SUMMER GIVEAWAY: Jim Weiss Storytelling CDs

7/3/13 - GIVEAWAY OVER. Congratulations to my three winners - Fibia, Michelle, and Lee Anne!  And thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway - enjoyed all your comments, and I'm so happy to have new followers.  Remember to look for Jim Weiss' wonderful recordings at your local library!
As promised, here are the details of my SUMMER GIVEAWAY:  Story recordings by Jim Weiss to help pass the time on those family summer road trips!  I am thrilled to offer three (3) lucky winners each an autographed Storytelling Recording CD of their choice from Greathall Productions.

Not familiar with acclaimed storyteller Jim Weiss?  I reviewed several our our family's favorite Jim Weiss audio story recordings on my blog post yesterday - go here.

How to Enter the Giveaway:

1. Sign in to the Rafflecopter widget (below) with your name and email. This is the only way to be officially entered into the giveaway! 
2. You will see a list of tasks with big green buttons next to them. Each task has a point value. 
3. Click on the ones you want to complete and follow the instructions. Please note that it is not enough to just click the green buttons; you must also complete the task to earn the points. 
4. The more tasks you complete, the more times your name goes in the hat to increase your chances of winning. 

IMPORTANT: You must sign in to the Rafflecopter widget below in order to be “officially” entered in this giveaway! (Your email won’t be published or shared. I use emails only to contact the winner.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Details:

• The giveaway will be closed at 11:59 p.m., Tuesday, July 2, 2013 . 
• Winner will be announced on Wednesday, July 3, 2013. 
• In order to enter the contest, you must sign in to the Rafflecopter widget and complete at least one task. Winner is chosen randomly by Rafflecopter. 
• Giveaway is open to residents of the United States only. 
• The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter and contacted via email. If the winner does not respond with the requested contact information within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

Summer is a Time for Stories! Don't Miss These...

Giveaway time! What have I got to make that summer road trip a little bit easier?  Story Recordings!

I've partnered with Greathall Productions to give away three Jim Weiss Storytelling CDs!

My SUMMER GIVEAWAY STARTS TOMORROW, but today I want to introduce you to Jim Weiss and review some of his recordings.

"Jim Weiss is a master narrator especially when it comes to 
conversation…he takes on persona easily, 
male or female, young or old…" 

—AudioFile 

Jim Weiss brings stories to life with his voice, which is at once soothing and spellbinding.  He doesn't have the benefit of costumes or props, yet he has no trouble holding kids' (or their parents') attention. And he plays the part of a wide range of characters!

As I listened recently to Jim Weiss' skillful telling of The Jungle Book I was transported to Kipling's jungle - Jim does all the voices, of course: Mowgli; his "brothers" the Wolves; Bagheera; Baloo the Bear; Shere Khan; Messua (Mowgli's human mother); and more! 

Our family first came across Jim Weiss' stories back in the 1990's, through our homeschooling connections. The audio recordings (cassettes in those days!) were perfect to listen to on summer road trips. Our kids were entranced! 

Jim and his wife started Greathall Productions ("Intelligent entertainment for the thinking family") in 1989 and to date have produced over 47 storytelling recordings! You can navigate their website and not only find CD recordings grouped by age listening level, but also hear samples of many of the recordings.

Our family's favorite Jim Weiss storytelling recordings:
ARABIAN NIGHTS (ages 5 and up) We were definitely transported by these eloquently told tales of Scheherazade, including Jim's retelling of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves".

SHE & HE: ADVENTURES IN MYTHOLOGY (ages 5 and up)  This collection of several well-known Greek Myths was a perfect compliment to our unit study of Greece.

SHERLOCK HOLMES (ages 8 and up).  My husband and I were as entranced by Jim Weiss' retelling of these Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson stories as our kids!

Not to be Missed:
THE JUNGLE BOOK - If you think you know the whole story from the Disney movie, guess again!  Your kids will love Weiss's tellings of the stories of Rudyard Kipling: "Mowgli's Brothers"; "Tiger! Tiger"; "Red Dog"; and "The Spring Running". (ages 7 and up)

AMERICAN TALL TALES - These uproarious American folk stories will have you laughing out loud...You'll meet Paul Bunyan, taller than the trees and mightier than the rivers; Johnny Appleseed, whose gentle generosity make him a beloved legend; and Pecos Bill, whose outrageous Texas-sized exploits make him the greatest of all cowboys. (ages 5 and up)

BEST LOVED STORIES IN SONG AND DANCE - Three favorite tales (for girls and boys): "The Twelve Dancing Princesses"; "The Sleeping Beauty"; "Snow White and Rose Red".

Unabridged Narrated Books (these will not be included in my Giveaway, but I had to mention them!):
CARRY ON, MR. BOWDITCH (unabridged, ages 8 and up). A Newberry winner, the book is based on the the real life of Nathanael Bowditch, inventor of a new method for sea navigation: lunar reckoning. The story is set during the American Revolution, and is a touching biography of a worthy hero. I read this book to my kids, but I wish we would have had this recording! (6 1/2 hours on 6 CDs)
COME ON, SEABISCUIT!  - This is not the Hollywood version of this remarkable story! read my past post here.  (3 1/2 hours on 4 CDs)

Be sure to stop back by my blog tomorrow for details about how to enter my SUMMER GIVEAWAY of Jim Weiss Storytelling Recordings (giveaway runs 6/25 - 7/2/13)...  good luck!

A BRAVE JEWISH GIRL WHO SAVED HER PEOPLE...

The Jewish festival of Purim starts tonight at sundown and ends tomorrow at sundown. Whether or not you are familiar with the observance of this celebration, many of you may recognize its heroine, a brave Jewish girl named Esther.  Her story has always been special to me - (Click Here to read my post from last year).

Queen Esther Story Puppets - source here

Then Esther the queen answered and said, "If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.”

This year I want to highlight a recorded version of her story, expertly told by Jim Weiss in Tales From the Old Testament.

Included on the cd are the Biblical stories of:

• Abraham and the Idols
• The Story of Ruth
• Noah and the Ark
• Queen Esther
• David and Goliath
• David's Dance
• Wise King Solomon

Available through Greathall Productions, Inc. - found HERE.
To see my list of picture books about Queen Esther, go to my post HERE.