Printed in the United States of America

PREFACE

All the stories in this book have been tested with children. Favorites easily available in other collections have been omitted.

The seventy-five or more very short stories, intended to help young children to express their observations, experiences, and fancies, have been included at the request of many teachers.

The writer hopes that by providing the busy teacher with “tellable” stories, she may help to win for story-telling the dignity of established scholastic place.

CONTENTS

PAGE
STORY-TELLING[1]
Kinds of Stories to Tell[12]
The Principles of the Art of Telling Stories[15]
Getting the Story[16]
Telling the Story[33]
The Child’s Part in Story-Telling[62]
STORIES[75]
The Fairy HorseshoeA. M. K.[77]
The Mouse and the SausageFrench Folk Tale[79]
The Story of the Little Boy and the Little DogA. M. K.[81]
The Story of the Two Cakes that Loved Each Other in SilenceHans Christian Andersen[84]
How the Rooster Built a House of His OwnA. M. K.[85]
ThumbelinaHans Christian Andersen[88]
A Visit from an ElfA. M. K.[101]
How the Cat Got all the GrainEastern Folk Tale[103]
The Table and the ChairEdward Lear[104]
The Wonderful ShipA. M. K.[106]
The Clever GeeseA. M. K.[109]
The Happy PrinceOscar Wilde[110]
The Dwarf Roots’ Story of the Pumpkin SeedA. M. K.[121]
A Horse’s StoryFrom Anna Sewell[126]
A Bewitched DonkeyA. M. K.[130]
The Straw, the Coal, and the BeanFolk Tale[136]
Mother HolleFolk Tale[138]
Tom ThumbEnglish Folk Tale[143]
The Two BrothersFolk Tale[158]
The WooingA. M. K.[162]
Jack-the-Giant-KillerEnglish Folk Tale[165]
The Pixies’ ThanksA. M. K.[167]
The Cat and the ParrotEastern Folk Tale[170]
LampblackLa Ramée[174]
Lazy JackFolk Tale[183]
The Time that Will Come AgainA. M. K.[188]
The Owl’s Answer to TommyFrom Mrs. Ewing’s Brownies[197]
The Story of CoquericoSpanish Folk Tale[204]
The ScarecrowA. M. K.[209]
Oeyvind and MaritBjörnstjerne Björnson[214]
BlunderLouise E. Chollet[219]
The Golden PearsFolk Tale[227]
SOME VERY SHORT STORIES[237]