Storytelling with Children [Paperback]

Nancy Mellon (Author), Thomas Moore (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2000 | Series: Hawthorn Press Early Years

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Hawthorn Press; 1st edition (October 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903458080
• ISBN-13: 978-1903458082
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #759,478 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific "how-to" book plus inspiration and encouragement, December 16, 2000

By 

Nature Mom w/ 2 children + EE & Management de... (Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Storytelling with Children (Paperback)

This phenomenal book not only explains why telling stories is important, but also gives many examples of how to get started. The author provides lots of inspiration and encouragement and gives you the tools you need to weave stories into your everyday routine - "transition times", traditional reading times, times when children are doing something you'd like them to stop doing, to pass time waiting in lines, in the car, etc. I've learned a wonderful new way to interact with my children. Once you start telling stories - your children will never let you stop - and you won't want to either.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can bring parents and children closer together!, April 28, 2003

By 

Dan (Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Storytelling with Children (Paperback)

Storytelling with Children is a "how to go about storytelling with your children" book. It does NOT provide instruction on how to create a story. It does offer much information about why adults should be telling stories to their children. It also offers much about when we could tell stories. Included is a lot of anecdotal information about how people are actually going about storytelling with their children.

In reading, I found this book to be gentle and encouraging, with a spiritual (not necessarily religious) touch that seems badly needed these days. Children suffer from a real lack of connection with their parents. Parents suffer from a real lack of connection with their children. Although this book won't cure it ALL, it certainly discusses a large piece of the puzzle.

In closing her book, Nancy Mellon comments, "I like to imagine a world in the new millennium in which wise and playful storytelling surrounds all little children..." She goes on to describe this vision as a regular time for the gathering of family and special friends for an evening of storytelling and music. This would be time WELL SPENT!

25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars party pooper in Brooklyn, January 9, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Storytelling with Children (Paperback)

I am sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but I did not like this book at all. I am interested in becoming a better weaver of stories for my young children. Instead of a how-to guide, I found a wispy, dreamy meditation on stories. It offered some suggestions for setting the mood and beginning the story, but then, when I really need help, on the development of a story, story-arc, what to do when you get stuck, etc -- nothing at all! Also, the art of storytelling can be taught without deprecating comments about the "coldness" of books. A real turnoff! I skimmed through the second half of the book and promptly deposited it in a give-away pile. I would send it back to amazon but the binding is broken.