Stories to Grow On: Metaphors for Change

Margaret Buttignol was a graduate student in sociology at the University of Toronto.

In education and therapeutic circles there is currently a renewed interest in the art of storytelling. In Stories to Grow On: Metaphors for Change a group of child care graduates put together their stories to share.

The concept behind Stories to Grow On is a valid and commendable one: children and adolescents, especially those in emotional distress, typically need much gentle reinforcement to understand the difficult situations that many of them face and do not know how to deal with (death, separation anxiety, child abuse, etc.). True, stories can be a powerful channel for communication between children and adults; however, there is a formula for success in storytelling which involves a caring story teller, a receptive child, and a good story related to the child’s level of cognitive development and current needs. Unfortunately, most of the stories in this collection are not good stories. The content, concepts, and format are often incongruous. “Child Care Bears” and “Sandy the Rabbit,” for example, were obviously written for young children but the story is much too complex and convoluted for the young mind to comprehend and process. There are a couple of stories for older children (“What are Sisters for?”) which are not bad; in these, the authors used real people and real-life situations.

People should better understand the “wheel” before trying to reinvent it!