Product Review: Dad, Tell Me a Story [Paperback] (Ages 5-11)
How to Revive the Tradition of Storytelling with Your Children
My dad had terrible hay fever when I was little and carried a cloth handkerchief he named ‘Karen’ that he would sometimes put over his hand to make her ‘talk’ to us kids. I honestly do not remember what crazy stories ‘Karen’ would tell us, but yes; I do remember they were crazy. We kids were always delighted to laugh, get involved and ask questions whenever Karen came around. This original Mr. Hanky was my dad’s idea to tell us stories and be silly and it will always be something that I remember quite fondly. These little spontaneous storytelling events spawned multiple hand-talking games from my dad to us siblings. Telling us stories through his lady handkerchief hand in a somewhat high-pitched voice are really the only memories I have of my dad being silly, and I am so glad he did that for us. I hope Bob and I are able to give Brooke the same types of unique and fun memories that spawn out of creative fun spent together as a family and that she will one day pass on to her own family. For those parents who want to do the same but think they can’t spontaneously story tell or feel lost without a hanky (Ha! Do they still make those?), then Dad, Tell Me a Story is a great reference for you and your family.
Dad, Tell Me a Story is a book for parents (dad focused) written by a father, practicing attorney and epic storyteller, John T. McCormick on how to go about the art of storytelling with your children. John’s ideas are not that parents make up stories for your kids; rather, make up stories together with your kids. In fact, Dad, Tell Me a Story is authored not only by John, but also written with his two sons, William and Connor (now ages 12 and 10). The beginning of the book is dedicated to understanding the process of how to become a great storyteller with your children. I laughed out loud in several parts as John describes his own process of winging his stories and how he got used to comments from his kids like “Dad that was a lame story”. He also wisely added that even years later his boys still remember all of his stories, even the ‘lame’ ones. After the tips section it is then time to get down to the real fun of the McCormick family stories! Their stories are broken into the four categories of Animal Stories, Adventures and Folk Tales, Cultural and Historical Stories and Growing-Up Stories and come from their interactive and spontaneous story time adventures that are fun for both parent and child. Stories like the silly The Fruit Bat and the Vampire Bat get your imaginations and creative juices flowing. The story of The Old Dead Horse, an updated version of a story John’s mom used to tell him as a child, will have you in stitches.
John’s focus for his book is to learn the art of storytelling with your children focusing on the age range of 5-11, but the principles are definitely something you can start with your kids even younger. I read in one article about John where he started incorporating his story-telling techniques to his oldest son when he was just 3. John has incorporated many of the Waldorf education principles based on imaginative learning into this work which is really fantastic. The McCormick family artwork is sprinkled throughout the book and offers a colorful interpretation of their stories and the bordering technique is really creative. I think this book is a great product to bring to other parents’ (especially to the dads out there) attention to showcase that family storytelling is a learned art that just keeps getting better with practice. I suspect John was only half-joking when he was quoted as saying that he suspects he will probably get a call from his son while at college to tell him a story because it has become such an evening ritual for him and his boys. Happy storytelling with your families!
Check out their Dad, Tell Me a Story Website for lots of great storytelling information like:
Story Submissions for their Storytelling Blog
Did you and your children write a really fantastic original story and want to submit it for posting on John’s blog Dad, Tell Me a Story? Look no further! Send all typed submissions, 2000 words or less, to John at authors@dadtellmeastory.com and get your story published on their blog.
Storytelling Workshops
The D.C.-based McCormick family delivers storytelling workshops to parents and children, teachers and schools and multiple other events like book fairs and libraries. If you would like the authors to deliver a workshop to your organization, or if you would like more information about interactive family storytelling, please e-mail them at authors@dadtellmeastory.com.
Extra! John is the Parent Television Network’s Special Guest for February and showcases his amazing storytelling skills. Go to www.ptvn.org for more information on John’s guest appearance posts on their blog and learn more about their mission of Bringing Parenting into Focus. I especially enjoyed John’s guest post about going with the flow when you child asks you to re-read the same story over and over and over and…..well, you get my drift! I loved his outlook on this quite common occurrence in our household.
Dad, Tell Me a Story [Paperback] (Ages 5-11)
List Price $19.95 (through DadTellMeaStory.com)
Momma's Bacon 