Wonderful Reads: Recent Episodes
Reading Is Leading
This podcast is a source of free audio reading. New episodes every Monday and Friday, plus holiday specials!
More laughter! More riddles! Oh and a very good story about how sometimes you can’t succeed but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still aim high… and Doug experiences trouble when he finds out that his dog graduates from culinary school on the day just before his history exam!
A brief analysis about the psychology behind the Disney parks as well as some insight to how they were built.
The life of the narrator is far from perfect so please bear with us until we can record again next week!
In this episode, we have “The Good Dinosaur”, “Finding Dory” and Doug still unable to study for the exam when his best friend shows up to take him to a scout meeting!
If a studio, cartoons, family and a train can’t save Walt, maybe a little pixie dust from the Happiest Place On Earth will!
In this episode, we have some laughs, some wonderful lessons taught by Raggedy Ann and Andy and the second Doug chapter, in which Doug can’t seem to find the time to study while watching his baby sister!
It’s sometimes funny how the opposite or antithesis of something can sometimes help to save it…
In this Goodnight Friday, Mercer Mayer’s little critters show us that we aren’t alone with emotions and that we can do anything and Doug from the popular 90’s animated series of the same name runs into trouble when he realizes he forgot to study for an exam!
The seeds of Disneyland have been planted- the thrill of the small town American railroad.
This Fourth of July, we should take some time to meditate on the meaning of freedom for ourselves and others!
In this episode, more laughs, more reasons to smile and an adorable baby bear learns a very important life lesson!
America emerges from war... and it is not quietly. This turn of events makes a permanent change on the ways that animation can be viewed and created.
In this episode, Arthur (the Aardvark) has to host his teacher at his house for the weekend because Mr. Ratburn’s roof has caved in... What will Arthur do?
The Disney Studio becomes yet more estranged from the near-religious “cult” that it once was...
In this story, a big bear is scared of a wild rainstorm but his friends come to offer hugs and help.
In this episode, Walt finds he may be open again to new ventures and that he has helped to unite the Americas.
This Friday, we are playing a fun little guessing game to get kids to listen carefully!
In this episode, a little girl learns how to set the monsters in her bedroom straight in the nicest way!
In this episode, children learn that God often answers our prayers in unexpected ways and that Figaro, the Disney kitten from “Pinocchio” is not always such a little gentleman.
In this story, we are introduced to a small Native American girl who loves her people so much that she gives up her most beloved possession so that they may have food and water in abundance.
In this episode, a mischievous little kitten goes on a trip to old Mexico to help a band of chihuahuas get back their frijoles (beans)!
In this episode, a fantastic vista of music and color animation is presented to the world with childlike view, only to be cut down by political outcry.
In this episode, a little baby apatosaurus misses his mommy when he has to start school but he learns something very important because of it- how to care about the feelings of other baby dinosaurs in his class.
In this episode, Christopher Robin tries to buy a rabbit, a little critter doesn’t like what he’s told and two fathers expound on the joys of having children.
In this episode, Thumper helps to hatch an egg and Rex reveals his fear of the Easter Bunny.
In this episode, classical music is set to animation for the very first time, a little cricket is created and a new kind of Disney Prince is born.
In this episode, Mickey gets a new face and Walt sees one of the worst tragedies of his life occur.
Sometimes, the best way to cope with a bad day is to take some time to imagine something better. This author’s books were some of my favorites when I was small!
In this episode, the success of the first feature animated film provides the leeway to creating a new animation studio from the ground up.
Tonight’s episode is about a lazy and inexperienced young man trying to find simple work... and somehow, he finds something better.
In this episode, the first Princess is born and the first animated feature film causes people to laugh and cry along with it.
In this episode, a young aspiring wizard DOESN’T go to Hogwarts and a ghost case is very poorly supported.
In this episode, we encounter the musical and visual influences behind Snow White and get a good look at the multiplane camera.
In this episode, we meet a little elephant that shows the world that being different doesn’t mean you can’t succeed and a gwarsh-darn lovable dog from the countryside.
In this episode, we explore some of the basic lore from the popular “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” TV series.
In this episode, we are introduced to Walt’s methods for “casting” his animators for feature films.
This is a book that tells kids that sometimes you have bad days and that you have to take some bad to get some good.
In this episode, we have a monster made of water, a hitch hiker with glowing eyes, a little boy from another time period and a visit from a grandfather.
In this episode, I am introducing some of my own writing! Get ready for a bear with a huge cold and a little boy who learns a lesson in responsibility.
Due to some family issues from yesterday, my throat hurts and it is taking a few days to recover. Please come back next week for more readings and thank you so much for your understanding.
This Goodnight Friday, I have decided to try something new! I have added a segment for a song and a segment where I read a few reasons to smile from the book “1,033 Reasons To Smile” by Elizabeth Dutton.
In this episode, the group makes a seemingly perilous stop at an inn called The Prancing Pony.
This is the story of one dear little creature living inside a boy’s mouth called a “Please”.
In this episode, the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Be shows Scrooge the horrors that await the world if he does not repent.
Grab your hot chocolate, your robe and your sleigh bell and get ready to settle in for a ride to the North Pole- TWICE!
In this episode, there is a brief reprieve for the troupe as merriment ensues at the house of Tom Bombadil.
In this episode, Scrooge masters the feeling of joy but his joy is soon shot down cold by the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Be.
In this episode, a village prepares for the holidays, fairies send a greeting to children and the Christmas bells toll.
In this episode, the troupe enters the Old Forest and faces some strange, mystical perils.
In this episode, Walt encounters yet another tough breach of his reality and the first chapters of the Mickey Mouse Club form.
This episode, the Ghost of Christmas Present continues to show Scrooge how much fun it can be to spend Christmas with family. Stay tuned every Sunday till the end of Christmas Carol!
In this episode, a gold-mining cowboy learns what the true meaning of Christmas is- family. Stay tuned every Friday for more stories!
Is it better to go on an adventure in the company of good natured friends? We shall see!
In this chapter, an international silver screen star with a scrappy attitude and a high pitched voice is born on November 18th, 1928.
In this episode, we discover along with Scrooge that the merriest Christmas doesn’t have to be extravagant.
Welcoming in the Winter holidays, here is a story about snow! Stay tuned every Friday for more!
A black rider on a black steed... What can this mean for Frodo Baggins? Stay tuned for more every Wednesday!
In this episode, we have the conceptualization of one of the greatest legends ever to come out of an American mind- a mouse. Stay tuned every Monday for more!
This episode concludes the visitation of the Spirit of Christmas Past and opens the curtains for the entrance of the Spirit of Christmas Present. Stay tuned every Sunday for more Christmas Carol!
Sometimes, it’s better to have something you didn’t think you wanted than to get what you want. Especially when that thing is a friend. Tune in every Friday for more!
In this episode, the entire upstart of the Disney Company is stolen from Walt. Tune in every Monday for more!
Scrooge takes a time traveling trip to the Christmases of his past. Stay tuned every Sunday for more!
In this episode, a terrible, hungry lion learns a very important lesson. Stay tuned every Friday for more stories!
Another quest begins on a clear morning in The Shire. Stay tuned every Wednesday for more Lord of the Rings!
Did you know that the Disney Studio existed BEFORE the Mouse? Find out that and more in this week’s installment! Stay tuned every Monday for more!
In this episode, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his good friend, Marley. Stay tuned for more every Sunday!
A cat invites a dog to tea without regard for whether or not her friend can handle eating the same food she does and a terrible case of hypochondria ensues. Stay tuned for new stories every Friday!
A grand journey begins with a disappearance. Stay tuned every Wednesday for more Lord of the Rings!
In this episode, Walt decides to get married. Stay tuned every Monday for more installments!
Join us every Sunday this season for the best-loved literary Christmas classic, “Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol” from now till the end of Winter!
Skin as white as snow, hair as black as ebony, cast out by an evil queen... This is a very familiar story but with a modern twist! Stay tuned every Friday for more Goodnight Fridays!
In this episode, Walt tumbled into Wonderland... will he find fame and money or will it all end in tears? Stay tuned every Monday!
This episode is meant to be de-FRIGHT-fully good fun. Stay tuned for Goodnight Fridays every Friday!
Parents can make this episode a fun candy recipe to make with the kids! Stay tuned for more Goodnight Fridays!
Three chilling tales to welcome in the creepiest day of the year! More to come on Halloween Day 2020!
In this episode, Walt starts his own animation company. Will he succeed? Find out and tune in every Monday!
In this episode, Donald Duck makes a huge mistake when trying to train Pluto to act in a movie! Stay tuned every Friday for Goodnight Fridays!
Join us as we learn about the final three Halloween icons and what they mean. Our final Spooky Saturday will be on Halloween 2020!
In this episode, Walt builds the foundation of his first animation company. Tune in every Monday evening!
A baby bat raised by birds is reunited with her bat family... The book is also wonderful for educating small children about bats.
It’s Friday night in the 2000’s and Halloween is within weeks. You’ve just finished your homework or dinner and no one is using the TV. So you grab the remote, turn the channel to Cartoon Network and the magic begins...
We appear to be starting the month of October with good luck and guided wisdom! Lucky us, huh?
This is a wonderful, timeless classic about a skeleton who grows tired of Halloween and decides to try Christmas instead.
This is the Marceline chapter of Walt’s life. The little town of Marceline is what shaped much of the man that Walt became later in life.
In this episode, we find out just what ties ghosts and skeletons to our beloved holiday.
In this episode, Raggedy Andy gets into some trouble with the new rain gutter! Stay tuned for next Friday!
A brief summary of the events that leads up to the birth of the man who created Mickey Mouse and the entire Disney pantheon.
In this episode, we toss around a few theme ideas for decorating any space for Halloween!
In this episode, we take a brief look at where Halloween is today and where it has come from.
This episode is made to arm your child with the knowledge to make the monsters not so scary! Stay tuned for next Friday!
In this episode, learn about the most nostalgic era of Halloween ever experienced and what poisoned treat stories did to affect Halloween. Tune in every Saturday evening till October 31st 2020!
In this episode, Coraline makes a daring escape that requires a certain trust between herself and her new cat. Tune in next Monday for more Coraline!
If you’ve ever wanted to know where Halloween parties, haunted houses and parades (and trick or treating) come from, you’ve come to the right podcast! Tune in Saturday evenings from now till October 31st 2020!
In this episode, the realm of the Other Mother suspiciously begins to fall into ruins and Coraline must prepare for a final showdown! Stay tuned next Monday to find out whether Coraline makes it out alive!
This episode covers how Halloween was celebrated in a just-settled America. Tune in Saturday evenings!
Once, there lived twelve little girls in two straight lines... The smallest one was Madeline and in this story, Madeline is very bravely rescued by her dog, Genevieve who then goes missing herself!
In this episode, Coraline discovers a shocking truth about the realm of the Other Mother... Stay tuned for episode 10 next Monday!
In this chapter, Coraline challenges the Other Mother to a game and wagers her own life...
Locked away in a dark and cold broom closet behind a mirror, Coraline makes some new friends who help inspire her to rebel against the Other Mother...
In this episode, Coraline wakes up in the Other World, discovers a shocking secret about the world and angers the Other Mother...
In this episode, Raggedy Ann goes sailing off on the end of a kite and is sorely missed by Marcella.
In this episode, Coraline’s parents have mysteriously gone missing and when the local police won’t help, Coraline takes matters into her own hands...
In this chapter, Coraline has an interesting experience inside a theater where... Dogs and cats can TALK? Tune in next week for more of Coraline’s adventure!
This week, Coraline returns to the door in the drawing room and finds that it actually leads somewhere... Tune in next week for more Coraline!
In this chapter, Coraline is very very bored, so she goes out for a walk but she does not come back empty handed...
Coraline and her parents have just moved into a flat in a house called the Pink Palace. In this chapter, Coraline goes exploring and finds many astonishing things from highly unique neighbors to a very mysterious well and door. What lies beyond the door? Keep tuning in every week on Monday to find out!
This little book is a one-stop-shop for great tips, techniques and exercises for fighting and limiting anxiety and its power over the anxious mind on a daily basis.
This book is all about what it means to be “Goth”, where Goth comes from and how it should be handled as well as how Goths should preferably handle non-Gothic behaviors.
This is an amazingly emotional and heartwarming adventure about what it means to truly love someone, whether as friend or family. The story does have some darker themes which may not be suitable for small children.
A wonderfully detailed look at the life and works of the renowned artist and film maker, Tim Burton.
Ever been curious as to how the bats fly in Halloween Town? Or about what makes Zero invisible while he also appears to float? You have come to the right place, if you have! This book answers as many production questions about Tim Burton’s beloved classic, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” as possible.
A well-known tale of terror and the unknown, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has terrified generations of readers with the story of a man’s slow descent into madness after having attempted to play God by giving life to a dead man.
A defrightful little ABC primer which should be read only to the darkest of little monsters.
Kick off the spookiest month of the year with one of America’s greatest horror authors!
This book is not to be read to young listeners. It contains some of the most spine-chilling tales of terror besides Stephen King.
This is a true story about the amazing life of an adorable pig named Christopher Hogwood and his loving family.