SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Would you like to give yourself or someone you care  about (adult, adolescent or young child) a very unique , one-of -a -kind gift... for a birthday, anniversary, or any other special day? Would you want to give yourself or someone you care about a gift...to make an ordinary day special?

 YOU CAN ORDER A SONG OR IMPROVISED INSTRUMENTAL....ANY STYLE (classical, jazz, rag, country, blues, spiritual and more produced to order)

 FROM BERNIE KATZMAN.  CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE:

http://berniekatzman.com

CLICK ON "BLOG" FOR ORDER DETAILS
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INTRODUCTION 
TO THE STORIES BLOG

For easiest navigation, please see the Menu
on the  right sidebar or at the bottom of this page

 

This blog is now entirely devoted to the stories that I've written. Many of the stories are for children,some for an older audience. Some of the stories are presented on youtube...story and songs...and are labeled. 

I EVEN DID AN ABSTRACT STORY ON YOUTUBE.
IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT THAT IS:

CLICK

For all of my youtubes

click for the blog

or

Click for my youtube site

 
  I want to express my appreciation to some very talented people:

Josh Katzman-- who has done a wonderful job at the narration and songs, and who has done some of the technical work for the youtubes. Josh also recorded the song that you are hearing: Music by Bernie Katzman with Susan Maskin; lyrics by Susan Maskin.

Bernie Katzman- who plays the background music for the youtubes, arranges and performs many songs connected with the stories. He wrote the music with Susan Maskin that you are hearing now.

Max Katzman- who has done some of the technical work for the youtubes.

Mindy Katzman - whose love , dedication and brilliant ideas is an inspiration to all of us.



I rewrote the Chicken Little (originally Henny Penny) story to give it a happier ending. There are two versions:
 Picture Book version   and an "Erudite" edition..(one for anyone who wishes to learn sophisticated vocabulary... especially students  studying for the SAT exam.)

Picture book story-click here or on the picture

 

 SAT Erudite Version-click here or on the picture

Introduction

STORIES ON YOUTUBE

Click the titles below, or for a general list:

Click here for Josh Katzman's youtube account

1-THE LITTLE RED HEN- a story about responsibility2-BUANA KIFARU'S BIG FOOT- a story about not being a snob3-ONE HILL IS ENOUGH..- a story about not being greedy4-MONSTERS VISIT THE VALLEY- a tolerance story

5-BUANA SIMBA'S PRIDE- a story about humility and fairmindedness

WRITTEN STORIES

-Pat's Cat and Cat's Pat
-The Willy-Silly Series
-In the Queendom of Dzitzel..
-Early EveryMorning-Tattle-Tale-Tillie-Yosef's Blanket-The Messiest House in the World-Oh Riddle, Oh Rattle, We're Done-Mabel Francis Fungus-Bungle Maurice-Timmy Tumble Triddlesby- Old Man Oak

FOLKTALES, RETOLD

-Rumpelstiltskin
-My House is Crowded, Wall to Wall

CLICK FOR A DISCUSSION ABOUT FOLKTALES
STORY/POEMS
-Cats and Lawmakers
-Dora Drinks Pickle Potion
-Harvey Van Shrout
- Not Quite Allergic to Arpeggios
-The Plotz Gossips-The Midnight Ride
STORIES IN PLAY FORMAT
-Chicken Little
STORIES FOR LEARNING ADVANCED (SAT) VOCABULARY
The Chicken Little Chronicles
The best way to learn vocabulary is in written context. These stories have advanced words with links to the definitions.

.....

The Little Red Hen

a new version in rhyme of this old English folktale--click below to hear and see the story narrated by storyteller,
Josh Katzman on youtube:

THE STORY-

THE SONG AS A SING-A-LONG

In storybook form:

http://suziejean.com/Hen.little/hen.cover.2.html

_______________________________

Buana Kifaru's Big Foot

Silly Buana Kifaru--thinks that only big animals are worth his time. He soon learns an important lesson when a small animal is the only one who can help him. Click below to hear and see the story narrated by storyteller,
Josh Katzman on youtube:

THE STORY

The SONG -as a sing-a-long

In book form:

http://suziejean.com/kifaru/kifaru.cover.html

One Hill is Enough

This is a story which illustrates the concept, "if you don't have what you want, try to want what you have." It also urges people to think carefully and make up your mind... and stick to the decision carefully
thought out. Click below to hear and see the story narrated by storyteller,
Josh Katzman on youtube:

THE STORY

THE SONG,  as a sing-a-long



THE BILLY GOAT ROCK...
improvisation by Bernie Kaztman--animated


                                       
Story in written form
http://suziejean.com/One.Hill.2./cover.html

Monsters Visit the Valley
a tolerance story

 See what happens to some three-legged green people when some strangers visit.
Click below to hear and see the story narrated by storyteller,
Josh Katzman on youtube:


THE STORY

THE SONG, as a sing-a-long

BUANA SIMBA'S PRIDE

 Buana Simba, (Mr. Lion) thinks he is more important than the other animals.
Does he learn a lesson? Maybe not, but we do.

Click below on the word STORY to hear and see the story narrated by storyteller,
Josh Katzman.

Story

Song: It's Good to be Proud
music by Bernie Katzman and Josh Katzman
 lyrics by Susan Maskin
performed by Josh Katzman 

The Little Red Hen

a new version in rhyme of this old English folktale--click below to hear and see the story narrated by storyteller,
Josh Katzman on youtube, or click on the title above to read the story yourself.

THE STORY-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNft2M-P6aQ&feature=related

THE SONG AS A SING-A-LONG
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrS9eFnyNmc&feature=related 


In storybook form:

http://suziejean.com/Hen.little/hen.cover.2.html

_______________________________

The Friends  Go To Bernie's Concert

                 THE  PLOTZ GOSSIPS

Old Farmer Plotz has a farm with a pen—

With girl pigs and boy pigs, in all, there were ten.

These pigs would all gossip, about one another.

And that’s why they  couldn’t get on with each other.

And Old Farmer Plotz has some gossipy chickens,

Who’d babble’ bout others while eatin’ their pickens.

                                 ****

Now one of the girl pigs a lass named Caress,

Continually whispers to piggy pig Fress.

“My gosh, that ol’ pig Mr. Yarbelow Thud?

He eats and he burps while he wallows in mud.”

Then yaky pig Bozo told pig Slitherslog,

“That Old Porker Piggy eats slop like a hog.”

                              ***

Now back in the coop there was plenty of talkin,

The chickens would gossip while eatin’ and walkin’

Now one of the chickens name Lala Lakelle

Decided to gossip ‘bout chick Bickybell.

“Disgusting how Bickybell gobbles her feed.

She makes twenty piles from small bits of seed.

And Mazie and Daisy and Hallaballu,

Would cackle’bout Chug Chug the hen colored blue.

                  ************

No stop to the gossiping, morning till night,

Causing anger, hurt feelings and sometimes a fight.

No sensible thoughts ever entered their head,

Just nonsense and foolishness  found there , instead.

                           ***********

Then one day in  August, in great summer’s heat,

The gossipy pigs and the chicks got to meet.

It started at midnight, a wind blew so hard,

And   swirled  a   big mess in the Plotz farmer’s yard.

It took off the fence between pigpen and coop.

And blew it away in one big howling swoop.

The next day the farm lost its few bits of quiet.

The pigs mixed with chickens with  chaos and riot.

With arguing, stomping, and mud-sling mushing,

And chattering and screaming and running and pushing.

The pigs and the chicks should have gotten along,

Adjust to a very new multi-mixed throng.

But pigs yelled at chickens, and sadly, what’s more,

The pigs screamed at pigs in a pig civil war.

In addition, the chickens, it’s really a shame,

They acted like pigs, just  EXACTLY THE SAME.

Yes all the chicks did, I am sorry to say,

Were scramblin’, manhandlin’ each other away.

The chicks and the pigs made a horrible mess--

Could not get along, what a terrible stress!

‘Cause gossiping, ---that they were able to do,

Insulting and mocking, was all that they knew.

For how could they possibly help one another,

When all they could do was talk mean ‘bout each other.

                        *************

And Old Farmer Plotz said to Pitsey, his wife,

“It’s the worst thing that’s happened  in all of my life.”

Then both he and PItsey, their son’s Lou and Ben,

Moved chicks to the coop and the pigs to the pen.

They built a new fence just to keep pigs apart,

From the chickens—as they had been kept at the start.

The fence thus became an unfortunate curse.

It was bad when there was one, without it much worse.

How sad, very sad, they could not get along,

As  animal friends, which is how they belong.

Did the pigs learn a lesson, and what of the chicks?

Did they learn not to practice  their usual tricks?

Did they change ‘round their habits, the ways of before?

Did they learn not to gossip or fight anymore?

The answer is “NO”, because day after day,

The pigs and the chicks lived their usual way.

 Of 

        gossipin', chattin' and chitterin' and ventin',

        and whisperin', bad mouthin' and awful resentin',

        and cacklin’, and yakin’ and screechin’ and blabbin’,

        and mumblin’, and grumblin’ and terrible babblin’.

The pigs and the chickens had learned nothing new,

But people sure can, learn  some smart points of view.

But if you are a person who gossips real well,

Then a pig pen or chick coop is where you should dwell.

Moral:

The small-mindedness of gossiping  about and meanness towards others causes ill-will, hurt feelings and an inability

RUMPELSTILTSKIN

This is an old story from central Europe which is part of the Grimm's collection. There are some changes in the story to make it less harsh.

Click for the Story

CHICKEN LITTLE: A  REVISION IN PLAY FORMAT


CLICK FOR THE PLAY

 NOT QUITE ALLERGIC TO ARPEGGIOS

In this humorous conflict between a mother and her son, we find out that there are two sides to every story.

CLICK FOR  STORY POEM #1

CLICK FOR STORY POEM #2

THE MIDNIGHT RIDE

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poetic saga about Paul Revere's ride, making this event memorable. However, all credit was given to Paul Revere, while other riders were ignored. In 1896, Helen Moore wrote a sequel giving credit to one of these associates, William Dawes. But what about Samuel Prescott? He was there too. I wrote another sequel about all three. But there were others... we await more information, and more rhymes.

READ ALL THREE POEMS

HARVEY VAN SHROUT

Harvey Van Shrout likes to throw mostly everything out. His wife likes to save mostly everything.

What a conflict! Find out about their compromise

CLICK FOR THE POEM

STORIES TEXTS-Emergent Reader Stories #1-PAT'S CAT AND CAT'S PAT

______________________________________________________

Let's Get going version
PAT'S CAT AND CAT'S PAT-CLICK


Level 1 version
PAT'S CAT AND CAT'S PAT-CLICK

When children begin learning to read, it is essential that they not be overwhelmed with too many words, especially difficult ones. A story for these children should emphasize word repetition and phonetic content. In this story, written on two levels, the young child reads about a little girl named Pat who loves her cat. The cat loves Pat as well.

Long-Bearded Bill -click

This is the story of a man who lived by himself on a mountain side. He is a kindly man, but no one knows it, because know one knows him. They avoid him because they think he is weird. Then an event takes place which changes everything. This is a story about acceptance, based on the idiom.."don't judge a book by its cover."(Note: you can also scroll down on this home page for more information about this story)

THE WILLY-SILLY SERIES

One morning, few years ago, I woke up with an idea. I decided to write stories which included all the elements I know small children love. So, what do they love??

1. They enjoy stories in a series-- Children identify with characters and grow to love them. They enjoy reading about the same
characters in different adventures.

2. They love nonsense--the sillier the better. Nothing better than a cow laying eggs, and chickens giving milk......

3. They love nonsense talk.

4. They love a bit of adventure.

MOSTLY
THEY LOVE TO LAUGH

SO.... I created the Willy-Silly series... consisting of 10 stories. In the first story,  the WillyNilly royal children (Prince Jay, Princess Fay, and Princess Kay) travel to SillyDilly Land where they meet Princess Peek-a-boo who takes them on a tour of her kingdom. The children see things which look very strange to them. Of course, none of it is strange to the people who live in SillyDilly Land. The underlying theme of these stories is tolerance.

Click  here for the Willy-Silly Menu

The theme song for the entire series, and especially story #1 is entitled:
"It's Not Strange to Me." music and lyrics, by Suzie-Jean (Susan Maskin),arranged and performed by Bernie Katzman.

The Song



The Music


Improvisation, by Bernie Katzman

THE QUEENDOM OF DZITZEL, AND FOLKS WHO LIVE THERE

Here is one inhabitant of the Queendom of Dzitzel.

To read about more of them, 

click on PICK A PERSONALITY

A RESIDENT OF DZITZEL: THE INTELLECTUAL SNOB

SIR BALTIMMORRE CLONE,D.oA,S.O.B.,
R.S.V.P, M.O.O, Xy.Z, T.N.T, O.I.N.K.

Click to Sir Baltimmore's name to read about him.

In this series are profiles of different personality types. First is an introduction which describes my take on these types of personalities. Following are
EXAGGERATED descriptions/stories about a "being"living in Dzitzel with these character traits. The stories are satirical.

SO---CLICK TO PICK A PERSONALITY

or click "The Queedom of Dzitzel"

or click:  THE ROYALS
                THE INTELLECTUALS
                THE PROFESSIONALS
                THE PERSONABLES

EARLY EVERY MORNING: THE DAYS OF THE WEEK

Children love stories. Children love singing. I decided to combine both in a singing story. Early Every Morning is very simple and repetitive, focusing on the days of the week. It is also a bit silly, which children tend to love. It makes them laugh.I HOPE THAT WE CAN ALL LAUGH A LOT AND BE HAPPY EVERY DAY. AND I ALSO HOPE THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER, PLAY TOGETHER, LIVE TOGETHER PEACEFULLY.

CLICK for the singing story..