Monday, October 4, 2010

Storytelling

















The Storyteller
by Edward Myers

A grandfather asks his grandson if he would like to hear a story. The grandson wants to hear a story, but he wants to hear one that he had never heard before. So his grandfather tells him the story of Jack, an ordinary farmer’s son who becomes a storyteller. Jack lives on a farm with his parents and helps them out every day, but he also loves to tell stories. Stories come to him and he tells them to his family, and in tough times, the family gets by on Jack’s stories. Then one night when he is lost in the woods, Jack meets an old woman, Queen Celestina, who tells him not only her story but many others. When he is sixteen, Jack tells the story of a robber named Garth Golden-eye and his treasure. The people of the village find the treasure, and the people now call Jack, Jack Storyteller. Soon after that, Jack decides to go out into the world, travel, and tell his stories. On his journey, Jack meets Loquasto, a midnight mynah bird that decides to go with Jack after saving him from Garth Golden-eye. When they reach the capital city, Jack starts telling his stories. The people really enjoy them, but then guards show up and take Jack to the palace. The prince had stuffed a ruby up his nose, and only Jack’s stories could cause the prince to sneeze the ruby out. The king names him a member of the King’s Artists. Then one night the king requests a story that will make him happy. The story that Jack tells may not be that story, but the king needed to hear it anyway. He appoints Jack as the royal storyteller. Jack and the eldest princess, Stelinda, fall in love, and the king is happy that his daughter will be happy. Events do not happen quite like Jack expects, though. The king becomes ill and dies, and Princess Stelinda will soon become queen. Or will she? Will Jack be able to marry his princess and live happily ever after? Will he still get to tell the stories that he loves so much?




















Silly & Sillier: Read-Aloud Tales from Around the World
told by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev

This book is filled with tales that you can read aloud to your parents or your friends. The author has gathered the funniest stories from all over the world, and there are also tips on how you can add some acting, singing, or other ways of making the stories more entertaining for your audience. After the title of each story, it tells you where the story is from. Some of the stories include Silly and Sillier from England, Why Do Monkeys Live in Trees? from Ghana, Magical Mice from Japan, One Good Turn Deserves Another from Mexico, and many others. Hopefully, you and whoever you tell these tales to will find these stories as funny as the author does.





















Once Upon a Baby Brother
by Sarah Sullivan and pictures by Tricia Tusa

Lizzie has always loved telling stories, from tall ones to sad ones. She tells stories to the people who work with her mother, her father on their hikes, and her dog, Big George. All of that changes when her brother, Marvin, is born. After that, every time she tries to tell a story, her mother and father are too busy with Marvin to listen. Big George still listens and enjoys her stories, though. In school, her teacher loves stories, and so Lizzie loves Miss Pennyroyal’s class. Marvin loves his big sister and tries to help her around the house, but mostly he ends up making messes. Lizzie likes to get away from him and go to school. One Friday, Marvin goes to stay with their grandmother, and Lizzie is very happy but soon notices that something is missing. In class, Miss Pennyroyal assigns everyone to write a comic book. Lizzie finds that she has no idea what to write about. She spends the whole weekend thinking, but she cannot come up with anything. Then she finds out that Marvin is home, and she finds a new idea to write about. Who do you think will Lizzie write about in her comic book?






















Chester
by Melanie Watt or is it Chester?

In Melanie Watt’s story, a mouse lives in a house in the country, but Chester decides that he would rather tell his story than hear the story of the mouse. So Chester gets a red marker and adds things to the house to make it his, and he keeps trying to get the mouse to go away. When Melanie Watt continues trying to tell the mouse’s story, she has no luck. Chester keeps taking over and trying to tell his story, instead. So the author decides to write Chester’s story, but will Chester be happy with his story? How will he get even with Melanie Watt?

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