Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'fairy'

Beloved Children's Book 'Thirteen Clocks' Is Back

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 11:23:00 EST

James Thurber's decades-old, modern take on the standard fairy tale has just been reprinted. Weekend Edition's Daniel Pinkwater says if you like the The Princess Bride or Rocky and Bullwinkle's "Fractured Fairy Tales," you'll like this tale, too.

'Were the World Mine': 'Tis Definitely Fairy Time

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST

How's a much-bullied gay teen to get his revenge? Well, if he's starring in a musicalized A Midsummer Night's Dream, and he stumbles upon a working formula for Puck's love potion ...

'Year Of The Fish': A Cinderella Story, In Chinatown

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:15:00 EDT

A pretty, plucky heroine, a mean massage-parlor proprietress, and a handsome-prince figure who's more perceptive than most — David Kaplan's modern fairy tale stays breezy, brisk and down to earth.

Beautiful, Graphic 'Flights' Of Fantasy

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:27:00 EDT

The latest volume in a spellbinding series of lush, graphic short-story collections melds diverse influences into modern fairy tales of vision and wonder.

'Harry Potter' Author Pens Tales For Charity

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

A book of wizard fairy tales written and illustrated by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is going to be published for charity in December. The book is a collection of five wizarding tales referred to in the Potter series.

Wedding Stories Worth Remembering

Thu, 29 May 2008 14:24:00 EDT

Weddings are supposed to be one of the happiest days in a lifetime. But it doesn't turn out to be a fairy tale day for everyone. It's a day that can be crimped or ruined by bridezillas, grooms with cold feet and embarrasing best-man toasts.

'Chocolat' Author Returns, with a Dark Confection

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:51:00 EDT

Joanne Harris' new novel, The Girl with No Shadow, revisits the supernaturally sensuous world of Chocolat. But where the first book was about what makes people happy, Harris calls her latest a dark, urban fairy tale.

The Lifecycle of a Tooth

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:03:00 EDT

From those earliest painful eruptions (the unforgettable screams of a teething baby), through the tooth fairy, wisdom teeth, root canals and rot, your teeth have a lifecycle all of their own. Here's a look at your pearly whites.

U.K. Dentists Win Trade Dress Issue

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:28:00 EST

Two British dentists finally have something to smile about. They've won a battle. No, not with plaque; not the tooth fairy either. Rather with Lacoste, famous for its crocodile logo. Lacoste accused the dentists of copyright infringement after they hung out a sign featuring a toothy reptile.

Digging Up Fairy Tales with a 'Flowering Spade'

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:04:00 EDT

There's a sweet, subtle sorcery at work in Sean Hayes' songs, and it's especially evident on the upbeat "Flowering Spade." As the snare sounds out a locomotive rhythm, it's clear that this isn't the sound of leaving, but of something already well underway.

Folkstreams Documents America, An Hour At a Time

Sat, 26 May 2007 06:00:00 EDT

Virginia filmmaker Tom Davenport is best known for his movie adaptations of Brothers Grimm fairy tales -- set in Appalachia. Now he spends much of his time making sure people see the work of other filmmakers. His Folkstreams.net is an online archive for documentaries on a range of folk culture, virtually all of them impossible to find anywhere else.

Dogs Take Vow: To Serve and Herd Penguins

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:59:00 EDT

On Middle Island off Australia, foxes were close to polishing off a colony of endangered fairy penguins. Then chicken farmer Allan "Swampy" Marsh showed up with his penguin dogs. The canines turned out to do a great job of scaring off the foxes.

A Conversation with Vaclav Havel

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 12:08:00 EST

Vaclav Havel, the dissident Czech playwright who became president of his country after the demise of the Soviet Union, reflects on his own "fairy tale story."

Williams Syndrome: It's Not a Fairy Tale

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 00:00:00 EDT

Fairy tales tell of wee folk who spend their lives singing and dancing. A rare genetic disorder called Williams Syndrome lends scientific support to the legends. Drummer Jeremy Vest is among those who are diagnosed with Williams Syndrome.

New Sesame Streeter Enjoys Being a Girly Girl

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 17:12:00 EDT

Facing competition from kids' programs like Dora the Explorer, the show has developed Abby Cadabby, a new female character who embraces her inner fairy princess, wings, wand, and all. Our commentator, herself a child of Sesame Street, says it's nice to see a puppet who's not afraid to embrace her feminity.

Abby Cadabby Moves to 'Sesame Street'

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 16:22:00 EDT

Sesame Street's got a new girl on the block: Abby Cadabby. The 3-year-old muppet fairy will be the long-running PBS children's show first leading female character. Producers hope she'll provide a strong yet funny role model for girls.

The Wee Fairy Doors of Ann Arbor, Mich.

Tue, 09 May 2006 08:10:00 EDT

"Fairy doors" are popping up in the downtown area of Ann Arbor, Mich. The miniature openings into imagined fairy homes are an unsponsored, unauthorized public art that's captured the imagination of the city.

Teacher, School Sued over Gay Fairy Tale

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 00:00:00 EDT

Massachusetts parents infuriated that their second graders were read King & King, a fairy tale about two gay princes, are suing the school and the teacher in federal court. The parents say schools are violating their religious freedom. But in Massachusetts, where gay marriage is legal, public school officials say they not only can talk about gay couples, they are required to.

The NCAA Tournament: Final Four Frenzy

Sat, 01 Apr 2006 20:18:34 EST

Florida plays ugly stepsister to Cinderella, ending George Mason's fairy-tale run in the tournament, 73-58. The Gators await the LSU-UCLA winner in the upset-riddled men's field. On the women's side, four perennial powers: Duke, LSU, Maryland and North Carolina.

Children's Fantasy Lit in the Modern World

Mon, 05 Dec 2005 00:00:00 EST

C.S. Lewis wrote that "once every hundred years some wiseacre gets up and tries to banish the fairy tale." Lewis also said the best fantasy worked for young and old alike. Authors of children's fantasy examine how that holds in today's literature.

Slate's Summary Judgment: 'The Brothers Grimm,' 'Undiscovered,' 'The Cave'

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EDT

Fairy tales, struggling actors and stranded scientists want your movie dollars this weekend -- but are any of them worth the cash? Slate contributor Mark Jordan Legan looks at what the critics are saying about this week's new movie releases, including The Brothers Grimm, Undiscovered and The Cave.

Righting a Wrong About New Species

Sun, 10 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EDT

A March 27 Weekend Edition Sunday story on fairy shrimp incorrectly stated that decades had passed since a new species had been discovered in the United States. For a correction and clarification, Sheilah Kast speaks with Kevin Omland, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Danes Mark Hans Christian Andersen Bicentennial

Sat, 02 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST

Denmark holds a weeklong festival in honor of fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen, who was born 200 years ago on April 2. Scott Simon talks with Diana Crone Frank and Jeffrey Frank, translators of the author's work.

Biologists Discover Carnivorous Fairy Shrimp

Sun, 27 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST

Biologists with the Idaho National Guard have discovered a new species of fairy shrimp that can lie dormant for years in Idaho's desert. At three inches long, the sharp-clawed crustacean preys on smaller pond dwellers -- including its relatives.

'Stop That Girl': Anti-Fairy Tales

Thu, 17 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST

'Stop That Girl': Anti-Fairy Tales March 17, 2005 · Alan Cheuse reviews Stop That Girl by California writer Elizabeth McKenzie, nine short stories so true to life that you'd think the events described must have actually happened.