Some stories seem to be as old as time itself, dating back as far as humans can tell. Other stories are deeply embedded in our cultures, to the point where they have shaped our values and ways of thinking. However, many of the greatest stories ever told fulfill both of these categories. Today’s story is one such tale. The earliest printed versions of it are from the 1840s but it had already been around as a common folktale long before that. Its morals about the value of hard work and dedication have become core staples in western civilization. It’s “Three Little Pigs” by Len Cabral. We’ll also be enjoying timeless tales from tellers such as Jeff Gere, Anthony Burcher, Big Joe Pagliuca, Dan Kelin, and Christopher Leebrick.

On today’s episode, enjoy the following:

“Time” by Jeff Gere from Yakkity Yak (8:49)

Jeff Gere is a puppeteer, drama specialist, teacher, performer, and of course, storyteller. His story called, “Time” devles into the strange, fluid, but ultimately beautiful nature of time.

“Late Night Manager” by Anthony Burcher from Turkey Calls and Celebrities (4:53)

Before Anthony Burcher became an award-winning storyteller, he worked a couple of different jobs. As he tells us in his story, “Late Night Manager”, one of those jobs was as the late-night manager of a gas station, where a little mix up with the police only granted him that position for one night.

“Three Little Pigs” by Len Cabral from Ananzi (11:25)

Len Cabral is an international storyteller who’s been sharing stories since 1976. Today he shares with us his version of the timeless classic, the “Three Little Pigs”.

“Teeny Tiny Fly and the Great Big Whale” by Big Joe Pagliuca from 6 Silly Stories (8:37)

Big Joe Pagliuca wasn’t always called Big Joe until preschool where there was another child also named Joe in the class. So, they called him Big Joe and the other boy, Little Joe to tell the two apart. Thus, Big Joe Pagliuca’s name was born. Today, Big Joe will tell us about three brothers named Ned, Ted, and Ed who live in a little house near the ocean where they love to fish. That is, until one day, a big whale starts to swallow up all the brothers!

“Monkey Stew” by Dan Kelin from Dan Kelin - Talk Story Fest Recording (10:53)

Dan Kelin is an actor, director, author, playwright, and teacher who’s helped spread education from India to American Samoa. He’s also a storyteller. Today’s story is about a woman who loves bananas. But when a monkey starts to eat up her bananas from her own personal banana tree, it sparks a tense rivalry between the two that ends with a BANG.

“The Wind and the Moon” by Christopher Leebrick from Good Stories From All Over (3:43)

Christopher Leebrick is a long time storyteller, having first begun performing as such at the age of 13. In this story, he’ll tell us about a rivalry between the wind and the moon. The wind is tired of the moon always looking over his shoulder and thus tries to blow away the moon with his powerful breath.