Parents' Guide to Storytelling [Hardcover]

Margaret Read MacDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 19, 2005

Children of all ages love hearing stories. Many parents, though, freeze when their children ask them to tell a story rather than read one, or panic when they begin to lose their attention mid-story.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 118 pages
• Publisher: August House; 2 edition (December 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874836190
• ISBN-13: 978-0874836196
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,985,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Margaret Read MacDonald travels the world telling stories....always on the lookout for more great folktales to share. She shapes these found stories into tellable tales which anyone can share with ease. Filling her folktale collections with these delightful tales, she creates perfect read alouds for you and your family. MRM wants everyone to experience the joy of a beautifully told tale. She hopes you will read them a few times...then put down the book...put down the electronic device...and just TELL the story to your children!

Some of her favorite folktales she expands into picture books...hopefully with delightfully readable language while will roll right out of your mouth. Share them with your children and then....act the tales out! Revisit the tales by TELLING them! At bedtime. While on the road. Fill your pockets with great stories to share wherever you go.

Joining her Folklore Ph.D. with her 30 plus years as a children's librarian, Margaret brings folktales to life in playful, lilting language which should delight both reader and listener.

See her performance schedule at: www.margaretreadmaconald.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide to the Art of Storytelling, September 9, 2003

By 

Charlotte M. R. Flowers (Richmond, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Parents' Guide to Storytelling: How to Make Up New Stories and Retell Old Favorites (Paperback)

I bought this book hoping for some basic tips and techniques to get me started on the path of storytelling to preschoolers and
elementary age children. Margaret Read MacDonald offers that and
much more. This professional storyteller, author and children's
librarian brings a wealth of knowledge by way of a PhD in folklore and more than 35 years of storytelling experience to
the fore in this engaging, highly readable book. This tiny volume is packed with encyclopedic-like wisdom. She includes dozens of actual stories, categorized by age of listener as well as type of tale, and offers practical suggestions on voice pitch, hand movements and facial expressions to help the novice storyteller bring the tale to life.

Best of all, she is so encouraging along the way, constantly
reassuring the reader that making up stories and/or retelling old favorites is a snap. If we follow her suggestions and practice, we'll be storytellers extraordinaire in no time. This book is an excellent resource for parents or caretakers who simply want to tell bedtime stories; but is also a wonderful introductory text for anyone wishing to embark on the path of professional storytelling.

The bibliography and additional suggested resources at the end of the book are invaluable.

If you have any interest in storytelling at all, this book is a must-have for your reference library.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Tall on stories, Short on techniques, April 18, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Parents' Guide to Storytelling: How to Make Up New Stories and Retell Old Favorites (Paperback)

I had purchased this book because I was looking for basic techniques on telling short stories. The majority of the book is stories with tips on telling those specific stories. I returned this book within 10 minutes of receiving it in the mail!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable skill for any parent or grandparent, July 4, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Parents' Guide to Storytelling: How to Make Up New Stories and Retell Old Favorites (Paperback)

The art of storytelling is an essential, invaluable skill for any parent or grandparent wanting to entertain a child. With Margaret MacDonald's The Parents' Guide To Storytelling: How To Make Up New Stories And Retell Old Favorites, now any parent or grandparent can learn how to spellbind eager youngsters with stories and tales that will pass along family traditions, values, histories, as well as nurturing familial bonds and affectionate intimacies. The Parents' Guide To Storytelling offers a wealth of tips and techniques suitable for use with children of all ages in the telling of favorite nursery narratives, fingerplay stories, bedtime yarns, folktales, and more.