer below!

Story Discussions #1: The Velveteen Rabbit (1985)

 

Hey everybody! Welcome to the first ever “Story Discussions,” where we talk about various Rabbit Ears stories each week and you can talk about what you liked or hated about the Rabbit Ears story we will discuss for that week.

This week’s Rabbit Ears story we will be discussing this week is:

The Velveteen Rabbit (1985)

Narrated by: Meryl Streep

Music by: George Winston

Illustrated by: David Jorgensen

I actually enjoyed this version of “The Velveteen Rabbit” as Meryl Streep provided a sweet natured voice to accompany the narration of this story and George Winston’s music is soothing enough to listen to throughout this story.  I also loved the themes that this story tackle, such as what does it mean to be “real?”

So, what did you like or hated about Meryl Streep’s narration on “The Velveteen Rabbit?”

Please feel free to answer below!

How the Leopard Got His Spots by Rudyard Kipling

Genre: Africa / Changes / Friendship

Year Published: 1989

Year Read: 1994

Series: Storybook Classics

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

“How the Leopard Got His Spots” is the fourth of the “Just So Stories” to be introduced in the Rabbit Ears Storybook Classics Series. The story features narration from Danny Glover, African music from Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Lori Lohstoeter’s colorful and beautiful illustrations.

Danny Glover narrates the story with an African accent, making this story filled with an African culture feeling to the story. Also, Danny Glover’s narration is full of energy as he seems to be ecstatic about narrating this “Just So” story. Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s African influenced music is mostly filled with the vocal talents of each member and in perfect harmony, they create a soothing and energetic vocal sounding music that greatly enhances the African roots of the story. Lori Lohstoeter’s illustrations are beautiful and colorful as the illustrator masterfully illustrates each animal with vibrant colors, especially when they changed their colors. The illustrations that are the true highlights of this story are the images of the Leopard drawn as an extremely beautiful creature as he is mostly yellow at first and is more beautiful when his skin is full of purple and reddish spots. Also, the Ethiopian is drawn as a calm and chubby man and when he changes his colors, he becomes more vibrant as he gets darker.

The only problem I found with this story is that Danny Glover’s narration is a bit difficult to understand. Danny Glover sounds as if he has a sore throat when narrating this story as his voice tends to give out on him at certain times such as, when he was describing the animals in the High Veldt and you can barely hear the words “Eland” and “Hartebeest” since his voice gets soft at these words.

“How the Leopard Got His Spots” is another classic from the “Just So Stories” collection and is truly a memorizing story about going through changes in life. This story is probably the most energetic and attractive of the four “Just So Stories” introduced on Rabbit Ears and is surely to delight children ages eight and up.

1989  Parents’ Choice– Honor Award – Silver

1990  Grammy Award Nomination – Best Recording for Children

1990 Action for Children’s Television (ACT) Award

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

The Fisherman and his Wife by Eric Metaxas

 

Genre: Fairy Tale / Drama / Family / Magic

Year Published: 1989

Year Read: 1993

Series: Storybook Classics

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

Most of the Rabbit Ears Series that I have seen were mostly aimed at children and would not contain material objectionable to younger children. However, The Fisherman and his Wife was the first story from Rabbit Ears that I have watched that actually kept me at the edge of my seat. The illustrations, the music, and the overall mood of the story are somewhat intense and gloomy at the same time, which has become one of my most watched Rabbit Ears story other than “The Fool and the Flying Ship.”

Like every Rabbit Ears story, there is a combination of narration from various celebrities, music, and illustrations to complement to the story without using animation to tell the story. The Fisherman and his Wife is no different from the other Rabbit Ears stories and is narrated by none other than Jodie Foster. Jodie Foster’s narration is monotonic as she speaks solely in a gloomy tone giving the story a mysterious edge. Diana Bryan’s dark silhouette illustrations enhances the story by creating frightening allusions for the story such as the large appearance of the flounder and scenes where the sea changes color dramatically from light blue to dark purple when the storm is approaching towards the fisherman. Van Dyke Parks’ music is extremely mesmerizing as the music resembles a sort of old England tune giving the story a mysterious yet elegant feeling that ranges from the fisherman’s mysterious encounter with the flounder to the elegant lifestyle of the fisherman’s wife.

Parents should know that younger children may be frightened by this video because of the intense scenes involved in this video. One such intense scene involves the storm causing chaos where it goes, as dark silhouette houses and boulders come crashing down the hill and bright flashes of lightning fill the screen every few seconds. Also, to add to the intensity of the storm scene, when the fisherman approaches the sea, the sea starts changing colors drastically from a lively blue color to a dark and foreboding purple color. Many children may find the disturbing images, such as the brief scene where the flounder’s eyes turn red during the storm and the dark silhouette images of the boulders and clouds overwhelming the screen, to be frightening indeed. However, this scene is not as bad as those gory scenes you would find in horror movies nowadays.

The Fisherman and his Wife is simply perfect and breathtaking. The images by Diana Bryan bring an eerie feel to the story but keeps the story fast-paced. Also, I enjoy how the moral of the story was established by starting off with the fisherman’s wife wanting to be more powerful than anyone and then suddenly she loses all that power because she was so greedy. This moral applies to anyone who want many materialistic things but ends up losing everything in the end. Despite the intense scenes, this video is worth watching over and over again.

1989 Parents’ Choice – Honor Award – Silver

 

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

Genre: Halloween / Horror / Romance

Year Published: 1988

Year Read: 2009

Series: Storybook Classics

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is another fantastic story from Rabbit Ears’  “Storybook Classic” series.  Everyone knows the famous story of Icabod Crane and his encounter with the Headless Horseman.  “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is one of the greatest stories ever created by Washington Irving and with Glenn Close’s haunting narration along with Tim Story’s eerie music and Robert Van Nutt’s beautiful yet haunting illustrations makes this one classic that no one will ever miss!

Glenn Close’s narration is haunting and tender at the same time throughout this video.  Glenn Close  is extremely tender in her tone of voice when she narrates the peaceful life of Icabod Crane and when the Headless Horseman is mentioned, Glenn Close’ s voice suddenly gets dark and frightening, especially during the scene where the Headless Horseman starts chasing Icabod.  Tim Story’s music is tranquil yet haunting at the same time especially during the scenes of the Headless Horseman where his music gets a spooky tone and intensifies when the Headless Horseman starts chasing Icabod.  Robert Van Nutt’s illustrations are beautiful, especially of the illustration of Katrina Van Tassel herself with her golden and curly hair and beautiful blue eyes.  Robert Van Nutt’s illustrations are also haunting especially of the image of the Headless Horseman being shown as a silhouette and spouting a scary looking pumpkin head which he carries in his arms.

 

Parents should know that there are some genuinely scary scenes in this video that makes “The Fisherman and His Wife” look like a friendly family video.  The scenes with the Headless Horseman are extremely intense especially towards the end of the video where it chases Icabod around the town.  Also, parents might be concern about the use of “hell” in this video as this video is aimed towards children.  Parents might want to see this video first before they show it to their children just to see of their children can handle the scary scenes in this story and also teach their children about how the word “hell” is used in this video as it is use in context to the underworld.

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is probably Rabbit Ears’ scariest tale ever created and is also a very moving video for children who love romance and horror combined into one story.  Children will certainly fall in love with this video for its tranquil beginning about Icabod’s life and the horror that the Headless Horseman brings into the story.  I would recommend this video to children ages seven and up due to many scenes that can be frightening to smaller children and because of the use of the word “hell” mentioned two times in the video.

1988 Grammy Award Nomination – Best Recording for Children

1989 Parents Magazine – The Year’s Best for Kids

1989 Action for Children’s Television (ACT) – Broadcast Series

1989 Parents’ Choice – Gold Seal Award for Video

1989 National Academy of Cable Programming (ACE) Award Nomination Children’s Programming 8 and younger

Media and Methods Portfolio

 

 

Also reviewed at: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

 

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

Genre:  Fantasy / Toys / Drama

Year Published:  1985

Year Read: 2010

Series: Storybook Classics

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

“The Velveteen Rabbit” is Rabbit Ears’ first classic story that is based off of Margery Williams’ popular tale and it is about how a toy rabbit learns the true meaning of being real. With Meryl Streep’s tender narration, George Winston’s soft music and David Jorgensen’s beautiful illustrations, “The Velveteen Rabbit” is an instant classic that children will watch over and over again.

What made this video truly memorable was Meryl Streep’s tender and soothing narration. Meryl Streep gives the story a very subtle mood by narrating in a graceful and soft-spoken tone that many children will be mesmerized by her narration. Meryl Streep has also done a brilliant job at expressing the various emotions that each of the characters experience throughout the story. The scene where I think that Meryl Streep’s narration stood out the most was the scene where the real rabbits tell the Velveteen Rabbit that he is not real and the Velveteen Rabbit begins to cry and Meryl Streep actually sounds like she is about to cry in this scene which truly brought out the realism of the situation in this scene. George Winston’s piano solo music is extremely beautiful and engaging, as his music is both happy and sorrowful, depending on the scene. The scene where I think that George Winston’s musical abilities truly shine was the scene where one of the real rabbits was dancing in front of the Velveteen Rabbit and George Winston plays the piano in such a dramatic and fast paced tone that I found myself loving every second of that scene. The video’s true highlight is David Jorgensen’s illustrations as they are extremely beautiful and captivating. David Jorgensen makes all the characters look extremely realistic, which gives the story a sense of realism and the images that stood out the most to me were the images of the real rabbits, as they look realistic and beautiful.

“The Velveteen Rabbit” is a beautiful story about knowing the importance of true love and children will easily relate to this story as they will feel sympathy for the Velveteen Rabbit trying to find the true meaning of being real. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since small children might be upset at the fact that the Velveteen Rabbit feels upset when he realizes he is not like the other real rabbits.

1985 National Association of Record Manufacturers (NARM) – Best Selling Children’s Album

1985 New York International Film and TV Festival – Gold Medal

1985 Chicago International Film Festival – Silver Plaque

1985 Birmingham International Educational Film Festival – Best Early Childhood Videotape

1985 American Film Festival – Finalist

1985 Houston International Film Festival – Finalist

1985 Redbook Magazine – Listed Among the 15 Best Illustrated Children’s Books

1986 Grammy Award Nomination – Best Recording for Children

1986 Action for Children’s Television (ACT) Award

1986 American Film Festival – Finalist

1986 CINE Golden Eagle Award

1986 Parents’ Choice – Parents’ Choice Award for Recording

 

 

Also reviewed at: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

The Elephant’s Child by Rudyard Kipling

Genre: Animal / Drama / Humor

Year Published: 1986

Year Read: 2007

Series: Storybook Classics

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

“The Elephant’s Child” is the first “Just so” story introduced in the Rabbit Ears Storybook Classics series and is easily one of Rabbit Ears’ finest videos since it won a Grammy Award in the late 80s. Jack Nicholson’s silky narration, along with Bobby McFerrin’s harmonic music and Tim Raglin’s colorful illustrations makes “The Elephant’s Child” a worthwhile treat for the whole family to enjoy.

Jack Nicholson’s narration is extremely silk and sarcastic as he narrates an Elephant’s Child’s efforts to find out what the crocodile has for dinner. Jack Nicholson’s best vocal performance would have to be for the Elephant’s Child and the Bi-Colored-Python-Rock Snake. With the Elephant’s Child, Jack Nicholson uses a high pitched and childlike voice to reinforce the adolescence of the Elephant’s Child’s nature and with the Bi-Colored-Python-Rock-Snake, Jack Nicholson makes a snake sound each time he reaches a word that contains the s-syllable. Bobby McFerrin’s music is lovely as he makes harmonic sounds using his voice and his ability to create various sounds from his mouth to make music. Bobby McFerrin’s music creates a mesmerizing atmosphere to the story as his voice sounds like it is so far off the distance. Tim Raglin’s illustrations are brilliant and colorful, especially of the forest where the Elephant’s Child lives in as the trees are green and pink. The illustrations that stood out the most was the illustration of the Elephant’s Child having no trunk as his nose looks like a little stub on his face.

Parents should know that there is quite a bit of violence on this video, mainly of the Elephant’s Child being spanked throughout the video. There is also a bit of violence when the Elephant’s Child encounters the crocodile, but you probably can guess what is going to happen without me spoiling the ending for you. Parents should reassure their children that violence is not always the answer to solve your problems and you should not spank your child just because he or she is curious about the world. Just try to explain to your child about the trials of the world in terms simple enough for your child to understand.

The Elephant’s Child” is a great piece of work from Rabbit Ears Productions and it surely has enough humor and action that will satisfy any child for many years to come. I would recommend this video to children ages eight and up due to some advanced vocabulary that younger children might not understand and some violence that might worry some small children.

1986 New York International Film and TV Festival – Finalist Certificate

1986 Parents’ Choice – Honor Certificate

1987 Grammy Award – Best Recording for Children

1987 Action for Children’s Television (ACT) Award

1987 American Video Conference (AVC) – Finalist

1987  Parents’ Choice – Gold Seal for Recording

 

 

Also reviewed at: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

Pecos Bill by Brian Gleeson

Genre: Western / Humor / Adventure / Tall Tale

Year Published: 1988

Year Read: 2007

Series: Storybook Classics

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books

In the 80’s Rabbit Ears had made their trademark as one of the most popular series for children. “Pecos Bill” is no exception as this story won numerous Grammy Awards. With Robin Williams’ narration, Tim Raglin’s drawings, and Ry Cooder’s music, “Pecos Bill” is surely a story you will want to watch over and over again.

Robin Williams’ narration, Ry Cooder’s music and Tim Raglin’s illustrations are the true highlights of this story. First off, Robin Williams narrates with high-energy and a cowboy accent to boot. Whenever, Pecos Bill goes through any peril, Robin Williams is loud and excited about the situation as if he was there when Bill performed these spectacular acts. Next on the list is Ry Cooder’s country music. Ry Cooder’s solo guitar performance has provided the perfect mood for the story, going from a light and happy tune highlighting Pecos Bill’s early adventures to dark and intense when Pecos Bill goes against the cyclone, which Cooder’s music may have foreshadowed Pecos Bill’s disappearance from Texas in this scene. Finally, Tim Raglin’s colorful illustrations have greatly influence the mood of this story. Raglin’s drawings are colorful and rich as he greatly details the plains and the cyclone in fluent colors. Raglin also illustrates Pecos Bill’s life in a humorous way, such as, the scene where Pecos Bill is shown throwing around the rattlesnake like a lasso. Tim Raglin’s highlighted illustration was of Pecos Bill himself, as Pecos Bill is drawn with white, fluffy pants, a polka-dotted handkerchief, and suave red hair that make him have the appearance of a true hero.

“Pecos Bill” was considered to be Rabbit Ears finest half-hour story. Well, I think that they were right about that. “Pecos Bill” has everything that you would expect from a natural cowboy movie. The story has loads of adventure, comedy, romance, and suspense and each scene describing these genres is greatly enhanced by the narration, drawings and illustrations. “Pecos Bill” is loads of laughs and shocks and is a perfect film for the entire family.

1988 Grammy Award – Best Recording for Children

1988 Parents’ Choice – Best Video of Children in 1988
1989 American Library Association – Notable Children’s Recording

1989 American Film and Video Festival – Red Ribbon

1989 International Monitor Awards – Best in Children’s Programming
1989 Media and Methods Portfolio
1990 CINE Golden Eagle Award
1992 Parents’ Choice – Classic Award

 

 

Also reviewed at:  Rabbit Ears Book Blog