Resources for Storytelling

As a storyteller I’m always on the lookout for new sources of stories. My personal library continues to grow as I find collections that especially appeal to me. There are usually more books that I would like to own than my pocketbook will allow me to buy. Therefore I know how disappointing it can be to purchase a book that looks good in the bookstore, but fails to live up to its promise once you get it home.

These experiences have led me to want to share with those of you who may be interested in storytelling some of the favourite books in my own collection. In choosing books to include, I have tried to select titles that are currently available, but with the state of publishing the way it is, titles can go out of print very quickly.

The opinions about these resources are my own, but I will not include any titles that I have not personally found to be useful as a storyteller. New titles will be added to this list from time to time so check back. I would also welcome hearing from other tellers who may wish to share titles of some of their favourite storytelling books. Just send me an e-mail.

Bruce

NEW (May, 2002)
The Moon in the Well
Erica Helm Meade
Open Court
Chicago Illinois
2001

This a wonderful collection of folktales from all over the world, but what made the book special for me was Erica Meade's comments about how each story had found a place in her work as a therapist. Each story also includes a list of themes addressed by the tale. A theme index can be very useful to a storyteller who is putting together a set of stories around a specific theme or for a specific situation.

The more I work with stories the more I realize how important stories are in our lives, individually and socially. Erica Meade's book really brought home this point for me.

The book includes a CD of the tales for those of you who like to listen.

Favourite Folktales from around the World
Edited by Jane Yolen
Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library
Pantheon Books
New York, © 1996

If I could have only one book as a resource for storytelling, this would be it! With over 150 stories from countries around the world, this is a rich collection.

Moreover, if you like to create “thematic sets” of stories, you’ll love this book for it’s organized around 13 themes with compelling titles such as “True Loves and False”, “Tricksters, Rogues and Cheats”, “Heroes: Likely and Unlikely”. Each theme offers a variety of stories from different parts of the globe.

Best-Loved Stories Told at the National Storytelling Festival
The National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling
National Storytelling Press
Jonesborough, Tennessee © 1991

This collection may be harder to find in bookstores. I picked up my own copy at a book fair held in one of my schools some years back, but it is available through the National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling. Look for it on their website.

This is a wonderful collection of stories for older children as well as for adults. The collection also represents a variety of styles of storytelling and of stories. The editors have remained faithful to our oral tradition and respected the styles of the individual tellers whose tales are collected in this volume. I particularly appreciate the number of tales which present strong female characters in key roles.

I once entertained my school’s storytellers’ club for almost an entire term with stories drawn exclusively from this book and a good number of the tales have become a permanent part of my repertoire.

Resources on the Web
As a storyteller working in schools, I try to offer classroom teachers who may be interested in stories or storytelling some practical resources. In free moments I have spent some time searching the world wide web for sources of stories that I might pass on to teachers with whom I work. For some time I provided links to these sites from this page but I have found that too many sites move or disappear so that the links must be constantly updated. Consequently I have had to remove these from the site. If you're interested in finding stories on the web, feel free to e-mail me and I'll send you a list of links that I believe to be current.