Wit & Wisdom

Roger Jenkins
 storyteller

© Roger Jenkins 2011    Made With Serif WebPlus.

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These are some of my favourite books which have provided me with the basis of many of the stories in my repertoire.  It's important to remember when reading a folktale - as opposed to hearing it told - that a writer usually has very different concerns than a teller. A lot of folktales for example, make great use of repetition, but this can get very tiresome when read on a page.  Tellers use actions, gestures, facial expressions and sounds to supply a lot of information while a writer turns to adjectives and relies on description.  So while I've managed to write out the Cinderella story in only 153 words, most book vewrsions would make it a lot longer. Don't be put off by the length of a tale in a book!
Best Loved Folktales
Joanna Cole
Large collection of world stories in an accessible literary style
Favourite Folktales from Around the World
Jane Yolen
Another bumper collection of tales
World Tales
Idries Shah
Fascinating for its comparison of variations of the same story in diverse cultures
Wisdom Tales from around the world
Heather Forest
Lovely collection of 50 stories by a teller. See also her companion volume of Wonder Tales
Around the world in 80 Tales
Saviour Pirotta
Glossy, illustrated collection, but interesting set of stories
Fables from Around the World 1&2
Suzee Leong, Penerbit Arowana publications
Excellent value from this KL Publisher, though the writing is very simple, but you always dress the bones! Other volumes i) Ancient India and ii) China folktales
Musings (Tales of Truth and Wisdom)
Linda Ford
Excellent source book for short, assembly-appropriate, value tales
Asian Tales
Cathy Spagnoli
Anything from this talented teller with her heart in Asia is well worth reading
Telling Tales from Asia
Cathy Spagnoli, Tulika Press
Resource book for teachers and storytellers. Lovely.
Drawing Stories from around the world
Anne Pellow ski
 Libraries Unlimited
Lots of ideas how to create your own drawing stories, and has plenty of illustrated stories to adapt
Ready to Tell Tales
Holt and Mooney
US tellers share their favourite tales - so these are written to be told.
Peace Tales
Margaret Read MacDonald
If you see Margaret's name on a collection, you can rest assured the book will be a treasure trove of stories ripe for sharing.  A 5-star teller - if she comes again to singapore, catch her!
For younger audiences
Shake It Up Tales
Margaret Read MacDonald
"Stories to sing, dance, drum and act out"
20 Tellable Tales
Margaret Read MacDonald
A great collection for anyone begining their storyteller journey.
Stories To Play With
Hiroko Fujita
Plenty of stories with delightful paper craft activities to make them more visual. Trans. By Fran Stallings, herself a 5-star teller who's vsited Singapore several times.
For Teachers
Storytelling with Children
Andrew Wright
Marvellous ideas book, full of strategies and games for using and creating stories with all levels of language learners.
Storytime Topics
 Katie Kitching & Chris Wansborough   
Belair Publications 1996
Lots of wonderful ideas for cross-curricular activities using traditional stories. Well illustrated.
Pottery storyteller
 New Mexico pueblo culture