“Story Telling in School and Home.” A Study in Educational Æsthetics. By Emelyn Newcomb Partridge and George Everett Partridge, Ph.D. Publishers, Sturgis & Walton Co., New York. Price, $1.25 net.
This is the fifth book that has appeared on story telling in the past half a dozen years. The authors have presented the psychological foundation and the æsthetic value of story telling in a most elaborate and convincing way. It is the first book that has been written by a psychologist, on the subject of story telling, and Dr. Partridge’s handling of the delicate, subtle, psychic forces that enter into literature and story telling is masterful; while Mrs. Partridge, with her practical experience as a story teller, contributes as much to the art as applied and exemplified in actual work of facing an audience of young people.
The study of the child on one hand and its fundamental needs, and the survey and analysis of sources from which we can draw material,—myth, fable, folklore, epic, and history on the other, is of immense value to all story tellers and all who teach young people even up to college entrance.
Part II of the book contains a dozen retold stories that have been put into shape by the oral telling, and are valuable both because of the form and their intrinsic worth. The book contains a number of illustrations, which add to its attractiveness, along with a bibliography and suggestions for reading. We cannot praise the book too highly. It is an inspiring book to read and a permanent contribution to the literature of story telling.
Some Great Stories and How to Tell Them. By Richard Thomas Wyche. Price $1.00. Newson & Company, New York.
“Story tellers were the first teachers,” says Mr. Wyche in his chapter on “The Origin of Story Telling.”
In an interesting way he throws light on what stories shall be told, the use of the story in the classroom and in formal work, the story in the Sunday-school, the library, the playground, and the social circle.
The author also discusses the fundamental needs of the child, the psychological principles involved, and the spiritual equipment needed in story telling.
For purposes of illustration the author uses “The Story of Beowulf,” “The Coming of Arthur,” and other “Great Stories.”
Games for the Playground, Home, School, and Gymnasium. By Jessie H. Bancroft. Price, $1.50 net. The Macmillan Company, New York.