Telling Tales: Storytelling in the Family. 2nd ed.

Theresa Paltzat is the Smart Search librarian at the Edmonton Public
Library.

Originally published in 1995, Telling Tales is a wonderful book for
anyone interested in storytelling. Warm, non-academic writing flows
easily through its pages. Instruction—both poignant and funny—is
interspersed with stories.

In this revised and expanded edition, the book begins with each of the
authors telling how she became an avid storyteller. The rest of the text
is divided into four sections. The first section, “Once upon a
Time,” briefly reminds readers of the value of stories. The second
section, “Stories from the Family Tree,” explains, with ideas and
examples, how to incorporate storytelling into family life so that
important memories can be preserved. Section 3, “Developing and
Learning to Tell Stories,” offers practical advice on how to develop
storytelling skills, reminding readers that “natural storytellers are
made, not born.” The final section, “Universal Tales,” provides
insight into the telling of nursery rhymes and folklore, and illustrates
how traditional folklore is present in our contemporary computer
culture. An extensive bibliography of useful resources, including
recommended picture books, story collections, and myths, concludes the
book.

The book’s beautiful cover shows a collection of family photos and
writings that give the reader a glimpse of the stories and humour
inside. In the book, there are wonderful moments of realization that
storytelling is indeed an important part of our lives and inspiration to
pursue it further.

An enjoyable read if only for the stories themselves, Telling Tales
proves the authors’ claims that we all love a good story.