Bedtime Stories Podcast Fairytales and Folk Tales from the Lilypad for kids

An original story about a girl finding her way through a dark forest with a little help from hundreds and hundreds of bunnies. 

This is a spin off of Ray Bradbury's 1955 Book "Switch On The Night," reprised and remixed for modern listeners by Marlene Wurfel.  What do we switch on when we switch off our electronics?  Non-commercial story for kids & family, Copyright is Fair Use  Intro and Outro Music by Reid Alexander Whelton    

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Lily. This is calming, meditative story about a star suit that fits you just right. Put it on to travel through the clouds, dance with the Northern Lights, and visit the stars. "See" Great Bear (Ursa Major), Cygnus, Sirius, Tama Rereti, and other constellations.  Original script and narration by Marlene Wurfel Audio Mix Features Creative Commons Music via YouTube Studio:  Peacefully by E's Jammy Jams Angel Guides by Jesse Gallagher Shasta Trinity by Jesse Gallagher Owls by Lish Grooves Cosmic Groove Space Travel by Cooper Cannell #starlore #cygnus #ursamajor #sirius #greatbear

An original tale of skeletons who get a chance to dance and play one magical halloween night in a spooky boneyard.  Music: Corny Candy by The Soundlings and Among the Stars by Everet Almond.   

Three stories that explore the relationship between dandelions and the wisdom of children.  The Dandelion Who Couldn't Roar is an original fable by Marlene Wurfel for Tales from the Lilypad The Legend of the Flower Fairy is based on an Aesop's Fable, rewritten and rearranged by M Wurfel The third story about dandelions in the garden is based on a traditional Sufi tale and rewritten and rearranged for TFTL by M Wurfel Intro and Outro music by Reid Alexander Whelton Acoustic music featured Acoustic Guitar by ViraMiller -- https://freesound.org/s/744879/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

A 2016 story re-released form the vaults. An original story, dedicated to the best dog ever, for Tales from the Lilypad by Marlene Wurfel.   

The Nightingale by Marlene Wurfel Rewritten and rearranged from the Hans Christian Anderson literary fairytale version Intro Outro Music by Reid Alexander Whelton The story of an Emporer, his empire, and a little brown bird whose voice has the power to change the world, something like yours does. 

Beautiful listeners, this is Lily's Christmas card to you. Evergreen is a 10-minute calming mediation for kids and family, wishing your love, light, rest, relaxation and growth in the New Year.   

A Finnish fairy tale re-written and re-told for Tales from the Lilypad by Marlene Wurfel. Eino must look for a sweetheart but gets lost in the Dark Woods. Then he sees a little cottage with a bright light in the window and smoke curling up from the chimney. Could his true love be inside? 

A camping story forged in some of Canada's beautiful national and provincial parks, with gratitude to all the squirrels who helped write, voice, and edit this episode.  A Tales from the Lilypad original inspired by Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit: Peter Squirrel knows he shouldn't hang around Campsite #11, his father had a terrible accident there, but it smells like marshmallows and cookies.  Original music by Reid Alexander Whelton

A version of The Little People by Carmen Sylva, Queen of Roumania (1901). Edited, annotated and re-arranged by Marlene Wurfel. Music Intro by Reid Alexander Whelton.

Lily finds this old folktale about the origins of wooden shoes, The Netherlands, and gnomes to have a fascinating and different way of looking at our relationship with nature. It's rewritten and rearranged for Tales from the Lilypad by Marlene Wurfel. “The Legend of the Wooden Shoe” is adapted from a 1918 version in English by William Elliot Griffis in Dutch Fairytales for Young Folks.  Original music composed by Reid Alexander Whelton for Tales from the Lilypad. Project Gutenberg link to eBook version of Dutch Fairytales for Young Folks: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/7871/pg7871-images.html  

Peace, love & joy from Lily to you! Music by DJ Williams courtesy YouTube Audio Library

This poem is inspired by the land and literature of Yukon, Canada  

“The Orange Shirt Story” read by author Phyllis Webstad with permission from Medicine Wheel Education www.medicinewheel.education This is the true story of a little girl and her very important orange shirt. Six-year-old Phyllis Webstad was as excited to wear her shiny new orange shirt as she was to attend school for the first time. But her first day at the St. Joseph Mission near Williams Lake, BC was nothing like she expected. Her orange shirt was taken away from her, never to be returned. Since 2013, each year on September 30th, we wear orange to honour the Residential School survivors like Phyllis. We honour their experiences and the experiences of their families. Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity for Indigenous Peoples, local governments, schools and communities to all come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for future generations of children. It is a day to reaffirm that EVERY CHILD MATTERS. Music by Alexander Reid Whelton For more information about Orange Shirt Day visit www.orangeshirtday.org Books available: medicinewheelpublishing.com/collections/english-books/products/the-orange-shirt-story  

A chocolate lab named Thor is caught in a summer storm. He catches something in the rain: a storm fairy.  A Tales From the Lilypad original story by Marlene Wurfel Music: Midsummer Sky by Kevin MacLeod & Danse Macabre by Kevin MacLeod Storm sounds courtesy of a Creative Commons Licence via freesound.org Midsummer Sky by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100158 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ Danse Macabre - Busy Strings by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100556 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Lily is back for Season II of Tales from the Lilypad with an original story by Marlene Wurfel: The Moosicorn Part III. Mordecai is taking magic lessons from the Aurora Borealis. But what was his homework? Intro Music by Reid Alexander Whelton Sound Effects courtesy and Creative Commons Licence via freesound.org  Lake sounds and warbler sounds by BenBonCan, Story Logo sound by SergeQuadrado

Update: Lily is just fine but still hibernating. She'll be back in May with a brand new season of Tales from the Lilypad Bedtime Stories and Folk Tales.  Looking to stream older stories? Visit talesfromthelilypad.com Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify subscribers can search for "Best of Tales from the Lilypad" to find the Best of Tales from the Lilypad Sleep Stories and Best of Tales from the Lilypad Stories albums. Music for this episode "Bedtime" courtesy Reed Mathis 

You are the hero of this audio adventure through a dreamscape. Happy New Year 2022! Wishing you great sleeps, much growth, and big love.  Story, voicework, and audio mix by Marlene Wurfel > www.marlenewurfel.com Train sounds & miscellaneous by: Benboncan; Caquet; Mredig & Inspector J via a Creative Commons Attribution Licence freesound.org https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music A Simple Lullaby by Jesse Keller via Jamendo Blue Dream by Cheel via YouTube audio library Sea of Ancestry by Jesse Gallagher via YouTube audio library Snowy Peaks by Chris Haugen via YouTube audio library * Emily Carr and Woo are real historical figures you can learn more about :)

From deep in the Tales from the Lilypad archive (2016) an original Christmas story by Marlene Wurfel. Joy! Magic! Sweetness! This story is about mice who live in a Candy Cane factory and the kind janitor who finds their village under the pile of rejected boxes. 

Happy Halloween to my favourite witches, ghosts, fairies, gnomes, golems, princesses, ghostbusters, Cruellas, Ted Lassos, dragon protectors, cats, mice, zombies, doctors, pokemons, skeletons, clowns, superheroes, athletes, jack-o-lanterns, and dinosaurs.  Three stories about a tiny family that lives in a pumpkin, a little ghost who learns a lesson about overcoming his fears from a smart little witch, and a sequel to Twin Baby Unicorn's called The Witch's Recovery.  "The Tiny Family Who Lives in a Pumpkin" and "Boo" by Marlene Wurfel "The Witch's Recovery" by Tiffany Passey Music: Tiptoe out the Back by Dan 'Lebo' Leibowitz courtesy YouTube Audio Library

This Tales from the Lilypad original by Marlene Wurfel is a story within a story within a story. Enjoy!  Original intro and outro music by Reid Alexander Whelton. 

A blend of storytelling, ambient music and meditation celebrating the changing of seasons and the starry night sky. Ochek the Fisher from Cree star lore, Orion's dogs Canis Major & Canis Minor from Roman antiquity, the Blackfoot story of Lost Children in the stars, Lyra the Harp and Cetus the Whale reinvented plus Inuit, Indian, Ukrainian & Chinese mythologies combined in this episode with love to and from the stars and everyone who has gazed up at them and told a story. Orca sounds from www.orcaresearch.org  

Ranchland gnomes Tumbles and Hilda, and their twins River and Kit, help gophers afraid of a rattlesnake. 

The classic folk tale Stone Soup is about soldiers traveling home after a war. The villagers they meet are afraid of strangers and have forgotten how to be neighbors. Stoen Soup, like all great folktales, has a perennial and new relevance for 2021. This version is especially for Tales from the Lilypad by Marlene Wurfel.

In this episode, Lily answers questions from listeners including the number 1 question: Are you really a frog? & Where can I find older episodes? Answer: www.talesfromthelilypad.com Kids can email letters & pictures to: talesfromthelilypad@gmail.com Or, message through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talesfromthelilypad Music for this episode: Camping by Matti Paalanen Sound effects courtesy Creative Commons Licences via www.freesound.org    

Happy Spring! Three of Aesop's fables rewritten and rearranged for young audiences by Marlene Wurfel for Tales from the Lilypad.  The Lark and Her Young Ones The Plane Tree & The Gnat and the Ox Original music by Reid Alexander Whelton

A Tales from the Lilypad literary fairytale by Marlene Wurfel. A re-smashing, re-mixing, re-arranging and retelling of A.A. Milne's "Prince Rabbit."  Intro and Outro music created for Tales from the Lilypad by Reid Alexander Whelton.

Another original story written by Marlene Wurfel especially for Tales from the Lilypad listeners everywhere. Return to the Crystal Castle with an ambitious princess for some adventure in the moonlight. Will Princess Dee succeed in a heroes quest?  Intro music by Reid Alexander Whelton FairyTale Waltz by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100232 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Chuckles is a snow gnome who performs a daring rescue of a wolverine in this original story by Marlene Wurfel for Tales from the Lilypad. New music by Reid Alexander Whelton.  Sound effects courtesy Creative Commons Universal Public Domain Licence and a Creative Commons Attribution Licence via freesound.org. Thank you Pedaling Prince.

Happy New Year from Lily and Josephine (as Linda Dawn) This largely forgotten but wonderful fairytale is written and rearranged by Marlene Wurfel, based on the concept and story by the American fabulist Emilie Poulsson (1853-1939) Music: “English Country Garden” & “Apline Bierhalle” & “Christmas Homecoming” by Aaron Kenny courtesy YouTube Audio Library Auld Lang Syne (Instrumental) by the Jingle Punks courtesy YouTube Audio Library Sound effect attributions:  “Fairy Logo” by DDmyzik courtesy of a Creative Commons Attribution Licence via www.freesound.org https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ “Coagulated” by Timbre & “Champagne Cork Pop” by Ruben Uitenweerde courtesy of a Creative Commons Attribution Licence via www.freesound.org "Fireworks, Close, A (H1).wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org

The Rich Man and the Shoemaker is a fable first penned by LaFontaine and rearranged and recorded here by Marlene Wurfel. This episode features a very special performance by Captain Thunderpants, the Vancouver Island Comox Valley's Performer of the Year in 2020.  This story is hundreds of years old. Is it still relevant today? Should the Shoemaker have done something differently? Would you have?     

This is 15 minutes of relaxed visualization. Stella Starwalker and her wolf, Neon, journey through the star scape. They drink from the Milky Way, see Pleiades and other storied constellations, and rest by The Tree of Life. What does a star wolf dream of when he finally sleeps? Star bunnies, of course.Be well, Darlings. #starloreMusic "Other World 7" by Almusic34 via freesound.org and a Creative Commons License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In this epsiode, written & performed by Marlene Wurfel, Waffles the Black Bear learns a loving-kindness meditation technique from Tuffy the Griz. It helps him calm down when he's afraid to hibernate.  Music courtesy of YouTube’s Audio Library:“Whispering Stream” by E’s Jammy Jams “Somnolent” by The Tides& "AnaCaptainslogue" by Noir et Blanc Vie Meditation technique inspired with gratitude by a loving-kindness meditation by Dr. Emma Seppala, Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education.

A sequel, of sorts, to the Velveteen Rabbit, in which the nursery magic fairy from Margery William's classic story is hard at work today. An original bedtime story modern fairytale by Marlene Wurfel.    Licences and Attributions:The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (1922) is part of the public domain   Music: Heartbreaking by Kevin MacLeodunder a Creative Commons Attribution license via the YouTube Audio Library https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music?nv=1 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100787 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ & Fantasy Windchimes by Northern87 on freesound.org  

This beautiful story written in 1922 by Margery Williams is almost 100 years old and about a time in history before there was antibiotic treatment for scarlet fever, a potentially fatal childhood disease. It's a story not only about survival, but resilience, change, love, and fairy magic.  Read and annotated by Marlene Wurfel Licences and Attributions:The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (1922) is part of the public domain   Music:Gymnopedie No.1 by Kevin MacLeod Meditation Impromptu No.2 by Kevin MacLeod and Heartbreaking by Kevin MacLeodunder a Creative Commons Attribution license via the YouTube Audio Library https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music?nv=1 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100787 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ Birdsong sample by juskiddink on freesound.org via a creative commons license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ & Fantasy Windchimes by Northern87 on freesound.org

In this episode of Tales from the Lilypad, Lily reads her letters from all over the world and shares her recipe for stories.  Here's the song lyrics for the song Lily recommends to help kids learn to wash their hands properly: Urm urm went the little green frog one dayUrm urm went the little green frogUrm urm went the little green frog one day And the frogs went urm urm eh But we know frogs go La de dah de dahLa de da de da, La de da de da,We all know frogs go La de dah de dahThey don't go urm urm eh Thanks for all the love from you listeners! Getting these letters was like the best virtual hug! XOX 

Instructions for parents on how to write a letter to Lily and how to find older episodes.   

The story land mail system brings mail from all over the world to Lily's Big Green Mailbox and she loves to get letters. This episode is inspired by #AloneTogether, one of the key messages of the UN to people around the world fighting pandemic with self-isolation. 

This is a Tales from the Lilypad original story by Marlene Wurfel which originally aired in Spring 2017. It is inspired by Puff the Magic Dragon the song by Peter Yarrow and Leonard Lipton popularized by the musical group Peter, Paul and Mary in a 1963 hit. In this retelling by Marlene Wurfel, a little girl named Rose finds Puff hidden in a cave in the land called Honalee. Featuring an acoustic guitar version of the song Puff the Magic Dragon by Jorge Nolla. Thank you for your music, Jorge, at http://profdeguitare.com/

Three of Aesop's fables re-told and re-arranged by Marlene Wurfel for kids: The Donkey in the Lion's Skin, The Crow and the Pitcher, and The Milkmaid and the Pail. Aesop was one of the sages of Ancient Greece, like Socrates. The stories ascribed to him are thousands of years old (all dating to at least 600 b.c.) and are called fables because they always include a moral lesson. Storytellers are always philosophers at heart, and so are kids.

This is a sad story, listeners. Like so many stories of yore, it has suffering and loss.  It's a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Fir Tree, a Noreweigan fairytale and beloved Christmas story, a retelling of a classic by Marlene Wurfel for Tales from the Lilypad.

A rearrangement and retelling by Marlene Wurfel of the classic Norwegian folktale: the Three Billy Goats Gruff. 

Part IV of the Enchanted Cat Castle Series, Tales from the Lilypad original bedtime stories and folktales by Marlene Wurfel. Curd is the littlest and most unimportant creature in the enchanted kingdom. But, oh my cheddar, he's kind. And kind matters.     

A Tales from the Lilypad original bedtime story for kids by Marlene Wurfel in which Primrose the Mouse must escape from the Cat Castle to perform a heroic task. Cats! Alicorns! Razzle Dazzle! An Enchanted Clock Tower!

This is a sequel to the Tales from the Lilypad's version of Grimm's The Poor Miller's Boy and the Cat. In the Grimm's fairytale, a poor boy is rescued by a cat who brings him to her enchanted castle in which all the servants are kittens. Inspired by the fairytale, this original 20 minute sleepycast or sleep mediation by Marlene Wurfel is to help kids fall asleep or to just rest and relax at naptime. Welcome to sleepytime at the Enchanted Castle where the sweetwater river flows past all the sleepy little kittens in the sleepy fortress in the enchanted forest.

A Tales from the Lilypad retell of Grimm's The Poor Miller's Boy and the Cat. This fairytale has it all: romance, adventure, comeuppance, revenge, enchanted forests, and a magic castle where all the servants are kittens. 

Vintage Tales from the Lilypad circa 2015: The Polka Dot Story. An original story for Kids & Family by Marlene Wurfel. 

Surly the Garden Gnome is annoyed by the lack of instructions on parenting that he finds in the Gnominomicon. 1) Be Kind. 2) Listen Deeply. How is that helpful advice? Especially when he finds his garden overrun by baby fairies. It's going to be a busy summer for Surly.

This episode is dedicated to all the bunnies all over the world who sleep snug in an underground burrow, and to kids who dream of easter baskets and hunting for eggs on Easter morning. 

Can we tend to and care for our feelings and emotions just like we can tend to a garden? Episode 53 is a mindfulness story.