How to Tell Stories to Children, and Some Stories to Tell

by Sara Cone Bryant

CONTENTS

[INTRODUCTION]

• The Story-teller's Art
• Recent Revival
• The Difference between telling a Story and reading it aloud
• Some Reasons why the Former is more effective

[CHAPTER I]

THE PURPOSE OF STORY-TELLING IN SCHOOL

• Its immediate Advantages to the Teacher
• Its ultimate Gifts to the Child

[CHAPTER II]

SELECTION OF STORIES TO TELL

• The Qualities Children like, and why
• Qualities necessary for Oral Delivery
• Examples: [The Three Bears], [The Three Little Pigs], [The Old Woman and her Pig]
• Suggestions as to the Type of Story especially useful in the several primary Grades
• Selected List of familiar Fairy Tales

[CHAPTER III]

ADAPTATION OF STORIES FOR TELLING

• How to make a long Story short
• How to fill out a short Story
• General Changes commonly desirable
• Examples: [The Nürnberg Stove], by Ouida; [The King of the Golden River], by Ruskin; [The Red Thread of Courage], [The Elf and the Dormouse]
• Analysis of Method

[CHAPTER IV]

HOW TO TELL THE STORY

• Essential Nature of the Story
• Kind of Appreciation necessary
• Suggestions for gaining Mastery of Facts
• Arrangement of Children
• The Story-teller's Mood
• A few Principles of Method, Manner and Voice, from the psychological Point of View

[CHAPTER V]

SOME SPECIFIC SCHOOLROOM USES

• Exercise in Retelling
• Illustrations cut by the Children as Seat-work
• Dramatic Games
• Influence of Games on Reading Classes

STORIES SELECTED AND ADAPTED FOR TELLING

[ESPECIALLY FOR KINDERGARTEN AND CLASS I.]

• [Nursery Rhymes]
• [Five Little White Heads]
• [Bird Thoughts]
• [How we came to have Pink Roses]
• [Raggylug]
• [The Golden Cobwebs]
• [Why the Morning-Glory climbs]
• [The Story of Little Tavwots]
• [The Pig Brother]
• [The Cake]
• [The Pied Piper of Hamelin Town]
• [ Why the Evergreen Trees keep their Leaves in Winter]
• [The Star Dollars]
• [The Lion and the Gnat]

[ESPECIALLY FOR CLASSES II. AND III.]

• [The Cat and the Parrot]
• [The Rat Princess]
• [The Frog and the Ox]
• [The Fire-Bringer]
• [The Burning of the Ricefields]
• [The Story of Wylie]
• [Little Daylight]
• [The Sailor Man]
• [The Story of Jairus's Daughter]

[ESPECIALLY FOR CLASSES IV. AND V.]

• [Arthur and the Sword]
• [Tarpeia]
• [The Buckwheat]
• [The Judgment of Midas]
• [Why the Sea is Salt]
• [Billy Beg and his Bull]
• [The Little Hero of Haarlem]
• [The Last Lesson]
• [The Story of Christmas]

[THE CHILD-MIND; AND HOW TO SATISFY IT]

• A short List of Books in which the Story-teller will find Stories not too far from the Form in which they are needed

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