WLA 2009 Storytime Showcase: Storytelling

WLA 2009

Storytime Showcase

Presented 4/17/09

Jennifer Fenton, Washington State Library

“Rabbit Story” from The Family Storytelling Handbook: How to Use stories, Annecdotes, Rhymes, Handkerchiefs, Paper, and Other Objects to Enrich Your Family Traditions by Anne Pellowski, illustrated by Lynn Sweat. Macmillan Publishing Company. 1987.

“The Great Big Enormous Turnip” told with Nesting (Matryoshka) Dolls (learned at a workshop by Anne Pellowski in Seattle many years ago.) The Russian nesting dolls are for the story and I purchased them in Seattle at Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe after attending Anne’s workshop.  Versions of this popular folktale are available from numerous sources. I used Judy Sierra’s The Flannel Board Storytelling Book for my performance.

“Coyote’s Rain Song” is from Twenty Tellable Tales: Audience Participation Folktales for the Beginning Storyteller by Margaret Read MacDonald. American Library Association. 2005.

These three stories are adaptable to different storytime programs and work for a variety of ages from toddler to kindergarten. With the Turnip story, kids can help hold the dolls or the story can be told w/masks, puppets or flannel board pieces instead.

The handkerchief rabbit can hop around to greet the kids at storytime.