UVULA's Kids' Story Podcasts!!
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The audio podcast of the beloved L. Frank Baum story
"Queen Zixi of Ix or The Story of the Magic Cloak"!
Queen Zixi of Ix, or The Story of the Magic Cloak is a children's book that was written in 1905 (This year is the 101st anniversary of its being published!) by the legendary L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Frederick Richardson. It was originally serialized in the early 20th Century American children's magazine St. Nicholas. The events of the book alternate between Noland and Ix, two neighboring regions to the Land of Oz, and Baum himself commented this was the best book he had written. (In a letter to his eldest son, Frank Joslyn Baum, he said it was "nearer to the 'old-fashioned' fairy tale than anything I have yet accomplished.")
The book was made into a movie, The Magic Cloak of Oz, in 1914. Although no part of the book's story takes place in the Land of Oz, by the time the movie was made, it had become clear that the Oz franchise was Baum's most popular creation, and Hollywood salesmanship, still in its infancy, wanted to take advantage of that popularity.
http://www.uvulaaudio.com/kids/Kids.xml
Or Download directly here:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8 (THE LAST VOLUME)
Rated G for all audiences
"The Master Key, An Electrical Fairytale"!
The Master Key, an electrical fairytale was a bit of a departure for L. Frank Baum, who is best known for his fantastical stories about Oz. For one thing, The master key takes place in the "real world" not Oz or Ix or any other fantastical land. America, England, France, and Cuba all play roles as landmarks.
Second, although the story is decidedly fantasy in its roots, there are strong elements of science fiction where Baum speculates on what types of a electrical devices humans might eventually invent in the century to come. He predicted several mechanisms that we now use every day?although others are still implausible.
The story concerns young Rob, who accidentally summons up the Demon of Electricity, a fairy who bestows upon him several magical electrical devices including a flying contraption, a stun gun, a force field, and something resembling a portable TV set with RAM memory and big-brother-like abilities. Baum even predicts internet piracy. When Rob muses upon the consequences of a TV that can peek in on entertainments without paying, his words strangely echo those of today's Motion Picture and Music Associations, "If these records get to be as common as the demon wishes, people will all stay home and see shows, and the actors will starve to death . . ."
Baum intended the story as an allegorical warning about the coming century. He, as many other of his contemporaries, was concomitantly fascinated and fearful of what future electrical technology would bring to the world. In 1900, he had just caught a glimpse of that electrical demon and what it could do-- he had no idea where the demon actually meant to take us, but Baum speculated a bit on our early abilities to handle those electric gifts. In many ways, Baum's fears for the future still haunt us today...
http://www.uvulaaudio.com/kids/Kids.xml
You can also download episodes here:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7 (The Last Volume)
Rated PG for some turn of the century racial stereotypes
L. Frank Baum's "The Sea Fairies"!
This wonderful fantasy story from L. Frank Baum deals with the travels of young Trot (Mary) and her guardian Cap'n Bill. Cap'n Bill is an sea salt who was the captain of Trot's father's boat until an accident where he lost his "meat leg" for a wooden one. One day Trot and Cap'n Bill find a big old sea cave where they discover a school of mermaids waiting for them. The mermaids agree to bring the two humans down to the ocean depths for a tour of their kingdom. In their travels, Trot and the Cap'n meet a bashful octopus, aristocratic codfish, and ancient sea serpent, and attend an elegant banquet hosted by Queen Aquareine of the mermaids. They have loads of adventures and lots of fun as well. Please enjoy this 1911 classic!
http://www.uvulaaudio.com/kids/Kids.xml
You can also download episodes here :
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8
Volume 9
Volume 10-- THE FINAL VOLUME
Rated G for all ages
Sky Island was written as a sequel to The Sea Fairies by L. Frank Baum in 1912, after he discovered how popular the characters of Trot and Cap'n Bill were to his reading public. His fans clamored for more, and this work is the result. This second novel concerns Trot and Cap'n Bill meeting the little boy Button Bright (who will be familiar to the readers of the Oz books as an on-going character). Button has a magical flying umbrella which transports them all to an island in the sky, where they meet six snub-nosed princesses, discover the King's treasure chamber, meet "Tourmaline the Poverty Queen", and continue to have mind boggling adventures. Enjoy. http://www.uvulaaudio.com/kids/Kids.xml
Or Download directly here:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8
Volume 9
Volume 10
Volume 11
Volume 12-- Final Episode!
Rated G for all ages
The continuing adventures of Trot and Cap'n Bill with The Scarecrow Of Oz!!
L. Frank Baum’s The Scarecrow of Oz continues the adventures of the famous Trot and Cap'n Bill who we have followed through The Sea Fairies and Sky Island. It is only natural that the two adventurers end up in Oz—-especially after Trot showed such great interest in Button Bright’s travels there during one discussion in Sky Island. This second sequel to the Trot stories was written by Baum in 1915 and the ninth in the Oz series. He says later in life that when he completed it, it turned out to be his personal favorite of all the Oz books. This book was a landmark also for Although the journey of an American child to Oz had long been a favorite plot for Baum, this work represented its last appearance: no more children would be inducted into Oz for the duration of his work on the series. Trot and Cap'n Bill find themselves on a perilous and exciting voyage when a whirlpool leaves them stranded in an underwater cave. There they are befriended by a most curious creature--the Ork. With four paddle-like wings, legs like a stork's, a parrot's head, and a tail like a propeller, the Ork proves to be a very welcome and helpful companion. After escaping the cave, the three friends make their way to the magical Land of Mo. Here they find Button-Bright--lost once again and eager to join in their adventures. Together, the four travel across the deadly desert and into the Land of Oz, only to find themselves in new rollicking adventures with the scowling King Krewl and Blinkie the wicked witch. By the way, you will notice something very odd in this story. Despite its title, the Scarecrow of Oz, does not even show up in the book as a character until about 2/3's of the way through. This tells you that even with Oz in its title, this book is very much mostly about Trot and Cap'n Bill . . . . Enjoy the story!
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8
Volume 9
Volume 10 (Final Volume)
Rated G for all audiences
The Classic Jack London Adventure story The Call of the Wild !
The Call of the Wild was written by American author Jack London. The plot concerns, Buck, a previously domesticated and even somewhat pampered dog whose primordial instincts return after a series of events finds him serving as a sled dog in the treacherous, frigid Yukon during the days of the 19th Century Gold Rushes in the Northwest. Published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is one of London's most read books and it is generally considered one of the classics of western adventure literature. Because the protagonist is a dog, it is usually classified as a juvenile novel, suitable for children.
HOWEVER, please note that this story is still dark in tone and contains numerous scenes of cruelty and violence toward animals so please ensure that your youth is mature enough for it.
http://www.uvulaaudio.com/kids/Kids.xml
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7 (Final Volume)
Rated PG-13 for Parental Guidance (Some parts may be seriously intense for the little ones)
Now available:"The Magical Monarch of Mo"
by L. Frank Baum
Magical Monarch of Mo was written in 1900 by L.Frank Baum and published just after the original Wonderful Wizard of Oz book. Unlike the Oz books or any of the other Baum books that we have presented thus far, this is not a book-length story, but an anthology of a series of stories. It is a collection of 14 “Surprise” stories about the magical kingdom of Mo, its king, and its people.Mo, besides being a two letter name, is a lot like Oz. It is an enchanted land where marvelous things happen, where animals talk, and where people do not die. If you remember the happenings in the Scarecrow of Oz book, Trot and Cap'n Bill discovered that Mo is a land where chocolates grow on trees, snow is popcorn, and rain is lemonade. By the way, notice the alliteration in the title is a lot like the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Magical Monarch of Mo. This was not a mistake on the part of Baum or his publishers. They both realized that a bit of marketing would sell more of this book, if people more quickly associated it with his very popular Oz book —hence the alliteration. In fact, Baum originally entitled it, before the change, the Beautiful Valley of Phunnyland.You will find many of the familiar magical themes that eventually arise in the Oz books and other stories—albeit in a more nascent form. One of the short stories is a very strange treat indeed. If you are fans of the French author Pierre Boulle, you will wonder why the descendents of Baum never sued him. Boulle wrote the Plant of the Apes, the book from which the movie was made. In this collection is the short story "The Land Of Civilized Monkeys". This is a story about a young man who lands from the sky into a civilization run by apes. He is roped and caged as a wild animal. He is put on display and examined by ape scientists as the possible "missing link" from which the apes descended. Sound familiar? Those of you who are fans of Japanese animation may also be amazed to know that the first historical giant robot story was presented by Baum in one of the stories presented in Mo.
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6 (Finale)
http://www.uvulaaudio.com/kids/Kids.xml
Rated PG for Parental Guidance (Although definitely a kid's storybook, some parts may be too psychedelic for the little ones)
New adventure Bookcast-- May 9th, 2008-- a celebration of the 75th anniversary of Lester Dent's pulp masterpiece:
Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze
http://www.uvulaaudio.com/kids/Kids.xml
Rated PG for cartoon type violence--nothing intense
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Available: L. Frank Baum's The Enchanted Isle of Yew
Welcome to another wonderful, mind-blowing L. Frank Baum podcast!. Once there was an enchanted island in the middle of the sea. It was called the Isle of Yew. And in it were five important kingdoms ruled by men, and many woodland dells and forest glades and pleasant meadows and grim mountains inhabited by fairies. From the fairies some of the men had learned wonderful secrets, and had become magicians and sorcerers, with powers so great that the entire island was reputed to be one of enchantments. Who these men were the common people did not always know; for while some were kings and rulers, others lived quietly hidden away in forests or mountains, and seldom or never showed themselves. Indeed, there were not so many of these magicians as people thought, only it was so hard to tell them from common folk that every stranger was regarded with a certain amount of curiosity and fear.
http://www.uvulaaudio.com/kids/Kids.xml
Rated PG for classic storybook-type violence and mild trangendered themes (don't ask . . .)
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Justice Incorporated tells the story of Richard Benson, a 1940s pulp hero like no other. Out of tragedy, a hero is born! In the roaring heart of the crucible, steel is made. In the raging flame of personal tragedy, men are sometimes forged into something more than human. Wealthy and successful at an early age, Richard Benson was preparing to enjoy a long and happy life with his family when crime took away his wife and young daughter. Once he was just a man, but now he is a machine of vengeance dedicated to the extermination of all crime. A figure of ice and steel, but more pitiless than both, Benson has become a symbol to crooks and killers--a terrible, almost impersonal force, masking cold genius and a nearly supernatural power behind a face as white and still as a dead man's mask. Only pale eyes, like ice in a polar dawn, hint at what awaits criminals when they invoke the rage of millionaire adventurer Richard Benson - The Avenger!
Rated PG for 1940's pulp violence-- nothing graphic, but not for little kids
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A young adult bookcast>>> Divers Down: Adventure Under Hawaiian Seas by Hal Gordon(Harold Leland Goodwin)
This new bookcast concerns the story of Kip Morgan, a student from Connecticut with an interest in undersea engineering. He comes to Hawaii to take part in the Makapuu Oceanic Center's summer program. There he meets a number of other young scientists, including several from Hawaii, and gets involved in raising the "Ilikai," a large canoe that sank in the 1860s while carrying a huge stone idol, a representation of the Hawaiian god Kane. Along the way, Kip's friendship with historian Julie turns romantic, he develops a rivalry with another summer student, and he has adventures under the Hawaiian seas.
Rated PG
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NOW PODCASTING on the adult and children's podcasts: Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet, A young adult science fiction novel by Blake Savage (Harold Leland Goodwin)
The YA SF novel "Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet" was written by Harold Goodwin (aka Blake Savage) in 1952. You may remember that Goodwin also wrote "Divers Down" which we presented a couple of months ago. "Rip Foster" concerns the first mission of a young, newly commissioned officer (Lieutenant R.I.P. Foster) in the space corps' Special Operations division. Although published in the 1950's, the book has withstood the test of time and does not seem all that dated. Its actual astrophysics are very true to life and apparently quite accurate.
Uvula Audio Update for October 30th, 2009
Rip Foster Volume 9 (The Finale)
Rated PG
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NOW PODCASTING: The Johnny Sunlight Saga, The Fortress of Solitude and The Devil Genghis by Lester Dent
The deep mysteries of Doc Savage are finally revealed in the Fortress of Solitude. Fans demanded it back in the 1930’s and it was finally written by Lester dent in 1938. Doc comes up against Johnny Sunlight, a poetic genius of evil and the gruesome master of a thousand elements of screaming terror. Sunlight discovers the innermost secrets of the man of bronze, and as you can imagine the outcome will not be pretty Doc finds himself enmeshed in a diabolical web of dark horror as he valiantly battles the appalling machines of destruction that he himself created! This will be an epic battle for the ages . . .
The John Sunlight Saga (The Fortress of Solitude), Volume 1
The John Sunlight Saga (The Fortress of Solitude), Volume 2
The John Sunlight Saga (The Fortress of Solitude), Volume 3
The John Sunlight Saga (The Fortress of Solitude), Volume 4
The John Sunlight Saga (The Fortress of Solitude), Volume 5
The John Sunlight Saga (The Fortress of Solitude), Volume 6 (FIXED)
The John Sunlight Saga (The Fortress of Solitude), Volume 7
The John Sunlight Saga (The Fortress of Solitude finale), Volume 8
The John Sunlight Saga (The Devil Genghis), Volume 9
The John Sunlight Saga (The Devil Genghis), Volume 10
The John Sunlight Saga (The Devil Genghis), Volume 11
The John Sunlight Saga (The Devil Genghis), Volume 12
The John Sunlight Saga (The Devil Genghis), Volume 13
The John Sunlight Saga (The Devil Genghis), Volume 14
The John Sunlight Saga (The Devil Genghis), Volume 15
The John Sunlight Saga (The Devil Genghis), Volume 16 (The Grand Finale)
Rated PG-13
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