American Fairy Tales - 1901

The Queen of Quok is the third story in the American Fairy Tale book published in 1901.

This story is about so many things from wasting the family fortune to saving the day through the use of an unknown wizard/fairy called the Slave of the Bedstead. I'd imagine Baum would name them something different today like the bed keeper fairy or wizard. The guy is really there to grant wishes for the king through the use of matches and a book with a poem on the cover. This is another interesting yet not as interesting as the Wizard of Oz. Everything ends up ok for the boy king but the trip getting there is a little jaded. 

Stay tuned for the rest of the stories including:

Also, check out Deconstructing Aesop's Fables on Anchor.fm or wherever you get your podcasts and other fun narrations by Jon Wilkins at jonwilkinsreads.com

Information regarding the book from booshop.org:

"Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) was an American author widely known for his children's books. Baum was born Chittenango, New-York into a devout Methodiste family He had German, Scots-Irish, and English ancestry, and was the seventh of nine children of Cynthia Ann and Benjamin Ward Baum, only five of whom survived into adulthood. "Lyman" is the name of his father's brother, but he always disliked it and preferred his middle name "Frank".American Fairy Tales is the title of a collection of twelve fantasy stories published in 1901. The stories, as critics have noted, lack the high-fantasy aspect of the best of Baum's work, in Oz or out. With ironic or nonsensical morals attached to their ends, their tone is more satirical, glib, and tongue-in-cheek than is usual in children's stories; the serialization in newspapers for adult readers was appropriate for the materials. "The Magic Bon Bons" was the most popular of the tales, judging by number of reprints."

American Fairy Tales - 1901 

The Glass Dog is the second story in the American Fairy Tale book published in 1901. 

This story is about peace and quiet, beauty, and deception. Enjoy another short story by one of the great authors of the world.  

Stay tuned for the rest of the stories including:  

Also, check out Deconstructing Aesop's Fables on Anchor.fm or wherever you get your podcasts and other fun narrations by Jon Wilkins at jonwilkinsreads.com

Information regarding the book from booshop.org:

"Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) was an American author widely known for his children's books. Baum was born Chittenango, New-York into a devout Methodiste family He had German, Scots-Irish, and English ancestry, and was the seventh of nine children of Cynthia Ann and Benjamin Ward Baum, only five of whom survived into adulthood. "Lyman" is the name of his father's brother, but he always disliked it and preferred his middle name "Frank".American Fairy Tales is the title of a collection of twelve fantasy stories published in 1901. The stories, as critics have noted, lack the high-fantasy aspect of the best of Baum's work, in Oz or out. With ironic or nonsensical morals attached to their ends, their tone is more satirical, glib, and tongue-in-cheek than is usual in children's stories; the serialization in newspapers for adult readers was appropriate for the materials. "The Magic Bon Bons" was the most popular of the tales, judging by number of reprints."

American Fairy Tales - 1901

The Box of Robbers is the first in a series of Short Stories by Lyman Frank Baum, best known for his classic The Wizard of Oz. 

In this story, the lesson is to mind your own business. With The Wizard of Oz in mind, it is easy to imagine the robbers and how much fantasy can be involved with the tale. 

Stay tuned for the rest of the stories including:

Also, check out Deconstructing Aesop's Fables on Anchor.fm or wherever you get your podcasts and other fun narrations by Jon Wilkins at jonwilkinsreads.com

Information regarding the book from booshop.org:

"Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) was an American author widely known for his children's books. Baum was born Chittenango, New-York into a devout Methodiste family He had German, Scots-Irish, and English ancestry, and was the seventh of nine children of Cynthia Ann and Benjamin Ward Baum, only five of whom survived into adulthood. "Lyman" is the name of his father's brother, but he always disliked it and preferred his middle name "Frank".American Fairy Tales is the title of a collection of twelve fantasy stories published in 1901. The stories, as critics have noted, lack the high-fantasy aspect of the best of Baum's work, in Oz or out. With ironic or nonsensical morals attached to their ends, their tone is more satirical, glib, and tongue-in-cheek than is usual in children's stories; the serialization in newspapers for adult readers was appropriate for the materials. "The Magic Bon Bons" was the most popular of the tales, judging by number of reprints."

The Wolf and the House Dog is a fable that in some ways teaches that liberty is the only way and that the dog represents oppression. I find this fable a little weird simply because the dog gets everything it wants and occasionally wears a collar. I mean for the reals, the dog is walking the streets at night and runs into a wolf. 

I am not sure what the real message behind this fable. I did however take a stab at making my interpretation funny on Deconstructing Aesop's Fables, also available on Anchor or wherever you get your podcasts or wherever you got this podcast. Check out Deconstructing Aesop's Fables 

It's been 20 years since Napster shaped the way we trade and infringe on the copyrights of artists. I feel like technology moves so fast that this could have happened in the 1940s and if it did it would sound like this ...

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain. This is a very amusing story about asking a question and having to listen to the response. I am not sure why the fella didn't interrupt other than a respect for his elders.   

Other titles include works by Jack London, Vladamir Nabokov, Richard K Dick, Orson Wells, and more.  Visit JonWilkinsReads.com  Twitter: @funnicuzitstru Instagram: @funnicuzitstru Facebook @jonwilkinsVO

The fox and the goat is an age-old classic with the moral of look before you leap. People seem to forget simple things like looking. 

Don't forget to look.

This was a story I found on a BuzzFeed article title 29 short Stories to Read Before You are 30. I'm way older than 30 and enjoyed it. I have added it to the podcast because it is that good. Give Italy a listen!

Great Short Stories for Free: Italy by Antonio Elefano Narrated by Jon Wilkins  Antonio Elefano is an associate professor of Writing at the University of Southern California.  Before coming to USC, he was a corporate litigator in New York City and a writing fellow/visiting assistant professor at the University of Houston.  He has a Juris Doctorate from Yale Law and a Master’s of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from Boston University.  His stories have been published in The Los Angeles Review, 236 and The Journal. In August 2014, his story "Italy" was one of Buzzfeed's "29 Short Stories You Need to Read in Your Twenties."

From a Baltimore guy, I bring you a Baltimore guy. I tried to make it sound old and creepy. I hope you enjoy this episode featuring The Raven