LObservateur LAPLACE Some of the librarys littlest patrons got a real treat this week when Johnette Downing came to St. John the Baptist Parishs public libraries to share her child-friendly brand of music and storytelling.

Gather around the campfire at Nathan Boone Homestead State Historic Site where local storytellers Champ Herren and Todd Wilkinson will spin Ozarks legends, folklore and yarns at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 21.

Those who consider storytelling solely childrens entertainment might be surprised by the performances at the Mohegan Colony Storytelling and Music Festival.

ROCKTON There was a giant named Abiyoyo on the loose at Talcott Free Library in Rockton on Thursday afternoon.

The Arabian Nights is an exercise in communal storytelling, it blends recitation, enactment, music and dance to spin tales that are far-off and fanciful on the surface, yet touch universal notes of love and betrayal, identity and justice, vengeance and forgiveness.