HOW TO TELL STORIES

TO CHILDREN

AND SOME STORIES TO TELL 

BY

SARA CONE BRYANT

LONDON

GEORGE G. HARRAP & CO. LTD.

2 & 3 PORTSMOUTH STREET KINGSWAY W.C.

 1918

Books for Story-Tellers

UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME

How to Tell Stories to Children And Some Stories to Tell. By SARA CONE BRYANT. Tenth Impression.

Stories to Tell to Children

With Fifty-Three Stories to Tell. By SARA CONE BRYANT. Seventh Impression.

The Book of Stories for the Story-Teller

By FANNY COE. Fourth Impression.

Songs and Stories for the Little Ones

By E. GORDON BROWNE, M.A. With Melodies chosen and arranged by EVA BROWNE.

New and Enlarged Edition.

Character Training

A Graded Series of Lessons in Ethics, largely through Story-telling.

By E.L. CABOT and E. EYLES. Third Impression. 384 pages.

Stories for the Story Hour

From January to December. By ADA M. MARZIALS. Second Impression.

Stories for the History Hour

From Augustus to Rolf. By NANNIE NIEMEYER. Second Impression.

Stories for the Bible Hour

By R. BRIMLEY JOHNSON, B.A.

Nature Stories to Tell to Children

By H. WADDINGHAM SEERS.

       *       *       *       *       *

MISS MAUD LINDSAY'S POPULAR BOOKS

Mother Stories - With 16 Line Illustrations.

More Mother Stories - With 20 Line Illustrations.

THE RIVERSIDE PRESS LIMITED, EDINBURGH, GREAT BRITAIN

To My Mother

THE FIRST, BEST STORY-TELLER

THIS LITTLE BOOK IS DEDICATED

PREFACE

The stories which are given in the following pages are for the most part

those which I have found to be best liked by the children to whom I have

told these and others. I have tried to reproduce the form in which I

actually tell them,--although that inevitably varies with every

repetition,--feeling that it would be of greater value to another

story-teller than a more closely literary form.

For the same reason, I have confined my statements of theory as to method,

to those which reflect my own experience; my "rules" were drawn from

introspection and retrospection, at the urging of others, long after the

instinctive method they exemplify had become habitual.

These facts are the basis of my hope that the book may be of use to those

who have much to do with children.

It would be impossible, in the space of any pardonable preface, to name

the teachers, mothers, and librarians who have given me hints and helps

during the past few years of story-telling. But I cannot let these pages

go to press without recording my especial indebtedness to the few persons

without whose interested aid the little book would scarcely have come to

be. They are: Mrs Elizabeth Young Rutan, at whose generous instance I

first enlarged my own field of entertaining story-telling to include hers,

of educational narrative, and from whom I had many valuable suggestions at

that time; Miss Ella L. Sweeney, assistant superintendent of schools,

Providence, R.I., to whom I owe exceptional opportunities for

investigation and experiment; Mrs Root, children's librarian of Providence

Public Library, and Miss Alice M. Jordan, Boston Public Library,

children's room, to whom I am indebted for much gracious and efficient

aid.

My thanks are due also to Mr David Nutt for permission to make use of

three stories from _English Fairy Tales_, by Mr Joseph Jacobs, and

_Raggylug_, from _Wild Animals I have Known_, by Mr Ernest Thompson Seton;

to Messrs Frederick A. Stokes Company for _Five Little White Heads_, by

Walter Learned, and for _Bird Thoughts_; to Messrs Kegan Paul, Trench,

Trübner & Co. Ltd. for _The Burning of the Ricefields_, from _Gleanings in

Buddha-Fields_, by Mr Lafcadio Hearn; to Messrs H.R. Allenson Ltd. for

three stories from _The Golden Windows_, by Miss Laura E. Richards; and to

Mr Seumas McManus for _Billy Beg and his Bull_, from _In Chimney Corners_.

S.C.B.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

The Story-teller's Art

Recent Revival

The Difference between telling a Story and reading it aloud

Some Reasons why the Former is more effective            

CHAPTER I

THE PURPOSE OF STORY-TELLING IN SCHOOL

Its immediate Advantages to the Teacher

Its ultimate Gifts to the Child                          

CHAPTER II

SELECTION OF STORIES TO TELL

The Qualities Children like, and why

Qualities necessary for Oral Delivery

Examples: The Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, The Old Woman and her Pig

Suggestions as to the Type of Story

especially useful in the several primary Grades

Selected List of familiar Fairy Tales                    

CHAPTER III

ADAPTATION OF STORIES FOR TELLING

How to make a long Story short

How to fill out a short Story

General Changes commonly desirable

Examples: The Nürnberg Stove, by Ouida;

  The King of the Golden River, by Ruskin;

  The Red Thread of Courage,

  The Elf and the Dormouse

Analysis of Method                                       

CHAPTER IV

HOW TO TELL THE STORY

Essential Nature of the Story

Kind of Appreciation necessary

Suggestions for gaining Mastery of Facts

Arrangement of Children

The Story-teller's Mood

A few Principles of Method, Manner and Voice,

  from the psychological Point of View                   

CHAPTER V

SOME SPECIFIC SCHOOLROOM USES

Exercise in Retelling

Illustrations cut by the Children as Seat-work

Dramatic Games

Influence of Games on Reading Classes                   

STORIES SELECTED AND ADAPTED FOR TELLING

ESPECIALLY FOR KINDERGARTEN AND CLASS I.

Nursery Rhymes                                          

Five Little White Heads                                 

Bird Thoughts                                           

How we came to have Pink Roses                          

Raggylug                                                

The Golden Cobwebs                                      

Why the Morning-Glory climbs                            

The Story of Little Tavwots                             

The Pig Brother                                         

The Cake                                                

The Pied Piper of Hamelin Town                          

Why the Evergreen Trees keep their Leaves in Winter     

The Star Dollars                                        

The Lion and the Gnat                                   

ESPECIALLY FOR CLASSES II. AND III.

The Cat and the Parrot                                  

The Rat Princess                                        

The Frog and the Ox                                     

The Fire-Bringer                                        

The Burning of the Ricefields                           

The Story of Wylie                                      

Little Daylight                                         

The Sailor Man                                          

The Story of Jairus's Daughter                          

ESPECIALLY FOR CLASSES IV. AND V.

Arthur and the Sword                                    

Tarpeia                                                 

The Buckwheat                                           

The Judgment of Midas                                   

Why the Sea is salt                                     

Billy Beg and his Bull                                  

The Little Hero of Haarlem                              

The Last Lesson                                         

The Story of Christmas                                  

THE CHILD-MIND; AND HOW TO SATISFY IT

A short List of Books in which the Story-teller will find

Stories not too far from the Form in which they are

needed                                                  

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