Storytelling Reviews: Books, Audio/visual, and Performance

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Comment by Linda Goodman 18 hours ago

Thanks, for setting me straight, Tim. I have reposted the review in the start discussion area.

Comment by Tim E on May 9, 2008 at 2:36pm

To Add A Review:

Don't use the "Add a Comment" box.
(Even though it is the most prominent feature on this page)

Click the tiny "+ Start Discussion" link just above the Comment Wall.

When it prompts you for a "Discussion Title," enter the name of the book, CD, performance, or resource.

Comment by Linda Goodman on May 7, 2008 at 7:39pm

Compact Disc Review

Yankee Doodle Streudel
German-American Family Stories

Available from Mimi Rockwell, 15301 Castle Yonder Lane, Bristol, VA 24202. Phone: 276-669-8358. Email: Bristolstory@aol.com. $12.00, plus $3.00 shipping and handling.

Reviewed By Linda Goodman


Rarely does an audio recording produce pleasure that equals the delights of a live performance. Mimi Rockwell’s Yankee Doodle Streudel, however, does just that. Mimi’s stories take the listener on a nostalgic journey through a simpler time when family interaction taught life lessons leavened with a huge dose of love. The stories’ themes, though set in a German-American context, are universal. Everyone will identify with some aspect of the child portrayed.

Queen Diva takes the listener on a circular journey that will strike a chord with anyone who has been dissatisfied with his or her given name. Amanda begins with the discovery of a photo in a hymnal and evolves into the most beautiful ghost story that I have ever heard. The vivid images in this story take the listener through a range of emotions: joy, love, grief, and, inevitably, hope.

Uncle Herman begins with the heartbreak of an opportunity forsaken for the sake of family obligation, but then proceeds to embark upon a delightful journey that leads to true love. Apple Streudel addresses an awkward moment at a children’s birthday party.

The Movie Camera brings the Great Depression to life in a trip to the movies that yields a treasure of family memories and stories for years to come. Grandpa Santa Claus centers around a grandfather who is asked to play Santa at an annual Christmas party. The events that follow leave one wondering at the irony of how a time-honored tradition, so often taken for granted, could go so wrong.

Greenthumb, a story of Mimi’s mother’s love of plants, brings this lovely collection of tales to its end, with the perfect combination of wonder and hope.

Well-written and filled with haunting images and lovely details, these stories do not end when the CD is finished. Mimi’s stories elicit sweet memories that help us forget life’s disappointments and tragedies, if only for a little while. Her stories create pictures and scenes that will infuse the listeners’ minds and hearts with peace and beauty. Isn’t that what storytelling is all about?

Comment by Janet Dowling on April 6, 2008 at 4:55pm

Hi- is this the kind of review you are looking for? I am very enthusiastic about the value of this book for storytellers working with people with learning disablities ( who I think that in the US are referred to as people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities)


Ways into Literature- Stories, Plays and Poems for Pupils with SEN

Nicola Grove 2005 David Fulton
(2nd edition. Originally published 1998 as “Literature for all”)

Nicola is a Storyteller, Speech and Language Therapist, and also the Director of a Storytelling project in Somerset, UK which is training people with learning disabilities to become community storytellers. This book is part of her passion to encourage people to make literature accessible to all parts of the community. Even though the focus is on literature, the whole book is a master class of strategies that can be used to make storytelling more accessible. I have used the earlier edition of this book and have benefited from adapting my storytelling to use the more sensory approach for adults and children with special educational needs (SEN), particularly those with learning disabilities. This new edition provides even more strategies to develop that work.

It is a practical guide to using novels, plays and poetry with students across the full range of abilities, with a particular focus on students with learning disabilities.
The book provides a structured framework for adapting texts (and thus stories) and ways to engage the pupils which is meaningful to them. She explores the relationships between language, feelings and response to literature (aka stories), considers the process of language development, and the importance of learning cues from vocal tone and stress, emotional emphasis, and associations with familiar routines and events.

Her emphasis is on the importance of emotional engagement- “once children are emotionally engaged they will be attentive, and once they attend, they can begin to understand and remember.“ She includes detailed successful strategies for working with students with specific language impairments, hearing impairments, sensory impairments and profound learning difficulties, and includes examples of work done by other teachers, learning assistants etc. There is one specific chapter on developing the storytelling skills of people with learning difficulties.. She includes a chapter on evaluation of effectiveness, and there is guidance on the use of signing and use of symbols. I have no hesitation in recommending this book if you are interested in storytelling with people with a range of disabilities.

More details on Nicola Grove at www.storytracks.com

Janet Dowling
www.JanetTellsStories.co.uk

Comment by Lynne Pope on March 31, 2008 at 10:19am

Julia Cameron books, The Artist Way series, Writing Downthe Bones, Natalie Goldberg. I also read books on Journals. I'm also enjoying books on how to silence the critic and hear the story voice. Its very clear, the only voice when I am telling and the writing is a battlegound for the 2.

Comment by Granny Sue on March 28, 2008 at 7:06am

I'm waiting for osmeone to post a review! Come on, folks. Have you been to a performance recently? Read a good book about storytelling, business, or other topic? I'll be adding a few reviews soon. Randel McGee sent his book to me for review--thanks Randel! I hope to get to it and add a review over the weekend.

But i sure would be interested in what you're reading, seeing, listening to and doing.

Comment by Dianne de Las Casas, Author, Award-Winning Storyteller on March 27, 2008 at 7:10am

Friends:

Don't forget! You can add pictures to the discussion posts. So please add pictures of the books and CDs you review. Just click on the colored rectangle and you can add a picture from your computer like this...

Or add an image from a website with a link, like this...

Warmly,
Dianne

Comment by MARY JO HUFF on March 25, 2008 at 4:42pm

THANKS for this great group. Is there a best way to use this site to show products or share something new we come across. I am excited.

Comment by Dianne de Las Casas, Author, Award-Winning Storyteller on March 21, 2008 at 5:44am

Granny Sue:

You brilliant woman! What a great group to start! I can't wait to see what books you recommends. BTW, have you seen Handmade Tales: Stories to Make and Take?

Warmly,
Dianne