Three-Minute Tales [Paperback]

Margaret Read MacDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2005

Anyone who teaches, leads, or speaks in public has had the experience of needing to fill short amounts of time in order to hold the attention of the group. The challenge is familiar to Margaret Read MacDonald, who for thirty-five years told stories weekly to preschoolers. MacDonald has assembled 100 simple, short, pithy tales for all occasions— holidays, history or nature walks, public speaking and media appearances, and especially for the classroom.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

MacDonald has compiled more than 70 short, easy-to-learn tales that are ideal for beginning a program or filling in short lags that may occur during a performance. Some selections take as little as 30 seconds to tell. They come mainly from Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and are subdivided by the occasions for which they are best suited: tales to tell on a walk, scary tales, humorous tales, tales for the very young, participatory tales. A few are even provided in fingerplay form. A useful addition to professional and parenting collections.–Marlyn K. Beebe, City of Long Beach Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Easy to tell, easy to teach to children and adults, and easy to remember, the 80 very short tales in this global collection are for sharing in the classroom, library, and home and around the campfire. The stories range from chants and participation tales ("Did you feed my cow?") to scary ghost stories, and with each one, veteran storyteller and folklorist MacDonald includes a note in tiny print about the story's origins and connections and about where to find more like it. Many stories are from Asia, where MacDonald has worked, and from the U.S.; there's only one from Africa ("How to break a bad habit") but it's one of the best. The book design is spacious, with short lines that show the rhythm and pauses of the telling. The informal, highly practical suggestions for beginners make storytelling sound easy, including how to choose and rehearse a story and where and when to tell it. The fun here is not in punch lines or climactic moments but in the lively telling and interaction. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: August House (December 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874837294
• ISBN-13: 978-0874837292
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #201,579 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

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Margaret does it again!, July 23, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: Three-Minute Tales (Hardcover)

Storytellers are verbal by nature--hyperverbal, in fact. When asked to tell a five minute story, most of us stumble. It's an occupational hazard! Fear no more. Margaret Read MacDonald has compiled a book full of three minute gems to help fill those gaps in a story program, or to fit the call for a "short little story."

She arranges the stories in categories such as "humorous tales," "stories for young listeners," or "scary tales." Source notes are, as with anything she writes, comprehensive, allowing the teller to explore the story in more depth. Her trademark telling notes in the margins accompany some stories, making this an excellent resource for use with new tellers. She even has each story timed, so that if you want a "story to think about" that is 1 minute 15 seconds in length, you can turn to "A Plan of Attack" from China.

Thanks for a long overdue storytelling resource, Maggie!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Source of Short Stories for Tellers Old and New, February 5, 2011

By 

Anthony D. Vinson "Storyteller, Humorist, Writer" (GA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Three-Minute Tales (Paperback)

This is without a doubt one of the nicest, most useful storytelling anthologies I have purchased. I immediately added The Sun Sisters; The Story Not Told, The Song Not Sung; and One Word for Happiness to my repertoire. Beginning storytellers will find lots of great material to help build their skills, while seasoned performers will be surprised to find both new stories as well as forgotten favorites to dust off and retell. This would also be an excellent source book for educators, trainers, librarians, speakers, parents, politicians and the clergy.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for story telling to young'ens, September 17, 2007

By 

Great Leaper (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three-Minute Tales (Paperback)

My son loves it. great feature is at the end of each story it tells you story origins....