Ready-To-Tell Tales: Sure-Fire Stories From America's Favorite Storytellers (Multicultural Resource: Stories & Tellers of Many Cultures) [Paperback]

David Holt (Editor), Bill Mooney (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0874833817 | ISBN-13: 978-0874833812 | Publication Date: December 19, 2005 | Edition: 1st

Anyone who has watched a master storyteller mesmerize an audience without benefit of set, props, or musical score, has wondered: How do they do that? The trick, this anthology tells us, is in the material. And the 40 contributors should know. They are some of America's most popular storytellers, each of them sharing a story guaranteed to work in front of the most demanding audience.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The subtitle tells it all. This collection of 42 tales is a surefire asset for storytelling librarians and teachers. Forty of the 42 tales are based on traditional variants from a wide assortment of cultures, including India, northern Ireland, China, Antigua, Appalachia, and Africa. The roster of authors reads like a who's who of the American storytelling revival: Carol Birch, Len Cabral, David Holt, Diane Ferlatte, Jackie Torrence, Penninah Schram, Jay O'Callaghan, Diane Wolkstein, and many others. Some tales will be familiar--"Fox's Sack," "Urashima Taro," "Trouble!" All are ready and waiting to be told. Highly recommended for school and public libraries as well as comparative folktale collections. Source notes and tips for telling are included. Janice Del Negro --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: August House; 1st edition (December 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874833817
• ISBN-13: 978-0874833812
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't miss tales for beginners and seasoned tellers alike, March 4, 2001

By 

Gwyneth Calvetti (West Salem, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ready-To-Tell Tales: Sure-Fire Stories From America's Favorite Storytellers (Multicultural Resource: Stories & Tellers of Many Cultures) (Paperback)

This book is one of the first of many story collections I have bought in my journey as a teller. It remains one of my favorites, especially as a resource for the young tellers I have nurtured in my youth teller's guild. Some of the best tellers around have generously shared tales they have told, along with tips for the teller. At a time when the word "copyright" often rears its head among the storytelling world, this sharing of a favorite story, with permission to tell, is a rare gift.

The stories themselves range from tall tale, such as Chuck Larkin's "Electricity Elixer" to world folklore from David Novak in the story of "The Three Dolls," and everything in between. Each story has notes from the teller on the meaning of the story to them, the full text of the tale, followed by notes from the teller that will help beginning tellers understand better how to capture the mood of the story.

If you are looking for a collection of stories that are sure to please a wide range of audiences, look no further. This volume will be a great resource for the classroom, library or homeschool families. (Gwyn is a professional storyteller who has coached many middle school students in the telling of their first story).

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How wonderfull!, September 19, 2002

By 

Myriam Namolaru (Haifa, ISRAEL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ready-To-Tell Tales: Sure-Fire Stories From America's Favorite Storytellers (Multicultural Resource: Stories & Tellers of Many Cultures) (Paperback)

The stories are very interesting and my children (5 and 8 old)
love them very much.

The "Panther and the Rabbit" is their lovely one.
I told them many times.

The "Fox's Sack" is very funny with songs. You know it's
the kind of stories you will remember all the time.

I think that with the "Magic Mortar" you will be delighted,
because you can't guessing the end. My children were
very surprised but got an answer to one of their many questions!

It's nice too to read tips to tell the story and to know
more about the teller.

Enjoy!
Myriam

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars divers american stories, May 5, 2000

By 

"dpk022222" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ready-To-Tell Tales: Sure-Fire Stories From America's Favorite Storytellers (Multicultural Resource: Stories & Tellers of Many Cultures) (Paperback)

This book is just full of stories from the best tellers! I enjoyed them all, but liked that many areas and cultures were represented including the south and native american tellers. I would recommend this to anyone who likes storytelling as a hobby, or as a teller!