Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola facts for kids

Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola is a fun children's TV show from 2001. It was made by The Jim Henson Company, famous for creating the Muppets! The show helps kids learn about storytelling and where ideas come from.

What the Show is About

This show stars Tomie dePaola, a famous author and illustrator. He tells amazing stories with his squirrel friend, Gabe. They share tales about characters from Tomie's popular books.

Meet the Characters

• Tomie dePaola (Himself) - Tomie is the main person in the show. He loves to tell stories and teach about them.
• Gabe the Squirrel (performed by John Kennedy) - Gabe is a playful red squirrel. He is Tomie's best friend and helps him find new ideas for stories.
• The Animal Band - This is a group of forest animals. Gabe the Squirrel visits them in every episode.
  • The band includes a rabbit playing drums.
  • A weasel plays the guitar (performed by Julianne Buescher).
  • A raccoon plays the keytar.
  • A penguin plays the bass guitar.
• Strega Nona (performed by Bill Barretta) - Strega Nona is an older lady from Tomie's books. She often needs help from her friends.
  • Big Anthony (performed by John Kennedy) - Big Anthony is a tall, not-so-smart man. He is one of Strega Nona's friends.
  • Bambolona (performed by Julianne Buescher) - Bambolona is another one of Strega Nona's friends. A puppeteer named James Murray helps Julianne Buescher move Bambolona's right hand.
• Goat (performed by James Murray) - This goat appears in the "Strega Nona" parts of the show. The goat is often smarter than other characters. This puppet was designed to look like the drawings in Tomie dePaola's "Strega Nona" books.

Episode Guide

The show had one season with many episodes. Each episode focused on a different part of storytelling.

• "Tales Around the Table" (August 6, 2001)
• "Where Do You Get Ideas?" (August 7, 2001)
• "What's a Story?" (August 8, 2001)
• "Stories For Myself" (August 9, 2001)
• "Food as Storytelling" (August 10, 2001)
• "That's a Story?!?" (August 13, 2001)
• "Getting Started" (August 14, 2001)
• "Character" (August 15, 2001)
• "Setting" (August 16, 2001)
• "Point of View" (August 17, 2001)
• "Performance of Storytelling" (August 20, 2001)
• "Every Picture Tells a Story" (August 21, 2001)
• "Making Sense of Our World Through Stories" (August 22, 2001)
• "Taking a Chance" (August 23, 2001)
• "Finding Your Audience" (August 24, 2001)
• "Funny" (August 27, 2001)
• "Scary" (August 28, 2001)
• "Moods: Happy/Sad" (August 29, 2001)
• "History" (August 30, 2001)
• "Music" (August 31, 2001)
• "Make Believe Stories" (September 4, 2001)
• "Real Stories" (September 5, 2001)
• "More Than One Way to Tell a Tale - Versions" (September 6, 2001)
• "More Than One Way to Tell a Tale - Techniques" (September 7, 2001)
• "Putting Heart Into Your Story" (September 10, 2001)
• "Collaboration" (September 11, 2001)

Who Was in the Show

• Tomie dePaola played himself.

The Puppeteers

Many talented puppeteers brought the characters to life:

• Bill Barretta performed Strega Nona. He also played Pepe the King Prawn in one episode.
• Steve Whitmire performed Kermit the Frog and Rizzo the Rat in one episode.
• Julianne Buescher performed Bambolona and the guitar-playing weasel.
• John Kennedy performed Gabe the Squirrel and Big Anthony.
• Alison Mork also helped with puppetry.
• James Murray performed the Goat and helped with Bambolona's right hand.

Where Else You Might See These Puppets

Some of the puppets from the show were used in other productions by The Jim Henson Company.

• The puppet for Gabe the Squirrel later appeared in Bear in the Big Blue House as Skippy the Squirrel.
• Gabe the Squirrel and the Goat puppets were also used in different Henson Alternative projects:
  • They appeared in Puppet Up!, a live improv show.
  • The Goat puppet was in an episode of Simian Undercover Detective Squad.
  • Both puppets appeared in Neil's Puppet Dreams.
  • They also showed up in No, You Shut Up!.

Who Owns the Show Now

In 2004, The Walt Disney Company bought The Muppets and Bear in the Big Blue House. Because of this, the ownership of Telling Stories with Tomie dePaola is now split. Disney owns the characters Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat, and Pepe the King Prawn. The Jim Henson Company still owns the rest of the show and its characters.