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...

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.  #starlore Music "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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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. 

Another adventure of the boy and girl whose job is the preparation and service of oatmeal. Fairies! Potions! Portals to another magical realm!    

Another original sleep mediation for kids to help them build mindfulness techniques for healthy sleep. This one has ocean wave and bird sounds for white noise and to generate a feeling of wellness.   

A retelling of a classic 1905 story by O. Henry, an American short story writer well known for his surprise endings. This holiday story has been adapted for younger audiences and is sometimes called The Watch and The Comb story. 

This Tales from the Lilypad original sleepycast is to help listeners get sleepy at sleepytime. Go with Jack, the Great Pyrenees dog, as he makes his night rounds of the castle menagerie while the prince and princess sleep. All is well, but Jack keeps watch anyway. He's a guard-dog, so it's his job to check on all those sleeping animals.