When teachers ask me to tell stories at their school, I usually get requests for stories about self esteem, respect for others, violence prevention and multi-cultural themes. Here are some of my favorites that you can find at your library:

The Araboolies Of Liberty Street
by Sam, Random House, New York, 1989.
An outrageously fun story about children as heroes and not only tolerating differences, but celebrating them!

"Baby Rattlesnake"
from Shake-It-Up Tales: Stories To Sing, Dance, Drum, and Act Out by Margaret Read MacDonald, August House, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2000.
This a great participatory tale that can open a discussion among children about the "things you do even when you know you shouldn't," emphasizing the fact that you can make these mistakes and still be loved. See also the beautifully illustrated book by Lynn Moroney with the same title

"La Cucarachita"
told by Olga Lloya from Animal Stories, a video cassette produced by Atlas Video, 1991.
Olga told me that she has added a song and dance to the story since the video was made. There is also a nice version by Maureen Pedone on the Stories From The Hearth audio cassette. This bilingual folktale from Mexico is about a little cockroach who is convinced she is ugly and goes to great lengths to change how she looks. All grade school ages have loved this story.

The Dark Thirty
by Patricia McKissack, Knopf, New York, 1992 .
This book contains many gems for middle school audiences. Tellers get constant requests for scary stories and these tales could offer ideas about shaping a story that is equally worthwhile for the telling. "The Chicken Coop Monster", about a girl who is recovering from her parents divorce and projects all her fears onto the monster in her grandparents back yard. Through the love and understanding of her grandfather, she is able to face the monster within. "The Conjure Brother" deals comically with sibling rivalry. "The Woman In The Snow" includes historical milestones of battling prejudice intermixed with a traditional ghost tale.

Free To Be A Family and Free To Be, You And Me,
both books by the Free To Be Foundation and both published by McGraw Hill.
Excellent collections by some of our best authors, covering topics of sexism, sibling rivalry, authority figures, divorce, family and ethnic pride, facing fears, parenting.

Nessa's Fish
by Nancy Luenn, Atheneum, New York, 1990.
An Inuit girl watches over her sick grandmother and protects the fish they caught by remembering what her family has told her to do. Wonderful example of a child as a hero, the value of learning from elders and the importance of family. Good opportunities for audience participation for ages preschool through elementary grades.

"The Rabbit And The Elephant"
from A Piece Of The Wind by Ruthilde Kronberg and Patricia McKissack. Harper Collins Publishers, San Francisco, 1990.
This story comes from Ghana in West Africa and is about small creatures who, through rabbit's wit, come together to deal with a big bully. Great for preschool through third grade.

The Red Lion: A Tale of Ancient Persia
retold by Diane Wolkstein, Crowell, New York, 1977.
This story of a Prince who is must face his fears is well received by students - so many of who suffer daily from fears of their own. Whether real or imagined, the need to cope with fears is just as necessary for children as adults and can have a major impact on their behavior at school.

The Rough Face Girl
by Rafe Martin, (G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1992)
is probably the most accessible version for tellers. This is the Algonquin Indian Cinderella story of a girl who is mistreated by her sisters, but believes in herself in spite of the odds and wins the hand of the "Invisible Being" through her own determination without any help from a fairy godmother. This works for most ages and it is a favorite of middle school through high school students.

Spinning Tales, Weaving Hope
contains many wonderful stories for working with children.
"Connor And The Leprechaun" by Jay O'Callahan from New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, BC; 2002.
Some of the worst abuse that a child can face is at the hands of his peers. A leprechaun helps a lame boy teach a group of school bullies that art is as important as brawn. Permission is given in the book for storytellers to use all the stories. Good for preschool through fourth grade. Also - "Chew Your Rock Candy" by Doug Lipman, an engaging participation story which encourages cooperation for overcoming obstacles. Another favorite along this same theme is the retelling of an African folk tale "Nyangara" by Peter Amidon. "The Monk and the Samurai" by John Porcino is a favorite of boys among my violence prevention stories. This entire book is filled with wonderful stories about building community, appreciating differences, conflict resolution, the environment, etc. There is a list of suggested ages of audiences for each story at the end of the book.

"The Story of a Pumpkin"
by Fran Stallings from The Ghost and I, edited by Jennifer Justice, Yellow Moon Press, Cambridge, MA, 1992.
This story from the Upper Volta of Africa is a wonderful participation tale to use at Halloween since there are some mildly scary elements and it does involve a pumpkin! Again - the theme of asking repeatedly until you find the help you need - even when the problem originated in your own backyard - is a message worth repeating

Peace Tales, World Folktales To Talk About
by Margaret Read MacDonald, Linnet Books, Hampden, CT. 1992.
This is a powerful Limba tale from West Africa that raises the question as to whether being able to use a gun to kill is a sign of strength or is it, as the animals concur, truly just a sign of death. I use this story usually with middle school and high school students since so many of the youth in our area are at risk for joining gangs or using weapons. The fact that the students ask me to tell the story again on return visits suggests to me that they need this message reinforced, since they are under constant pressure to conform to violent alternatives. Just a few of the other great stories in this collection for various age groups are "Not Our Problem" (responsibility), "The War Between The Sandpipers And The Whales" (environment, gangs), "The Lion's Whisker" (blended families), "Slops" (cooperation / environment), and more...

Allison Cox specializes in designing story programs tailored to each group's interests.