..................................................................................................................Artwork by joewos@onceuponatoon.com
ATTENTION ALL STORYTELLERS!
PICTURE BOOKS THAT ARE GOOD FOR LIVE "TELLING"
AS RECOMMENDED BY STORYTELLERS, TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS
Click on title or image.
Book titles are in blue and underlined. Click on them for more information.
All of the books listed here are still under copyright. Get permission from the authors to retell.
Always credit your sources.
Listed alphabetically with short descriptions for your convenience and to save you research time.
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Baker's Dozen (The): A Saint Nicholas Tale by Aaron Shepard. (1999 - Ages 4-8)
Ever wondered where the term "baker's dozen" came from? Here's an unusual holiday tale drawn from an old folk tradition that answers that question. Aaron Shepard creates a world where it is not unusual for Saint Nicholas himself to make an appearance and for Christmas magic to appear in the form of holiday cookies. In old New York, a local baker learns an important lesson in generosity and so will young readers. |
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Conejito: A Folktale from Panama by Margaret Read MacDonald. (2006 - Ages 4-8)
This lively retelling has a delightful blend of Spanish and English. An all-star author-illustrator team delivers a timeless story about finding love and acceptance. |
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Fat Cat: A Danish Folktale by Margaret Read MacDonald. (2001 - Ages 4-8)
Have you ever heard the saying, Your eyes are bigger than your stomach? Well, Cat's stomach is bigger than a lot of things. He is always hungry, and living with culinary-inclined Mouse, who makes thirty-five pies in one day, just makes it worse. Fat Cat swallows everything in sight, including the washlady and her washtub, a troop of soldiers and their swords, even a king and his elephant! But when Cat swallows Mouse and her sewing basket... |
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Go To Sleep, Gecko!: A Balinese Folktale
by Margaret Read MacDonald. (2006 - Ages 4-8)
We have all had nights when we could not get to sleep. We try counting sheep, drinking warm milk, or having a hot toddy. All Gecko wants is to go to sleep. If only the chief would make everyone pipe down! In this story we learn, as does Gecko, that there are some things you just have to put up with. |
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Legend of Slappy Hooper (The): An American Tall Tale by Aaron Shepard. (1993 - Ages 4-8)
Because his artwork is too realistic--a painted sun starts a fire--expert sign painter Slappy Hooper has difficulty in getting a job, until an out-of-this-world assignment from the Heavenly Sign Company keeps him busy all day long. |
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Mabela the Clever by Margaret Read MacDonald. (2001 - Ages 4-8)
Mabela may be the smallest mouse in the village, but her father has taught her to be clever. And this cleverness comes in handy when the cat comes, inviting everyone to join the secret Cat Society. |
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Old Woman Who Lived In a Vinegar Bottle (The)  by Margaret Read MacDonald. (1987 - Ages 4-8)
In this British variant of a traditional tale, an ungrateful woman who complains constantly about her house is granted increasingly grandiose wishes by a fairy.
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Paper Bag Princess (The) - 25th Anniversary Edition: The Story Behind the Story by Robert Munsch. (2005 - Ages 9-12)
In the fall of 1980, Annick Press first published Robert Munsch's tale of a dragon, a princess named Elizabeth, and the bum of a prince she rescues. Playfully illustrated by Michael Martchenko, and full of Munsch's now-famous wit, the book was an instant success and has since sold millions of copies in dozens of languages all over the world. |
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Surf War!: A Folktale from the Marshall Islands
by Margaret Read MacDonald. (2009 - Ages 4-8)
The outcome of this timely yet timeless nature tale from Micronesia suggests we are all connected in the ecological chain. Whale and Sandpiper engage in a boasting contest over who rules the shoreline, which escalates to nearly destroy the ocean and beach altogether, as well as the creatures and shorebirds who inhabit it. A story of conflict resolution. |
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Tuck-Me-In Tales (August House Little Folk)
by Margaret Read MacDonald. (1996 - Ages 4-8)
Around the world each night, parents tell stories to children as they put them to bed. Margaret Read MacDonald a folklorist, storyteller, and children's librarian uses bedtime tales in the daytime to end her story hours on a calm note. Here she includes five of her favorites from around the world. |
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EXCITING 2009 and 2010 BOOK RELEASES FOR YOUR STORYTELLING LIBRARY!!
Click on title or image.
Book titles are in blue and underlined. Click on them for more information.
All of the books listed here are still under copyright. Get permission from the authors to retell.
Always credit your sources.
Listed alphabetically with short descriptions for your convenience and to save you research time.
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Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns as Told by Orville Hicks by Orville Hicks. (2009 - Ages 9-12)
For the past two decades, Orville Hicks has enthralled audiences with his storytelling performances. In 2007, Orville was honored with a North Carolina Heritage Award. Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns includes more than 20 transcribed stories that expertly capture the voice of the master storyteller. |
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Passion Play 2010 Oberammergau by Otto Huber & Christian Stucki w/ Community of Oberammergau (editor). (2010 - Adults)
A once-in-a-decade performance of The Passion Play comes to life in this richly illustrated book. Every decade a small village in Germany continues a tradition that dates back four centuries to the time of the Plague. 2,000 villagers, nearly one-half the town's population, stage a retelling of the life of Christ. This official companion volume to the world-renowned event. |
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Storytelling: Art and Technique by Ellin Greene and Janice Del Negro. (2010 - Ages 9-12)
Provides a history of storytelling in libraries and accessible instruction for bringing storytelling to contemporary listeners. Details the selection, preparation, and presentation of stories, as well as planning and administration of a storytelling program. Full texts of 13 stories for various ages and occasions are included, as is an extensive list of resources. Includes a fascinating international perspective through a survey of storytelling in Ireland, the British Isles and contemporary China. |
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Storytelling: Bewitching the Modern Mind by Christian Salmon. (2010 - Adults)
Looks at how the creative imagination has been hijacked in the twenty-first century. Salmon anatomizes the timeless human desire for narrative form and how it is abused in the marketing mechanisms behind politicians and products: luxury brands trade on their embellished histories, managers tell stories to motivate employees, soldiers in Iraq train on computer games conceived in Hollywood, and spin doctors construct political lives as if they were a folk epic. |
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Storytelling: Branding in Practice by Klaus Fog. (2010 - Adults)
This book is written for practitioners by practitioners. Through real life examples, simple guidelines and practical tools, the book aims to inspire companies to use storytelling as a means of building their brand internally as well as externally. |
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Uses of Enchantment (The): The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (Vintage)
by Bruno Bettelheim. (2010 reprint - Adults)
Analyzing a wide range of traditional stories, from the tales of Sindbad to “The Three Little Pigs,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “The Sleeping Beauty,” Bettelheim shows how the fantastical, sometimes cruel, but always deeply significant narrative strands of the classic fairy tales can aid in our greatest human task, that of finding meaning for one’s life. |
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Additional new releases (2009 and 2010) for your storytelling library (click on title)
Book titles are in blue and underlined. Click on them for more information.
All of the books listed here are still under copyright. Get permission from the authors to retell.
Always credit your sources.
Listed alphabetically with short descriptions for your convenience and to save you research time.
• Corporate Storyteller (The): A Writing Manual & Style Guide for the Brave New Business Leader
by Elaine Stirling. (2009 - Adults)
Cuts through corporate babble and shows you how to communicate with clarity, confidence and style in the workplace. The author has distilled years of corporate communication training into a compact, easy-to-read manual. Written with humor and Twenty-First Century conversational style, this book is for anyone who writes emails, reports and proposals, and who longs to receive clear, positive replies.
• Digital Storytelling Guide for Educators
by Midge Frazel. (2010 - Adults)
This book offers an overview of digital storytelling as well as its variations, including e-portfolios, digital photo essays, and scrapblogs. The many recommendations, overviews, and explanations of digital storytelling tools, along with lists of additional digital storytelling resources, will help educators to apply this exciting technology in their classrooms. Educators will also discover the ways digital storytelling can be used for their own professional development. Digital Storytelling Guide for Educators provides detailed directions to preparation, production, and presentation, and rounds out with a discussion on creating rubrics and evaluating student work. Readers will come away with an understanding of digital stories and the tools needed to create them.
• Jesus, the Middle Eastern Storyteller (Ancient Context, Ancient Faith)
by Gary M. Burge. (2009 - Adults)
The parables of Jesus come alive as never before when the author uncovers the culture that gives them their deepest meaning. His expert, illustrated guide shows in everyday terms how the customs, literature and values of the ancient world can inform and grow your faith in today's digital age.
• Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book (The)
by Bob Hartman. (2010 - Ages 4-8)
Featuring a selection of tales from around the world, this anthology of 40 bedtime stories has been rewritten specifically for reading aloud. Each warm and reassuring story is accompanied by colorful, comforting illustrations as well as useful storytelling tips.
• National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals
by Catherine D. Hughes. (2010 - Ages 4-8)
Child-friendly text explains how animal parents take care of their young, how baby animals change as they grow, and how they learn to hunt and eat. The brief text, large type, and appealing profiles are perfect for young readers to enjoy on their own, or for parents and other caregivers to read aloud. These animal tales will quickly become favorites.
• Storyteller
by Patricia Reilly Giff. (2010 - Ages 9-12)
While staying with her aunt, Elizabeth finds something remarkable: a drawing. It hangs on the wall, a portrait of her ancestor, Eliza, known as Zee. She looks like Elizabeth. The girls’ lives intertwine as Elizabeth’s present-day story alternates with Zee’s, which takes place during the American Revolution. Zee is dreamy, and hopeful for the future—until the Revolution tears apart her family and her community in upstate New York. Left on her own, she struggles to survive and to follow her father and brother into battle. Zee’s story has been waiting to be rediscovered by the right person. As Elizabeth learns about Zee, and walks where Zee once walked and battles raged, the past becomes as vivid and real as the present.
• Storyteller's Secrets (The)
by Tony Mitton. (2010 - Ages 9-12)
Presents verse renditions of European tales and legends including “The Woodcutter's Daughter” (aka “Little Sister and the Month Brothers”), “Tam Lin,” “St. Brigid's Cloak,” “The Peddler of Swaffham,” and “The Seal Hunter.” Written in ballad-style quatrains with unforced, natural sounding rhymes and cadences, the stories offer enthralling, easy-to-follow plots with clear themes of dreams fulfilled, lessons learned, and challenges successfully met—particularly by courageous girls and women.
• Storytelling and QAR Strategies
by Phyllis Hostmeyer and Marilyn Adele Kinsella. (2010 - Adults)
Character traits for three grade levels are promoted in a collection of world folktales, legends, myths, and personal stories, with corresponding questions and activities. Research affirms that storytelling enhances analytical and organizational skills, as well as all aspects of language arts development—happy news for teachers and librarians for whom reading comprehension is always a top priority. By involving students in the process of Question-Answer Relationships (QAR), you can enlist powerful stories to shift their imaginations into high gear.
• What's Your Story? Storytelling to Move Markets, Audiences, People, and Brands
by Ryan Mathews. (2010 - Adults)
Storytelling is the universal human activity.Every society, at every stage of history, has told stories–and listened to them intently, passionately. Stories are how people tell each other who they are, where they came from, how they’re unique, what they believe. Stories capture their memories of the past and their hopes for the future. Stories are one more thing, too: They are your most powerful, most underutilized tool for competitive advantage.Whether you know it or not, your business is already telling stories. What’s Your Story? will help you take control of those stories and make them work for you. Legendary business thinkers Ryan Mathews and Watts Wacker reveal how to craft an unforgettable story…create the back story that makes it believable…make sure your story cuts through today’s relentless bombardment of consumer messages…and gets heard, remembered, and acted on.
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"MUST-HAVE" BOOKS FOR YOUR STORYTELLING LIBRARY!!
FROM CLASSICS TO CURRENT... INSTRUCTION/TRAINING FOR ADULT TELLERS
Click on title or image.
Book titles are in blue and underlined. Click on them for more information.
All of the books listed here are still under copyright. Get permission from the authors to retell.
Always credit your sources.
Listed alphabetically with short descriptions for your convenience and to save you research time.
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Art of Storytelling (The): Easy Steps to Presenting an Unforgettable Story by John Walsh. (2003 - Adults)
Whether speaking in front of a small gathering or a large congregation, public speaking strikes fear into the heart of the bravest person. Plagued by stuttering and resultant school problems, John Walsh has written this book to encourage and teach anyone with a fear of public speaking how to speak successfully, confidently, and compellingly. Especially relevant for Bible teaching. |
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Crash Course in Storytelling by Kendall F. Haven. (2006 - Adults)
This basic guide by experienced storytellers provides all that is needed to encourage any novice storyteller to take the plunge. Lists of never-fail stories and simple techniques for managing an audience go a long way to dissolve the angst. Practice activities and motivation exercises as well as tips for overcoming the major problems and catastrophes that might be encountered pave the way for a smooth first storytelling experience. |
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Creative Storytelling: Choosing, Inventing, & Sharing Tales for Children by Jack Maguire (1992 classic - Adults)
One of the best and most comprehensive books on telling stories. This newly expanded, beautifully illustrated, step-by-step guide tells readers about sources and types of stories; how to gear stories toward children of different ages and interests; techniques for remembering and adapting stories; and how to use personal experiences to create new stories. |
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Elements of Persuasion (The): Use Storytelling to Pitch Better, Sell Faster & Win More Business by Richard Maxwell. (2007 - Adults)
According to master storytellers Richard Maxwell and Robert Dickman, storytelling is a lot like running. Everyone knows how to do it, but few of us ever break the four-minute mile. What separates the great runners from the rest? World-class runners know how to run from the inside out. World-class leaders know how to tell a story from the inside out. |
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Favorite Folktales from Around the World (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)
by Jane Yolen. (1997 -Ages 9-12)
Most of the great human themes, from storytelling itself through love, wisdom, and death, are covered in this dazzling collection of tales, peopled by characters both human (heroes and fools) and inhuman (devils and ghosts). Of 160 narratives from over 40 cultures, a healthy majority are little-known treasures, from our own as well as from distant traditions. |
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Leader's Guide to Storytelling (The): Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative by Stephen Denning. (2005 - Adults)
Explains how you can learn to tell the right story at the right time. Whoever you are in the organization: CEO, middle management, or someone on the front lines you can lead by using stories to effect change. Filled with myriad examples, this book shows how storytelling is one of the few available ways to handle the principal and most difficult challenges of leadership. |
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Power of Personal Storytelling (The) by Jack Maguire. (1998 - Adults)
Reader review: A well-organized approach to storytelling that provides resources for an individual wishing to tell his or her own story, for storytellers who want to develop some personal stories in their repetoire, and for those working in therapeutic settings. The book is chock full of ideas for finding your own story and for ways of helping others do the same. He interwines his personal experiences in ahelpful way to encourage the storyteller at anylevel. |
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Power of Story (The): Teaching Through Storytelling by Rives Collins. (2005 - Adults)
Storytelling plays a central role in empowering educators and learners to synthesize and verbalize personal experiences, communicate feelings, and construct meaning, all of which are processes vital to effective learning. The second edition includes profiles of storytellers of all ages, a chapter on the growing genre of family stories, and numerous print and nonprint resources. |
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Story Factor (The)(2nd Rev.) by Annette Simmons w/ foreward by Doug Lipman. (2006-Adult)
A modern classic, revised and expanded: How the age-old art of storytelling can transform the way we communicate—and the way we do business. The new material for this revised edition offers an expanded case study of storytelling in action that focuses on one of Simmons’s success stories. Over 100 stories drawn from business and government, as well as myths, fables, and parables from around the world, illustrate how story can be used to persuade, motivate, and inspire. |
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Storyteller's Start-Up Book (The): Finding, Learning, Performing and Using Folktales by Margaret Read MacDonald. (1993 - Adults)
For those who want to begin storytelling but don't know where to start, this book offers everything one could ask for. Margaret Read MacDonald, a folklorist and children's librarian who is also a touring storyteller, offers basic start-up information on finding stories, looking at them critically, starting a story bank, networking with other storytellers, and creating a storytelling event. |
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Storytelling and the Art of Imagination by Nancy Mellon. (2003 classic - Adults)
In this classic in the field of storytelling as a healing art, Nancy Mellon offers the tools for story-making and story-telling through examples and exercises. Her deep sense of mission and her commitment to creativity inspire this step-by-step guide on how to tap into vast creative wisdom within the archetypal characters, landscapes and plots found in tales throughout the world. |
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Storytelling Classroom (The): Applications Across the Curriculum by Sherry Norfolk. (2006 - Adults)
Consisting of a series of essays written by storytellers who work in the classroom, as well as teachers who use storytelling in the classroom, this title addresses specific curriculum areas, and includes practical, easily replicable lesson plans. |
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Way of the Storyteller (The) by Ruth Sawyer. (1977 - Adults)
First published in 1942, this classic work is unique in its blend of literary history, criticism, analysis, personal anecdote, and how-to instructions. Sawyer examines storytelling as a folk art and a still-living art, tracing its evolution from the earliest narrative impulses that developed as stories were written down. With simple suggestions, she instructs the reader in the art of storytelling and freeing the creative imagination by disciplining the mind. |
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Wisdom Tales from Around the World (World Storytelling)
by Heather Forest. (1996 - Ages 9-12)
Containing simple truths, common sense, and the promise that people can benefit from past generations' experience, this book is a collection of 50 metaphorical folktales and parables selected with a global perspective and retold by a professional storyteller. |
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Additional "Must-Have" books of particular interest for your storytelling library
Click on title.
Book titles are in blue and underlined. Click on them for more information.
All of the books listed here are still under copyright. Get permission from the authors to retell.
Always credit your sources.
Listed alphabetically with short descriptions for your convenience and to save you research time.
• Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller (The)
by John Truby. (2008 - Adults)
John Truby is one of the most respected and sought-after story consultants in the film industry, and his students have gone on to pen some of Hollywood’s most successful films, including Sleepless in Seattle, Scream, and Shrek. The Anatomy of Story is his long-awaited first book, and it shares all his secrets for writing a compelling script. Based on the lessons in his award-winning class, Great Screenwriting, The Anatomy of Story draws on a broad range of philosophy and mythology, offering fresh techniques and insightful anecdotes alongside Truby’s own unique approach to building an effective, multifaceted narrative.
• Caroline Feller Bauer's New Handbook for Storytellers: With Stories, Poems, Magic, and More
by Caroline Feller Bauer. (1993 - Adults)
This book will be a valuable addition to professional collections. Updated bibliographies and expanded references make it a practical resource for librarians and teachers looking for inspiration, in-service training materials, and ideas for collection development. Additional materials on whole language, video, poetry, and promotion have been included, the format has been streamlined, and a more readable table of contents and title and general subject indexes have made access simpler. The black-and white-photographs that dated the original edition so quickly have been replaced by black-and-white pen-and-ink illustrations that break up the large blocks of text. No aspect of storytelling is covered in great depth, but the book is a comprehensive overview that includes extensive resources for additional information.
• Children Tell Stories: Teaching and Using Storytelling in the Classroom (Multimedia DVD included with the book)
by Martha Hamilton. (2005 - Adults)
The revised edition of this award-winning guidebook on storytelling in the classroom includes over 80% new material. The authors provide compelling rationales for the value of storytelling, links to state literacy learning standards, detailed storytelling unit tips, easy ideas for storytelling throughout the curriculum, and carefully selected and extensive bibliographies. Considered the classic in the field, Children Tell Stories is useful to both experienced and novice teachers and storytellers who work with students from preschool through college. Includes a multimedia DVD, "Children Telling Stories: A Storytelling Unit in Action" which contains interviews with parents, teachers, administrators, and students, demonstrations of storytelling by the authors, teachers, and students, and 25 printable stories.
• Digital Storytelling, Second Edition: A creator's guide to interactive entertainment
by Carolyn Handler Miller. (2008 - Adults)
Equally useful for seasoned professionals and those new to the field, Carolyn Handler Miller covers effective techniques for creating compelling narratives for a wide variety of digital media. Written in a clear, non-technical style, it offers insights into the process of content creation by someone with long experience in the field. Whether you're a writer, producer, director, project manager, or designer, 'Digital Storytelling' gives you all you need to develop a successful interactive project.
• Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative by Will Eisner. (2008 - Adults)
Based on Will Eisner’s legendary course at New York’s School of Visual Arts, these guides have inspired generations of artists, students, teachers, and fans. In Comics and Sequential Art, Eisner reveals the basic building blocks and principles of comics, including imagery, the frame, and the application of time, space, and visual forms. Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative teaches how to control a story effectively using a broad array of techniques. With examples from Eisner’s own catalog and such masters as H. Foster, R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Milton Caniff, Al Capp, and George Herriman, these books distill the art of graphic storytelling into principles that every comic artist, writer, and filmmaker should know.
• Great Fairy Tale Tradition (The): From Straparola and Basile to the Brothers Grimm (Norton Critical Editions)
by Jack David Zipes. (2000 - Adults)
Based on new scholarship and designed specifically for course use, this book is the indispensable companion for courses focused on the Brothers Grimm and fairy tales in general. As the genre's leading expert, Jack Zipes disproves conventional wisdom regarding the origins of the Grimm fairy tales, which holds that the Grimms collected their tales from the oral traditions of peasants. This is simply not so. Rather, the Grimms took most of their tales from literary sources, rewriting them again and again. These tales are based on a great literary tradition, which this volume documents. The fairy tales—116 in all—are grouped thematically and are accompanied by detailed introductions and annotations. "Criticism" provides seven important assessments of different aspects of the fairy tale tradition by Jack Zipes, W.G. Waters, Benedetto Croce, Lewis Seifert, Patricia Hannon, Harry Velten, and Siegfried Neumann. Brief biographies of the storytellers and a Selected Bibliography are also included.
• Impro for Storytellers (Theatre Arts (Routledge Paperback))
by Keith Johnstone. (1999 - Adults)
These are unorthodox techniques, but ones that are part of the games that have made Johnstone's work uniquely effective in the theatre community. Beyond its strictly theatrical applications, Impro for Storytellers aims to take jealous and self-obsessed beginners and teach them to play games with good nature and to fail gracefully. If you've ever been clumsy and awkward, this book will improve your interpersonal skills and encourage a life-long study of human interaction.
• Preacher as Storyteller (The): The Power of Narrative in the Pulpit
by Austin B. Tucker. (2008 - Adults)
Takes a skills-development approach to its timely homiletics topic. In short, author Austin B. Tucker reasons that “You can greatly improve your preaching by sharpening storytelling skills . . . A story can touch the latch spring of the heart to let the life-changing gospel come in.” To that end, he focuses upon the art of narrative and how it is used in the Bible (particularly by Jesus) and profiles great preachers throughout history and into today who have displayed a great gift for effective storytelling in their ministry.
• Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning (The)
by Katherine Ketcham. (1993 - Adults)
Who are we? Why so we so often fall short of our goals for ourselves and others? By seeking to understand our limitations and accept the inevitably of failure and pain, we being to ease the hurt and move toward a greater sense of serenity and self-awareness. The Spirituality Of Imperfection brings together stories from many spiritual and philosophical paths, weaving past traditions into a spirituality and a new way of thinking and living that works today. It speaks so anyone who yearns to find meaning within suffering. Beyond theory and technique, inside this remarkable book you will find a new way of thinking, a way of living that enables a truly human existence.
• Stories from a Ming Collection: The Art of the Chinese Storyteller
by Feng Menglong. (1994 - Adults)
The popularity of the Chinese storyteller goes back to the marketplace of the T’ang dynasty, but the familiar figure came into its own in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. This selection of stories from Feng Menglong’s collection, Stories Old and New (originally published in 1624), includes representative types of the storyteller’s traditional art. “The Pearl-Sewn Shirt” is a cautionary romance describing the tragedy of a broken marriage; the heroic biography, which depicts a neglected man of high worth gradually receiving recognition, is represented by “Wine and Dumplings"; an authentic twelfth-century forerunner of the detective story is found in “The Canary Murders." The other tales concern traffic in the supernatural, didactic admonitions to observe morality in sex and loyalty in friendship, and realistic accounts of the meanness and corruption of official life. Also includes “The Lady Who Was a Beggar,” “The Journey of the Corpse,” “The Story of Wu Pao-an,” and “The Fairy’s Rescue.”
• Storyteller's Daughter (The): A Retelling of "The Arabian Nights" (Once Upon a Time)
by Cameron Dokey. (2007 - YA)
In a faraway kingdom, a king has been betrayed. Deeply hurt and bitterly angry, he vows never to be deceived again. Unfortunately, the king's plan to protect himself will endanger all of the realm's young women, unless one of them will volunteer to marry the king -- and surrender her life. To everyone's relief and horror, one young woman steps forward. The daughter of a legendary storyteller, Shahrazad believes it is her destiny to accept this risk and sacrifice herself. On the night of her wedding to the king, Shahrazad begins to weave a tale. Fascinated, the king lets her live night after night. Just when Shahrazad dares to believe that she has found a way to keep her life -- and an unexpected love -- a treacherous plot will disrupt her plan. Now she can only hope that love is strong enough to save her.
• Storyteller's Guide (American Storytelling)
by William Mooney. (2005 - Adults)
Ask a storyteller a question and in response you get a story. The interviews in this handbook are packed with well-chosen anecdotes, metaphors, and parables illuminating the art of storytelling as it is practiced today in many varied settings. Rather than representing the opinion of a single author, this comprehensive guide to storytelling features interviews with more than 50 storytellers, including teachers, librarians, authors, musicians, actors, clergymen, and full time professionals.
• Storytelling with Children
by Jochen Bockemuhl. (2000 - Adults)
Telling stories awakens wonder and creates special occasions with children, whether it's bedtime, sitting around a campfire or merely a rainy day. Nancy Mellon shows how to tell stories to children using a variety of methods and techniques. The book offers tips and resources for: creating a listening space; using the day's events and rhythms to make stories; transforming old stories and making up new ones; bringing personal and family stories to life; learning stories by heart using pictures, inner theatre, walk-about, singing the story and other methods; and building a rich storycupboard.
• Storytelling and QAR Strategies by Phyllis Hostmeyer and Marilyn Adele Kinsella. (2010 - Adults)
Character traits for three grade levels are promoted in a collection of world folktales, legends, myths, and personal stories, with corresponding questions and activities. Research affirms that storytelling enhances analytical and organizational skills, as well as all aspects of language arts development—happy news for teachers and librarians for whom reading comprehension is always a top priority. By involving students in the process of Question-Answer Relationships (QAR), you can enlist powerful stories to shift their imaginations into high gear.
• Super Simple Storytelling: A Can-Do Guide for Every Classroom, Every Day
by Kendall F. Haven. (2000 - Adults)
Aside from guides to more than 40 powerful storytelling exercises, you'll find the Golden List of what an audience really needs from storytelling, a proven, step-by-step system for successfully learning and remembering a story, and the Great-Amazing-Never-Fail Safety Net to prevent storytelling disasters. More than 15,000 educators from across the country have successfully used this system.
• Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact
by Annette Simmons. (2007 - Adults)
This book shows readers how to use personal stories to get their ideas across and create meaningful connections between themselves and their audience. Moving beyond the usual speech-openers or ice-breakers, the book gives readers a process for finding, developing, and using their own stories, including how to: • gain people's trust • use six different kinds of stories • shift from everyday thinking into story thinking • help shape group decisions and actions.
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FOLKLORE, LITERATURE AND STORYTELLING MOTIFS/THEMES AROUND THE WORLD
Click on book title.
Book titles are in blue and underlined. Click on them for more information.
All of the books listed here are still under copyright. Get permission from the authors to retell.
Always credit your sources.
Listed alphabetically with short descriptions for your convenience and to save you research time.
• American Folklore (The Chicago History of American Civilization)
by Richard M. Dorson. (1977 - Adults)
Here, grounded firmly in American history, is a skilled folklorist's survey of the entire field of America's folklore—from colonization to mass culture. Tracing the forms and content of American folklore, Mr. Dorson reveals the richness, pathos, and humor of genuine folklore, which he distinguishes from the "fakelore" of popularizers and chauvinists. At the same time, however, he shows what the creation of spurious folklore (the Paul Bunyan legends, for instance) discloses about our national character. Based upon authentic field collections and research, the examples cited include folkways, jests, boasts, tall tales, ballads, folk and legendary heroes.
• Archetypes And Motifs In Folklore And Literature: A Handbook
by Jane Garry (author) with Hasan M. El-Shamy (editor). (2005 - Adults) (available to read through Google - key in title plus author)
Description from M.E. Sharpe, Publisher: This is an authoritative presentation and discussion of the most basic thematic elements universally found in folklore and literature. The reference provides a detailed analysis of the most common archetypes or motifs found in the folklore of selected communities around the world. Each entry is written by a noted authority in the field, with accompanying reference citations. Entries are keyed to the Motif-Index of Folk Literature by Stith Thompson and grouped according to that Index's scheme. The reference includes an introductory essay on the concepts of archetypes and motifs and the scholarship associated with them.
This is the only book in English on motifs and themes that is completely folklore-oriented, deals with motif numbers, and is tied to the Thompson Motif-Index. It includes in-depth examination of such motifs as Bewitching, Chance and Fate, Choice of Roads, Death or Departure of the Gods, the Double, Ghosts and Other Revenants, the Hero Cycle, Journey to the Otherworld, Magic Invulnerability, Soothsayer, Transformation, Tricksters, and many more.
http://tinyurl.com/2ejub9c
• Archetypal Patterns in Fairy Tales (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts)
by Marie-Louise von Franz. (1997 - Adults)
In this volume Marie-Louise Von Franz takes six fairy tales and analyses them from a Jungian perspective. Marie-Louis's insight and clear writing style make this book very readible and her use of Jungian constructs is only used to open up a deeper level of meaning in the stories not to obscure or twist the story to fit Jungian concepts. I highly recommend it.
• At the Font of the Marvelous: Exploring Oral Narrative and Mythic Imagery of the Iroquois and Their Neighbors
by Anthony Wonderley. (2009 - Adults)
The folktales and myths of the Iroquois and their Algonquian neighbors rank among the most imaginatively rich and narratively coherent traditions in North America. Mostly recorded around 1900, these oral narratives preserve the voice and something of the outlook of autochthonous Americans from a bygone age, when storytelling was an important facet of daily life. Inspired by these wondrous tales, Anthony Wonderley explores their significance to the Iroquois and Algonquian religion and worldview. Grouping the stories around common themes and motifs, Wonderley analyzes topics ranging from cannibal giants to cultural heroes, and from legends of local places to myths of human origin. Approached comparatively and historically, these stories can enrich our understanding of archaeological remains, ethnic boundaries, and past cultural interchanges among Iroquois and Algonquian peoples.
• Breaking the Magic Spell: Radical Theories of Folk and Fairy Tales
by Jack David Zipes. (2002 - Adults)
Folk and fairy tales pervade the everyday world to such a degree that we are sometimes unaware of their enormous influence on our behavior. In seven essays collected in Breaking the Magic Spell, Zipes discusses historically and critically the evolution of folk tales as fairy tales, their influence on popular beliefs, the politics behind them, and the way they are used in mass media culture today. Zipes looks at how a wide range of authors, including the Brothers Grimm, Perrault, the German romantics, Hans Christian Andersen, Wilde, and Tolkien, used fairy tales as he assesses their enduring importance.
• by James M. McGlathery. (
• Fairy Tale (The): The Magic Mirror of the Imagination
by Steven Swann Jones. (2002 - Adults)
One of the best known and enduring genres, the fairy fales origins extend back to the preliterate oral societies of the ancient world. This books surveys its history and traces its evolution into the form we recognized today. Jones Builds on the work of folklorist and critics to provide the student with a stunning, lucid overview of the genre and a solid understanding of its structure.
• Fairy Tales from Before Fairy Tales: The Medieval Latin Past of Wonderful Lies
by Dr. Jan M. Ziolkowski. (2007 - Adults)
When did fairy tales begin? What qualifies as a fairy tale? Is a true fairy tale oral or literary? Or is a fairy tale determined not by style but by content? To answer these and other questions, Jan M. Ziolkowski not only provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical debates about fairy tale origins but includes an extensive discussion of the relationship of the fairy tale to both the written and oral sources. Ziolkowski offers interpretations of a sampling of the tales in order to sketch the complex connections that existed in the Middle Ages between oral folktales and their written equivalents, the variety of uses to which the writers applied the stories, and the diverse relationships between the medieval texts and the expressions of the same tales in the "classic" fairy tale collections of the nineteenth century. In so doing, Ziolkowski explores stories that survive in both versions associated with, on the one hand, such standards of the nineteenth-century fairy tale as the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Carlo Collodi and, on the other, medieval Latin, demonstrating that the literary fairy tale owes a great debt to the Latin literature of the medieval period.
• Feminine in Fairy Tales
by Marie-Louise von Franz. (2001 revised edition - Adults)
In this engaging commentary, the distinguished analyst and author Marie-Louise von Franz shows how the Feminine reveals itself in fairy tales of German, Russian, Scandivian, and Eskimo origin, including familiar stories such as "Sleeping Beauty, " "Snow White and Rose Red, " and "Rumpelstiltskin." Some tales, she points out, offer insights into the psychology of women, while others reflect the problems and characteristics of the anima, the inner femininity of men. Dr. von Franz discusses the archetypes and symbolic themes that appear in fairy tales as well as dreams and fantasies, draws practical advice from the tales, and demonstrates its application in case studies from her analytical practice.
• Folk and Fairy Tales: A Handbook (Greenwood Folklore Handbooks)
by D.L. Ashliman. (2004 - Adults)
Overviews folk and fairy tales as a type of world folklore, discusses examples, and explores manifestations of these tales throughout world literature and culture. “Aimed at students as well as general readers, this succinct handbook provides a plethora of information about folklore that has evolved from Indo-European folktales....Stands out for its brevity and an intersecting writing style, making it appropriate for a variety of collections. Recommended for academic and public libraries.”–Library Journal
• Folk Traditions of the Arab World: A Guide to Motif Classification 2 Volume Set (Vol. 1 and 2)
by Hasan M. El-Shamy. (1995 - Adults)
"This is an essential reference tool for all folklore and Arabic literature collections." -- Choice
"Hasan El-Shamy's work on folklore is absolutely outstanding, a monumental piece of scholarship." -- Digest of Middle East Studies
"... reflects superior scholarship. Preparing a motif-index of folk literature requires a special kind of scholar with depth in a cultural area and breadth in international folklore studies... El-Shamy, I am pleased to report, is one of them." -- Ronald Baker
This two-volume guide will be an important research tool in comparative folklore studies as well as in Arabic studies.
• Folklore and Its Motifs in Modern Literature
by Kishore Jadav. (1998 - Adults)
Folklore is a wide ranging expression of archaic culture of great wealth and complexities. This in depth study relates to the folk tales, myths, legends, rites and rituals. The book takes a cohesive and multi-dimensional view of the traditional forms and social practices, beliefs and rituals.
• Folktales Told Around the World
by Richard M. Dorson. (1978 - Adults)
All the selections in Richard M. Dorson's Folktales Told around the World were recorded by expert collectors, and the majority of them are published here for the first time. The tales presented are told in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North and South America, and Oceania. Unlike other collections derived in large part from literary texts, this volume meets the criteria of professional folklorists in assembling only authentic examples of folktales as they were orally told. Background information, notes on the narrators, and scholarly commentaries are provided to establish the folkloric character of the tales.
• Hebrew Folktale: History, Genre, Meaning (The) (Folklore Studies in Translation)
by Eli Yassif. (1999 - Adults)
Seeks to find and define the folk-elements of Jewish culture. Through the use of generic distinctions and definitions developed in folkloristics, Yassif describes the major trends--structural, thematic, functional--of folk narrative in the central periods of Jewish culture.
• Interpretation of Fairy Tales (The)
by Marie-Louise von Franz and Kendra Rossen. (1996 - Adults)
Of the various types of mythological literature, fairy tales are the simplest and purest expressions of the collective unconscious and thus offer the clearest understanding of the basic patterns of the human psyche. Every people or nation has its own way of experiencing this psychic reality, and so a study of the world's fairy tales yields a wealth of insights into the archetypal experiences of humankind. Dr. von Franz begins with a history of the study of fairy tales and the various theories of interpretation. By way of illustration she presents a detailed examination of a simple Grimm's tale, "The Three Feathers," followed by a comprehensive discussion of motifs related to Jung's concept of the shadow, the anima, and the animus. This revised edition has been corrected and updated by the author.
• Literary Folkloristics And The Personal Narrative
by Sandra K. Dolby. (2008 - Adults)
From the advance praise for Literary Folkloristics and the Personal Narrative: "In less than twenty years after its publication Sandra Dolby's seminal work on Literary Folkloristics and the Personal Narrative has become a classic in folklore and narrative studies. In fact, no scholar or student can be engaged in the study of personal narratives without this ground-breaking work. Dolby's pioneering work has won international acclaim with its theoretical discussion of literary folkloristics, its detailed definition and analysis of the personal narrative as an oral literary genre, its methodology of interpreting personal narrative texts, and its analysis of actual texts. As such, this book has guided the advancement in personal narrative studies over the past two decades in scholarship worldwide..." --Wolfgang Mieder, Professor of German and Folklore, University of Vermont
• Lore of the Ghost: The Origins of the Most Famous Ghost Stories Throughout the World
by Brian Haughton with Daniele Serra (illus). (2008 - Adults)
An original and thought-provoking exploration of the numerous categories of ghosts and hauntings throughout the world. It discusses the possible motives for each type of haunting--from phantom white ladies and spectral black dogs to haunted highways and ghostly vehicles--what they represent, why they occur, and their possible functions. Unlike the vast majority of books on the subject, Lore of the Ghost is not a gazetteer of ghost sightings or a ghost hunter's manual, but an investigation into human belief in the supernatural and its effect on the nature of ghosts worldwide.
• Medieval Folklore: A Guide to Myths, Legends, Tales, Beliefs, and Customs
with Carl Lindahl, John McNamara and John Lindow (editors). (2002 - Adults)
Over a decade in the making, Medieval Folklore offers a wide-ranging guide to the lore of the Middle Ages--from the mundane to the supernatural. Definitive and lively articles focus on the great tales and traditions of the age and includes information on daily and nightly customs and activities; religious beliefs of the pagan, Christian, Muslim, and Jew; key works of oral and written literature; traditional music and art; holidays and feasts; food and drink; and plants and animals, both real and fantastical. While most books on medieval folklore focus primarily on the West, this unique volume brings together an eclectic range of experts to treat the subject from a global perspective. Especially remarkable are the surveys of the major medieval traditions including Arab-Islamic, Baltic, English, Finno-Ugric, French, Hispanic, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Scandinavian, Scottish, Slavic, and Welsh. For anyone who has ever wanted a path through the tangle of Arthurian legends, or the real lowdown on St. Patrick, or the last word on wolf lore--this is the place to look.
• More About Story: Writings on Stories and Storytelling 1995-2001
by Ruth Stotter. (2002 - Adults)
This book is a sequel to About Story: Writings on Stories and Storytelling
. Filled with information about the value of storytelling and story analysis it is especially recommended for storytelling classroom and workshop instructors.
• Motif-Index of Early Irish Literature (Indiana University Publications Folklore)
by Tom Peete Cross. (2002 - Adults)
This index is intended primarily for the use of students of folklore and custom and of comparative literature. To this end, the references to early Irish or Hiberno-Latin sources are frequently supplemented by references to modern scholarly works in which motifs found in Celtic are cited for purposes of comparative study in various fields of literary or cultural history, such as mediaeval romance. A few references to early Welsh documents have also been added, and, though no effort has been made to cover modern Irish folklore, scattered references to that field have also been inserted. To insure as wide usefulness as possible, preference is given to translations contained in books of relatively easy accessibility, and more than one reference is frequently given to different translations of a single motif. -- from the Preface.
• Motif-Index of Folk-Literature: A Classification of Narrative Elements in Folktale, Ballads, Myths, Fables, Medieval Romances, Exempla, Fabliaux (Volume 3)
by Stith Thompson. (1960 - Adults)
"This monumental work has now become... the indispensable tool of all folk narrative scholars." -- Southern Folklore Quarterly. "A work of this kind can never be quite complete, but in this work Stith Thompson has approached perfection." -- Volkskunde. "An invaluable aid to students and scholars... " -- Reference & Research Book News
• Motif-Index of Folk-Literature: A Classification of Narrative Elements in Folktales, Ballads, Myths, Fables, Mediaeval Romances, Exempla, Fabliaux (Volume 4)
by Stith Thompson. (1960 - Adults)
"This monumental work has now become... the indispensable tool of all folk narrative scholars." -- Southern Folklore Quarterly. "A work of this kind can never be quite complete, but in this work Stith Thompson has approached perfection." -- Volkskunde. "An invaluable aid to students and scholars... " -- Reference & Research Book News
• Motif-Index of Folk-Literature, Volume 6.2: A Classification of Narrative Elements in Folk Tales, Ballads, Myths, Fables, Mediaeval Romances, Exempla, Fabliaux, Jest-Books, and Local Legends
by Stith Thompson. (1960 - Adults)
"This monumental work has now become ... the indispensable tool of all folk narrative scholars." Southern Folklore Quarterly "A work of this kind can never be quite complete, but in this work Stith Thompson has approached perfection." Volkskunde "An invaluable aid to students and scholars ... " Reference & Research Book News
• Motif Index of The Thousand and One Nights (A)
by Hasan M. El-Shamy. (2006 - Adults)
In 1704 the French Orientalist Antoin Galland introduced to the Western world a translation of The Thousand and One Nights. Over the course of two subsequent centuries, numerous editions followed. Many of these, like Galland’s, included texts of stories not found in the indigenous manuscripts of the Nights but selected by the European editors from other literary and oral collections of ordinary folktales and legends. Thus, the original work acquired a Western designation as The Arabian Nights, a title unknown among the masses in Arab lands. Now, three centuries later, original publication of The Thousand and One Nights is being celebrated with widespread, renewed interest in the work. Hasan El-Shamy’s motif-index, based on an authentic folk edition of Alf laylah wa laylah, provides scholars of various fields accurate information about the content of this classic piece of Arabic folk tradition.
• Oedipus: The Ancient Legend and Its Later Analogues
by Professor Lowell Edmunds. (1996 - Adults)
Drawing on more than seventy works that dispersed the Oedipus legend from Greece to Asia, Africa, and the Americas, Edmunds provides a foundation for discussion of the lasting appeal of this legend, for claims of its universality, and for its uses as a vehicle for personal and cultural expression.
• Postmodern Fairy Tales: Gender and Narrative Strategies
by Cristina Bacchilega. (1999 - Adults)
Seeks to understand the fairy tale not as children's literature but within the broader context of folklore and literary studies. It focuses on the narrative strategies through which women are portrayed in four classic stories: "Snow White," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Bluebeard." Bacchilega traces the oral sources of each tale, offers a provocative interpretation of contemporary versions by Angela Carter, Robert Coover, Donald Barthelme, Margaret Atwood, and Tanith Lee, and explores the ways in which the tales are transformed in film, television, and musicals.
• Prelude to Biblical Folklore (A): Underdogs and Tricksters
by Susan Niditch. (2000 - Adults)
Treating Old Testament stories as the product of an oral traditional world, "A Prelude to Biblical Folklore" sets biblical narrative in a broad cross-cultural context and reveals much about the richness and complexity of the ancient Israelite civilization that produced it. Using a unique combination of biblical scholarship and folklore methodology, Susan Niditch tracks stories of biblical characters who become heroes against the odds, either through trickery or through native wisdom, physical prowess, and the help of human or divine agents. In this volume, originally published as "Underdogs and Tricksters," Niditch examines three cross-sections of the Old Testament in detail: stories in Genesis in which patriarchs pretend that their wives are really their sisters; the contrasting stories of two younger sons, the trickster Jacob and the earnest underdog Joseph; and, the story of Esther as a paradigm of feminine wisdom pitted against unjust authority. Linking these Old Testament heroes to the legendary tricksters and underdogs of other cultures, Niditch shows how the Israelites' worldview and self-image are reflected in the way biblical authors tell their stories. Through a thoughtful analysis of style, content, narrative choices, and attitudes to issues of gender and political authority in biblical narrative, "A Prelude to Biblical Folklore" draws persuasive conclusions about the identity, location, and provenance of the stories' authors and their audiences.
• Psychological Meaning of Redemption Motifs in Fairytales (Studies in Jungian Psychology, 2)
by Marie-Louise von Franz. (1980 - Adults)
Review by a reader: This is one of the most fascinating books on fairytales I have ever read! In this book von Franz is clearly at her best...It is practical, down to earth, and full of wisdom.
• Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales (A C.G. Jung Foundation Book)
by Marie-Louise von franz. (1995 - Adults)
Fairy tales contain profound lessons for those who would dive into their meaning. Von Franz draws on her vast knowledge of folklore and her experience as a pychoanalyst and a collaborator with Jung to illuminate on fairy tales and the dark side of life and human pyschology.
• Spirit of the New England Tribes: Indian History and Folklore, 1620-1984
by William Scranton Simmons. (1986 - Adults)
Legends, folktales, and traditions of New England Indians reflect historical events and a changing Indian identity over a 365-year period.
• Storytellers Sourcebook: A Subject, Title, and Motif Index to Folklore Collections for Children
by Margaret Read MacDonald. (1982 - Adults)
Review by a reader: This reference is hard to get into, but well worth it. Even though it is 15+ years old, it has much value still for libraries and media centers with large collections of 398's. The subject index allows you to find many stories about almost any subject you or your students can think of. It also helps to find that partially forgotten story you heard once upon a time. An ethnic and geographic index also helps teachers and librarians fit stories into themes. All stories, compiled from more than 2000 folktale collections, are arranged in Stith Thompson order, so stories on similar themes are easy to find. Its only drawback is its date - but many libraries still have these collections on their shelves, and many of the collections are being reprinted. Rev. by George Pilling, Library Media Teacher, Tulare County, CA
• Storytelling Encyclopedia: Historical, Cultural, and Multiethnic Approaches to Oral Traditions Around the World
by David Adams Leeming. (1997 - Adults)
This is the first definitive reference work to address the substantive elements of oral storytelling, a form of communication that dates back to the dawn of humanity. It is an "A to Z" collection of over 700 entries covering such major storytelling elements as motifs, character types, tale types, place names, and creation mythologies and storytelling techniques of cultures around the world. Examples of subjects covered are the contributions of pioneering folklorists and mythologists such as: Franz Boas, Stith Thompson, and Joseph Campbell; descriptions of such well-known Western tales as "Cinderella," the Greek myth of Persephone and Demeter, and the story of Exodus; as well as tales from Native American, African, and Asian cultures, including "Indra and the Ants," tales of Anansi, the spider-trickster of the Ashanti, and the Cherokee Bear-man.
• Tales, Rumors, and Gossip: Exploring Contemporary Folk Literature in Grades 7-12
by Gail de Vos. (1996 - Adults)
Explore the stories and themes that capture the imagination of young people today. A sampling of tales is organized into broad subject areas, such as contaminated food, threats to children, and satanic legends, and the tales are analyzed according to function, structure, and international variants. De Vos also discusses film and literary adaptions and offers suggestions for adapting tales for the junior high and high school curriculum.
• Types of Motifs (Folklore Library)
by Reginette Haboucha. (1992 - Adults)
The Sephardic oral narrative is of particular importance to folklore studies as it embodies a complex constellation of Hispanic, Hebraic, Balkan, and Near Eastern cultural influences. Following the methodological tradition of the Aarne-Thompson school, this volume systematizes and classifies narrative.
• Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre
by Jack David Zipes. (2006 - Adults)
In his latest book, fairy tales expert Jack Zipes explores the question of why some fairy tales "work" and others don't, why the fairy tale is uniquely capable of getting under the skin of culture and staying there. Why, in other words, fairy tales "stick." Long an advocate of the fairy tale as a serious genre with wide social and cultural ramifications, Jack Zipes here makes his strongest case for the idea of the fairy tale not just as a collection of stories for children but a profoundly important genre. This book contains two chapters on the history and theory of the genre, followed by case studies of famous tales (including Cinderella, Snow White, and Bluebeard), followed by a summary chapter on the problematic nature of traditional storytelling in the twenty-first century.
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WEB SITES FOR FOLKLORE, LITERATURE AND STORYTELLING MOTIFS/THEMES
AROUND THE WORLD
NOTE: If you Google "folklore motifs," you'll get 1.3 million results; "fairy tale motifs" will bring up over 90,000 results. A few of the most helpful are listed below.
• http://www.folklore.bc.ca/Motifindex.htm
The British Columbia Folklore Society — The Motif Index: what it is, and what it does.
• http://www.folklore.bc.ca/Thompson.htm
The British Columbia Folklore Society — The Motif Index: Thompson numbers. A breakdown of the Stith Thompson numbers.
• http://www.ils.unc.edu/~sturm/motifindexing.html
Websites Dealing with Folklore, Storytelling and Motif Indexing. Includes "Using a motif or type index"; "Descriptions of Unique Resources (but the data are not web-based); "Specially organized collections of e-stories"; "Specialized electronic resources"; and "Web search strategies."
• http://www.aktuellum.com/slavic/folklore-motif/
The Motif of Living Water in SalvicTradition: Introduction — What is a Folklore Motif? from Columbia University in New York. Includes "The Classification of Folklore"; "What is a Folklore Motif?"; "Conclusion"; and "References."
• http://tinyurl.com/2f6pay6
Motif-Index of Folk-Literature: Index A-K: A Classification of Narrative Elements in Folk Tales, Ballads, Myths, Fables, Mediaeval Romances, Exempla, Fabliaux, Jest-Books, and Local Legends by Stith Thompson. This is a Google book and displays only partial contents of the book. Published in 1960.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stith_Thompson
Stith Thompson biography with references.
• http://tinyurl.com/293c232
Google images for folklore motifs. Be careful here about copyright.
• http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/lion_and_the_unicorn/v030/30.2bottigheimer.html
Project Muse: Today's Research: Tomorrow's Inspiration. This is a subscription site, though they do offer some free samples.
• http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2386/is_2_111/ai_69202444/
The Holy Grail: From Romance Motif to Modern Genre by Juliette Wood in 2000. Extensive analysis (21 pages).
• http://www.jstor.org/pss/1260297
Folklore Motifs in Late Medieval Art I: Proverbial Follies and Impossibilities by Malcolm Jones from the hournal Folklore, vol. 100;ii, 1989. This is a subscription journal and offers only partial contents.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore
Includes Artifacts, Oral tradition, Cultural, Rituals, Categories of folklore, References, Further reading and External links.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_tale
Fairy tale. Includes Definition, History, Cross-cultural transmission, Association with children, Contemporary tales, Motifs, Interpretations, Compilations, Notes, References and External links.
• http://www.isu.edu/library/research/folklore.htm
From Idaho State University. Folklore: Core Databases and Indexes.
• http://ccb.lis.illinois.edu/Projects/storytelling/jsthomps/tales.htm
The Folklore Tradition of Jack Tales. Includes The Folktale, Jack, Jack Tales, One Tale, Many Tellings; Classification; A Composite Summary of Motifs; The Pattern; The Jack Tales Cycle in Perpetuity; Online Resources; Bibliography.
• http://surlalunefairytales.yuku.com/topic/798
Fairy Tales and Folklore Discussions: Common motifs found in all fairy tales. Public discussion forum made up mostly of what looks like tweets.
• http://www.surfturk.com/mythology/fairytaleelements.html
Elements found in fairy tales. Defines fairy tale, fable and parable. Lists common motifs and ways fairy tales have been interpreted.
• http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FairytaleMotifs
Fairy tale motifs. Includes dragons, fairies, knights, royalty, princess, king, unicorn, wolves and more. Cites examples. Examines film, literature, live action television, newspaper comics and theater.
• http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/forskning/motiver/motiv_e.html
Selected motifs in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. Dozens of categories listed.
•http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/612347/fairy_tale_archetypes_uncovered.html?cat=38
Fairy Tale Archetypes Uncovered by Keith Cork. Published in 2008. Excerpt: It seems that stories told in the oral tradition had to find their way down through a number of cultural and authorial filters before they reached our generation. When we hear these tales today are we hearing fragmented versions or did the story still maintain its core shape? Does it even matter or is it even better that the story has been molded over time because now they seem more pertinent to the type of world we live in today?
•http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/612335/archetypes_in_fairy_tales_a_mirror.html?cat=9
Archetypes in Fairy Tales: A Mirror of the American Ethos by Keith Cork. Published in 2008. Excerpt: Fairy tales have existed for hundreds of years in multiple cultures. They serve as an insightful view into the customs and beliefs of the time and culture in which they were written. For instance, Charles Perrault's version of the tale "Hansel and Gretel" offers readers insight into what it meant to be lower class during the seventeenth century in France. Though it is a fictional story about child abandonment, this situation was a possible reality for anyone who was reading it. In this way, the writers and tellers of fairy tales were able to touch on elements of interest that would hold their audience's attention.
• http://www.unm.edu/~abqteach/fairy_tales/fairy_tales_abstracts.htm
Fairy Tales: Reflections of Society Abstracts. Includes Exploring Families Through Fairy Tales; Fairy Tales and Gender Roles; Fairy Tale as Personal Narrative; Fairy Tales in the Early Childhood Classroom; Creating Stories, Creating Community; A Fairy Tale Based Curriculum for Preschoolers with Special Needs; Using Fairy Tales to TeachLibrary/Study Skills; and many more.
• http://uk.ask.com/wiki/Aarne-Thompson_classification_system
Aarne-Thompson classification system broken down in detail.
• http://www.zaped.info/Aarne-Thompson
Another detailed breakdown of the Aarne-Thompson classification system.
• http://www.cs.williams.edu/~lindsey/myths/myths.html
Common Elements in Creation Myths by Lindsey Murtagh. Excerpt: It is in the nature of humans to wonder about the unknown and search for answers. At the foundation of nearly every culture is a creation myth that explains how the wonders of the earth came to be. These myths have an immense influence on people's frame of reference. They influence the way people think about the world and their place in relation to their surroundings. Despite being separated by numerous geographical barriers many cultures have developed creation myths with the same basic elements.
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STORYTELLING ANTHOLOGIES FOR TELLING TO CHILDREN...CLASSICS TO CURRENT
Click on title or image.
Book titles are in blue and underlined. Click on them for more information.
All of the books listed here are still under copyright. Get permission from the authors to retell.
Always credit your sources.
Listed alphabetically with short descriptions for your convenience and to save you research time.
CREATURES (NONFICTION)
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Burrows, Nests & Lairs: Animal Architects by Ada Spada. (2007 - Ages 9-12)
This BIG, beautiful reference book showcases wild creatures all around the world, nesting, burrowing, and building their shelters. Every child’s favorite animal is sure to be here, as well as some new friends they’ll enjoy meeting. Enter the cozy houses of rabbits, mice, moles, and platypuses; the intricate cities of bee hives and coral reefs; and unusual birds’ nests that are sewn together and decorated. |
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Carnival of the Animals: Classical Music for Kids
by Camille Saint-Saens and Barrie Carson Turner. (1999 - Ages 4-8 - picture book and CD)
Nearly 150 years ago, the composer Camille Saint-Saëns was asked by his pupils to write a musical joke for them. He wrote a piece people enjoyed so much that it has now become one of Saint-Saëns's most famous works. This picture book helps children follow each section of Saint-Saëns's classic piece while they listen to the CD. |
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Close to You: How Animals Bond by Kimiko Kajikawa. (2008 - Ages 4-8)
Parents and their young have unique ways of bonding, especially in the animal kingdom. A baby kangaroo nestles in its mother's pouch, while a mama alligator carries her baby gently in her mouth. Polar bears cuddle, and penguin parents take turns warming their chicks in the Antarctic winter. Just like people, animals kiss, rub noses, and snuggle.
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How to Clean a Hippopotamus: A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships by Robin Page. (2010 - Ages 4-8)
What does a water buffalo see in an egret? Why would a badger want a coyote for company? What makes a horse mackerel think he can hang around with a Portugese man-of-war---and live to tell about it? Explore these and many other instances of mutualism: the mutually beneficial symbiotic relationships that can be found in the animal kingdom. |
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How to Draw 101 Animals by Dan Green. (2004 - Ages 4-8)
Reader review: This book is a must-have for children who love to draw and for moms who are asked to draw a certain object but don't quite know how!!! My 4- and 6-year-olds love this book, they are able to draw some objects and still need help with others, which is great. I like things on an advanced level. I think they learn more that way. This book has every imaginable animal in it; I don't think the author left any out! A great find at a great value! |
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Magic School Bus Hops Home (The): A Book About Animal Habitats by Patricia Reif with Nancy Stevenson (illus). (1995 - Ages 4-8)
When a bullfrog hops out of the classroom window, Ms. Frizzle and her students take a wild ride from a frog's-eye-view to learn about animal habitats in a book that complements the new PBS animated series. TV tie-in. |
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National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals
by Catherine D. Hughes. (2010 - Ages 4-8)
Child-friendly text explains how animal parents take care of their young, how baby animals change as they grow, and how they learn to hunt and eat. The brief text, large type, and appealing profiles are perfect for young readers to enjoy on their own, or for parents and other caregivers to read aloud. These animal tales will quickly become favorites. |
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Survival Secrets of Sea Animals (Undersea Encounters)
by Mary Jo Rhodes. (2007 - Ages 9-12)
The ingenious ways animals find a safe home, the creative ways animals protect themselves, the behavioral adaptation of schooling, and the visual adaptations of confusing. Copycats and mimics use all available resources to survive, some of which are shocking. Secrets you can't even imagine and some so weird and beautiful that they enter the realm of imagination. |
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CREATURES (FICTION)
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Awesome Animal Stories (Super Shorts)
by Elizabeth Holland. (2007 - Ages 9-12)
This series of themed short story collections will appeal to new readers. Easy-to-read type, engaging stories by popular authors, and appealing drawings provide just the right balance of challenge and support for young readers who are ready for the short story format. |
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Disney's Animals Stories (Disney Storybook Collections) by Sarah Heller. (2000 - Ages 4-8)
Reader review: I bought this book because I wanted to read to my unborn baby so that he could listen to my voice and reading. I love this book because the stories are written well and have wonderful pictures in them. They are perfect bedtime stories as they generally take 5-10 minutes to read. |
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Kingfisher Treasury of Animal Stories (The) (Kingfisher Treasury of - vol 3 (reissue)) by Jane Olliver. (2003 - Ages 9-12)
An enjoyable collection with stories from many parts of the world representing different types of storytelling...children will likely enjoy the lyrical, sometimes silly, language, and the foolish, brave, and witty characteristics of the various animal protagonists. At the same time, they will be learning subtle moral lessons without even realizing it. |
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Lion Book of Five-Minute Animal Stories (The)
by John Goodwin. (2009 - Ages 4-8)
From China to India and Germany, the most famous animal stories from around the world are gathered in this memorable anthology. Each of the 10 tales—The Musicians of Bremen; Party Time; The Nightingale; The Cheeky Monkey; The Lion and the Mouse; Princess Petunia and the Pig; The Hare and the Hedgehog; Fish Girl; The Talking Bear; and Chauntecleer the Cockerel |
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Rabbit and the Bears (Grandmother Stories, 4)
by Deborah L. Duvall. (2004 - YA)
On the way to the mountains the two friends encounter a hunter. Soon Ji-Stu witnesses the magic powers of Lake Ata-Gahi, which can heal the wounds of animals but is invisible to humans. As he sings and dances with the bears, Ji-Stu learns the magic of friendship as well as the magic of the lake. |
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Richard Scarry's Bedtime Stories (Pictureback(R)) by Richard Scarry. (1986 - Baby-Preschool)
Five funny tales featuring Lowly Worm, Huckle Cat, Bananas Gorilla, and the rest of Scarry's memorable menagerie are collected in a sleepytime anthology. |
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Stories of Magical Animals (Young Reading CD Packs)
by Carol Watson. (2006 -
Ages 4-8)
A horse that can fly? A creature that's half-lion, half-eagle? If you think they sound amazing, wait until you meet the other incredible animals roaming these pages. Usborne Young Reading combines exciting stories with easy reading text. Now the stories are brought to life with lively music, dramatic sound effects and superbly characterized readings |
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Tale of Peter Rabbit (The) (Story Reader) by Beatrix Potter. (2004 reprint - Ages 4-8)
Mrs. Rabbit tells her children Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter not to go into Mr. McGregor’s garden. Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail go down the lane to gather blackberries, but naughty Peter Rabbit disobeys his mother and runs into Mr. McGregor’s garden. When he meets Mr. McGregor, however, Peter must make a quick escape. Children can listen as the classic story of Peter Rabbit unfolds through words, music, and sound. |
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Two-Minute Animal Stories (Two-Minute Stories)
by Elena Paszuali. (2010 - Ages 4-8)
Ten great animal stories are presented at a pace perfect for storytime. Each story is retold in a short but continuous narrative, with quick and quirky illustrations adding to the momentum. Large text and carefully selected vocabulary make these an easy start for early readers, while speech bubbles and the quirky illustrations along with onomatopoeic sound effects add to the fun. |
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CULTURES
African-American
(see also http://www.story-lovers.com/listsafricanamericanstoriesrev1.html )
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Barack Obama (African-American Heroes)
by Stephen Feinstein. (2008 - Ages 4-8)
This title is targeted for the youngest readers with a slim introduction to the presidential candidate that begins with his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia. The upbeat text, divided into very short chapters, focuses on details that will capture kids’ interest, from the exotic pets and food delicacies that Obama encountered during his time in Indonesia to his young struggles to embrace his biracial identity. T |
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Families: Poems Celebrating the African American Experience by Dorothy S. Strickland. (1994 - Ages 4-8)
Illustrated poems by Eloise Greenfield, Lucille Clifton, Langston Hughes and others explore and celebrate family ties in black families, and teach the joy of belonging and the value of mutual respect. |
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Great African Americans Coloring Book by Taylor Oughton. (1996 - Ages 9-12)
Carefully researched, finely rendered collection pays tribute to 45 remarkable individuals— among them Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, Marian Anderson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Hale, Althea Gibson, Duke Ellington, Ralph Ellison, Katherine Dunham and many others. Captions describe accomplishments. |
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Illustrated Treasury of African American Read-Aloud Stories (An): More than 40 of the World's Best-Loved Stories for Parent/Child to Share by Susan Kantor.(2003-Ages 9-12)
A classic collection including myths, fables, folk tales, fairy tales, tall tales, and much more. Stories include "Anansi Gets What He Deserves," "Timba," "The Dissatisfied Bird," "Why Hawks Kill Chickens," and "The Wonderful Tar Baby." Also includes African American songs, biographies of famous African Americans, and recollections of slavery. |
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Jump at the Sun: An African American Picture Book Collection
by Peter Mandel. (2001 - Ages 4-8)
Welcome to the wonderfully rich and diverse world of African American stories for children and families. This one-of-a-kind collection brings together eight picture books by some of the most esteemed children's authors and illustrators working today, including: Andrea Davis Pinkey, Bryan Collier, Floyd Cooper, Jacqueline Woodson, Susan Taylor Brown & Jane Resh Thomas. |
Chinese
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Animals of the Chinese Zodiac (The) by Susan Whitfield. (1999 - Ages 4-8)
Introduces the Chinese zodiac and relates how each of its twelve signs was named for an animal. Explains the qualities associated with each animal and what animal rules the year in which the reader was born. |
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Chinese Children's Favorite Stories by Mingmei Ye. (2005 - Ages 4-8)
This volume of beloved Chinese stories contains a delightful selection from the rich store of Chinese folklore and legend. Discover the many delightful animal characters as well as Chang-E, the famous Eight Immortals, and Guan Yin, goddess of compassion. Retold for an international audience, the beautifully illustrated stories will give children aged six to ten in other countries a glimpse into both the tradition and culture of China. |
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Chinese Fables & Folktales (I) by Zheng Ma. (2008 - Ages 4-8)
This series introduces the most famous and well-known Chinese fables and folktales that have entertained children in China for generations. Now illustrated in beautiful color, these books will be a perfect bedtime companion for any young children. This title includes 5 stories. |
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Chinese Fables Remembered (Asian Folktales Retold)
by Miwa Kurita. (2006 - Ages 4-8)
Adults retell the tales of their childhood in this unique new series. Each story can be read individually, or read aloud to young children just learning to “listen.” China Tells How the World Began includes “How the World Began” and “Why Cats Hate Rats.” Chinese Fables Remembered includes “The Brothers and the Birds” and “The Two Rooster Friends.” |
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Learning Chinese: Through Stories and Activities
by Belinda Y. Louie. (2007 - Ages 9-12)
Weighing an elephant, turning an iron rod into a needle, and other authentic stories in this book, which charmed generations of Chinese children in the past, continue to delight young readers today. The English/Chinese bilingual texts allow both novice and advanced Chinese language learners to sharpen their language skills while enjoying the stories. |
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Stories behind Chinese Idioms (III) by Zheng Ma. (2008 - Ages 4-8)
This series introduces the most famous and well-known Chinese fables and folktales that have entertained children in China for generations. Now illustrated in beautiful color, these books will be a perfect bedtime companion for any young children. This title includes 7 stories. |
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Tales from Gold Mountain: Stories of the Chinese in the New World by Paul Yee.
(1990 - YA)
Eight unforgettable stories tell of the triumph of the human spirit despite the bitterness of daily toils. Elegant paintings brilliantly complement each magical story. ". . . Ng's cool, brooding full-page paintings have an intense presence that enhances the stories' exotic flavor. |
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Jewish
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10 Great Jewish Children's Stories by Chaya M. Burstein. (2002 - Ages 4-8)
Double-spread Shabbat and Holiday stories with simple "Do You Know That..." facts at the end of each story. The illustrations have hidden holiday items scattered throught the pictures. |
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Because God Loves Stories: An Anthology of Jewish Storytelling by Steve Zeitlin. (1997 - Anthology)
"Why were human beings created?" goes a traditional Jewish saying. "Because God loves stories." Storytelling has been part of Jewish religion and custom from earliest times and it remains a defining aspect of Jewish life. This is the work of thirty-six Jewish storytellers, each of whom spins tales that express his or her own distinctive visions of Jewish culture. |
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Book of Miracles (The): A Young Person's Guide to Jewish Spiritual Awareness by Lawrence Kushner. (1997 - Ages 9-12)
This easy-to-read, beautifully illustrated book encourages kids' awareness of their own spirituality. Revealing the essence of Judaism in a language they can understand and enjoy, the book combines Talmud, midrash, mystical and biblical stories to help readers make-and treasure-the connections between traditional sources and modern living. |
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Dance, Sing, Remember: A Celebration of Jewish Holidays
by Leslie Kimmelman. (2000 - Ageas 4-8)
Do you know what holiday to sound the shofar for? Or when to build a sukkah? Now you can learn, in this celebration of eleven Jewish holidays, from Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, to Shavuot, the accepting of the Torah. The meaning and story behind each holiday are explained. There are also activities, music, and recipes for adults and children. |
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Hungry Clothes and Other Jewish Folktales (The) (Folktales of the World) by Peninnah Schram. (2008 - Ages 9-12)
Presents a diverse selection of Ashkenazi and Sephardic fairytales, legends, parables, fables, tall tales, trickster and fool tales, and supernatural and mystical stories. They include The Pots of Honey; The Boy Who Prayed with the Alphabe; and The Wise Daughter Who Solves Riddles, a beloved story in the Jewish tradition. |
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Jewish Children's Bible (The): Leviticus
by Sheryl Prenzlau. (1999 - Ages 9-12)
Tells the story of the Israelites in the desert. Discusses the sacrifices and the Tabernacle. Includes the beautifully illustrated BOOK OF ESTHER traditionally read during the Jewish holiday of Purim. |
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Jewish Child's First Book of Why (The)
by Alfred J. Kolatch. (1992 - YA)
In direct and simple language, Rabbi Kolatch explains the significance of some of the most fascinating traditions and customs of Judaism and introduces the child to the major and minor holidays in the Jewish calendar. The text is enhanced by the lively full-color illustrations of one of Israels leading contemporary artists. For ages four and up. |
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Jewish Humor Stories for Kids by Irmela Wendt. (1998 - Ages 9-12)
The Judaica Librarians' Choice Award Winner! Stories with uniquely Jewish settings that feature funny situations and hilarious dialogue -- all by first time authors. The winning story was chosen by the American Jewish Librarians' Choice Award Committee and features a side-splitting surprise ending in the James Thurber/Neil Simon tradition. |
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Jewish Stories (Traditional Religious Tales) by Anita Ganeri. (2006 - Ages 9-12)
This wonderful series combines beautifully commissioned artwork with clear and sensitively written narrative introducing young readers to some of the most significant beliefs, values and traditions of the world's six main faiths. Jewish Stories focuses on stories from Jewish history. |
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More Jewish Bedtime Stories Tales of Rabbis and Leaders by Shmuel Blitz. (1986 - Ages 4-8)
This new volume of bedtime stories concentrates on stories of great geonim and tzaddikim. Your children will love to hear about the best night the Steipler ever had, the Sanzer Rav's missing gold cup, and Rabbi Akiva Eiger's empty coach. Sound fascinating? They are. And so are all the other stories in this wonderful childrens book. |
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Portraits of Jewish American Heroes by Malka Drucker. (2008 - Ages 9-12)
From Albert Einstein and Bella Abzug to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Hank Greenberg, and Steven Spielberg, this invitingly illustrated collective biography celebrates 20 Jewish American heroes in all their diversity: their lives and work, the obstacles they overcame, their strong American roots, and their pride in being Jewish. |
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Treasury of Jewish Bedtime Stories
by Shmuel Blitz. (1996 - Ages 4-8)
These twenty-one stories cover the gamut from gentle humor to profound faith to warm kindness. The heroes range from kings and sages to wise travelers and fantasizing laborers. This is one of those rare books that youngsters will curl up with again and again. Illustrated by Liat Benyamini Ariel. |
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Native American
(see also http://www.story-lovers.com/listsnativeamericanstories.html )
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A Kid's Guide to Native American History: More than 50 Activities (A Kid's Guide series) by Yvonne Wakim Dennis. (2009 - Ages 4-8)
Hands-on activities, games, and crafts introduce children to the diversity of Native American cultures and teach them about the people, experiences, and events that have helped shape America, past and present. Covered are the Mohawk in the Northeast, Ojibway in the Midwest, Shoshone in the Great Basin, Apache in the Southwest, Yupik in Alaska, and Native Hawaiians. |
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Native American Animal Stories by Joseph Bruchan. (1992 - Ages 9-12)
A collection of 24 Native American myths, taken from the stories of the Mohawk, Hopi, Yaqui, Haida, and others cultures, which demonstrate the power of animals in Native American tradition. Illustrations throughout. |
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Native American Stories (Myths and Legends) by John Hakionhes Fadden. (1991 - YA)
A collection of myths drawn from the native cultures of North America--from the Inuit in the north to the Zuni, Hopi, and Cherokee in the south--each beautifully illustrated by Mohawk artist Fadden. "A good supply of tales written with simplicity and directness." |
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Native American Tales and Legends (Evergreen Classics) by Allan A. Macfarlan. (2001 - Ages 9-12)
More than thirty stories from a variety of Native American sources covering creation myths, hero tales, and trickster stories, as well as tales of little people, giants, and monsters, and of magic, enchantment, sorcery, and the spirit world. Included are tales from the Chippewa, Tsimhian, Blackfoot, Iroquois, Cherokee, Pueblo and Cheyenne. |
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Native Americans (First Discovery Books) by Gallimand Jeunesse, Ute Fuhr and Raoul Sautal (authors and editors). (1998 0 Ages 4-8)
Reader review: I would recommend this book to 2nd and 3rd graders. I liked that it showed you what some of the signs meant. It has 23 pages in it. It is also good for school reports and for finding information on Native Americans. That is why I would give it four stars. I would give it five stars if it told you what the Native Americans did. |
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Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection (Fulcrum Press) by Matt Dembicki. (2010 - All ages)
More than twenty Native American tales are cleverly adapted into comic form. Each story is written by a different Native American storyteller who worked closely with a selected illustrator, a combination that gives each tale a unique and powerful voice and look. Ranging from serious and dramatic to funny and sometimes downright fiendish. |
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Voices of the Winds: Native American Legends by Margot Edmonds. (2009 - All ages)
An illustrated collection of more than a 100 legends of the North American Indian tribes. All the major geographical areas and Indian tribes are covered in this collection, each with a brief introduction followed by a paraphrased retelling of the story. |
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Wisdom of the Native Americans (The)
by Kent Nerburn. (1999 - YA and Adults)
This collections of writings by revered Native Americans offers timeless, meaningful lessons and thought-provoking teachings on living and learning. |
ENVIRONMENT
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Cleaning up Litter (Help the Environment) by Charlotte Guillain. (2008 - Ages 4-8)
Introduces the concept of caring for our environment to young children in an accessible, achievable, attractive and fun way. It introduces to children ideas on how to conserve and nurture elements of their surroundings. |
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Earth Book for Kids: Activities to Help Heal the Environment by Linda Schwartz. (1990 - Ages 9-12)
Filled with ideas for arts and crafts projects, experiments, and experiences that encourage children to enjoy and heal the environment, this book covers acid rain, endangered wildlife, pesticides, energy, recycling, pollution, landfills, rain forests, water conservation, and related topics. |
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Here Is Antarctica (Web of Life) by Madeleine Dunphy. (2008 - Ages 4-8)
Penguins, whales, seals, fish, and many other animals are all part of Antarctica’s food web. This book uses a cumulative approach, combining lyrical verse with repetition to reveal the region's interdependency of life. The gorgeous illustrations, from the flash of orange on a penguin's beak to iridescent icebergs jutting from the sea, capture the circle of life. |
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Heroes of the Environment: True Stories of People Who Are Helping to Protect Our Planet by Charles Siebert. (2009 - Ages 9-12)
True stories of 12 people from across North America who have done great things for the environment. Heroes include a teenage girl who figured out how to remove an industrial pollutant from the Ohio River, a Mexican superstar wrestler who works to protect turtles and whales, and a teenage boy from Rhode Island who developed recycling programs. |
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I Wonder Why There's a Hole in the Sky: and Other Questions About the Environment by Sean Callery. (2008 - Ages 4-8)
takes a look at our planet, how we are damaging it, and what we can do to protect it. It addresses relevant questions about the state of the environment, covering important topics such as pollution, global warming, endangered animals, climate change, and extreme weather. Child-friendly, and thought-provoking. Perfect introduction to "green" issues. |
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Journey for the Planet: A Kid's Five Week Adventure to Create an Earth-friendly Life by David Gershon. (2007 - Ages 4-8)
The book's core message is one of empowerment. Taught by a series of animal characters, each of its 46 action lessons illustrates in clear, accessible language exactly how a simple change in the child's behavior can positively impact the environment. Praised by teachers, students and parents alike as an invaluable resource. |
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Life on the Equator (Life in Extreme Environments) by Stephanie Lazor. (2003-Ages 9-12)
Introduction: Journey to the center of the earth -- What is the equator? -- Plant life -- Animal kingdom -- Walking the line -- Fragile: handle with care. Includes bibliographical references (p. 60-61) and index. Defines the equator and indicates how plants, animals, and humans learn to survive in this extreme environment. |
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Not Your Typical Book About the Environment by Elin Kelsey. (2010 - Ages 9-12)
We live in a time of heightened environmental awareness, and this knowledge is creating a generation of children with feelings of eco-anxiety — the world is doomed, isn't it? Maybe not. This book shows how all is not lost. Young readers learn about the remarkable time they live in: smart technologies, innovative ideas, and a growing commitment to alternative lifestyles are exploding around the world. |
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Rainforests: An Activity Guide for Ages 6-9 by Nancy FuscoCastaldo. (2003 - Ages 9-12)
North America boasts a surprising number of rainforests, including El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico, Olympic National Forest in Washington State, Chugah and Tonga National Forests in Alaska, and the forests in Hawaii, which are home to an enormous variety of plants and animals. This book takes kids through the common layers of the rainforest, from the forest floor to above the enclosed canopy. |
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Saving Energy (Help the Environment) by Charlotte Guillain. (2008 - Ages 4-8)
Introduces the concept of caring for our environment to young children in an accessible, achievable, attractive and fun way. It introduces to children ideas on how to conserve and nurture elements of their surroundings. |
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JACK TALES
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Jack Tales (The)
by Ray Hicks. (2000 - Ages 4-8)
Reader review: I found this volume perfectly presented. The warmly and colorfully told tales are matched by the rich and humorous illustrations. The style of the illustrations as well as the actual production of the book remind of classic books we grew up with. The audio CD add another layer of authenticity. |
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Jack Tales (The) by Richard Chase. (2003 reprint - Ages 9-12)
Captures 18 folk tales about Jack, well known to children from Jack and the Beanstalk (here known as "Jack and the Bean Tree"). Williams's occasional pen-and-ink drawings add to the handsome package. |
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Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns as Told by Orville Hicks
by Orville Hicks. (2009-Ages 9-12)
For the past two decades, Orville Hicks has enthralled audiences with his storytelling performances. In 2007, Orville was honored with a North Carolina Heritage Award. Jack Tales and Mountain Yarns includes more than 20 transcribed stories that expertly capture the voice of the master storyteller. |
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Life and Times of Ray Hicks: Keeper of the Jack Tales by Lynn Salsi. (2008 - Adults)
From the start this is not just another dry non-fiction about what life was like up in "them thar hills!" Rather it is an experience of seeing life in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina through the eyes of one of its preeminent story tellers. Prepare to be transported to the parlor of the Hicks home to sit on the simple wood floor and warm yourself before the woodstove as you listen to Ray spin the greatest yarn of all for you; the one of his own life. |
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Mountain Jack Tales by Gail E. Haley. (2001 - Ages 4-8)
Jack is the universal folk hero and adventurer. In the words of Joseph Campbell, Jack is the "hero with thousand faces." Tales of Jack's adventures are as timeless as bedrock but as fresh as dawn in the Appalachian hills. Whether Jack is outsmarting ogres, besting card sharks, wrestling with ornery witches, or even taking on Old Man Death himself, the plainspoken hero's commonsense, goodness, and hill-country humor help him win. |
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Perspectives on the Jack Tales and Other North American Marchen by Carl Lindahl. (2001 - Adults)
The essays in this volume re-examine common assumptions about "magic" tales and their tellers, reconsidering the performance, collection, transcription, publication, and interpretation of narratives that continue to live orally--especially in the private realm--as one mechanism of intergenerational communication or as symbolic articulation of worldview. |
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Southern Jack Tales by Donald Davis. (2005 - Ages 4-8)
A collection of thirteen Jack tales from the southern Appalachian Mountains, including "The Time Jack Told a Big Tale", "The Time Jack Cured the Doctor", and "The Time Jack Stole the Cows". |
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NOODLEHEADS AND OTHER SILLIES
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Epossumondas (Irma S and James H Black Honor for Excellence in Children's Literature (Awards))
by Coleen Salley. (2000 - Baby-Preschool)
Who's Epossumondas? Why, he's his mama's and his auntie's sweet little patootie, that's who. He's also the silliest, most lovable, most muddleheaded possum south of the Mason-Dixon line!
Better choose your words wisely when he's around, 'cause otherwise you never know what you'll get...maybe a fist full of crumbs, or a soaking wet puppy, or a scruffy wad of bread. |
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Noodlehead Stories by Martha Hamilton. (2006 - Ages 9-12)
Call it what you will nincompoop, knucklehead, ninnyhammer, numskull, noodlehead stories of the fool have been around as long as people have been telling stories. Everyone has had a noodlehead day, a day when the brain takes a leave of absence and nothing but noodles seems to fill in the head space above the sinuses. |
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Silly Sally (Big Book)
by Audrey Wood. (1994 - Ages 4-8)
Dance a jig with a silly pig. Play leapfrog with a silly dog. And that's just the beginning of all the fun! Come along and join Silly Sally and her outrageous friends as they parade into town in a most unusual way. "Exploding with whimsy, humor, and zest. . . . Be prepared to read this one a thousand times!"--Booklist (starred review) |
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Silly Sports and Goofy Games
by Spencer Kagan. (1992 - Ages 4-8)
Reader review: I use this book ALL THE TIME. Whenever we want a short, 5 minute activity, I pull this out and use one of the games with my students. THIS IS MUST-HAVE BOOK. |
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Silly Street
by Jeff Foxworthy. (2009 - Ages 4-8)
Anything goes on Silly Street. There's a flying squirrel circus, pink elephant races, and even a pony that eats fried baloney. At the candy booth you can buy gummy yum noodles and rainbow jaw busters. At the hat store you can purchase a helmet, a tiara, or a halo—if you happen to be an angel. |
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Tales of Nonsense & Tomfoolery (The Books of Nine Lives, 2)
by Pleasant DeSpain. (2001 - Ages 9-12)
Ten stories from Russia, Ethiopia, Switzerland, China, Norway, India, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. Folktales are among the most resilient types of lore one generation passes to another. Tales we tell today whether they are cautionary, humorous, or embedded with moral instruction date back to ancient civilizations. |
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Wee Sing Silly Songs
by Pamela Conn Beall. (2009 - Ages 4-8)
The silliest songs ever sung, Wee Sing style! You won’t be able to stop giggling. |
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WEB SITES LISTING STORYTELLING ANTHOLOGES FOR CHILDREN
• http://tinyurl.com/29dlfw5
Authors and Artists. Featuring Heather Forest, who has done many anthologies for children including musical folktales, Aesop's Fables, Wonder Tales, World Tales, and many picture books.
Heather's web site:
http://www.storyarts.org/store/index.html
• http://www.planetesme.com/storytelling.html
Excerpt: What are Americans most scared of? In second place is death. In first place is public speaking. Let's nip neurosis in the bud! What I like about this ten-lesson literature-based storytelling unit is that it gives children with a dramatic flair some time on stage, but the activities are structured incrementally so that even children who are terribly shy will ultimately find they have the skills to shine. You can use this model to teach one child to tell a story in front of a group, but why just one? Be a megalomaniac about it! Do it with a classroom of children, or several classrooms of children, or with an afterschool group, or with the dead-end kids on your block. Culminate the acquisition of storytelling skills with a festival the whole community can enjoy...
•
http://ccb.lis.illinois.edu/bibliographies/storytellingresources_2006.html
The Center for Children's Books: Storytelling Resources. Includes Storytelling Guides, Basic Research Reference Works, Scholarly Studies, Selected Story Treatments and Stories (includes anthologies).
•
http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/LU2229.aspx
From Greenwood Publishing Group: Drawing Stories from around the World and a Sampling of European Handkerchief Stories. This is mainly a sales site for Anne Pellowski's book, but you might find it interesting.
•
http://tinyurl.com/2f8kylu
There are 8 animal anthologies for children listed on this amazon.com site. Includes Hoofbeats, Claws Rippled Fins: Creature Poems; Best Animal Stories; The Songs of Birds: Stories and Poems from Many Cultures; The Gaia Rainforest Theatre; Best Shorts: Favorite Stories for Sharing; The Classic Treasury of Animal Stories; My Kingdom for a Horse; and Just So Stories: for Little Children.
• http://animalanthologies.blogspot.com/
The Animal Anthology Project: posted September 2010.
Includes Great Escape Stories; Amazing Pet Rescues; Pets at Work: Labor Day Stories; and Animal News Worth Writing About: Dog Helps Train Lion Cubs.
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Created 2010; last update 11/30/10
Story Lovers World ...707-996-1996
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by Margaret Read MacDonald. (2007 - Ages 4-8)
by Taffy Thomas. (2010)
by Doug Lipman. (1999 - Adult)
by Jack Myers. (2004 - Ages 9-12)
by Anita Ganeri. (2003 - Ages 4-8)
by Oksana Hlodan. (1999 - Ages 4-8)
by Richard Scarry. (1984 - Ages 4-8) 
by Darlene Powell Hopson. (1996 - Ages 4-8)
by Linda Goss. (1989 - Anthology)
by Melodye Rosales. (1996 - Ages 4-8)
by Frances Carpenter. (1991 - Ages 9-12)
by Alfonso Ortiz. (1985 - All ages)
by Joseph Bruchac. (1999 - Ages 4-8)
by Stephen Krensky. (1992 - YA)
by Bobby Lake-Thom. (1997)
by Rebecca Olien. (2007 - Ages 9-12)
by James Shanahan. (1999 - YA and Adults)
by Ed Brody, Jay Goldspinner (authors) with Katie Green and Rona Leventhal (editors) (2002 - Environmental Anthology)
by William Bernard (ed.) McCarthy. (1994 - Adults)