Jim Henson's The Storyteller: The Novelization

The Jim Henson title is very misleading in the context of these tales. The stories were originally researched and revised by respected and renowned theatre and movie director Anthony Minghella, in his earlier days, long before Truly, Madly Deeply and the English Patient. They were funded and produced as a Children's Series called the Stotyteller, with John Hurt as storyteller. Animals and creatures were devised by muppet maker Henson and Co. This book is a compilation of the stories, stripped back to the Minghella folk tales for reading (no muppets, no talking dogs, no American accents). The only visual enhancement is in the simple illustrations. Most of the action is in the child's imagination. I used to tell my children these stories (and many others I collected) from my recollection, filling in the gaps as one does in improvisation. There are some classic techniques of story telling Children's folk tales, rhyme, repetition and veiled warnings. There are also timeless lessons about danger, trickery and morality. Each story is around 20 pages in length, suitable for a 4 or 5 plus child who enjoys a scary tale, or those up to 7 or 8, when they should be reading entire books themselves. Highly recommended - Minghella put a lot of himself into these stories.

After watching the THE STORYTELLER TV series, I was really excited that there was a book that told the stories from the show. As I read this book, scenes played in my mind I remembered and loved. I loved the illustrations for each story as well as actual photos of Jim Henson and all who contributed to creating THE STORYTELLER. The final chapter, A SEAT BY THE FIRE, explains how Jim Henson and Anthony Minghella worked together to bring fairy tales to life. If you LOVE fairy tales & you’re a HUGE FAN of Jim Henson, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book.

I have great memories of watching the TV show with my daughters so I thought I'd send this along since they are going to have to read some bedtime stories of their own. Foolishly, I opened it (just to check). The genius of Anthony Minghella is right there. I couldn't put it down; reliving every spellbinding moment in front of the TV with my girls. It's not just for reading to the kids, it's a book that can be passed on to them. They will read and enjoy the written word at it's best. The stark, black and white illustrations are a great choice. I needed to have my head pulled into a new view of the stories. That said, the extra pages of 'behind the scenes' pictures reminded me of the phenomenal legacy of Jim Henson. What a wonderful combination of the skills of everyone involved. Also, Brian Henson played the dog, excellent.

The writing is excellent, but here’s the problem. I expected this to be a collection of fairy tales, suitable for children. Instead they read like horror stories, so disturbing at times, dark and depressing. Would not read this book to a child. Not sure I liked reading it myself. But I was curious enough to finish the whole book, so that’s something.

I enjoyed this as an adult reader, but only in small doses; the writer's voice is extremely meandering and somewhat affected. It's a nice one-chapter-at-a-time evening read for an older reader, but I think even a precocious young reader would find it a little tedious, and I can't imagine it making a good read-aloud given how digressive the narrative is. All that said, as a grown-up interested in fairy tales from an academic perspective, I enjoyed it. A juicier alternative written in more compelling prose would be "The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories" by Angela Carter.

Do not expect a three-year-old to sit for an entire story because the segments are rather long. A slightly older child will get more enjoyment, but the stories are wonderful, with elements to make you wonder and imagine, and some familiar elements too, like a princess losing a shoe or a king under a spell.

I was a huge fan of the original tv series this book came from. (the book is writen by the shows writer) I enjoyed being introduced to the old european folktales that were unlike any I had heard before. This book is a wonderful translation of these stories from the show's scripts into storybook format. It is easy to read and beautifully illustrated. The pictures are very well done and look so much like the Jim Henson creatures. I highly recomend this book for both children and adults. It is a great addition to any collection and fun to read over and over again.

The book is in great condition. This was my favorite as a kid, and I was so sad when after a flood I realized I had lost it. Really happy that I was able to find it here.

Not as famous as a lot of Jim Henson’s projects, ‘The Storyteller’ was a television serial from the late eighties that consisted of episodic stories inspired by folklore of Northern European, predominantly Germanic, origin.They exhibited a certain charm derived from the way they were presented. Echoing a ‘saga telling’ style approach, each story was introduced and partially narrated through the character of the ‘storyteller’ (fabulously realised by John Hurt). Sat beside his hearth and ‘assisted’ by his animatronic dog, he addressed the viewer directly as he related these varied and entertaining stories which, like all good fairy tales, possess something for listeners of all ages.All nine onscreen tales are novelised in this collection. There is accompanying artwork, with generally a couple of black and white drawings per story. The book also includes some appendices that consist of some background to the concept and its development as well as some colour photographs from behind the scenes. The publication of this new edition of ‘The Storyteller’ is undoubtedly inspired by the prospective revival of the programme in 2020.Obviously the novelisations lack the puppeteering and intricate puppets that are associated with Jim Henson’s work. John Hurt’s delivery is inevitably also absent and the novelisations feel like they have less direct involvement from the storyteller, except for ‘A Story Short’ which features the storyteller himself in an adventure. However, the spirit of the original is still present, and these tales make entertaining little reads.

As my sister and I loved the series as children I wanted to get the series for my children bit it is so expensive I bought this book instead and I have not been disappointed it is bitter sweet and mysterious a perfect addition to the family if you do or do not have the series already it was such a happy surprise when I found this book

Often rather dark, with a wide vocabulary, this book fully stands up in comparison with the excellent television series. It IS for older children, mainly because the stories are rich and rather long, but stands the test of reading aloud very well.

Classis stories presented with lovely illustrations that look lovely on your book shelf.

Item arrived fairly quick! The book is in awesome condition. The only issue I have is that the image used in the advert looks nothing like the book I received "/