Titbits Are Go!
Storytelling in a Forgotten Format
“In another time, in another world, gentle Gelflings and simple Podlings lived together in peace.” Thus begins The Dark-Crystal as a Read-Along Adventure, published in 1982. For those unfamiliar with the format, these were 33-rpm, 7-inch vinyl records that told a story, with music and sound effects, and came with picture books. Children would read along and turn the page at the sound of a chime. Favorites I remember listening to over and over were for the Disney film The Black Hole (1979), an underrated epic sci-fi gem, and another one in which Superman fights Mister Mxyzptlk. Stories become part of who we are as individuals, as these have for me, but they’re also an expression of our species, so we never cease finding new ways to tell them. I suppose many children today read audiobooks. I hope they enjoy at least a fraction of the wonder and imagination that I did listening to Read-Along Adventures.
Note: I wrote this for Medium.com. If you are reading this on another platform, it has been pirated. I quit the Medium Partner Program, so I’m not doing this for money. It is nice, however, to know someone’s reading, so please clap or comment to let me know somebody’s out there. Gladius adhuc lucet.
