Storytelling Adventures: Stories Kids Can Tell »

Includes stories as well as instructions for making and using props which can enhance the performance.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7An addition to the growing number of titles for children on storytelling. Unlike Joseph Bruchac's Tell Me a Tale (Harcourt, 1997), which encourages children to explore and learn stories from their own families and backgrounds, Dubrovin suggests that young tellers may gain confidence in storytelling with the use of props. To that end, she creates a story and then provides simple directions for making a complementary prop to go along with it. The props include a magic box, cookies, glove puppets, a magnetic peace puzzle, a shadow theater, topsy-turvy dolls, and a storytelling pillow, making this book a child's version of some of Caroline Feller Bauer's titles for adults. While the directions are clear, youngsters may need help with obtaining some supplies and with some of the steps that require fine motor ability. Dubrovin's stories seem a bit contrived to fit with the props but they do include valuable references to traditional tales with similar characters. Black-and-white photos and sketches appear throughout. This is a useful resource for young people interested in this art and for librarians and teachers who might hold prop-making workshops and let children try them out with traditional stories or stories of their own creation.Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie