A story to tell

One of the writers noticed a small boy leaving a storytelling session with his hands clamped over his ears.

When she asked him why, he explained: 'It was so good I want to keep it in my head'. 'Miss, that story was so good I'll tell it to the cat'."A Story to Tell" shows how narrative and particularly oral storytelling can be used to bring literacy to life for primary school children.

This ancient art provides models and structures for teachers to support children's understanding and use of narrative and reveals fascinating insights into other times and cultures.

The authors relate how teachers develop their own storytelling skills and the abilities of children to share and retell personal and traditional tales.The potential for using folk and fairy tales, myths and legends to support children's development in the four language modes of reading, writing, speaking and listening is recognised in the Primary National Strategy.

In "A Story to Tell" performers, teachers and students describe how stories from all parts of the world can be enjoyed, discussed, adapted and performed to develop language and literacy learning.

They explore the use of stories in humanities, religious education and other areas of the curriculum.

The role of visiting professional storytellers is examined, with examples of their work with children and teachers in the UK and Ireland. And the student storytellers' adaptation and retelling of Asian, African and European tales from their own childhood are fascinating and inspiring.