Storyteller - Part Two

Folktales fascinate me, I love to tell them, and I love to share them (1). 
When I first added stories to my puppet programs for the library Summer Reading shows, I used a story that matched the summer theme. After a few summers, storytelling became the primary focus of the show, and my favorite thing to do was to pull out a world map or globe and say, "Think of a place in the world, and let's see if I know a story from there." I get a lot of requests from children for stories from "Disneyland," but I tell them I'm not allowed to used trademarked material...although I do have some stories about the Happiest Place on Earth (2).

As time has gone by, my repertoire of folktales has expanded to more than 100 stories, ranging from California (3) to Washington, D.C. (4), England (5) to Madagascar (6). My storytelling also includes seasonal/holiday stories, spooky stories (7) personal stories, and faith-based stories.

There is another kind of story that has become a trademark for me - I call it 3-D storytelling, where you go beyond the spoken word as you tell the story. I use props, magic, drawing, origami, paper cutting, volunteer participation, group participation, music, and anything else that works.
Here's an example. This picture shows me - in all my radiant glory - telling the story of "The Other Sorcerer's Apprentice," using tangrams (8).

Of such is my world. See you next week...I hope.

(1) At a recent Friends of the Library used book sale, I found a copy of the children's anthology collection that introduced me to "The Three Sillies," and showed it to a pre-teen who was shopping at the sale. I told him how it was the book that led me into storytelling, and had him read the "Sillies" story. He bought the book, and I thought, "My work here is done."

(2) In the 1960's, my mother and my sisters went on the Peter Pan ride. The flying pirate ship car went up, sailing through the Darling's window, soaring over the city of London, gliding over thr clock tower of Big Ben, gliding over thr clock tower of Big Ben, gliding over thr clock tower of...and it came to a stop. the music ended, and a voice said, "We have experienced technical difficulties. Please remain in the cars. Wait for assistance." Like anybody was going to jump out of a pirate ship that was suspended ten feet in the air! the lights went on, andDisney "cast members" rolled the cars along their track until the end of the ride, where my family members were unloaded. Mc Arthurs being a forgiving sort, that was not the last time any of us flew with Peter Pan.

(3) The Seven Turtle Brothers (Gabrielino/Tongva)--The Great Spirit was looking for a place to be his own. He couldn't find any place that satsfied him, until he realized "I'm the Great Spirit. I can make a place!" He chose a place that was nothing but water, and called for The Seven Turtle Brothers. They rose from the water: Leonardo, Donatello, Michelan...ge..... (Sorry, wrong turtles.). Huge turtles--you could walk from Bakersfield to Fresno on the back of one turtle. The Great Spirit told them, "Form a line, bite on to the tail of the turtle in front of you, and whatever happens...Don't move." Their line wasn't exactly straight, but it was a line. Each turtle latched on to the turtle in front. "Don't move," the Great Spirit reminded them, and he reached down to the bottom of the sea, scooped up the mud and rocks, and SPLOOSHed it down on them. More and more, until they wee completely covered. He pushed a great valley down the middle. He pushed mud up on one side and rocks up on the other to make mountains. He breathed out--grass started to grow. He pounded the land with his fists--trees sprang up. He clapped and rubbed his hands, and fish and birds and animals and people came out from them and covered the land. he looked around and said, "L like it," and that's what we call California.....but remember the Seven Turtle Brothers? They're still down there. Have you ever tried to stay in one place without moving for a long time? After a while, you just have to move, and when the Turtles move, so does everything on top of them--trees buildings, people--and THAT's why they have earthquakes in California!

_{^{(4) John Quincy Adams and the Power of the Press--When John Quincy Adams was president, the legens says, there was one thing he didn't like--Anne Royale, the first female political reporter in America. She asked to interview him, but he always refused. However, Anne Royale knew something that President Adams liked--swimming. Every morning, he would ride down to the Potomac Rive and go for a swim--without his clothes. One morning, the skinny-dipping President stroked back to shore, only to find Anne Royall sitting on his neatly-folded clothes. "Will you go away?" "Not until you give me an interview." No matter what Adams said, Anne wouldn't budge. Finally, he answered her questions...from the waist up. Never underestimate the power of the press.}}

(5) One of these days, I'll tell you "The Three Sillies," but not today.

(6) Die Like the Moon, Die Like the Banana Tree--God lets the first man and woman choose how to die--like the moon: wasting away to nothing, then growing back--or like the banana tree: dieng permanently, but leaving behind generations that would grow on their own. They chose the banana tree, and God was pleased with their choice.

(7) I used to call them scary stories, but i could tell the most horrifying tales I knew, and little kids would look at me and say, "That's not Scary," so I call them spooky stories.

(8) A tangram is a puzzle of seven pieces which can be put together to form a square. The same seven pieces can be assembled into other shapes, including people, animals, letters and numbers, and more. "The Other Sorcerer's Apprentice" is the Brothers Grimm version, not the Dukas/Disney version.