No Tricks, Just Magic

Gr 2–6— Storyteller Megan Hicks interprets four traditional tales—"The Elves and the Shoemaker," "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," Davy and the Devil," and "Molly Whuppie"—plus one odd original story ("The Shoemaker and the Groundhogs") that will only be effective if used to introduce parodies to students planning to write their own. Hicks's narration is expressive and well-enunciated. However, her forte is not in changing each character's voice to match their dramatic personae. Simple guitar interludes introduce each story. "Davy and the Devil" is the best story, with a surprise ending that will evoke chuckles. Her rhythmic refrain for :Molly Whuppie:—"He ran and she ran, he ran and she ran"—draws the audience into the retelling. This CD could be part of a unit comparing different versions of traditional tales, and would appeal to first-time storytellers as an auditory method of learning and practicing fairy tales for performance.—Lonna Pierce, MacArthur Elementary School, Binghamton, NY