Educators, Parents, Story Lovers and Seekers:  Take Note!
930894
Marian Griffin's first book weaves together her skills as an enchanting storyteller, experienced teacher, spiritual devotee and thoughtful seeker.  Against the backdrop of her decades of work as a pre-school Director and teacher, Marian shares a book of wisdom for educators, parents, story lovers and seekers through a mix of insights, fiction and personal commentary.

  As a teacher, she constantly aims to "learn the highest from kids."  She passionately seeks to uncover the best in everyone by shining the light of mindfulness on her students and herself as well.  Yet, she confesses,  "I am not a saint:  I have been challenged to love even in the most difficult classroom situations" which makes her someone we can relate to because she is down to earth.  Yet, she surprises readers with her own mystical experiences as well.

  Marian knows that spirituality does not happen in isolation.  She works creatively with her limitations, such as when she writes a letter to her own "willfulness."  We fall under her spell when she gracefully shifts between fiction and real life experiences.

  This book is best read one chapter at a time to give the reader the opportunity to do personal reflection!
477961
I thought the illustrations were creative and enhanced the storyline.  I can see the children enjoying the book.  I can also see teachers, librarians and parents using this book to foster sequencing skills and imagination.  The book can be interactive, by having the children "read along" when the phrase "Oh, No!" comes along.  I see many a flannel boards created to go along with the book.  Be sure to look at the end cover page.  Enjoy.
1297377
Teachers who want to liven up their lessons and make a strong connection with students will be glad they read this beautifully written, inspiring book. It is obvious that the authors have stepped into many classrooms with many different types of people and had success; their expertise on the topic is incredibly rich and there are so many good ideas for teachers of any subject and any grade.

Children Tell Stories is a joy to read. It touches the reader through heart-warming examples and illustrations by children, along with photographs and a DVD that convey the fun that children are having. The book reminds the reader that telling stories is the most basic and human way to communicate any thought in an interesting way.  Storytelling is a living, breathing human activity that incorporates the big curriculum musts ... analyzing, studying, reading, communicating, listening, evaluating ... the list goes on, and the authors offer compelling arguments and include a handy chart on how storytelling meets numerous state standards. As a teacher who is staying home with her kids for a few years, I can't wait to get back into the classroom to value storytelling in the way the authors have described.

Even though it seems that the authors have thought of everything, and even include twenty-five tellable stories in printable form on the companion DVD, they still include so many other books, recordings, and Web sites as resources.  They seem more concerned with helping teachers than they are with looking as if they know everything about teaching and telling stories (even though they might!). The book left me feeling confident that I can tell stories and teach this invaluable life tool to my students, and that I don't necessarily need the help of a professional. I believe it will leave others feeling that way too, even if they have thought that telling stories might be a terrifying experience.

The companion DVD speaks volumes about the power of story. It is a documentary that has something for everyone. It can convince teachers, administrators, and parents of the importance of storytelling as an educational tool. It can also be shown to elementary students, middle-schoolers, or even a high school storytelling troupe. Young viewers will see that the students in the film have the same fears they will most likely feel when asked to tell a story in front of a group. But they will also see that because the students in the documentary take the risk and give it a try, they have lots of fun, gain tons of confidence, and are triumphant in the end. The boy who says his biggest fear is that he may "stutter so much that he will faint" later beams as he gets a big laugh from a crowd that includes his classmates and their families. Another boy, who is almost in tears the first time he is about to tell his story, is later shown confidently telling his tale for the same big crowd of listeners at a family storytelling night.

After reading Children Tell Stories I am convinced that storytelling in the classroom is the best way to achieve a multitude of communication and literacy requirements in a real and life changing way. For teachers who apply the ideas in this book, any subject will become more alive and interesting and will stick with students forever.  I wish that my history teachers had read this book.
974075
Interesting perspectives on educational systems from around the globe!
11959
This book should be required reading for all parents and teachers!
1873687
Shared reading, interactive reading, word play games and dozens of useful ideas fill this amazing book with a fresh format. There are no gimmicks here... no "gobbley-gook words" or jargon that make you wonder what the authors are saying. Written in a fresh approach from two broadcast journalists who communicate clearly their love for children and books, this beautifully designed book is a welcome addition to all of us who believe in nurturing and feeding children's minds. Bravo to the Haas team and a standing ovation! This book belongs in your hands and why not put an extra copy in your car to give as a gift or to play all those creative word games as you travel with children this summer!(Even if it is only to the grocery store.) You are guaranteed a good time together! Enjoy!
745071
What an amazing compilation of stories and illustrations by some of today's best kidlit people! I loved hearing about their 'why' for writing and also how it wasn't perfect that first time. So many children think they need to be perfect and successful on their first attempt at anything, and this book shows that it does take time. Our Story Begins will make an excellent addition to any classroom or school library and readers of all ages will enjoy it!
171477
Patron walks into my library the other day and demands a video that will teach their child how to read.  Due to the fact that my library only carries Sesame Street videos that deal with holidays or sing songs, there wasn't much to offer.  But the patron's demand got me thinking.  Finding good materials that help children to read can be awfully difficult sometimes.  Books for early readers tend to be dull (like your average "Dick and Jane" fare) or facile.  There are exceptions to this rule, of course, and one of the most notable exceptions is the remarkable, "You Read To Me, I'll Read To You".  This is a book that has killed roughly four birds with a single stone.  It helps kids to read, rhymes beautifully, introduces them to a wide variety of fairy tales, and is funny.  Really honest-to-goodness funny.  This is a book that parents will not cringe to read over and over with their young 'uns.  Hoberman has given us a book that is going to be appreciated by a wide range of ages.  All that and it's a clever idea to boot.

Here's the premise.  Each story in this book is a fairy tale.  Each fairy tale is a conversation between two characters.  It is meant to be read aloud by either two beginning readers or between a beginning and a more-advanced reader.  After picking their parts the readers alternate lines, rhyming all the while.  So, for example, in "The Three Bears" we have one reader say, "I'm Goldilocks" and another say "I'm Baby Bear".  "What pretty fur!".  "What pretty hair!".  You get the idea.  Anything written in blue is meant to be read by both readers at the same time and every poem/story ends with the lines, "You'll read to me!  I'll read to you!".  There are seven stories altogether and each one softens the original tale just a bit.  I was surprised to see references to the Grimm version of Cinderella as well as the original ending of The Three Little Pigs.  As it happens, however, no one gets eaten or hurt in these tales and in each case everyone ends the tale happily ever after.

This is not the first edition of "You Read To Me, I'll Read To You" to grace shelves around the world, you know.  In fact, this book is a sequel to a predecessor of the same name that came out in 2001.  Inanely, both versions have their reviews linked together here at Amazon.com.  I'll state right here and now that this particular review that I am writing refers to the 2004 edition with the fairy tales in it.  Let's just clarify that little detail once and for all.

Now the pairing of author Mary Ann Hoberman with illustrator Michael Emberley is nothing short of brilliant.  While Hoberman has the almost unnatural ability of simplifying stories down to their essential parts, tacking on happy endings without sounding preachy, AND adding humor as well, Emberley is just as adept at pictures that are adorable, simple, and full of delightful details.  Note that Jack in "Jack and the Beanstalk" is decked out in an utterly mod outfit, complete with tiger-striped shirt and go-go boots.  Note also that when the third pig (at first) attempts to cook the wolf in a pot, he is holding a book called, "Cooking Lupine".  Visual gag, meet fabulous wordplay.  How do you do?  How do you do?

So if a patron comes in asking me for a simple rhyming book that will help their child to read, I will be prepared.  I shall promote this book as loudly as my indoor-librarian-voice allows me to.  This is one of those rare buys that need to be touted widely to the public.  A great exercise in reading and a necessary addition to every English-language-library.
4967928
This book is less a parents' guide to teaching the Bible (its subtitle) and more an explanation of what the Bible is - "a story of who God is and what he does to restore his world."  Apparently there is a curriculum that goes with this book that gets more into the details of actual lessons and activities to do with kids, but I haven't read that yet.
I rated this three stars, but I wish I could rate parts of it a five and other parts of it a one.  I agree with the author wholeheartedly when he reminds us that we should be careful about tossing out complex and intricate stories to our children and sanitizing them or reducing them to an application ("be like Daniel!").  He encourages parents to teach the Bible as one overarching story, explain about the different types of literature found in the Bible, affirm that there are gaps in the narrative and that it is ok to ask questions, and give historical context for the stories.  Great.  Five stars!
However, I give one star to this recommendation about teaching elementary-aged children:  "What should not be emphasized is the child's miserable state of sin and the need for a savior."  Children know they sin.  They know they need a savior.  I think helping them connect those two in the person of Jesus is the most important thing we can do as parents, and that following the lead of the Holy Spirit in that is a much better idea than following the recommendation of this author.  I am genuinely curious as to why he does not think that is an age-appropriate topic.
The author tells parents to start with Jesus, not Genesis.  Reading this book affirmed the reasons why I think "The Jesus Storybook Bible" is so wonderfully suited for teaching children: every story points to Jesus, the stories are explained in a way understandable to children, the stories are not reduced to an application, the people are not regarded as heroes, and God's plan to bring us back to him shines through on every page.
3812710
While I am a pre-service teacher, the second grade classroom that I am observing is currently working with _Charlie Needs a Cloak_and sequencing.  The students are given the prompt of each of Charlie's actions on 'wool' pieces and then the students write 2-3 complete sentences using various punctuation.  Also, there is a story within a story, which students (at least these 12 second graders) showed enthusiasm with prediction and sequencing. The story within a story format is one big reason why I am a fan of this book!
4772392
I was very intrigued by the title and cover of this book, but most of all by the jacket summary. As a school librarian, I am always looking for books that will appeal to boys in grades 6 through 8, who tend to move away from reading. This book is perfect! I am using it as a read aloud for eighth-grade students and they are enjoying it (boys and girls, alike). They are attentive during the story and engaged in the conversation. Prior to reading the first chapter, we did an activity to see how many students are familiar with the real Grimm fairy tales. Sad to say, most of them get their knowledge of fairy tales from Disney movies and Shrek. I hope that people who read this book will develop a deeper curiosity for older, less-familiar stories. It seems to be working that way for the students at our school. Yes, the stories are gorier than the "whistle while you work" type of fairy tales. So don't give the book to younger children (under the age of 10 in my estimation), or those who are squeamish.

As an aside, we were fortunate enough to have Mr. Gidwitz visit our school. He was able to keep about 100 middle-schoolers entertained and focused for about an hour, which is a testament to his skill as a storyteller. That skill translates to A Tale Dark & Grimm. In writing thank-you notes to the author, some students expressed a desire to someday write their own books, and told Mr. Gidwitz that they found his presentation to be inspirational in that regard. That, along with the number who subsequently began reading the book, or have expressed an interest in checking it out from our library, bump this book, and Mr. Gidwitz, to the top of my list of recommendations. I can't wait until he publishes another book!
4844346
This book has been such a valuable addition to our before-bedtime reading ritual. I have young children (age 6 and 4) - the stories are long on text and short on pictures, but despite that, most of the stories keep their attention and they really enjoy them. The ultimate proof that they "get" some of the lesson being taught occurred the other day when they began to quarrel.  My older child stopped the fight by saying to the younger, "Megan, remember Buddha at Bedtime?  We have to control our anger!"  Wow.  The stories might be eastern-affiliated but really dovetail quite nicely with any family's spiritual traditions or lack thereof.  Very helpful for taking abstract concepts like kindness, fairness, truthfulness, etc and making them more concrete.
3403975
If I could sum my experience of reading the book in 3 words I would say I: Learn, unlearn, and relearn.  When you read the book, you'll understand these three words on another level.  I discovered a potential within myself to embrace new ideas as people like Dr. Wink share with the world in essence their notes of the real world for aspiring educators and lifelong learners encounter.  I read this week that literacy is a threat to what we know because words are alive in that they carry the message, the essence of the author (who they are, what they believe).  I prove this to be true as Wink's passion for learning transforms the academic educational jargon of theories and principles into comprehensible input. Dr. Wink's writing will not only evoke you to reflect on those childhood learning experiences but also on those pedagogical mindsets we tend to develop as humans.  Interestingly enough, she shares story after story of how teachers, students, and the community are active agents of learning.  Each one has a role of their and share a common one:  we are all learners.  Humbly I acknowledge my need to unlearn many things that have place limitations on approaching learning in a transformative way.  Read the book!

-Cruz (CSU Stanislaus)
4740565
I absolutely LOVE this book.  Every morning I read a story (they are short enough to do in less than 5 minues) and send my kids off to school with something of value to think about and pattern their day after.  I am hearing the talk about the stories more and more, and they always want to hear more!  Yeah!  The OLDIES are the GOODIES!!!
4094888
Diego, you are an amazing young author with an incredible gift for storytelling! Thank you for writing this book to share your experiences with the world. I read most of your book covered in goosebumps and tears in my eyes. As a teacher who works with students with autism, your book inspires me to be the best teacher I can be and to continue to strive for innovative ways to support my students' individual needs. I plan to share your book with fellow teachers, staff, and parents at my school.
Amy Dobzynski, Education Specialist
3505769
Wow! You may have to bribe your kid to open the book, but as soon as they do, the stories will pull them right in! Definitely the easiest way for you AND your teens to really get this critical info! These "edu-taining" stories are sure to stick in your memory way longer than numbers or statistics.  Everyone can learn from this book, and I strongly suggest that we DO!  Parents--- If you are a parent of high school, college age or beyond "kids"..... I'm buying copies for my single adult nieces, nephews and friends too!
4419728
Storyworthy:  Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling by Matthew Dicks introduces readers and writers to new, creative ways to find stories within each of us.  The well is deep, and weve done interesting, storyworthy things that we never thought of writing or telling.  I find the book energizing and helpful.  Its a hefty volume  almost 350 pages  but never boring or rote.  Dicks writes honestly, with candor  and freely, admitting mistakes hes made, but manages to turn them into intriguing stories about that which  you and I may have never thought.

He lists exercises.  One of my favorites is the  Prompt, First, Last, Best and Worst.  Give yourself a subject, Tree, he suggests.  Then tell your first, last, best and worst experiences you have had concerning a tree.  I tried this with a few of my own prompts and was fascinated by the ideas that flowed that I may never have thought of, otherwise.

Dicks writing is easy to read, interesting and holds many helpful suggestions for the writer or speaker.

I truly am enjoying this book and I know its going to be a favorite of mine.  Definitely worth reading.