Tell Me a Tale: A Book about Storytelling [Hardcover]

Joseph Bruchac (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Stories connect us to one another and explain who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going. Joseph Bruchac told his first story when he was twelve years old. Here he shares his life through story--and encourages all to discover the stories within. Fourteen stories from around the world are included, along with more than thirty activities to start even the youngest storytellers on their way.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8. A brief introduction to storytelling that includes incidents from Bruchac's own life. The book is divided into four sections: "Listening," "Observing," "Remembering," and "Sharing." Each of these chapters tells something of the author's beliefs and experiences as a listener and teller. Tales from around the world are intermingled to reinforce his ideas. Bruchac suggests ways that young people can locate stories to tell from written sources, and also by listening and watching carefully and exploring their own families and backgrounds. Most of the stories included are brief, providing a moment of insight through the meaning of a name or teaching a simple truth. In the final chapter, "The Circle Continues," the author shows how stories are always continuing and always being created anew. Youngsters will find this to be a clear guide to the age-old art form. A "Note to Parents" about the power of stories, as well as the book's readable style, make this a useful resource for teachers and librarians as well.?Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-8. In a clear introduction to storytelling for young readers, Bruchac concentrates on the circular nature of the art-form, including suggestions on where to find stories to tell and some ideas about the effect that stories have on listeners. He provides anecdotes from his own life as a storyteller, shares tales from a variety of cultural traditions, and offers notes on story origins, often crediting the original teller. The selections range from the humorous and entertaining to the wise and wondrous, and readers are urged to find stories within their families and tell them. Teachers and parents as well as students will find something of interest here. Karen Morgan

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (February 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152012214
• ISBN-13: 978-0152012212
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,127,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed Abenaki children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael Caduto of the bestselling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic and Parabola. He has authored more than 50 books for adults and children. For more information about Joseph, please visit his website www.josephbruchac.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enriching Your Life Through Storytelling, September 6, 2003

By 

F. Hamilton "[e-mail]" (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tell Me a Tale: A Book about Storytelling (Hardcover)

Bruchac's passion for storytelling reverberates through this guide aimed primarily at young people. Bruchac organizes his book around a "circle of learning" that he deems integral to life. The four components of his circle are listening, observing, remembering, and sharing. He includes activities to help people nurture each of these skills and includes fourteen stories, more than half of them from the Native American tradition. Bruchac, whose voice quietly exudes wisdom, emphasizes the importance of knowing stories from one's own family, heritage, locale, and life.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Full of wisdom, May 6, 2009

By 

A. K. Beltaine "UU Seminary Student" (Ithaca, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tell Me a Tale: A Book about Storytelling (Hardcover)

Written for the teen-age audience this will also be rewarding for the adult wishing to expand their horizons. Includes personal perspectives and stories from the author and wide range of exercises for the reader to perform. Many were exercises that I have done in the past (at age 45, I've done a few things) but many were very rewarding experiences.