RECOMMENDED STORYTELLING BOOKS FOR YOUR LIBRARY

Members of the Planning Group of Peterborough Storytellers recommend these books, cd’s and other sources of inspiration for your storytelling activities in 2013. While we are suggesting you can find these books with on-line suppliers like Chapters-Indigo in Canada and Amazon in the United States, check out your favourite local book store first or your community library!

v  Favourite Folktales From Around The World

By Jane Yolen.

Yolen is a prolific author of many story books for kids of all ages. Favourite Folktales, published in 1988 is a popular collection of over 160 stories of varying length from over forty cultures and traditions that lend themselves well to telling. Published by Pantheon it can be ordered from www.chapters.indigo.ca. Approximate cost is $17 Cdn.

v  In The Ever After – Fairy Tales and The Second Half of Life

By Dr. Allan Chinen.

The final part of a successful triology by Chinen exploring the three stages of life, this book contains 16 wonderful, short tales about elders that you could easily add to your telling repertoire. One reviewer describes this book as ‘simply a delightful read, highly informative.’ One of the members of Peterborough Storytellers told a story from this book about a year ago and it was an instant hit with the audience. Published by Chiron Publications in 1989 and now hard to find, your best bet is to get it from www.amazon.com. Approximate cost is $25 Cdn.

v Suddenly They Heard Footsteps – Storytelling For The Twenty-First Century

By Dan Yashinsky

A classic book by Canada’s best known storyteller and pioneer. Every teller must have this book in their active library. Not only is it chock full of wonderful stories from many genres, but Yashinsky engagingly shares his ideas and experiences about the renewal of the art of storytelling in our modern age. One reviewer describes this book as follows: ‘if the word awesome had not been rendered meaningless by trendiness, it would be the adjective for this book. As it is, spell-binding will do.’ Published by Knopf Canada in 2004, you can find it in most bookstores but it’s also available from www.chapters.indigo.ca or www.amazon.com. Approximate cost is $25 Cdn.

If you are a fan of ghost stories, check out Yashinsky’s Ghostwise, published in 2006. Available from www.amazon.com for $15 Cdn.

v  The Healing Heart – Families

Edited by Allison Cox and David Albert

This is an interesting book that you won’t find on many storytellers’ recommended lists but it’s one of our favourites. The Healing Heart is packed with folk tales, personal stories, games, songs and many other helpful materials that storytellers can use to promote resiliency, healthful behaviours, self-esteem and mutual respect. 

A reviewer writes: ‘this labour of love weaves magical connections. If newscasters were to read aloud to their listeners one of the stories from this treasury each night for 1,001 nights, we would all lose our fear and be healed, recapturing real security in our homeland.’ Published by New Society in 2003, it’s in your local bookstore but also available from either www.chapters.indigo.ca or www.amazon.com. Approximate cost is $27 Cdn.

There is a companion book to Families that you may also find helpful. It’s called The Healing Heart – Communities which would also be a rich source of great stories suitable for telling and talking about with groups. 

v  The Dreamer Awakes

By Alice Kane

In her recommendation for this book, one of our storytelling group writes: ‘My hands-down favourite. (Kane’s) choices are unerringly excellent – every story has a good plot, interesting and often imperfect characters and almost always a transformative event that drives home a universal truth. The stories are folk and fairy tales and they stand the test of time’. An on-line reviewer remarks: ‘Astonishing, gorgeous storytelling’. 

Alice Kane is one of Canada’s most cherished and accomplished tellers and you just have to check out this book. And there is lots more about one of Canada’s most distinguished educators and storytellers on the internet. The Dreamer Awakes is published in 1995 by Broadview Press It is still available at both www.chapters.indigo.ca and www.amazon.com. Price varies from $30 Cdn to $45 Am.

v  Elders From Canada’s Storytelling Community

Available from Storysave at Word Press.

This is a unique collection of the recorded voices and performances of ten of Canada’s elders of storytelling. You must check out this amazing archival resource. On the site you can click and listen to any of the tellers and you can order some of their cd’s. This is special service collection offered by Storytellers of Canada (www.storytellers-conteurs.ca) through www.storysave.wordpress.com. 

You can also go the SC-CC webpage and explore the many links to discover other stories and tellers. If you go to the section ‘Member Organizations’, then visit some of the sites for storytelling groups across Canada, each one will have further links to local tellers and lots of stories just waiting for you to learn and tell them in your own community.

v  Storytelling Toronto

www.storytellingtoronto.org

One of the oldest and largest storytelling groups in Canada, Storytelling Toronto is definitely a ‘must visit’ site on the internet. Not only does ST offer skill building courses for beginners and masters, but their site will also link you to many professional tellers. Of particular interest to some members of Peterborough Storytellers, is ‘Pippin’, the quarterly newsletter of the group. It has been published for eighteen years, so you will have lots of archived on-line editions to browse for ideas, stories and articles about the craft of storytelling. And it’s free! Click the 'Newsletter' button.

And In Conclusion...

For storytellers in search of a special story to tell, regardless of the genre you prefer, the internet is surely among the two or three next best things to come along since people first gathered around a campfire on a dark night!