Narrated by Rebecca Ehrenpreis
Summary:
A series of many kid stories.
Additional Comments:
- Dialogue is super stilted.
- Narrator’s performance was fine.
Spoilers possible
I get that children’s stories often don’t make much sense, especially those in this style (legend/folk tale). Still, there should be some logic to them.
Disclaimer:
I am NOT the right target audience for these stories. Those more versed in children’s tales likely have a more practiced sense of suspension of disbelief.
Story by Story Mini-Reviews
2.5/5 Why the Sea is Salty (some titles may be slightly different because I heard the audiobook).
Lacked logic. So, the little mill is responsible, but if the sea captain chucked it overboard and nothing ever stopped it, then the entire sea and world would eventually be filled with salt. Also, if the brother knew of the fiasco with his own brother, you’d think he would have said something to the sea captain before letting that little mill out of his sight. And further back, if the little mill could do most anything, why were the dwarves working? Also, there should be a bigger emphasis on magic because mills grind stuff down to powder. They don’t conjure stuff.
2/5 Fox and Eagle story (definitely not the title, but I forget the title):
So, the Fox is harassing the Eagle and essentially asking her to throw down her children so he’ll go away. When she drops him off on the island, he tricks the sea creatures into helping him escape. Clever of him, but that’s not exactly the moral I’d want a kid coming away with. (If you’re being a bully and somebody fights back, just trick somebody else into doing your bidding.)
2/5 Beaver and Indian story (also certainly not the title):
An Indian chief visits talking beavers and falls in love with the daughter. He then proceeds to marry her. Oh, and by the way, the heavens smile down on the union and decide to turn the beaver daughter into a human woman. Not to delve into adult business, but there are certain really big issues I have with the initial idea of a man falling in love with a beaver in any story outside of shapeshifter romance – and it’s ridiculous enough there.)
3/5 The Swift Runner:
A deer wins a race. A rabbit is disqualified.
3/5 Brother Rabbit:
A rabbit helps and Indian find his way home.
3/5 The Bag of Winds:
Eolis (sorry about spelling); sailors set the bag of winds free. Cute but nonsensical
3/5 The Fairy Tree
Somebody ate Flora’s pet fish. She prayed for the fish to come back as a tree and it did.
2.5/5 Gray Mole and the Indian
So, this Indian is taking a gray mole home, but stops for a nap and gets scorched by the sun. Mad at the sun, he decides to set a snare for the sun. The mole becomes an accomplice. Sun’s not too pleased about this and takes his wrath out on mole…so the mole goes blind. Once again, not sure I’m fully behind the morals in this story.
2/5 Boy Who Cried Wolf (Original Story by Aesop)
Not sure what the official version is but it sounds pretty darn close to the original. I looked it up and it’s a public domain work, which means the author did nothing wrong, just shady.
3/5 The Lion’s Share
Donkey fox and lion go hunting
They kill a wolf… donkey divides the spoils evenly and gets killed. The fox chooses a different division. While not necessarily making sense the system and moral actually works here.
2.5/5 The Wolves and the Deer
Wolves eat deer. Okay… pretty straightforward. Bizarre.
3/5 The Frog’s Travels
Frogs travel from Tokyo and Keyoto. Look back and see where they came from .
3/5 The Merchant’s Caravan
Men traveling get lost… find water, get where they’re going.
2/5 The Bonfire in the Sea
Fish light a fire. Because it’s magic. That’s why the sea is warm.
2/5 Robinson Crusoe (original story by Daniel Defoe)
Boy ran away. Ship got hit by pirates. Ended up in Brazil. Kid end up shipwrecked. Plunders the ship. Lives on the island. Dude saves Friday. Get rescued. Note: This is a public domain work, so this is legal. However, it’s still shady to republish a story abbreviation under your own name.
Conclusion:
With the amount of moral issues I had with this book, I’d personally skip it. That said, the narrator did a lovely job, and I would check out other works she’s done.
Audiobook Promotions …
If any of the links are broken (not sure what’s up with Audiobook Crave as of 3/7/20), please email me your interest in the book, I’ll see what codes are left.
Feb Promos on Audiobook Crave.com (requires email sign in):
5 Steps to Surviving Chemistry
Spirit’s Bane (Guardian Angel Files Book 1)
Kindred Spirits (Guardian Angel Files Book 2)
Violence in Vegas (Eagle Eyes Book 1)
Rescue in Reno (Eagle Eyes Book 2)
Danger in Dallas (Eagle Eyes Book 3)
Devya’s Children Series Links:
Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian.
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift.
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma.
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother.
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble.
Check out my other titles available on Audiobooks Unleashed:
Beyond Broken Pencils – contemporary, literary
Shadow Council Combo (Books 1-4)
(Alternately, the individual titles can be found on Audiobook Crave
SC 1: Money Makes it Deadlier
SC 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter
SC 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos
SC 4: Treachery Makes it Tense)
Eagle Eyes – mystery thriller
Scratched Off – mystery, thriller; FBI agent vs serial killer, more intense than Shadow Council/Eagle Eyes
Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy
The Collins Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 1, Christian mystery
The Kiverson Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 2, Christian mystery
The Davidson Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 3, Christian mystery
Other titles on Audiobook Crave (but buried deep):
5 Steps to Better Blurbs – for authors
Innova – Christian Dystopia
The Golden City Captives – short fantasy
Fatal Interest – short mystery/thriller
