The Festival of Stones: Autumn and Winter Tales of Tiptoes Lightly [Paperback]

Reg Down (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

Tiptoes Lightly lives in an acorn high up in the branches of a great oak tree. The Festival of Stones follows her adventures, and those of her friends, through the festivals of Michaelmas, Halloween, Martinmas, Advent and Christmas. At Michaelmas a real dragon appears, as does St. Michael, and Farmer John tells the story of 'The Most Beautiful Dragon in the Whole World' to his children. Other tales are told too. An angel tells the story of 'Martin's Light' at Martinmas, at the Festival of Animals Tiptoes recounts how the animals were sung into the world in 'The Myth of Ella-jah', and Farmer John reads 'The Burden Bull of Scotland' to his children on Christmas day. On the way Jeremy Mouse has a frightening encounter at Halloween (with a you-know-what-kind of vegetable!) and almost drowns while sliding on ice (luckily he is saved by Mr. Owl the Vegetarian). At the farm, the children meet the Borodat who lives in the barn, and on Christmas night June Berry dreams of her mother who has passed over the threshold. In the last chapter the world's first snow-mouse is made by Jeremy Mouse-helped by Tiptoes and the house fairies, Pins and Needles. The Festival of Stones is lavishly illustrated by the artist-author. They are reverent, humorous, sanguine and spiritual. They are innocent and magical tales, suitable for reading to young children or for young children to read.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a fascinating book by an extraordinarily imaginative writer. There is great value to this work. The whole time I read it I could imagine the faces of 5 or 6 year olds listening to the stories.

Borrow or buy? Buy! Parents of preschoolers and children in the primary grades need this book. It is a fun read and the kids will want to hear about Tiptoes Lightly and her friends over and over again." --The Reading Tub Review

About the Author

Reg Down grew up in Canada, Namibia, South Africa and Ireland. He trained as a eurythmist, an art of movement and gesture, in England and Germany. The father of three, he has taught eurythmy in Waldorf schools in Australia, Canada and the United States. His children’s books arose out of his work with kindergarten and the younger grades. He is also the author of Leaving Room for the Angels, AWSNA Publications, a book on eurythmy and artistic pedagogy, and Color and Gesture—the Inner Life of Color, Lightly Press. He lives in Sacramento, California and teaches at Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks.

Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1453809090
• ISBN-13: 978-1453809099
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Reg Down grew up in Canada, Namibia, South Africa and Ireland. He trained in eurythmy, an art of movement and gesture, in England and Germany. The father of three, he has been a eurythmist in Waldorf schools in Australia, Canada and the United States, as well as on the faculty at Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, California.

He is the author of eight children's books, most of them arising out of his work with kindergarten and the younger grades. He also has two professional titles: Leaving Room for the Angels, AWSNA Publications, an exploration of artistic pedagogy through the eyes of eurythmy, and Color and Gesture - the Inner Life of Color, Lightly Press.

He currently lives in Sacramento, California, writing, publishing, storytelling, puppeteering and generally hanging around and twiddling his thumbs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book even for non-Waldorf children, October 19, 2009

By 

T. Mclean "2kidsmclean" (Sacramento) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Festival of Stones: Autumn and Winter Tales of Tiptoes Lightly (Paperback)

This book was recommended to my children by a Waldorf family. My 6 year old has read all four of Reg's books and she would love even more. My 3 year old is in his first of the four books and he is begging for a new chapter each day. You don't have to have your children at a Waldorf school to enjoy the fairies, gnomes, and friendly creatures that capture a child's imagination.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Good one!, March 23, 2010

By 

C. Finney (California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Festival of Stones: Autumn and Winter Tales of Tiptoes Lightly (Paperback)

We love Tiptoes and her friends! Great book! I would recommend this for 6-9 year olds. No scary stuff, just nice story chapters!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Nature Stories - perfect for kindergarten and 1st grade, July 29, 2008

By 

Felting Mom (Monterey Peninsula, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Festival of Stones: Autumn and Winter Tales of Tiptoes Lightly (Paperback)

If you are a parent of children in the 4 - 8 year old range or if you are a kindergarten or 1st grade teacher, get this and ALL Tiptoes story books by Reg Down. They are truly magical, beautifully written, and have are perfect for gently bringing the rhythm of nature into the young child's consciousness. I told these stories all last year to a Waldorf 1st grade class and they LOVED them! This year I am teaching my own 1st grade and these stories will be part of the curriculum. The collection of stories are like chapters but each story can be read on its own and they are relatively short - so perfect for bedtime, too.
Thank you to Reg Down for his brilliant collection of stories!