Storytelling Set

I hope that those of you who choose to listen to my story-set find it enjoyable...or at least, not a burden. I welcome your comments, critiques (I can take it!), and advice. I recently read a book, “More Ready to Tell Tales From Around the World,” edited by David Holt & Bill Mooney. They say in their introduction that, “If you hear a story without giving one in exchange, then you’re reaping the harvest without sowing the seeds…As the Scots Travelers say, “Sing a story, tell a story, show your bum, or out you go.”” And (somewhat) in that vein, I look forward to listening to your stories as well (though I'll do fine without seeing your bums). Thanks for listening.

1)
Title: Tiger Soup
Link: http://uweoconnect.extn.washington.edu/p30909965/
Duration: 7:34 (I begin at the 25:44 mark, and run until 33:18)
Notes: I first read a version of this story, one of the many Anansi stories out there, as Tigertail Soup (by Melinda Munger). As I liked this story so much I searched around on the web for other versions, and I found several (including one called Tigerpenis Soup!). I opted to take the best of all of the versions I read, and make the story my own. After my digital storytelling I was told that at times I gave Anansi somewhat of a Bronx accent at times, which I suppose is a fair accusation…both my parents were raised in the S. Bronx; and while I didn’t do this consciously, I was attempting to give Anansi a voice apart from Tiger. My deepest apologies to any actual New Yorkers/Bronxers (Bronxites?) listening to this recording. No insult was intended.

2-3)
Title: Hansel & Diesel…and…The Ugly Truckling
Link: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/5095812/13520610
Duration: 14:08
Notes: These two tellings are both adaptations from books by David Gordon. I’ve read these books to my kiddos many, many times; and when the assignment for a picture book adaptation was made, I didn’t have any second thoughts about using one of these. After I began practicing Hansel & Diesel, I thought it might be fun to introduce the second story as part of a segue, and then go with it from there. Please note that the child you see in the video walking away as soon as I start to tell my story is one of my own…they had heard it so many times before that night, and they were sick and tired of it by that point! One of my daughters opted to go get snacks rather than listen to yet another telling of the same old story by mom.

4)
Title: A Story, A Story
Link: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/5136419/13607360
Duration: 6:58
Notes: Two of our classmates and myself chose to have a storytelling party to record some of our stories before a live audience. I thought beforehand about how we would kick-off this evening, and as I was thinking about this I remembered a story I had read to my own kids, “A Story, A Story” by Gail E. Haley. This is an Anansi (the spider man) story about how stories came to be on Earth. I thought that this might be a great way to begin our evening, and though I remained fairly true to Haley’s story, I did change things up a bit through my practicing. I decided that it might be a nice touch to include a globe into the beginning and ending of the story, to show both where this story came from, as well as the place where Anansi’s stories have come to today.

5)
Title: The Golden Carrots
Link: http://uweoconnect.extn.washington.edu/p36111020/
Duration: 10:15 (I begin at the 23:30 mark, and run until 33:45)
Notes: I wanted to tell a tall-tale, and I began by going through a lot of different stories I found in the library and on the web. But the one I finally settled on, “The Golden Carrots,” was written by Eric Kimmel, and I found it in an old saved copy of Cricket Magazine (June 1975 – yes, I’m quite the pack rat!). I did personalize my telling of this a bit; by setting the story in my home of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, which did in fact used to be farmland before becoming suburbanized; and also by adding other elements of my own creation. I think of all the stories I told, I had the most fun with this one. I liked doing the voices, and I think I nailed them better than on any of my other stories. It’s a fun story, and I imagine it could be told in any number of ways.