1.  Technique - The Early Childhood Storytime By Barbara Effron

2.  Story -The Hopping Pumpkin or Ho-Hum, That Was Fun submitted by Jane Dorfman

3.  Book review - Senor Cat's Romance reviewed by Penelope Fleming

4.  Story - Br'er Rabit & the Garlic Mustard by Margaret Chatham

5.  Technique - Everything Old is New Again, or Can Be! by Merrillee Pallansch

1.  Technique -The Early Childhood Storytime By Barbara Effron October 19, 2008 Preschoolers are my favorite audience, even though they may squirm, wiggle, and play with their Velcro shoes during storytime. They have a short attention span, and sometimes interrupt a story with questions or comments. But with appropriate expectations and thoughtful preparation, you can successfully connect with these energetic young listeners.

      Selecting and Finding Stories to Tell. Start by selecting short stories full of action and an easy-to-follow sequence. Avoid stories with subplots and more than three to four main characters. Cumulative stories such as “Henny Penny,” and circle stories like “The Stonecutter” work very well. Stories should be filled with repetitive words and phrases. For example, in “The Little Red Hen,” the story is driven by the repeated dialogue of the animals: “Not I,” said the dog. “Not I,” said the cat. “Not I,” said the mouse. “Oh my,” said the hen. “I'll have to do it myself.”

      Young listeners relate best to stories with animals, insects, or interesting and entertaining events. Tell stories that have content that relates to their lives. Look for humorous stories or ones that contain notable events that will be interesting and entertaining, such as “It could Always Be Worse.”

      Tell stories that use vocabulary they can understand, but don't be afraid to introduce new words. Names should be easy to remember and pronounce. Find stories that have the potential to invite participation. Use a chant or song in which the group joins you. The story message should be clear and relate to children two to five years old. Stories should not be too scary. The good should always triumph over the bad. Young children have not learned how to distinguish between fantasy and reality. They need to know in the end that they are not in danger. It is important that the mean old troll meets his fate at the end of the story.

      A story with a clear ending is satisfying and makes sense to a young child. Most important, tell stories that you love so much that you will tell them with the same freshness and enthusiasm even after two hundred times. Folk and fairy tales, and some of Aesop's fables, are a good source of stories containing these characteristics. Look in the picture book section and the 398.2 section in the library. Study different adaptations of the stories to help you create a version in your own voice. You can also find the text of many stories on the internet.

      Designing the Program: I like to select a theme for my program because it gives me a focus as I choose stories, fingerplays, action rhymes, and songs. However, I am careful to have variety within the chosen theme. Consider one of my fall programs: “A is for Apple, Acorn, and Adventure!” ( ? indicates a song; FP - fingerplay ) Opening song with puppet Introduce Squirrel House Friends “Henny Penny” (Large stick puppets for children assistants) ? Acorn song ? Brown Squirrel “Little Red House” (Told by me with hand puppets) FP "Apple Surprise" ? Way up in the Apple Tree (or can do as a FP) Closing song with puppet Plan a 30 minute program. You can always shorten or expand the time. I have found that even toddlers (eighteen months to two years old) can pay attention if your program is fast-paced and full of variety.

      Use a routine such as a simple and short greeting song, fingerplay, or a puppet greeting to begin and end each program. Preschoolers respond to rituals and this is a way to set the tone for the program. After my ending song, I give each child a stamp, just above their hand, using washable, non-toxic ink. The stamp relates either to the theme or something in one of the stories.

      Program Content:  A thirty minute program consists of two or three stories with songs, fingerplays, and action rhymes. Use a variety of visual presentations to capture their interest - storyboards, puppets, or hats. Invite children to stand in front of the group with you using stick or hand puppets. Let the children wear masks or hats identified with the main characters. The children can say the characters' line along with you or by themselves.

      I use fingerplays to introduce or follow-up on a story. For example, I use a ghost fingerplay to introduce the jump story, “Dark Dark Tale.” The Ghost I saw a ghost. (fingers circle eyes) He saw me, too. (point to yourself) I waved at him. (wave your hand) But he said, “BOO!” (try to scare person next to you)

     Music is the glue that holds my program together. Songs are incorporated in the stories or set the tone for a story. An action song, after a story gives the children a chance to move around and get their wiggles out. You could sing, “I'm An Acorn” after you tell an autumn story. Acorn Song I'm an acorn hard and round, Lying on the cold dark ground. Everybody steps on me. That is why I'm cracked you see. I'm a nut. (repeat this last line four times, as follows: Clap twice or click tongue and knock on head simultaneously while singing “I'm a nut.”)

        There are even differences in the attention span between toddlers and children three to five years old. My version of “The Three Bears” for toddlers is a more condensed magnet board story. But I tell a longer version without any visuals to the older children. Sometimes the children of different ages are combined into one group. Then I target my selections to the middle, the three to four year olds.

         Presentation: The key to a successful preschool storytime is your presentation and expectations. Sit on the floor or on a low chair so that they can see your face. Do not give long introductions to your stories. If you need to explain a new concept or word, be succinct. Ask lots of questions before, during, or after the story to keep them fully involved, but be careful not to ask something that is too general or vague. Answering simple questions will give them confidence and prepare them for listening. For a winter story you might ask what clothes they need to wear to play outside in the snow. During the telling of “Stone Soup”, you might want to ask them what they would add to the pot to help make the soup. Be prepared for answers that you might not have in mind, and accept all responses. If someone suggests adding cake to the soup, suggest that we eat the cake for dessert. Teach them any short chant or song before you tell the story to encourage their participation, but keep this as brief as possible. Think like a young child and let yourself go. Use your voice and body language to tell as much as possible. Be animated in your vocal expression using a variety of pitch and tempo, but don't be too loud.

        Tell the children in advance if something is going to be loud. Use clear gestures and movements that help convey your story. Don't be afraid to be silly. Young children like nothing more than seeing grown ups acting silly or making mistakes. I get some of my best laughs when I drop an object by mistake. Build suspense by speaking softly or slowly. Ask questions such as: “And do you know what happened next? “Do you know what?” They love feeling like insiders. Little ones listen with their whole body. Welcome this outward response and know that they are connecting with the story. Comments that interrupt actually indicate active listening. Quickly acknowledge the comment, or find some way to incorporate it into the story, and move on. Every child has the potential to learn new vocabulary and concepts, and to be part of listening audience. Stretch their imaginations, concepts, and vocabulary as you expose them to stories .

        The more you love and embrace your audience, the more responsive they will be to you. Young children are quite intuitive and they know when someone isn't comfortable with them. Preschoolers e njoy the experience of your sharing stories with them. Do not be concerned if each child “gets” the story. Take satisfaction in knowing that you have exposed them to something new and magical. In short, have fun and go with the flow!

Sure Fire Stories: A Bee in her Bonnet

Dark, Dark, Tale

Going on a Bear Hunt

Henny Penny

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

It Could Always Be Worse

Stone Soup

The Big Enormous Turnip

The Brave but Foolish Bee (Aesop's fable)

The Fat Cat

The Frog Prince

The Gingerbread Man

The Gunny Wolf

The Little Red Hen

The Little Red House

The Mitten

The North Wind  and the Sun (Aesop's fable)

The Poor Tailor

The Squeaky Bed

The Stonecutter

The Teeny Tiny Woman

Helpful Resources

Briggs, Diane. 52 programs for Preschoolers : The Librarian's Year-round Planner . Chicago : American Library Association, c1997

Chadwick, Roxanne. Felt Board Story Times . Fort Akinson , Wisconsin : Alleyside Press, 1997

Cromwell, Liz; Hibner, Dixie ; Faitel, John R . Finger Frolics : Fingerplays for Young Children

Cobb, Jane, I'm a Little Teapot! Presenting Preschool Storytime

Flint Public Library. Ring a Ring O'Roses: Fingerplays for Preschool Children Ring a Ring O'Roses: To order, go to : http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/ringoroses/index.shtml

Harrision, Annette; Easy-to-Tell Stories for Young Children. Jonesborough , Tennessee : National Storytelling Press

Irving, Jan and Currie, Robin. Full Speed Ahead! Stories and Activities for Children on Transportation. Englewood, Colorado, Inc.: Libraries Unlimited, 1988.

Glad Rags: Stories and Activities Featuring Clothes for Children. Englewood, Colorado, Inc.: Libraries Unlimited, 1987.

Mudluscious: Stories and Activities Featuring Food for Preschool Children. Colorado, Inc.: Libraries Unlimited, 1986.

Raising the Roof: Children's Stories and Activities on Houses . Englewood, Colorado, Inc.: Libraries Unlimited, 1991.

Isbell, Rebecca and Raines, Shirley C. Tell It Again! 2: Easy-to Tell stories with Activities for Young Children. Beltsville , Maryland : Gryphon House, 2000.

MacDonald, Margaret Read. The Storyteller's Start-up Book : Finding, Learning, Performing and Using Folktales: Including Twelve Tellable Tales. Little Rock , AR : August House, 1996.

The New York Public Library. A List of Stories to Tell and Read Aloud. order from, the Office of Branch Libraries, The New York Public Library, 455 Fifth Avenue , New York , N.Y. 10016 .

Olson, Margaret J. Tell and Draw Stories (Tell and Draw Series) Creative Storytime Pr;

Tell It Again!: Easy-to-Tell Stories with Activites for Young Children. Raines, Shirley C. and Canady, Robert J. Beltsville , Maryland : Gryphon House, 1999.

Sierra, Judy. Multicultural Folktales for the Feltboard and Reader's Theater . Phoenix , Arizona : Oryx Press, 1996.

Internet Sources

Kiddiddles: MoJo's Musical Mouseum

www.kididdles.com

You'll find lyrics of songs that you can search alphabetically or by subject. You can listen to selected songs as well.

Perpetutal Preschool

http://perpetualpreschool.com

This site is arranged by daily and holiday themes. Preschool teachers' contributions make up the content of this continuously growing site.

Gayle's Preschool Rainbow

www.preschoolrainbow.org/gayle.htm

Finger plays, action poems, nursery rhymes, and songs are grouped according to early childhood education themes.

This site collects over 30 years of Gayle's experience as a preschool teacher.

2.  The Hopping Pumpkin or Ho-Hum, That was Fun - (I heard this jump story from another teller, who said he got it form an old basal reader he found in a used book store)—Jane Dorfman

Once upon a time there was an old woman. She looked at her calendar and saw that it was just about Halloween.

“Oh my goodness! Those children will be coming dressed as spooks and goblins. What'll I do.” Then she saw a big pumpkin still in the garden. She brought it in and cut off the top. Then she scooped out the slimy insides and with her best knife carved a truly scary face on it with scary eyes, a hook nose and a truly wicked grin. Then she found a stub ( show thumb for size) of a candle and took it outside. She put the pumpkin on a wooden post and lit the candle.

The old woman looked at the pumpkin and the pumpkin looked at the old woman and it went WAAAH! (do this as loudly as you can).

“Wo-oo!” went the old woman and she ran off.

“Ho-Hum,” said the pumpkin. “That was fun.” And he went hop, hop, hop on his one wooden leg down the road till he came to a fisherman beside a river. (hop with upraised thumb) 

The fisherman looked at the pumpkin and the pumpkin looked at the fisherman and the it went WAAAH!

“Wo-oo!” went the fisherman. He threw his rod one way and he dived into the water and swam to the other side.

“Ho-Hum,” said the pumpkin. “That was fun.” And he went hop, hop, hop on his one wooden leg down the road till he came to a bakery where the baker was just taking a big tray of cookies out of the oven.

The baker looked at the pumpkin and the pumpkin looked at the baker and the it went WAAAH!

“Wo-oo!” went the baker, up went the tray and cookies fell like rain.

“Ho-Hum,” said the pumpkin. “That was fun.” And he went hop, hop, hop on his one wooden leg down the road till he came to a farmer who was trundling a wheelbarrow full of turnips to feed his hungry pig.

The farmer looked at the pumpkin and the pumpkin looked at the farmer and the it went WAAAH!

“Wo-oo!” went the farmer, down went the wheelbarrow and the turnip rolled all over the field.

“Ho-Hum,” said the pumpkin. “That was fun.” And he went hop, hop, hop on his one wooden leg down the road till he came to the farm.

The farmer's wife was on the porch saying “Where is that man! He only went to get turnips for the poor hungry pig.”

And the pig was in his pen with his little trotters on the top rail. “ Where is that man. I am so hungry!”

The pumpkin went hop, hop, hop on his one wooden leg up to the pig pen.

“WAAH!” said the pumpkin. Was the pig scared? No, what was the pig? The pig was hungry! So he ate the pumpkin, scary eyes, hook nose, wicked grin and all, and he even ate the stub of a candle.

“Ho-hum,” said the pig. “That was fun. And tasty too”

3.  Book Review - Senor Cat's Romance reviewed by Penelope Fleming

Storytellers are always looking for fine story collections from which to mine their latest gems. With Hispanic Heritage Month fast approaching (Sept. 15-Oct. 15), a great collection of Latin American tales is just right. Senor Cat's Romance is a terrific introduction to classic stories that are an integral part of Hispanic tradition.

Lucia Gonzalez has assembled a number of popular tales with crowd appeal, including two of this reviewer's personal favorites: “The Little Half-Chick” and “Martina, the Little Cockroach.” Even those faint-hearted souls with a particular aversion to cockroaches will not be able to help sharing in Martina's sorrow when her sweet, gentle Ratoncito Perez suffers a terrible accident. In some versions of this story, the mouse dies—a terrible blow—or worse, Martina is gobbled up by a feline suitor as punishment for her vanity. Thank goodness Gonzalez has opted for an ending wherein the good-natured rodent husband not only recovers, but it is revealed that Martina has an unexpectedly beautiful voice, a quality that goes far toward redeeming the more repulsive aspects of this insect—even if couched in fantasy. And in a culture where children are often instilled with a sense of entitlement rather than schooled in sound moral character and the value of community service, Half-Chick's hard-learned lesson truly hits home.

Four other stories grace this collection, and each one is followed up with a note about its origins as well as a glossary of the Spanish words used in the text—and perhaps most helpful of all, a pronunciation guide! All elements of the compilation are extremely well thought-out and executed, making it an immensely useful and entertaining source of Hispanic folklore.

4.   Br'er Rabbit & the Garlic Mustard by Margaret Chatham

Br'er Rabbit did love a garden. Mister Man's was best. Oh, Br'er Rabbit did have a garden of his own, but since he spent more time watching what Mister Man was planting and drooling over how tall Mister Man's corn grew, or how tender his lettuce looked, his own garden never held more than pretty thin pickings.

Now, it wasn't long after Br'er Rabbit started hanging around Mister Man's garden before Mister Man built a fence to keep all the critters out. That fence went into the ground so deep that not even Br'er Gopher could dig his way under it. That fence stood so tall that not even Br'er Deer could jump over it. Mister Man went in and out through the gate, of course, but to guard that gate he hired a dog – his name was Dog. And Dog took his job right seriously.

Now whenever Br'er Rabbit got anywhere near Mister Man's garden, Dog would come after him, shoutin', “Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit stew !”

And Br'er Rabbit would light off into the woods, ziggin' and zaggin' through the trees, till he reached a hole he could get into that Dog couldn't, and there he'd have to hide, with his heart almost jumpin' out through his ribs, till Dog got tired of waitin' and went away.

One spring, Mister Man planted something new in his garden, something called garlic mustard. He got the seed from a mail-order catalog. The catalog said that garlic mustard was never troubled by weeds or bothered by insects, it was an excellent salad green from spring right up through winter, a flavorful addition to soups, and the larger roots could even be minced up and added to pesto.

Br'er Rabbit was mighty curious about this new plant. It almost seemed to be calling his name. But when he tried to get a good look, here came Dog, shoutin', “Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit stew !”

So Br'er Rabbit had to take off into the woods, ziggin' and zaggin' through the trees, till he reached a hole he could get into that Dog couldn't.

Early in the spring, Br'er Rabbit watched Mister Man put the seedlings he thinned out of the garlic mustard row into his basket to add to his spring tonic. “Interesting,” thought Br'er Rabbit.

In the summer, he watched Mister Man gather big juicy bunches of garlic mustard leaves to put in his salad. “Looks good,” thought Br'er Rabbit.

In the fall, he watched Mister Man pull up whole plants of garlic mustard to cook up like greens. “I want some of that!” thought Br'er Rabbit.

And all through the winter he watched Mister Man glean some of the still-green garlic mustard leaves, to add to his soups. “I got to get me some of that garlic mustard!” said Br'er Rabbit.

But any time he thought he might slip into Mister Man's garden and try some garlic mustard himself, there was Dog, shoutin', “Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit stew !”

So Br'er Rabbit always had to light off into the woods, ziggin' and zaggin' through the trees, till he reached a hole he could get into that Dog couldn't.

When spring came again, new garlic mustard seedlings started coming up where it was planted last year. Mister Man grumbled as he pulled them, because he'd planned to plant something else in that row once the last of the garlic mustard was used up. The last few plants of garlic mustard shot up flower stalks and set seed, and by summer, there were just pale, dry stalks left. Mister Man gathered a bit of the seed to put by for another year and tossed the dry stalks onto his compost heap.

Br'er Rabbit almost jumped out of his skin for joy. At last! The compost heap was outside that fence! Better yet, Mister Man was calling Dog and heading around the house & out of sight. Now was Br'er Rabbit's chance! He hopped slowly up to the compost heap, listening and looking in all directions, and grabbed a good handful of the garlic mustard stalks. – But here came Dog, around the side of the house. One look, and Dog was running full stretch, shoutin', “Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit stew !”

So Br'er Rabbit took off for the woods, holding hard to those garlic mustard stalks, ziggin' and zaggin' through the trees, till he reached a hole he could get into that Dog couldn't.

But when at last Dog was gone, and Br'er Rabbit came out of his hole and got a good look at his prize, he saw that all his hoppin' and ziggin' and zaggin' had shaken every seed off those dry stalks, and he had nothing left to plant. Worse, seemed like Mister Man didn't plant any more garlic mustard in his garden this year. In yearning over all the corn and carrots, beans and beets, lettuce and squash, peas and potatoes that Mister Man did plant that year, Br'er Rabbit kinda forgot about garlic mustard.

Now Br'er Rabbit didn't know, because Mister Man didn't know, because nobody in these parts knew that garlic mustard came from the wild places in Europe . It liked rich garden soil and plenty of sun and water sure enough, but it could make do without any of those things. The seeds from Br'er Rabbit's stolen stalks sifted down into the soil and waited for spring. And then they grew, in the sun, in the shade, in wet places and dry.

Br'er Rabbit didn't know, because Mister Man didn't know, because nobody in these parts knew that the reason the seed catalog said garlic mustard wasn't troubled by weeds was that as soon as it started to grow, its roots started putting out poison, putting out poison, putting out poison into the ground to keep other plants' roots away.

And Br'er Rabbit didn't know, because Mister Man didn't know, because nobody in these parts knew that out in the woods, the big trees and the little tree seedlings and a lot of the small plants that grow on the forest floor share nutrients through a web of my-cor-rhi-zal fungi. The fungi gather more water and minerals than the plant's roots would be able to on their own, and trade them for the sugars that the big trees make up in the sunlight. The little tree seedlings hook into this web, and get enough food to keep them going until a big tree falls and gives them their own chance at the sunlight. But garlic mustard's poisons broke up this web, killed the my-cor-rhi-zal fungi, and made more space for garlic mustard.

When Br'er Rabbit first found the garlic mustard sprouts in his woods, he gave them a sniff and a nibble, but moved on pretty quickly. “That stuff tastes like garlic!” he said. “Who wants to eat that?” None of the other critters liked it much. About the only insect that liked it was the West Virginia white butterfly. West Virginia white butterflies usually lay their eggs on toothwort, because that's what their caterpillars can eat. When a West Virginia white butterfly lands on a garlic mustard leaf and tastes it with her feet, garlic mustard tastes more like toothwort than toothwort does, so she lays her eggs there. But her caterpillars can't digest garlic mustard and soon starve. You never saw a West Virginia white butterfly? Too late now. So the garlic mustard grew, and made lots of seeds, and spread through the woods, and into the parks, and may be lurking in your yard right now. Br'er Rabbit takes no responsibility for it, so if we want there to be woods for our children's children to enjoy, it's up to us to weed out the garlic mustard.

About this story: People need to know that not all green is equally good. Our eastern woodlands are a precious resource, cleaning our air and water, regulating the flow of our fresh water, and providing a home for many wild birds and animals. But they are under threat: from development; from invasion by exotic plants, like garlic mustard, which take up space & resources but do not pass those resources on; and from a plague of white-tailed deer, that eat so many of the native plants that only the exotic plants are left.

I wrote this story to try to spread the word a little bit, trying not to be too preachy or hopeless. The scientific research on this problem is limited, but we know for sure that sugar maples and trilliums are two plants that are negatively affected by the presence of garlic mustard, beyond simple competition. And the West Virginia white butterfly is seen no more where garlic mustard grows.

So if this bothers you, Google garlic mustard & learn to recognize it. Tell this story & spread the word (yes, I'd like a credit-mention) – and if you come up with a really neat improvement to the story, let me know ( Margaret.chatham@verizon.net ). Check your own yard (but don't put the seedy parts on your compost heap unless you're sure they'll be well cooked), join your local weed warriors group so you can help remove it from parks and wild places. Write a garlic mustard cookbook, so people will want to pull it. We sure got rid of that pesky ginseng by gathering too much – it would be wonderful if we could create enough demand to wipe out garlic mustard. People made the problem by bringing plants across the sea without knowing the consequences. People have to be the solution.

5.  Technique - Everything Old Is New Again, Or Can Be! by Merrillee Pallansch

Suppose a teller decides, in a moment of madness, to modernize an old tale. There are several ways ---- change the location, use modern idiom, dress the characters in up-to-day fashion, but the most important thing to remember is to keep the basic plot intact.

      Suppose Hansel and Gretel are transported in time to Falls Church , VA , April, 2008. How do you portray the parents? Caring about their children, but desperate in their poverty (Humperdinck's opera), one caring, the other not (shades of a wicked stepmother found in some versions), parents loving their children but driven to abandon them in hopes that someone who can feed them will find them. There are other classic versions, but these are the ones which come to my mind.

      So--- No matter where (shopping mall, fair, amusement park), brother and sister must be left by parents to fend for themselves. There must be a character who doesn't really have their welfare at heart. Does she or he have a taste for tender human morsels? (Too macabre for my taste). Are there other victims, and are they rescued? How do the children show their initiative in getting out of their jam? Then there is their reunion with their parents.

      Now comes the treatment---a bit or a lot of humor dealing with the characters, a really scary atmosphere?----- Matter of fact on writing this tome, I've inspired myself, and will start on my modern Hansel and Gretel today. Let's see-----Springfield Mall? Now, what kind of witch?