• THE DISPATCH
• SILVER SERIES (ages 12 to ADULT) 
• 45 minutes
• Copyright © 2026 by P. Haines-Ainsworth
• produced by Winking Kat Books

"THE DISPATCH"  is an original, one-act play about a printer, John Gaines, who lives in New York City with his family in 1776.  Although he supports the movement rebelling against the oppressive government of King George III, his criticism has been tempered. On the evening of July 8th, however, a messenger arrives to deliver a dispatch from the Continental Congress and a personal request from Dr. Benjamin Franklin. Franklin, an acquaintance from John's youth, wants John to print as many copies of the dispatch and distribute the printed copies to the rebellion's supporters in Manhattan. The dispatch is a copy of the Declaration of Independence, passed just four days before in Philadelphia.

Gaines is in a precarious position, however. General Howe and his brother Admiral Howe are staging their forces on nearby Staten Island and preparing to attack the city any day. General Washington is staging his defense on Long Island, but may not have the means or the men to protect the city. If John prints the Declaration, and the British take the city, he could be arrested and hanged for treason. If he decides not to print the Declaration, an important message as well as source of hope and motivation to patriots in the city will never reach them. What will he choose to do? His fate and the fate of his family hangs on the balance. 

AUTHORS NOTE: John Gaines is a composite character of two actual printers who lived and worked in New York during the American Revolution. They were Hugh Gain, an immigrant from Ireland who was a journeyman for James Parker, a friend of Benjamin Franklin, and John Holt, a printer and strong supporter of independence who printed 500 copies of the Declaration of Independence in early July 1776 and distributed them around the state. 

'THE DISPATCH', a revolutionary story.  by P. Haines-Ainsworth.

CAST:  John Gaines (Lantz Wagner), Nell Gaines (Patricia Haines Ainsworth), Captain Thomas Wilkerson (Drew Hobson), Samuel (Pranav Varma), Gem (Tatiana Wyckoff), and Elias Cooke (Adrian Cerrato)

The Music for this episode was provided by HESPERUS,  an early music and traditional music ensemble. It was founded by Scott Reiss and Tina Chancey in 1979 to play early European music, American traditional music and crossover fusions of the two. The group has created the Early American Music series for Maggie's Music-- featured in museums stores such as America's Smithsonian Institute and Colonial Williamsburg. Their recordings can also be found on Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, and other media outlets.

 This episode was recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA (sound engineer, Steven Bell)

TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM
Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play (dramafy.com)  network.
Tags: #winkingkattales #originalplays #history #audioplay

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HENNY PENNY
GREEN SERIES (ages 4 & up)
Copyright © 2023 by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
produced by Winking Kat Books

"HENNY PENNY" is a musical mash-up of two classic fables, "The Little Red Hen" and "Chicken Little".  Our story features Henny Penny over the course of four seasons as she plants & harvests her wheat, then turns the wheat into flour.  Every time she has a big task to do, her friends make excuses not to help her.  When she uses the flour to bake a delicious & fragrant loaf of bread, they finally have plenty of time to help her eat it.  But Henny Penny has better ideas for the bread.  She decides to put it in a basket and present it to the king for his birthday.  On the way she feels something hard hit her head.  Not seeing anything obvious, she believes what hit her was a small piece of the sky.  She runs to alert her friends: Goosie Lucy, Turkey Lurkey, & Ducky Lucky, that the sky is breaking into pieces and will soon fall down. 

Foxy Loxy meets Henny & her friends as they are rushing to the king to tell him the news. He offers to make the journey to warn the king himself and persuades the fowl friends to go into his den for safety.  Little do Henny & her friends realize Foxy has planned this all along & has no intention of making the journey to the king.  Will Henny Penny, Goosie Lucy, & Turkey Lurkey stay for dinner?  Or will they BE dinner?  Listen & find out.

Henny Penny's  book and lyrics were written by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music composed by Terrence Alaric Levitt.  Characters voiced by:  Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Ellen Dessler Smith, Max Lopuszynski, and Pat Haines-Ainsworth.  This episode was recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA (sound engineer, Steven Bell)

TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play (dramafy.com)  network.

Tags: #winkingkattales #childrensmusic #musicaltheatre #audioplay

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THE ARTIST'S BRUSH
Red Series (ages 6 & up)
Copyright 2022 by  P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt & Larry Bridges
published by Winking Kat Books

This  delightful new episode of Winking Kat Tales is adapted from an old Dutch fairytale - although the fairy in this story isn't the usual type of magical fairy.  He is a wood fairy or elf named Haan e'Kam.  When Haan e'Kam spots a young, unsuccessful artist named Johannes, he decides to play a clever trick on him.  Johannes believes himself to be very talented and envisions himself to be a famous painter one day like many of the other famous Dutch painters. But Johannes is lazy and ignores the lessons and practice that it takes to be successful.

Haan e'Kam introduces himself and makes a trade with Johannes - a magical fairy brush that will paint anything Johannes sees accurately on a canvas in exchange for Johannes' old paintbrush.  The brush is truly magic.  Johannes becomes famous for his amazingly accurate and realistic portraits.  But delivering a portrait that accurately captures the subject with all his or her imperfections is not always what the buyer wants.  Johannes learns that painful lesson when he's hired to paint the wife of a powerful mayor.

The story is brought to life by our talented cast: Tadd Morgan, Samuel Pettit, Danny Miller, Harry Turpin, Arwen Dewey, and Pat Haines-Ainsworth.

You can listen to this and Winking Kat's other original musical stories at Dramafy.com*  Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.

TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

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THE LEGEND OF ROBIN HOOD
Red Series (ages 7 & up)
Copyright 2022 by  P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
published by Winking Kat Books

This new, and slightly silly, musical adaptation about the famous heroic bandit, Robin Hood, features the familiar characters of Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Friar Tuck, as well as the treacherous duo of Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. 
All is not well in Nottingham.  Good King Richard leaves England in the hands of his greedy brother, Prince John.   With the help of the Sheriff of Nottingham and his men, John is taxing the citizens mercilessly.  To keep them distracted, John decides to hold a poetry competition.  Robin Hood tricks the Sheriff and John.  He escapes to Sherwood Forest with the prize money where he meets the Merry Men.  They all join forces with Maid Marian and her freedom fighting ladies-in-waiting to rescue King Richard from the King of France and bring him, and justice, back to the citizens of England.

The story is brought to life by our talented cast:  Max Lopuszynski, Tadd Morgan, Samuel Pettit, Rachel Rene Aracto, Drew Hobson, Adrian Cerrato, Jessica Robins, Arwen Dewey, and Pat Haines-Ainsworth.

You can listen to this and Winking Kat's other original musical stories at Dramafy.com*  Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app. 

TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

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GREEN SERIES (ages 4 & up)
Copyright © 2021 by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
produced by Winking Kat Books

The Musicians of Bremen  is a musical re-telling of the familiar story from Germany about a group of 'retired' animals who must find a new purpose in life.  Ida the donkey, Schnookie the Cat, and Red the Rooster have all been dismissed by their owners because they've grown too old to do the job they spent their lives doing.  They each search for a new purpose to find something they can do in spite of the physical restrictions age has handed them.  They find joy and camaraderie in making music together.  But that opportunity is threatened by a selfish and frightened thief who has taken over Red's house.  The friends work together to get Red's house back and even make a new, unexpected friend in the process.

The book and lyrics for The Musicians of Bremen  were written by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music composed by Terence Alaric Levitt.  Characters voiced by:  Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Harry Turpin, and Pat Haines-Ainsworth.  This episode was recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA (sound engineer, Steven Bell)

VISIT OUR COMPANION BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play (dramafy.com)  network.

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Bonus Episode

In this episode Pat interviews Fox 8 Meteorologist, Nicondra Norwood, about the weather in New Orleans and asks the very important question, "Does it Ever Snow on the Bayou?".  Since it's a very important part of the story of our musical, Bayou Bug Tales, we thought we better find out the truth.

This episode also has some new information about what's happening at Winking Kat Tales and our new blog, TaleBehindTheTale.com  that offers lots of fun facts about the stories and some behind the scene details about the making of each podcast episode.  Each Tale Behind the Tale blog post also features a delicious recipe inspired by the individual stories.

Winking Kat Tales is grateful to be a part of the Dramafy.com network of audio plays.  You can find many other family-friendly stories on their site. 

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THE SCARECROW
Red Series (ages 7 & up)
Copyright 2020 by  P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
published by Winking Kat Books

"The  Scarecrow" is a new musical adaptation of a short story by the popular American author, Washington Irving.  Like many of Washington Irving's stories, the Scarecrow is set in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains at the beginning of the 19th Century.  The main character  is a scarecrow constructed by the Widow DeWitt to help keep her company during her lonely exile.  She was kicked out of her home town of Delpton by the pompous mayor and his selfish and spoiled daughter, Susannah.  With the help of a magic pipe given to the Widow by the little ghosts of the mountains (think the little men of the hills from Rip Van Winkle), the Scarecrow comes to life.  The Widow sends the Scarecrow to Delpton as part of her plan to return to her home.   The mayor is fooled by the Scarecrow's fancy clothes and manners.  He thinks the Scarecrow is a rich stranger and works to unite the wealthy young 'man' to Susannah in marriage .  When the true nature of the Scarecrow is revealed, the mayor and his daughter are humiliated. It is they who leave Delpton in embarrassment making way for the Widow to return to her former home.

The story is a light, farcical social satire about false pride and about not judging someone by what you  only see on the surface.   

Book and Lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt.  Narrated by P. Haines-Ainsworth with vocals by Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Tristan Carruthers, Krista Curry, Danny Miller, and Patricia Haines-Ainsworth.  Recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA.

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play network.

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BAYOU BUG TALES
GREEN SERIES (ages 4 & up)
Copyright © 2021 by P. Haines-Ainsworth, Terence Alaric Levitt, Larry Bridges
produced by Winking Kat Books

Bayou Bug Tales  is a musical re-telling of the familiar fable of "The Ant and The Grasshopper" set in Louisiana Bayou country.  The music is upbeat and fun, plus there are some fun new characters like Bertram, the tadpole, and Clarissa, a caterpillar, who transform into a frog and a butterfly respectively as the seasons pass.  Bayou Bug Tales is about being prepared for the challenging times, but it's also about change and growth.  Like Tilly the Ant says, 'no use worrying about what you're gonna look like in the end, because whatever it is, you know it's what nature intended - and inside you are still the same.'  We can give away what actually happens to Horatio the Grasshopper in the story, but we can tell you there is a happy ending to the show.

Bayou Bug Tales'  book and lyrics were written by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music composed by Larry Bridges.  Additional music and musical arrangements by Terrence Alaric Levitt.  Characters voiced by:  Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Danny Miller, Keiry Vida Valdez, and Pat Haines-Ainsworth.  This episode was recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA (sound engineer, Steven Bell)


TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play (dramafy.com)  network.

Tags: #winkingkattales #childrensmusic #musicaltheatre #audioplay

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PURRLIE'S MISSION TO THE MILKY WAY
Red Series (ages 6 & up)
Copyright 2020 by  P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
published by Winking Kat Books

Purrlie, like most cats, is very curious about everything.  When her friends Bruno the Dog and Hermes the Owl tell her about the Milky Way in the sky, Purrlie is curious to know if the Milky Way is really made out of milk.  With the help of her engineering friend,  Catalina the Cat, Purrlie and her friends build a rocket ship out of  tuna cans, duct tape, hubcaps, and other things in the neighborhood yard. 

Five. Four. Three. Two. One!  The homemade rocket blasts off and takes Purrlie on an outer space adventure.  She visits several of the planets in our solar system, flies through the asteroid belt, and even meets some new interstellar friends. 

Is the Milky Way really made out of milk?  You'll have to listen to see if Purrlie's rocket ship makes it there to find out.

Book and Lyrics for this original story  by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt.
Cast includes:  Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Ellen Dessler Smith, Danny Miller, Samuel Jarius Petit, & Pat Haines-Ainsworth

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM 
or look for us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHearRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
Winking Kat Tales is also proud to be a part of the Dramafy Network of Audio Plays and Audio Theatre.  Dramafy features a library of current and classic audio dramas and audio programs.
Dramafy | Better Than Audiobooks
If you have any comments or drawings of the characters you'd like to share, post them on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag
#winkingkattales.  We'd love to see them

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Blue Series (ages 5 and up)
Copyright © 2021 by P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
   published by Winking Kat Books

"Arcani and the Tree of Dreams" is an original musical story inspired by a folktale from Bolivia.  It is about a boy who dreams about setting his own path in life instead of the road he is destined to travel.  The boy, Arcani,  falls asleep under a toborochi tree one day.   When he wakes he sees a strangely dressed man standing nearby.  At first, Arcani thinks the man is merely a dream - but he is not.  The man calls himself 'El Vagabundo del Mundo' and explains that he is a traveling healer.  The Vagabundo shares some of his healing lotions, tree bark, and knowledge with Arcani who uses them to help his mother's cough and sore hands caused by the exhausting work she does.  However  when Arcani uses his new knowledge to help the mayor's wife, the mayor doesn't not approve.  He believes Arcani is incapable of knowing anything so important.  Arcani and his mother are exiled from their village.  But a poorly timed case of hiccups prompts the mayor's wife to bring them back to the village to help.

The characters of "Arcani and the Tree of Dreams"  are voiced by Adrian Cerrato, Carolynne Wilcox, Harry Turpin, Cassandra León, and Josh Rodriguez.  Book and Lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt.   Sound Engineer: Steven Bell.  Recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA.

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play network.

podchaser: iQohRDoSLMtAD9JKFttg

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The Tale Behind The Tale of Mr. Popper's Penguins
Inspiration and Penguins
Age 7 - Adult

What inspires an artist or an author to create?  In the case of the authors behind the creation of the classic story Mr. Popper's Penguins  inspiration happened when the family took a trip to the local movie house to see a newsreel about Admiral Byrd's trip to the Antarctic.  The penguins in the film sparked Richard Atwater's imagination and the book he wrote along with his wife, Florence, has entertained children for generations since.   In the first part of this episode Winking Kat describes the sometimes fun, sometimes tragic tale of how the book was written and the tenacity it took to get it published.

But are all the tricks the penguins do in the book for real?  In the second half of this bonus Tale Behind The Tale episode, we interview, John Samaras, the lead zookeeper for penguins at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, to find out.  You'll be surprised at how similar and talented real penguins are to Captain Cook and Mr. Popper's other penguins in the story.  There are some things, however that real penguins cannot do.  Which tricks do you think they are? 

If you ever enjoyed reading Mr. Popper's Penguins or are just a big penguin fan, you'll enjoy this episode of Winking Kat Tales.

copyright©WinkingKatTales

Thank you to Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and John Samaras for their time and help with this project.   For more information about the Woodland Park Zoo visit their website at:
Woodland Park Zoo: All for Wildlife - Woodland Park Zoo Seattle WA 

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THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
Green Series (ages 3 & up)
Copyright 2021 by  P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
published by Winking Kat Books

Some stories have been told by almost every culture in every language for centuries.  No one is really sure when The Three Little Pigs was told for the first time.  Some think it might have even originated as an Aesop fable.  The only thing we do know for sure was that the first printed version appeared in a book in England around 1840.  Since then the story has been printed and shared around the world.

There are many different endings for this story.  We've chosen one of the least brutal and most fun for this musical version of The Three Little Pigs.   We've also filled the play with lots of fun songs to sing along with.    We hope you will enjoy the show.  Be sure to subscribe and to write and let us know your favorite part of the story or favorite song.


Narrated by P. Haines-Ainsworth with vocals by Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey,  Samuel Jarius Pettit, and Patricia Haines-Ainsworth.  Book and Lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt.  Recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA.

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play network.

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TBT SERIES - Episode 2
Ages 7 to Adult

Every culture in the world has a rich tradition of telling trickster tales.  The main character of these stories is not a brave hero.  Instead, the main character is a clever and sometimes not-so-nice person or animal who likes deceiving the other characters or causing trouble.

Using "Puss 'n Boots" as an example of a Trickster Tale, we illustrate how it is possible to like a trickster without approving of what they do.   This episode also gives a number of examples of tricksters from ancient mythology and other cultures.  

We ask the question, 'Can a Trickster be a hero if they do good things even if they do bad things to accomplish their goal?'

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Intro to The Tale Behind the Tale Series
ALL AGES

What is the inspiration behind some of our favorite stories?  Who are the storytellers that shared them with the world?  Why do we love telling stories?  

In this series of mini-episodes, we will play detective and find out the answers to these questions and more.  This first episode is an introduction to these special bonus episodes and an invitation to ask your questions about the origin of your favorite stories and storytellers.  We'll also feature some fun activities and recipes to go with our audio musical episodes.

Join us on this fun storytelling journey.

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THE DANCING PRINCESS
Red Series (ages 6 & up)
Copyright 2020 by  P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
published by Winking Kat Books

"The Dancing Princess"  is an original story based on a folktale from Eastern Europe.  It is about a princess named Yulia who loves to dance so much that she is always wearing out her shoes.   She is afraid her father will be upset, so she doesn't tell him why her shoes are wearing out.   Her father, King Valentine, decides to sponsor a challenge.  Any young man who can find out Princess Yulia's secret within three days will win her hand in marriage and half of the kingdom.  The contest is not going well.  No one can stay awake long enough to discover the princess' secret until a stranger named Anatoly Padin arrives into the kingdom.  He has a secret, too.  It is a secret cape given to him by an old conjurer in the woods.  It can make him invisible to the princess so he can follow her unseen - that is if he can stay awake long enough to see where she goes.

If this sounds familiar, this story was probably the basis for similar stories about twelve dancing princesses.  Versions of that story were recorded by the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen.    We hope you enjoy this musical adaptation from Winking Kat.

Book and Lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt.  Narrated by P. Haines-Ainsworth with vocals by Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Max Lopuszynski, David Bailey, and Patricia Haines-Ainsworth.  Book and Lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Recorded at Top of the Hill Studios in Duvall, WA.

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play network.

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Blue Series (ages 5 and up)
Copyright © 2020 by P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
    published by Winking Kat Books

"The Nightingale" is adapted from Hans Christian Andersen's story by the same name about an Emperor and a plain Nightingale who become friends.  Published in 1843, "The Nightingale"  quickly became one of his most well-known stories.  It is about an Emperor who is lonely and often sad.  His trusted Counselor doesn't know what to do to cheer him up, when a servant tells him of a beautiful music box that would certainly make the Emperor happy.  The Counselor presents the Emperor with the music box who is very pleased until he hears something even more beautiful - the song of the nightingale singing in his garden.

With the help of the same servant girl, the Counselor finds the nightingale and brings her to the Emperor to sing for him.  He is unimpressed with the plan-looking bird until she begins to sing.  He tells the nightingale she must stay in the palace and sing for him always, but the nightingale refuses saying she would prefer to live in the garden where she can fly freely.  The Emperor doesn't trust her and, after an argument, the nightingale flies away.

The Emperor decides to go back to playing his music box, but in his anger and frustration he breaks it.   He begins to cry and returns to being the lonely and desolate man he was before.  The Counselor and the servant girl work together once again to see if they can mend the situation and bring about a happy ending.

"The Nightingale"   Copyright © 2020 by Winking Kat Tales
Book and lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt
Cast: Samuel Jarius Pettit, Adrian Cerrato, Rachel Rene Araucto, Arwen Dewey
Keyboard: Terence Levitt,  Sound Engineer: Steven Bell

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play network.

Tags: #winkingkattales #childrensmusica l#originalsongs #radioplay

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October 2020 marks the beginning of a second year of creating new musical stories for you.  We're excited to tell you about some of the stories, videos, and activities we have planned.

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Purple Series (ages 7 and up)
Copyright © 2020 by P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
published by Winking Kat Books

Treacherous pirates, buried treasure, and a mysterious island have helped make Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure novel, "Treasure Island", one of the most re-told stories of all time.  In our Winking Kat adaptation of this wonderful story, we've added some humor and several fun songs while keeping the mystery, colorful characters, and adventure of the original novel.  And, of course, we couldn't leave out ol' Ben Gunn's love of melted cheese on toast.  So we invite you to join Jim Hawkins on his amazing voyage aboard the Hispaniola to Skeleton Island in the heart of the Caribbean Sea.  All aboard for adventure.

Book and lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt
Cast: Sanjaya Haritsa, David Bailey, Adrian Cerrato, Max Lopuszynski, Tristan Carruthers, Daniel Stoltenberg,  Tyler Miller, Danny Miller, Daniel Cords,  Patricia Haines-Ainsworth.
Keyboard: Terence Levitt,  Violin: Teresa Jorgenson, Sound Engineer: Steven Bell

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
 WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Let us know if you enjoyed this musical podcast.  If you have any comments or drawings of the characters you'd like to share, post them on Facebook and tag us (@WinkingKatTales or message us on Twitter.  We'd love to see them. 

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Red Series (ages 6 and up)
copyright © 2019 by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
    published by Winking Kat Books

Winking Kat presents a new, musical adaptation of the familiar tale of "Cinderella".  We've chosen Charles Perrault's sweet, romantic version of the story written in the late 1600's.  It is set in France and has new songs and fun characters (and a little less gore than the Grimm Brothers' version of the story).  Seven fresh new songs make this version something fun and special.

Be sure to listen to the beginning chapter of this episode.  We have a brief history of this very old tale of a kind, young woman who overcomes hardship and her shyness to pursue her dream of attending a royal ball.  She finally stands up for herself and what she wants, and wins the heart of the prince in the process.

Book and Lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt.  Narrated by P. Haines-Ainsworth with vocals by Morgan Dietkus, Nick Edmondson, Mary Hould, Jenna Jordan, Katie Moya, Kyla Roberts, and Samantha Victor.

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

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GREEN SERIES (ages 4 & up)
Copyright © 2020 by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
produced by Winking Kat Books

This episode is the last in a series of several episodes that featured tales adapted from Aesop's fables.  In this fifth episode, we feature the fables of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and "The Dog and His Bone". 
"The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is the story of a shepherd boy, named Jacob, who wants to play a practical joke on his neighbors.  Twice he calls to them saying there is a wolf in the meadow and asking them for help.  There is no wolf and the townspeople are angry.   When a wolf does appear in the meadow, Jacob calls for help again.  This time no one believes him. He doesn't realize that the townspeople have their own trick that they have planned to play on the shepherd boy.

"The Dog and His Bone" is a musical adaptation about a dog that becomes jealous of his own reflection.  It is one of our favorite fables from Aesop's collection.

Winking Kat Tales has produced two other episodes with collected fables from Aesop plus two individual episodes, "The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse" and "The Tortoise and The Hare".  We hope you enjoy listening to this special series of tales attributed to the ancient Greek storyteller, Aesop.

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Cast:  Adrian Cerrato, Jen Makenas, Danny Miller, Pat Haines-Ainsworth
Piano: Terence Levitt      Sound Engineer: Steven Bell

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Stories to fuel your imagination.

Green Series: Ages 4 and Up
Copyright © 2018 by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
Produced by Winking Kat Books 2020

This episode is the second in our series of short musical adaptation of popular Aesop Fables.  This episode features two fun tales, "The Sun, The North Wind, & The Man"  and "The Crows & The Pitcher". 
"The Sun, The North Wind, & The Man" tells about a contest long ago between the Sun and the cold and blustery North Wind.  The North Wind bet the Sun that he was stronger and more powerful.  When they saw a man in a field below them, the North Wind bet the Sun that he could make the man lose his coat and hat.  He tried to force the coat off the man by bullying the poor shepherd by blowing his cold winds at the man.  The Sun, instead sent her warm rays down upon the man.  Which one do you think makes the man lose his coat?

"The Crows & The Pitcher" is an adaptation of the fable of the clever crow who uses his ingenuity to get water from deep inside a pitcher on a hot and sunny day.  It's not easy because the water is at the very bottom of the pitcher.  But the crow uses a little science to help himself and his thirsty friends to the cool water.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, ACTIVITIES, AND FUN BEHIND THE SCENES NEWS, BE SURE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE, WINKING KAT TALES.COM, AND SUBSCRIBE.

Book & Lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth   Music by Terence Alaric Levitt
Cast: Patricia Haines-Ainsworth, Danny Miller, Adrian Cerrato, Jenna Jordan, Kyla Roberts.
Piano: Terence Alaric Levitt

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Stories to fuel your imagination.

Blue Series (ages 5 and up)
Copyright © 2020 by P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
    published by Winking Kat Books

"The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse" is a new musical adaptation of the familiar fable by the famous Greek storyteller, Aesop.  It is the story of a city mouse, Maria, who is bored with her day to day life.  She invites her cousin, Marta, who lives in the country to come to visit.  Marta finds the city life too noisy and hectic.  She tells Maria to come back to the country with her to see why the country is so restful.  Between the weasels and the owl, Ernesto, Maria doesn't find the country life very restful at all.  In the end, both cousins learn to appreciate what they have in their own back yards. 

Book and Lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt.
Cast includes:  Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Ellen Dessler Smith, Danny Miller, Samuel Jarius Petit, & Pat Haines-Ainsworth

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Winking Kat Tales is a proud member of the Dramafy Audio Play network.

Tags: #winkingkattales #childrensmusica l#originalsongs #radioplay

Let us know if you enjoyed this musical podcast.  If you have any comments or drawings of the characters you'd like to share, post them on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag
#winkingkattales.  We'd love to see them

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Stories to fuel your imagination.

Green Series (ages 4 & up)
Copyright © 2018 by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
    published by Winking Kat Books

The Lion & The Mouse is the first of three episodes dedicated to the fables of the Greek storyteller, Aesop.  Winking Kat has adapted this familiar fable into a short, musical, presentation for young audiences.  The story is about a lion who reluctantly makes friends with a little mouse.  The mouse, Tillie, promises that their friendship might be important someday, but Leonard, the lion, doesn't believe her.  When Leonard suddenly finds himself snared in a trap, Tessie steps in to help him as only she can. 

For behind the scenes fun or to subscribe to our newsletter visit: winking kat tales
Cast:  Danny Miller, Jen Makenas, Jenna Jordan, Kyla Roberts, Patricia Haines-Ainsworth.  Piano: Terry Levitt.

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Stories to fuel your imagination.

Season One of Winking Kat Tales is up and ready for listening, but we're not taking time
to celebrate.  The Winking Kat is busy getting everything ready for Season 2 and more new story episodes.  Plus, we're planning interviews with storytellers, our talented actors, teachers, scientists, and more who can give us fun facts and details about the history and origins of the stories we tell.

BE SURE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND SUBSCRIBE TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE NEW STORIES AND ACTIVITIES,  PLUS FUN 'BEHIND THE SCENES' NEWS.
HERE'S THE LINK:
WINKING KAT TALES.COM

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Stories to fuel your imagination.

Green Series (ages 3 and up)
copyright © 2019 by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
    published by Winking Kat Books

This new musical adaptation of Aesop's familiar fable of "The Tortoise and the Hare", is full of new songs and fun characters.  As in the original story, Hare challenges Tortoise to a race to see who is fastest.  Hare, of course, is confident that he will win so he takes too much for granted and makes some bad decisions.  Tortoise, with the help of her friend and coach, the Hedgehog, stays the course.  As she says, 'one foot in front of the other'.  By being careful, slow, and steady instead of overconfident and impulsive, Tortoise wins the race.  This podcast musical is intended for audiences age 3 to adult.  Cast includes: Adrian Cerrato as Hare, Patricia Haines as Tortoise, Arwen Dewey as Hedgehog, and David Bailey as the Sun and Aesop.  Composer Terence Alaric Levitt is on Keyboard.  Music and Lyrics for this adaptation by P. Haines-Ainsworth. 

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Let us know if you enjoyed this musical podcast.  If you have any comments or drawings of the characters you'd like to share, post them on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag
#winkingkattales.  We'd love to see them.  

Support the show

Stories to fuel your imagination.

Purple Series (for ages 7 and up)
copyright © 2019  by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
  published by Winking Kat Books
Calliope and the other muses continue the story of "Hercules and the Golden Apple".  Based on the advice from Hemmingway, the Old Man of the Sea, our hero travels to Egypt to find instructions for the next part of the journey to the Garden of Hesperides.  But to get those instructions he has to ask the great Sphinx three riddles.  Her riddles are never easy, but the Greek Chorus travels with him to help him out.  Does he get to the Garden?  Can he retrieve the apples?  What does he do about Hera's hundred-headed dragon?  You'll have to listen to find out.

Original book and lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt
Cast: Jennifer Makenas, Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Daniel Stoltenberg, Max Lopuszynski, David Bailey, Patricia Haines-Ainsworth.

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Let us know if you enjoyed this musical podcast.  If you have any comments or drawings of the characters you'd like to share, post them on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag
#winkingkattales.  We'd love to see them. 

Support the show

Stories to fuel your imagination.

Purple Series (for ages 7 and up)
copyright © 2019 by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
    published by Winking Kat Books
Winking Kat has adapted the famous myth of "Hercules and the Golden Apple" into a fun and silly musical full of colorful characters from Greek mythology. The focus is on one of Hercules' twelve labors. Hera, wife of Zeus and always a nemesis of Hercules, constantly tries to thwart Hercules' quest to fulfill his many labors needed to free his soul from guilt.  She even suggests that he retrieve two golden apples from her special golden apple tree because she believes Hercules will never be up to the task and will fail.  But with help from his half-sister, Athena, the nymphs, and the Greek chorus, our hero might just succeed.

Original book and lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth.  Music by Terence Alaric Levitt
Cast: Jennifer Makenas, Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Daniel Stoltenberg, Max Lopuszynski, David Bailey, Patricia Haines-Ainsworth.

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Let us know if you enjoyed this musical podcast.  If you have any comments or drawings of the characters you'd like to share, post them on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag
#winkingkattales.  We'd love to see them. 

Support the show

Stories to fuel your imagination.

What is this podcast about?  And what can you expect from future episodes?  Here is a quick summary of the history behind the Winking Kat Tales podcast any why we decided to offer these fun and original radio plays to you.

Support the show

Stories to fuel your imagination.

Green Series (for ages 5 and up)
copyright © P. Haines-Ainsworth
"The Underground Mouse"  is an original story about a young girl, Daisy Whistlewhite, who spies a little mouse playing in the discarded papers at the Underground station in London.  Soon all the waiting passengers begin watching the mouse, too.  As the train approaches the station, everyone worries the mouse will not survive.  For a short time all the strangers waiting for the station unite and become friends as they cheer for the little mouse.

FOR MORE STORIES, ACTIVITIES, AND 'BEHIND THE SCENES' FUN, BE SURE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND SUBSCRIBE:

WINKING KAT TALES.COM

Let us know if you enjoyed this podcast.  If you have any comments or drawings of the characters you'd like to share, post them on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag
#winkingkattales.  We'd love to see them. 

Support the show

Stories to fuel your imagination.

Purple Series (for ages 7 and up)
copyright © 2019 by P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt
    published by Winking Kat Books
"The Day Zero Left Dodge" is an original musical adventure from the Old West.  Every number in Dodge City has a value, or so it seemed.  When Crazy Eight and his gang arrive and steal some of Seven's sheep, Zero volunteers to join One and his posse.  One explains that it doesn't matter if Zero joins or not.  Insulted and hurt, Zero leaves Dodge.  Zero's absence creates chaos and more problems than you can count.  One realizes the town really needs Zero, so he goes out to find her and bring her back to Dodge.

Book and Lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth; Music by Terence Alaric Levitt
Cast: Jennifer Makenas, Adrian Cerrato, Arwen Dewey, Tristan Carruthers, Danny Miller, Patricia Haines-Ainsworth

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Let us know if you enjoyed this musical podcast.  If you have any comments or drawings of the characters you'd like to share, post them on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag
#winkingkattales.  We'd love to see them. 

Support the show

Stories to fuel your imagination.

Green Series (ages 4 and up)
copyright © 2018 by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
    published by Winking Kat Books
Balfour and The Magic Hat is an original musical for ages 3 and up.  It was created in cooperation with the Shapiro Foundation for Anti-Racist Education.
In our story, Balfour wants to see the world and go on a journey.  His Grandmother makes a special hat for him to wear.  It's special because he can twist it, button it, or pull it into all kinds of different shapes.  On his journey, Balfour travels to a small island.  The people on the island live in three different groups on three different parts of the island. The people in each group are afraid to talk anyone from another group.  They know someone belongs to a different group because each group wear a special kind of hat.  Innocently, Balfour changes his magic hat to fit the weather and surroundings on the different parts of the island he visits.  As he travels across the island the shape of his magic hat coincidentally matches the hats belonging to the different groups.  Because his hat looks like theirs, the island people aren't afraid to talk with him and he makes friends with people from each group.  As he talks with his new friends on the island, Balfour finds they all have a lot in common in spite of the strange ideas they have about the people who don't belong to their group.  He finally gets his new friends to meet and talk with each other.  The meeting is not going well, when suddenly something happens to Balfour's magic hat that makes the islanders come together to help Balfour.

Book and lyrics by P. Haines-Ainsworth with music by Terence Alaric Levitt. 
Cast: Jennifer Makenas, Adrian Cerrato, Tristan Carruthers, Danny Miller, Patricia Haines-Ainsworth.

USE THIS LINK TO WATCH AN ANIMATED SING-ALONG VIDEO OF BALFOUR'S JOURNEY SONG:

TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
 WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Let us know if you enjoyed this musical podcast.  If you have any comments or drawings of the characters you'd like to share, post them on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag
#winkingkattales.  We'd love to see them. 

Support the show

Stories to fuel your imagination.

Purple Series (for ages 7 and up)
copyright©2019 by P. Haines-Ainsworth & Terence Alaric Levitt
An original, musical adaptation for young audiences by P. Haines-Ainsworth and Terence Alaric Levitt.  Based on the classic story by Charles Perrault.  "Puss 'n Boots" is set in France.  Philippe, the youngest son of a wealthy farmer, inherits only two things from his father - an envelope with five silver coins and a tabby cat named, Puss.  Little does Philippe know that Puss is much more valuable than he seems. Puss sets out to make Philippe wealthier and happier than the boy's wildest dreams, but the cat will have to use all his cleverness to succeed.  (Cast includes: Adrian Cerrato as Philippe; Laura McFarlane as Puss; David Bailey as Msr Pompeux, the lawyer, and Olivier, the ogre; Jennifer Makenas as Princess Anne; Ellen Dessler Smith as the mayor and Theo, the ogre's servant; Tristan Carruthers as the tailor and Georges, the ogre's servant; and Patricia Haines-Ainsworth as Queen Claudia).

VISIT OUR BLOG FOR FUN BEHIND THE SCENES, RECIPES, AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The Tale Behind The Tale : the history and inspiration behind your favorite Winking Kat stories
TO FIND MORE AUDIO STORY EPISODES AND GENERAL INFO, CLICK ON THIS LINK:
WINKINGKATTALES.COM

Let us know if you enjoyed this musical podcast.  If you have any comments or drawings of the characters you'd like to share, post them on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag
#winkingkattales.  We'd love to see them. 

Support the show

Stories to fuel your imagination.