No Nonsense Storytime: Recent Episodes
Christopher Panico and Robert Hoffman
A weekly podcast in which co-hosts Christopher Panico and Robert Hoffman apply real-world logic and rationale to famous children's stories in order to discover the true meaning behind our childhood classics.
It has taken us quite awhile to get to a work by the famous and beloved Beatrix Potter...but here we are. The Tailor of Gloucester recounts a classic tail of poverty, hard work, perseverance, and well-dressed mice.
Jack and the Beanstalk is a an almost ubiquitous part of the literary, fairy-tale canon. We've all heard it. But none of us have stopped to ask the simple...what?
What ?
This story is bizarre and riddled with nonsense. And it's up to us to sort it all out.
Everyone knows what happens if you give a mouse or a cookie...
Or at least they think they do. But it's not as simple as all that. Perhaps the mouse would want milk. Perhaps it would like orange juice. Or maybe it prefers to eat dry, crumbly cookies on their own without any sense of morality or social obligation? Do you know? We do.
Pete the Cat is one of the most popular books among children (at least in our experience). He's a cool, laid back, groovy feline that no one could possibly say anything bad about...Except for Chris and Bobby!
Our final piece of the puzzle that is Ned Knox and his musical legacy is here! To fully understand the person behind the music we must go back to his childhood and discover what pushed Knox into the spittin-rhyme lifestyle and, ultimately, what leads to his fall from the top.
The aftermath of Mr. Knox's re-branding in the Rap and Who-Hop scene brought him and his family to an uncertain and unforeseen reunion. In this episode we do our best to unearth the events that brought him to his little, little bed.
Years after the events of 'Fox in Socks', Mr. Knox is leading a very different life. He's been out of the game, washed up, down and out. That is, until Sam-I-Am makes an interesting proposition...
To celebrate Read Across America and our mutual love for reading, we begin our four episode journey into the Seussiverse. It may come as a surprise to some of you, but there are connections all around in the works of Dr. Seuss. Follow us as we meet the protagonist of our story: Mr. Knox. Famously known for his role in 'Fox In Socks' as a poor friend unable to twist his tongue, there may be more to this fellow than meets the eye.
Children have active imaginations. Everyone knows that. But Harold is different. Armed with nothing but a purple writing utensil and his wits he encounters dragons, oceans, cities, the police, and all kinds of other adventures. But what we want to know...is how?
No Nonsense Storytime returns for the first episode of 2019! Everyone's nice and rested and full of delicious celebratory food...more specifically: Pasta. Our newest conversation concerns Tomie DaPaola's story Strega Nona. If you're looking to make a literal town full of pasta come find out how! Don't forget your bowls!
Christmas is two days away and we can't think of a better way to celebrate than by reading the most famous Christmas poem around, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas".
Additional Music:
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing - Jon Sayles" (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a grouchy old hermit coming down from the mountain, breaking into people's houses, and stealing all of their belongings. 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' is an essential story for anyone who celebrates the holiday...but it leaves us with a lot of questions. Why does the Grinch hate Christmas so much?
Additional Music:
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing - Jon Sayles" (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
In our very first Holiday episode we take a magical ride on the Polar Express. The scenery is majestic, the hot cocoa delicious, and the North Pole as festive as one could imagine. But something's not quite adding up...
Additional Music:
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing - Jon Sayles" (freemusicpublicdomain.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Shel Silverstein's classic children's book seems mostly sensible, realistic, and morally sound. However, further inspection will show that, in fact, trees do not talk. So what's the story here, Uncle Shelby?
Kids go through all kinds of social stresses. Middle school crushes, fear of public speaking, and most commonly a constant dread that someone will find out that they secretly love eating Lima beans. But when a shift in her diet causes Camilla unforeseen side effects, it causes us to raise an eyebrow and ask...what?
"I am the Lorax, and I speak for the trees!"
One of the more famous quotes from Dr. Suess...but what does it mean? Is the Lorax who he says he is? And what of the Once-ler? Join us as we unlock the mysteries of why he always wears those long, green, gloves.
We explore one of Bobby's personal favorite for our first annual Halloween Special: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Our first attempt at analyzing a novel comes with a lot of nonsense and a ton of imagination to work through. Join us for an hour while we see what we can find out about the man behind the Chocolate.
How did this gourd get so big? Are monsters real? Where did pumpkins come from anyway? Chris and Bobby answer all these questions and more in another spooky October edition of No Nonsense Storytime
In this week's episode, Chris and Bobby bake the nonsense right out of the Grimm Brothers' classic, Hansel and Gretel.
For over thirty years, children all over the world have searched page after page for the red and white striped shirt of Martin Handford's most famous character. This week, Chris and Bobby take a different approach.
Have you ever wondered why Clifford was so gigantic? Or how could that even be possible? So did we! Join us as we discover the true origins of Emily Elizabeth's big red companion.
Chris and Bobby dive into their first fairy tale Rumplestiltskin. Listen in to find out the truth about this unusual, gold-spinning fellow.
Do you ever have the feeling there's a Wocket in your Pocket? A Bofa on the Sofa? Neither have we! But someone has, and we're here to get to the bottom of it.
Goodnight, Moon. Goodnight, Room. Goodnight...nobody? Who even are these people? Find out with Bobby and Chris on this episode of No Nonsense Storytime.
What has terrible tusks and terrible claws? And terrible teeth in his terrible jaws? A Gruffalo? An extra-terrestrial? Something else? Find out in this weeks episode as we explore one of our favorite stories.
Chris and Bobby tackle Eric Carle's most famous work, 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'. What is the deeper meaning behind this story about a cute caterpillar and its unusual eating habits. Find out in 35 minutes or less!
Chris and Bobby launch the podcast with an in depth look at one of Maurice Sendak's most iconic works: 'Where the Wild Things Are'.