Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 19/99) - Kids may be good at telling tales, but can they tell exactly what makes a good one?

Hundreds of Yellowknife children had the chance to do a little research last week when they attended Animal Fair -- a performance of stories told and sung by Leslie Robbins and Paul Conway.

Consulted before, during and after Saturday's performance, the pint-sized pundits proffered some interesting conclusions -- making it clear, for example, that animals and adventure are in but romance is out.

"I do not like fairy tales," said 10-year-old Aviva Forget-Manson. "And I do not, do not, do not like romance stories -- I just don't like reading about that stuff, and I certainly don't want to see it in real life."

Tanawges Nataway couldn't agree more. The six-year-old said she's a big fan of the Little Mermaid. "Because at the end the king makes a big rainbow, and I like it," she smiled.

The smoochy conclusion to Anastasia quite frankly freaks her out. "Because of the kiss, and I don't like seeing it," she squirmed, covering her face with her hands just to prove it.

And then her buddy Jake Witty, also 6, reminded her of that scene where the bad guy's eyes fall out and his head melts into his body. But is that a good thing or a bad thing?

"It's a pretty good thing," assured Jake.

Heidi and Dietrich Hoefer and their friend Ashley Bungay backed that one up, too, saying scary stories are even better than funny stories, "Because they're cool," Ashley said.

Sarah Dawe, 5, said scary stories are fine, "But not all the time," she cautioned and said she even manages to read some of the shorter Goosebumps books on her own.

But Animal Fair was all about animals, and all the kids agreed their four-legged friends rule.

Dawson Stone stood mesmerized watching the performance, clutching a stuffed dolphin while his mother, Kate Hearn, provided some insight into this animal magnetism.

"He enjoys stories about nature -- and I think that's because of where he's living," Hearn said. "Stories about subway trains and city sounds don't mean anything to him."

In fact Robbins and Conway played up the territory in their act -- changing traditional words and lyrics to incorporate Northern animals, images and place names like ravens, caribou and muskox the kids could relate to.

Ultimately the combination of story, song, clapping and laughing had their intended effect. The kids gave the show a big thumbs up.

And even if the final number, Peter Kagan and the Wind, did contain elements of romance, at least the fisherman's wife was a seal.