Antonio Sacre shares a bilingual story about prayers, an envelope full of money, and a misunderstanding a the post office. We even brought in a couple of people to listen with us and to chat about what the story makes them think of.

Have you ever had a hero? They might be an athlete with great strength, an artist with tremendous talent, or even a superhero from the movies. But we here at The Apple Seed might argue that sometimes the best heroes are the ones who impact your daily life on a personal level. This could be a teacher who inspires you, a friend you admire, or even someone in your own home. This is what our main character learns in today’s story called, “The Day My Dad Met His Hero” by The Storycrafters. In this true tale, a boy meets a famous baseball player that’s always been his hero. But when he looks back on the incident many years later, he discovers who the real hero of the story is. Who is it? Let’s find out together by listening to today’s episode!

Short Description:

On today’s episode, enjoy the following:

“The Day My Dad Met His Hero” by The Storycrafter on A Tale for All Seasons (13:55)

“The Monkey and the Donkey” by Diane Ferlatte on Aesop Alive and Well (12:30)

Daily Mix: The Cat in the Hat - Gene Nelson

“The Clog of Gold” by Milbre Burch on If The Shoes Fits: Cinderella Stories From Around the World (15:03)

“The Ants and Grasshopper” by Willy Claflin on Maynard Moose Live at the National Storytelling Festival (3:03)

Joel Ben Izzy shares a story of a guy who takes on the challenge of solving three impossible riddles. Luckily, there's a storyteller nearby to help him keep his head.

What constitutes an illusion? The first thought that comes to many people is magic. Magicians are masters of illusion. They can make us think that something has disappeared or that something is there that really isn’t. What else is like an illusion? Life has many things that can be illusory in nature. The key is learning to distinguish between real and fake, and also understanding other people so we can get along rather than fall for the illusion of rumor and gossip. Today we have a story about illusion from Joel Ben Izzy and we have a couple other stories from Anne rutherford and Bob Reiser.

On today’s episode, enjoy the following:

“The Beggar King and the Field of Two Brothers” part 1 by Joel Ben Izzy from The Beggar King and Other Kings from Around the World (11:57)

“Larry and the Rabbi” by Anne Rutherford from Living in the Driveway: Stories of Finding Our Place (13:39)

“Lula and Telal” by Bob Reiser from An Evening with Grandpa Abe and Uncle Ahmet (7:38)

“The Beggar King and the Field of Two Brothers” part 2 by Joel Ben Izzy from The Beggar Kign and Other Kings from Around the World (11:57-24:03)

Charlotte Blake Alston shares this old story about cat, seeking a companion. It's the kind of tale that has a part for you, too!

Sometimes when older characters are featured in stories they’re only there to assist the young hero or depart some sage wisdom before they pass away. So today on The Apple Seed we thought we'd flip the script and bring you stories all about the inner lives, dramas, joys, and losses of more seasoned people.

On today’s episode, enjoy the following:

“Love on the First Floor” by Kim Weitkamp on Penny Candy Love (12:27)

“The Broken Token” by Mike Agranoff on Or Would You Rather Get a Jon (6:07)

Daily Mix: Steve Perry - The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald

“The Three Spinning Fairies” by Odds Bodkin on The Wise Little Girl (10:13)

“Wolf and Turtle” by Kirk Walker on But Why? (10:13)

“Louis Armstrong Rap” by Charlotte Blake - Alston on Bit-O-This-Bit-O-That (3:05)

Morgan Ashton -- a religion teacher and a friend of Pennsylvania storyteller Ed Stivender -- wrote this morality tale in the form of a poem. Ed Stivender delivers it.

It’s The Apple Seed! Some time just about every day filled with stories for you and your family. Since 2013 we’ve been bringing you tall tales, personal tales, fairy tales, historical tales, and more. All kinds of tales, from all kinds of tellers. And today’s episode features a true story from Kate Dudding, a conversation with Stewart Foster about the podcast “The Thrilling Adventure Hour”, a little radio drama from our Producer, Jeff Simpson, as well as a fairy tale from Ed Stivender. It’s an hour full of tales that we hope will spark memories for you that you can share with the people that you love.

Storyteller and mime Antonio Rocha shares an old tale about a simple beggar boy who, against all odds, tries to win the hand of the chief's daughter. How does it go for him? Tune in to find out.

Wolves are often seen in one of two ways. Either they’re noble, beautiful, family-oriented animals, or they’re savage beasts bent on terrorizing villages and individuals. In reality, they’re neither. They really seem to be a combination of both, among other traits. They’re pack animals, they can be scary, but mostly they’re just trying to survive. Like many things, understanding them can be challenging but rewarding. We have today a story about wolves along with other stories from tellers like Syd Lieberman, Simon Brooks, and Diane Ferlatte. As always, we hope these stories spark memories for you to share with your loved ones.