Storytelling

The Birch Tree Lady is a Folk Tale from the former Czechoslovakia. In this story a young girl and her mother live in an old broken farmhouse and try to eke out a living on a farm with very poor soil. They manage to grow flax which they make into thread and weave into cloth. However, when the gir

In this old Folk Tale from Germany a Little Fir Tree lives in a large mixed woodland. One summers day the tree spots the golden light illuminating the leaves and calls out, "oh how I wish I could have golden leaves too", little does he know that their is magic abound in these woods! The Little Fir

In this story a hungry vixen calls on her dog fox to venture out to the river and bring her home a fish supper. The loving and dedicated fox wants to help but doesn't like water, nevertheless he heads to the river bank where he finds two squabbling otters with a fish, find out what happens and if

During autumn many people around the world celebrate Halloween in many different ways, the most common being carving pumpkins. This old folk tale from Ireland tells one of the oldest tales about why we carry lanterns on the night of halloween. Although not necessarily a nature story this old fol

In this folk tale from the borders of England and Scotland two brothers take very similar journeys to 'make their fortune', however their paths end at very different destinations. This old folk tale teaches us that listening to the lessons within nature and moving through the world with a kind hea

In this fun little folktale from Wales a loving couple live in a small slate cottage surrounded by a slate garden wall. Every night they would cook delicious soup and fill the slop bucket with food waste, then the elderly man would head out to tip the slops over the wall. One night when tipping

It was an early winter evening, an elderly man and his dog were hurrying home through the forest to avoid the oncoming storm. As he stopped to tie his bootlace he left behind one of his mittens. It wasn't long before the mitten was found and soon became the scene for a wonderful little story abou

In this folk tale from Haiti a young girl called Topeka lives in a small cottage with her mother,; a mean woman who doesn't treat Topeka well at all. When her mother has to barter with a local woodsman she offers Topeka in exchange for firewood- Topeka nervously calls on her friends for help n

Recently Danny worked with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust to write, record and produce some bespoke stories for the excellent 'Together for Trees' project. The aim of the project was to encourage people to visit the Yorkshire Dales, connect with nature and engage in tree planting activities

Have you ever looked up at the stars and wondered how they came to be? In this story the people of a small village named 'Moon Valley' become very concerned when all the shiny things they have begin to go missing! A quest leads them to the cave of a dragon, but will they find what they are lookin

This is an old folk tale from China. In this tale the Emperor is getting older, he never married and never had any children so doesn't have a natural heir to his empire. He has an idea to set a challenge for all of the children, the one who succeeds will become the new emperor. He gathers the ch

This is a fun English folk tale that can be traced back hundreds of years to various parts of the British Isles. In this silly tale a farming family have the most bizarre experience in the cellar of their farmhouse. The farmers neighbouring son see's the silliness in the whole experience and speedi

The dark nights have been drawing in, the stars are twinkle up in the sky and we're once again waiting for the full moon to arrive. The Moon Goddess is a folk tale from China that should be told on the night of the full moon. In this tale a wicked king taxes his citizens beyond what is fair and ju

In this folk tale from Scotland a lonely fisherman spends each night looking at the moon, asking for a miracle. One night a white moth arrives, tapping on the window trying to get the attention of the fisherman. When he opens the window he doesn't really understand how his life will change from t

Recently Danny worked with the Yorkshire Dales Millenium Trust to write and tell some new tales for the Yorkshire Dales. This story was written to help us understand some of the Yorkshire Dales Landscapes such as the 3 peaks and the great Gordale Scar. Have you ever wondered why there arent many t

The Boy who stole from the Huldra is folktale from Finland that is told all across Scandinavia .A Huldra is a woman of the Forest, a mystical creature that carries much magic. A young boy goes in search for her and her treasures without fully understanding the power of the Huldra and finds hims

Have you ever wanted to try something new but been held back by fear? I have and everybody I know has too. Fear is an emotion that has helped us evolve to where we are today but it can also stop us doing the things that our heart desires. In this story a young woman leaves her home in search of

This folk tale is reportedly from Greece, but you can find variations across Europe. It is a tale that also goes by the name 'Strawberries in the snow', but we know the story as 'The Twelve Months'. In this tale about kindness and gratitude, two sisters visit twelve elderly ladies who are settled a

This story in its original form is written by Vern Kousky and American writer and illustrator. A tiny bird wakes in a thick forest to the sound of beautiful birdsong ringing around the tree tops. It tries to join in with a song of it's own but when it opens its beak nothing but air escapes. In th

In this lovely little bedtime story written by Eric Care, we meet a star gazing young girl called Monika and her dedicated Papa. One night Monika calls out to the moon to come and play and asked her Papa to bring the moon to Earth. The willing father wants to do everything possible to please his d

In this old English Folk Tale a man is out walking when he comes across a big beautiful Beech Tree. He marvels at its size and strength, then the following day he returns carrying a huge axe with the intention of cutting down the tree to sell the wood! Little does he understand that the tree is ho

This is an old English folk tale that can be traced back to Norfolk. In this tale a humble man who lives in a simple cottage is visited by the same recurring dream. For many months he ignores it until a friend encourages him to 'follow the dream'- little does he know that off in London somebody is

This story can be found in the excellent book 'Dancing with Trees- Eco Tales form the British Isles. Often Halloween stories are full of fear and gloom, but no this fun folk tale from Scotland! Archie is tired of being treated badly by his lazy brother so when he meets a 'tinker' who makes brooms

This is a story that has been told for many years by the Irish Traveller Community and has been shared through the excellent book 'Why the moon travels' by Oein DeBharduin. In this story a hardworking goes from door-to-door looking for work to help feed himself and his family. Upon knocking at the

When tracing back the origin of this folktale it leads us to the wonderful Welsh countryside where it is believed to be told as far back as the early 1800's. This is a tale from a time when animals could walk and talk just like humans do today. Three unusual friends worked hard to make their fortu

This very simple folk tale originates in the UK. This is a tale from a long time ago when you were much much younger! During this time none of the birds were friends, they would argue and bicker and fight! Everyday they would boast about themselves and put down the other birds! However, that all

This story is an old Germanic folk tale that can be traced back beyond the early 1700's. Two weary travellers stumble over a beautiful town in the mountains. They knock on a door sure they will be greeted well and offered food. However, when they begin to meet the locals it becomes clear that thi

This folk tale from Taiwan teaches a very important lesson about treating others fairly. An elderly man visits a bustling market daily carrying a basket of pies to sell, but he always leaves with no pies or money. As the locals take advantage of him, a small boy watches from the shadows, then final

Every day we encounter birds no matter where we live. They bring magical aerial displays to our skies and catch our eyes with beautiful colours. There is such a variety that a trip to the garden or park is always a special moment. However, in the long distant past, all birds were either black, whi

This is a lovely story to tell in the spring time when the blossom of the Blackthorn is about to bloom. In this Old English Folk Tale a man is out walking when he stumbles across a leprechaun who is snagged in Blackthorn. It really was his lucky day as to catch a leprechaun means a pot of gold. But