Pete Seeger's Storytelling Book [Hardcover]

Pete Seeger (Author)

Book Description

Pete Seeger brings more than fifty years of performing folksongs to the art of storytelling in this unique collection of tales, ideas, and music. He and Paul Jacobs have put together fresh versions of familiar tales; stories based on songs, family histories, and America's past; as well as entirely new tales created just for this book. Each section describes the origins of the stories and there are suggestions for retelling and personalizing the tales to turn them into family favorites for bedtime or family time. And in keeping with the theme that a story never really ends-in fact gets better and better each time it is told-the book concludes with some beginnings, story openers to get you going on the path to creating your own storytelling tradition. Pete Seeger, a Grammy Award winner as well as the recipient of the N.E.A. National Medal of Arts and Kennedy Center Honors, has spent sixty years singing in peace rallies and civil rights marches, at schools and camps, and for unions. His internationally recognized songs include, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," "If I Had a Hammer," and "Turn, Turn, Turn." He lives in Beacon, New York, with his wife of over fifty years, Toshi Seeger.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Claiming that America is becoming "a nation of spectators" blind to their own folklore, Seeger presents this earnest collection to catalyze our collective imagination and resuscitate the country's oral tradition. The 80-year-old singer/songwriter/activist smartly anticipates that his audience (modern, pressed-for-time parents) will be daunted, so he offers helpful, if commonsensical, advice: start with something familiar (folktales, the Bible, Shakespeare), do not worry about structure or length and be spontaneous. "What's important is to create an atmosphere of sharing," he rightly observes in the introduction. "Kids are more interested in you than the plot." With the help of freelance writer and poet DuBois Jacobs, Seeger recounts more than 25 of his favorite tales in their entiretyAsome from American history ("The Emancipation Proclamation"), others from late-19th- and early-20th-century rounds and lullabies ("Dick Whittington and His Cat"), as well as selections from Seeger's and his father's oeuvres ("The Intelligent Lightbulbs"). All of them resonate with the balladeer's worldly voice and, of course, have a moralAusually about the power of music or the importance of hard workAthat children will be able to grasp and apply to real life. In the case of stories based on traditional songs (e.g., "Sam, the Whaler" goes along with the 19th-century whaling song, "The Hudson Whalers"), Seeger has also reproduced a few bars of music. A nice touch is chapter six, the closing section, which consists solely of story beginnings that Seeger urges readers to build on. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Seeger's musical concerts may be better known than his storytelling, but, in truth, his musical lyrics tell stories: of family, of history, of injustice, of social movements, and/or are just plain fun. Librarians, parents, grandparents, and school and Sunday-school teachers will find encouragement here to try their wings and allow their creative imaginations to develop into shaping songs and stories. Seeger often infuses his original stories and retellings of known tales with messages for making the world a better place. He likes to stretch many of his stories toward the outlandish or illogical, yet they hold the central core of truth and get the point across. Margaret Read MacDonald's The Storyteller's Start-Up Book (August House, 1993) is a more serious, straightforward, and indispensable guide for beginning tellers. The book gives a jump start to the imagination and makes a nice addition to the collection.-Judy Sokoll, Florida Storytelling Association, Naples

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (September 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015100370X
• ISBN-13: 978-0151003709
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,000,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back to Basics, September 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Pete Seeger's Storytelling Book (Hardcover)

Pete Seeger's Storytelling Book by Pete Seeger and Paul DuBois Jacobs reminds us of the importance in telling stories to our children. With all the different parenting books around, this book is a wonderful reminder that what really matters in a child's life is time spent with an adult and connecting to them through words, ideas and history. The stories are warm, clever, funny and easily retold with our own words. I was inspired to start telling original and some not so orginal stories to my children. Hands down, they want "mommy stories" everynight instead of "book stories". Pete Seeger's Storytelling Book will be given at all my family and friend's holiday celebrations this year. What a great way to celebrate the real millenium; with a tribute to the past. This book is a must buy for parents, grandparents, anyone who loves and spends time with children.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful resource for storytellers, educators, and families, August 25, 2000

By 

Charley (MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pete Seeger's Storytelling Book (Hardcover)

Most people know at least a handful of Pete Seeger songs, such as "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" and "The Hammer Song (penned with fellow Weaver Lee Hays). And most preschools I've visited (I'm a children's folksinger/storyteller myself) own a copy of Pete's story-song "Abiyoyo". Well, now it's YOUR turn to be the storyteller! Pete Seeger and Paul DuBois Jacobs give you pages and pages of wonderful stories, some Pete learned from his father, musicologist Charles Seeger, and many that were learned during his travels throughout the world. My favorites are the sequel to "Abiyoyo" - yes, you heard it correctly - titled, "Abiyoyo Returns", and "The Intelligent Lightbulbs" (in which 4 lightbulbs literally go to school!). Also included are several story beginnings, with a gentle nudge by Pete and Paul to finish the stories yourself.

This book is a fantastic addition to any school or home library, and will provide the reader with hours and years of fun that they can share; maybe it'll even inspire a new generation of storytellers!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hands down my son's favorite book ever, September 13, 2000

By 

Blues Fan (Undisclosed Location) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pete Seeger's Storytelling Book (Hardcover)

The storytelling tips and lead ins are interesting and quite charming. The best thing about this book, however, is the great stories.

Every evening my son walks out of his room with the book hidden behind his back and a big grin on his face. He holds it up in front of me and asks "ready?" We absolutely LOVE this book!