Dandelion Wine (The Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air - Full Cast Dramatization)

Set in Green Town, Illinois, 1928, this is the story of Douglas Spaulding, age 12, and his younger brother Tom. Through these boys, the older poised at the edge of puberty, we experience the daily magic of life in their town and all the wonderful citizens, both young and old, with whom they spent their days.The Colonial Radio Theatre performers conveyed both the youth and vitality of the kids, as well as the eccentricity and wisdom of the older people. This item is the play, not the novel. I read readers' reviews which indicate to me that i really want to read the novel, while bearing in mind that the two pieces are separate - apples and oranges. Ray Bradbury wrote a sequel to Dandelion Wine, Farewell Summer in 2007 which takes up where the first novel ended. There are also two other works set in the Green Town of other times.I highly recommend this audio presentation of Dandelion Wine for the way in which the performers captured the spirit of small town life 87 years ago. Really, listening to this play was like opening that bottle of Dandelion Wine from 1928 and drinking deeply of its magical essence.

Good rendition of book but edited.

For the reviewers who gave this less than five stars, I want to ask do you really love and understand Ray Bradbury and his stories? Ray himself gave a very exhuberant stamp of approval of this adaption of his wonderful book, Dandelion Wine. The story is not read word for word, it is even better! It is a dramatization that includes all the important key points of his book that we loved and the actors and the music and sound effects were fabulous! This dramatization was everything I had hoped it would be, it touched my heart even more than reading the story did. I highly recommend this adaption and if you truly love Rady Bradbury and this beloved story, you will understand and love this CD. I will treasure this always.

I taught summer school this year, and I use this to "break the ice." We listened to the chapter about buying new shoes as a summer tradition and how "new shoes would make [him] run faster."Dandelion Wine is more memoire, although it has some elements of fantasy in it. It's a feel-good book about being a kid, enjoying summer, and recognizing that life is passing but that what's in the here and now is as precious as the "Dandelion Wine" that the old people make and drink while you (as a kid) hang out under the porch listening to their stories. It's a coming of age book, while at the same time, being a snapshot of childhood.This story, because it's set in the early 1900's, is timeless. It's a chance to think about endless summer. I paired it with the Beach Boys (which for my sophomores are equally old and classic!!!) and it was a hit.

This is not an audio production of the Bradbury novel Dandelion Wine, as I had expected. Rather, it is a production of his play of the same name, which deviates significantly from the book. What made listening to it problematic is the fact that the children in the cast of characters sound so similar that you never are sure who is speaking, and the sound effects without visuals only serve to further confuse the listener. I could not even get through the first act. Upon returning it, the publisher graciously refunded my money.

A missed opportunity, too much left out too many changes

The soundtrack was difficult to understand and the theme did not closely follow the book. After trying to listen to the CD a few different times, I donated it to a local charity for resale.

Boring!