Grandbear (also known as Lev Ropes) is a Jeffco Spellbinder, serving as a volunteer storyteller in the public schools of Jefferson County, Colorado. Currently, he is the resident storyteller for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades at Shelton Elementary and third grade at Mitchell Elementary schools in Golden, Colorado.

“We absolutely love ‘our’ Grandbear and his wonderful stories. He has presented all of us with another way of looking at nature.” — Heidi Juran, third grade teacher

Grandbear's stories center on the animals that live in and around the Blue Heron Ranch in northern Montana, which is owned by Grandbear's cousin, Chris. It is a cattle and dry-land wheat operation covering more than ten square miles. Coyote is a central character who sometimes comes to dinner to tell his stories.

Some of Grandbear's stories are offered both on a CD and a book. The 70-minute CD has nine stories and three songs narrated and sung by Grandbear. The book contains 16 stories with 87 wonderful pen-and-ink illustrations by Dale Crawford, a lifetime artist living in Fort Collins, Colorado. It also has natural history and other information related to the animals and events in the stories. The 70-minute CD has nine of the stories from the book and three songs narrated and sung by Grandbear.

“The stories of Coyote enhance the students' sense of western heritage. The students have an amazing ability to retain the material presented because of the unique manner in which it's presented .” — Sue Marinelli, third grade teacher

Grandbear has also told at the Rocky Mountain Storytelling Conference, the Rocky Mountain Storytelling Festival, Boulder Winterfest of Stories, elementary-school and community events, retirement homes and various radio shows.

“Well crafted, artfully woven, and just plain fun.” — Julie Davis, musician, storyteller and teacher

Grandbear is available for storytelling engagements for kids 8 to 10 years old, families and adults, in groups large or small. Also, Grandbear and storyteller Kate Lutz offer an adult presentation, “Rocky Mountain People,” that can vary from 30 to 90 minutes. They tell of interesting, unfamiliar folks, paleo to present, who have been attracted to our mountains.

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