Storytelling Resources

Updated: April 8, 2002

Reading to children is one of the best ways to ensure that children themselves become enthusiastic readers. The resources below contain hundreds of tips on storytelling and how to incorporate it into your school and classroom.

Looking for the best books? Try the TeachersFirst 100 Best Books for Children page.

America Reads - Grade Level: K-3 – An overview of the U.S. Department of Education’s program America Reads Challenge, including explanations of Legislation, federal initiatives and Title I programs. Provides examples of successful after-school tutoring and in-home tutoring programs.

Hans Christian Andersen Stories - Grades K-3 - Here's a collection of many of Andersen's stories and fairy tales, many with the original artwork. Most of these stories are short, so they're easily printed out for reading to your class. The site isn't fancy, but the information is easily accessible.

Australian Storytelling - Teachers and Librarians - Stories about far-away places are always a hit. This site has plenty of "Australia - specific" stories, but it also includes an excellent collection of related resources and links to other places with information for storytellers. There are lots of places to visit on this artfully-crafted site, so plan on spending some time here.

Booktalks - Grade K-6 - This is a collection of several hundred short descriptions of books commonly found in school libraries. Designed by a school librarian for use as book talks, they also serve as a quick plot synopsis for teachers interested in finding suitable books for interested young readers. Contents are indexed by subject, title, and author.

Folk Tales from Camping with the Sioux - Grades 2-8 - This is a collection of folk tales collected by Alice Cunningham Fletcher, an American who spent an Autumn living and learning with the Sioux tribe in the 1880s. The tales are interesting for both their source and their substance. From the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

A Handbook for Storytellers - Teachers and Librarians - This is a guide for adults on how to make storytelling for children more attractive and exciting. There are "performance" ideas, suggested books and other resources, as well as ideas on how to incorporate storytelling into the curriculum. First-timers will find plenty of encouragement here.

Hero's Journey - This resource from Maricopa Community College is a guide to the structure of myths and mythology. the site offers ideas on telling mythological stories, and it illustrates how the structures of these ancient stories have been adapted over the centuries. Neat site for those teaching or telling myths.

Japanese Folk Tales - Grades 3-5 - This collection of nicely illustrated traditional Japanese folk tales can show how similar ideas and concepts are translated in very different cultures. Read these to your elementary students for a change of pace.

The Moonlit Road - Grades 6-12 - This is a monthly collection of stories and folk tales from the Old South, most of which are just a bit "scary." Each of the three or four monthly stories is taken from a particular southern regional tradition. The stories can be read and downloaded, or students may listen to them using the Real Audio player plug-in, which is available from the TeachersFirst Toolbox. Since it changes frequently, teachers should preview this material before turning their students loose. This site could supplement a study of folk tales or the history of the south in the U.S.

Read Across America - Teachers and Librarians - Here's a chance to participate in a national (American) effort to encourage adults to read to children. NEA's Read Across America program wants every adult to read to a child as part of the celebration of Dr. Seuss's 95th birthday on March 2, 1999. Visit this site to see how you can help with a celebration in your local community.

Stories of the Dreaming - Grades 4-12 - This beautiful site was created by an Australian consortium to catalog and retell aboriginal stories, myths, and folks tales. The site offers text, audio, and video versions of most of these, and in a layout which reinforces the subject matter. This site could be a great source of material for a study of myths and cultures, or simply as a way to expose students to tales from far away.

StoryArts - Storytelling Resources - Teachers & Librarians - Here's a site devoted to helping educators improve their storytelling skills. There are many pages of resources, including ideas for storytelling occasions and festivals, specific story sites, and lots of other good stuff. Check this one out if you read to your students!

Storytelling - Grades K-4 - Bring the art of storytelling to the primary classroom. This page, created by a classroom teacher, provides step by step instructions.