Group of Cassettes
Here are the groups of cassettes that I have found thus far:
A Call to Character
1995 A Call to Character Tape One: A Family Treasury of stories, poems, plays, proverbs, and fables to guide the development of values for you and your children. Colin Greer & Herbert Kohl, editors. Performed by Frankie Faison and Karen Allen. Made in USA. NY: Harper Audio: HarperCollins Publishers. $3.99 from Book Express Online through Bibliofind, August, '97.
See my comments on the book of the same title and year, from which these selections are taken. I was disappointed that only a few fable materials are taken: on this first tape only the morals from student fables collected by Kohl (34; e.g. "Better to be old than bold!") and two other short materials on the second tape. The tape itself made delightful listening as I drove across Nebraska to attend Sarah FitzSimmons' wedding! The selections represent a noble effort to engage parents and their children in the discussion of values well depicted in classic literature. The tape may include a little too much preaching outside the literature itself. Still, it was a pleasure to hear!
1995 A Call to Character Tape Two: A Family Treasury of stories, poems, plays, proverbs, and fables to guide the development of values for you and your children. Colin Greer & Herbert Kohl, editors. Performed by Frankie Faison and Karen Allen. Made in USA. NY: Harper Audio: HarperCollins Publishers. $3.99 from Book Express Online through Bibliofind, August, '97.
See my comments both on the book of the same title and year, from which these selections are taken, and on Tape One. I was disappointed that only a few fable materials are taken: one selection on the first tape and two short materials here: Aesop's "The Lion and the Boar" (269) retold by Ann McGovern and, in the section on responsibility, "Fable" reported as anonymous (333). This latter is really Perry #36 with an oracle instead of the old man here asked whether what two young people hold in their hands is dead or alive.
Alific Language Plus
Here are thirty audio cassettes packaged with the booklets shown above. See the page of booklets and the page of workbooks packaged with each. Since the cassettes are uniform in their approach, I will give one description and then list the thirty specific cassettes.
The set of materials sold for 9800 Won includes the twenty-eight page colored booklet, a monochrome workbook, and an audio cassette. There are thirty such sets in the series. I can remember being overwhelmed when I saw them all on the wall in Kyobo; there were dozens of little kids sitting nearby dutifully reading books. The workbook has a number of activities based upon the story. Some of those activities involve the cassette. Each tape has lively musical background and good sound effects. Its first side is all in English. It first reads through the text in the colored booklet, with various native-speaker voices, and then takes up a number of the activities described in the workbook. It tells the story again completely at the end of the tape. The reverse side of the tape seems to be in Korean with a few pronunciations and spellings in English. The tapes follow the book exactly as their script. I have tried only Tapes 3 and 5 as tests.
2000 The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Bok-Tae. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 1: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Fox and the Goat Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Lee Han-Joong. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 2: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Flying Turtle Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Chun-Jung. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 3: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 9800 Won from Kyobo Book, July, '04.
2000 The Fox and the Crane Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Bak. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 4: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Foolish Donkey Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Chun-Jung. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 5: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Goose with the Golden Eggs Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Min-Jung. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 6: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Grasshopper and the Ants Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Lee Han-Joong. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 7: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Wind and the Sun Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Bok-Tae. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 8: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Lion in Love Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Bak. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 9: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Chun-Jung. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 10: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Monkey King Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Bak. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 11: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Old Lion Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Min-Jung. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 12: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Lion and the Mouse Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Min-Jung. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 13: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Father, His Son, and Their Donkey Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Lee Han-Joong. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 14: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Wolf and the House Dog Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Bok-Tae. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 15: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 Belling the Cat Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Bok-Tae. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 16: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Bear's Whisper Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Lee Han-Joong. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 17: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Fashionable Crow Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Chun-Jung. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 18: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Golden Ax Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Bak. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 19: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Frog and the Ox Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Chun-Jung. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 20: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Son and His Mother Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Lee Woo-Bum. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 21: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Farmer and the Eagle Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Lee Han-Joong. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 22: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Frog and the Mouse Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Bok-Tae. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 23: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Mosquito and the Lion Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Bak. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 24: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Rabbit and the Tortoise Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Chun-Jung. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 25: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Donkey in the Lion's Skin Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Bak. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 26: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Farmer and His Sons Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Lee Woo-Bum. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 27: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Dog and His Shadow Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Lee Woo-Bum. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 28: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Lion and the Deer Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Lee Han-Joong. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 29: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
2000 The Wolf and the Crane Work-Book. Retold by Kang Yoon-Chung. Illustrated by Kim Bok-Tae. Paperbound. Seoul: The Aesop's Fables for Children 30: Tyranno English Program: Alific Language Plus. 1000 Won from Alific Language Plus, Nov., '05.
Hachette La Fontaine
1973 Fables choisies de La Fontaine. Livres 1 à 3 et 3 à 5. Cassette 1. L'Encyclopédie Sonore Hachette sous la direction de Georges Hacquard. Illustration par Jacques Blanpain. Unknown source.
Excellent readings in French by an array of fine readers, sometimes with musical background. The readers are listed on the paper sleeve of this first tape. It surprises me that these cassettes were done so long ago.
1973 Fables choisies de La Fontaine. Livres 6 à 8 et 8 à 12. Cassette 2. L'Encyclopédie Sonore Hachette sous la direction de Georges Hacquard. Illustration par Jacques Blanpain. Unknown source.
Excellent readings in French by an array of fine readers, sometimes with musical background. The selections of both cassettes are listed on the paper sleeve of this second tape. It surprises me that these cassettes were done so long ago.
Interactive Publishing Corp.
1993 The City Mouse & the Country Mouse. Production Manager George Fleischman. Produced in USA. Interactive Publishing Corporation. $10 at the Omaha Computer Swap Meet, May, '98.
This audio cassette reproduces the narrative of the CD-ROM of the same name, year, and manufacturer. See my notes there. The text is copyrighted by National Textbook Company, the producers of Chiquita y Pepita (1978/89). Molly (CM) and Margaret (TM) are cousins. Molly invites Margaret to a party along with a number of friends. A large dog attacks in the city even before the mice get to food. Molly drinks some wine with Margaret helping by holding the glass. At dinner a cat attacks. Further, loud noises like the clock's bonging bother Molly.
1993 The Lion & the Mouse. Production Manager George Fleischman. Produced in USA. Interactive Publishing Corporation. $10 at the Omaha Computer Swap Meet, May, '98.
This audio cassette reproduces the narrative of the CD-ROM of the same name, year, and manufacturer. See my notes there. The text is copyrighted by National Textbook Company, the producers of Leonardo el León y Ramon el Ratón/Leonard the Lion and Raymond the Mouse (1978/90). Leonard and Marty are the characters here. The story is told in the present tense. "I don't make a good meal, but I do make a good friend" Marty pleads.
1993 The Tortoise & the Hare. Production Manager George Fleischman. Produced in USA. Interactive Publishing Corporation. $10 from Omaha Computer Swap Meet, May, '98.
This audio cassette reproduces the narrative of the CD-ROM of the same name, year, and manufacturer. See my notes there. The reading is enhanced with simple musical background and some sound effects. The text is copyrighted by National Textbook Company, the producers of Tina la Tortuga y Carlos el Conejo/Tina the Turtle and Carlos the Rabbit (1972/90). Richie and Tina are very good friends, but Richie wakes up one day in a very bad mood and cannot stop taunting Tina with the things she cannot do while he can. Tina gets angry and demands a race. Tina announces to him: "You go far little by little."
Newport Classic Library
1993 Aesop's Fables & Other Stories for Children. Five Audio Cassettes. Newport Classics Library. Laguna Niguel, CA: Newport Publishers. $9.99 from Carinthia Logan, Sials, AL, through Ebay, July, '03.
"Aesop's Fables" is the first of five cassettes. The others are "Snow White/Sleeping Beauty," "Nursery Rhymes," "Sense and Nonsense," and "Fiction and Fantasy." The fable cassette seems to run about fifteen minutes on each side. There is a short introduction to Aesop and fable. Each fable has an announced title and moral. The strength of the fable presentations here lies in two facets. First, there is fine musical accompaniment throughout, including a short orchestral climax after each moral. The second feature is surprising: the speakers use a variety of accents, including mock German, Hispanic, Italian, Eastern European, and Southern United States. The versions chosen are sometimes weak. The mouse, e.g., "happens by" the lion captured in a net. The audio quality is unfortunately less than excellent.
Open Your Ears
2005 Aesop's Fables 1-2. Xi'an, China: Open Your Ears: Xi'an Jiaotong University Press. $3 from peiyantu, Hangzhou, China, through eBay, Sept., '11.
This is one of two audio-cassettes accompanying a book of the same name. Apparently each of the four sides contains about ten fables. of the forty-one fables in the book. The book enhances each English text with vocabulary, translations, and "listening points." The cassettes present, after some opening Chinese, a reading of each of the fables with its listening points. These idiomatic phrases may be the strongest point of these tapes and of this combined publication. The tapes feature good native American speakers. I see some references to 2008 on the verso of the title-page, but I will trust the eBay seller's statement that the book was published in 2005 and that this is a copy of its first edition. All of the information on the cassettes except their numbers 1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b is in Chinese. There is a "3" on each side of each cassette; perhaps Aesop's Fables is the third book in the series "Open Your Ears."
2005 Aesop's Fables 3-4. Xi'an, China: Open Your Ears: Xi'an Jiaotong University Press. $3 from peiyantu, Hangzhou, China, through eBay, Sept., '11.
This is one of two audio-cassettes accompanying a book of the same name. Apparently each of the four sides contains about ten fables. of the forty-one fables in the book. The book enhances each English text with vocabulary, translations, and "listening points." The cassettes present, after some opening Chinese, a reading of each of the fables with its listening points. These idiomatic phrases may be the strongest point of these tapes and of this combined publication. The tapes feature good native American speakers. I see some references to 2008 on the verso of the title-page, but I will trust the eBay seller's statement that the book was published in 2005 and that this is a copy of its first edition. All of the information on the cassettes except their numbers 1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b is in Chinese. There is a "3" on each side of each cassette; perhaps Aesop's Fables is the third book in the series "Open Your Ears."
Society for Visual Education
1980 "The Crow and the Pitcher." Use with the book. Society for Visual Education, Inc. $1.39 from Barb Daniels, Lebanon , OR , through eBay, March, '04.
This tape presents with several voices exactly the words of the book of the same title and year. The tape runs just over five minutes. There are a few sound effects. The tape has been well used. The pitcher answers back when the crow says that she wants the water. In fact, the artist works hard to give the pitcher strong facial expressions. The not-so-swift pitcher opines that tossing pebbles to get water makes no sense. The pitcher is smart enough to notice at the end of the story that he is stuck with all the pebbles! I also have the book.
1980 "The Fox and the Crow." Use with the book. Society for Visual Education, Inc. $1.39 from Barb Daniels, Lebanon , OR , through eBay, March, '04.
This tape presents with several voices exactly the words of the book of the same title and year. The tape runs five minutes. There are a few sound effects. Vocal quality is good on this tape. The "caw" is particularly good here. This fox does the flattery of the female crow well. He starts with compliments on general beauty and feathers, and then moves on to the crow's eyes and her virtues. Only then does he move on to her voice. The crow moves down closer to hear his flattering whispers. I also have the book.
1980 "The Fox and the Grapes." Use with the book. Society for Visual Education, Inc. $1.39 from Barb Daniels, Lebanon OR , through eBay, March, '04.
This tape presents with several voices exactly the words of the book of the same title and year. The tape runs just under five minutes. There are a few sound effects. The tape has been well used. The vocal quality is sometimes poor. At one point in his leaping he touches the grapes. He tries to leap at them ten times. The fox admits at the end that the grapes look and smell good but claims that they do not taste good. "Good-bye, sour grapes," he says at the end. The narrator says that the fox hated something because he could not get it. I also have the book