In preparing this book the author has sought to awaken a keener perception and a higher appreciation of the artistic and ethical value of story-telling; to simplify some of its problems; to emphasize the true delight which the story-teller may share with her hearers; and to present fresh material which answers to the test of being good in substance as well as in literary form.
Grateful acknowledgment is made to Miss Mabel Bartleson, children’s librarian, and to Miss Ida May Ferguson, of the children’s department of the Minneapolis Public Library, for their thoughtful assistance, and to the authors and publishers of copyrighted stories included in this volume, for their generous aid. Specific credit is given in connection with each story.
J. D. C.
CONTENTS
| CHAPTER | PAGE | |
| [PART I] | ||
| I. | Story-Telling in the Home | [1] |
| II. | Why Tell Stories in School? | [16] |
| III. | How to Choose Stories for Telling | [22] |
| IV. | The Telling of the Story | [32] |
| V. | Use of the Story in Primary Grades | [41] |
| VI. | Jingles, Fables, and Folk-Lore | [52] |
| VII. | Myth and Hero Tale | [67] |
| VIII. | Holiday and Vacation Stories | [84] |
| IX. | Bible Stories | [89] |
| X. | Systematic Story-Telling | [94] |
| XI. | The Joy of Story-Telling | [100] |
| XII. | Story-Telling as an Art | [104] |
| [PART II] | ||
| Selected Stories to Tell | [113] | |
| Index of Selected Stories | [263] | |
| Topical Index of Stories | [265] | |
| Books for the Story-Teller | [267] | |
“The Word Painter is the Greatest Human Artist”
PART I
The Art of Story-Telling
CHAPTER I
Story-Telling in the Home
The home, the school, and the library have each a distinct purpose in story-telling. These purposes may be more or less complex, they may in some instances coincide, yet the fields are separate, and each has its own fundamental reason for presenting the oral story to the child.