The Magical Blue Feather

The Magical Blue Feather

Here is my version of Papa Joe Gaudet's lovely story about a little girl struggling to survive all alone...

More Videos

More Videos

Having learnt how to create and upload simple videos, I am embarking on a project to record several of my stories.

Here are two of them...

Pocamondas

Father Mouse - the complete story

Milk and Sugar

Another Beginning - Milk and Sugar

After the festivals, things have been very quiet - and in this quiet time I was introduced to a legend from Gujarat in India. Having read it, I couldn't stop telling it! It is unlike any story I have told before and it was haunting me. I was telling it to everyone I met.

Their responses were so positive that I began to wonder if there was any way to get this story to a wider audience. Then I remembered - I have a small digital camera that records to tape.

Having found the camera, tripod and assorted cables, I sought out a suitable corner for filming. The first attempts were hopeless: the sun was too bright from the window; my chair was too low; the camera was too low; I kept stumbling over the story; I'd forgotten to put batteries in the microphone and then forgot to switch it on!

By the time everything was sorted out and rehearsed, it was dark outside and I just had to switch on all my domestic lighting and hope it would be enough.

The result pleased me... it reminded me of storytelling by firelight - definitely not high definition, but useable.

After a little editing to tidy up the start and finish (another quick learning curve!) I managed to upload it to YouTube... and here it is...

https://youtu.be/3hrEsdGXzco 

And if you enjoy it, please go to YouTube and Like and Share it, so that others may enjoy it too.

Now that I have discovered how to make videos, I plan to record more stories and I shall, of course, post them up here.

A story extract

A Sample of my Storytelling Style

I've just discovered how to add videos here... so here is a brief extract from Father Mouse.

Festivals - Day 7

Festivals - Day 7

Back again to that lovely venue, sitting in the shade of a great tree, by a high garden wall, at the top of a gentle hill overlooking the marquees and knot garden below.

The atmosphere was different this time - instead of crafts and food this was a design fair and there were very few children around.  There was still a children's craft tent, now sitting close to me at the top of the hill, so parents and children did wander my way, but it was much quieter than the previous occasions.

The stall-holders, too, were different - as I walked with Archy, the great horned owl puppet, he caused quite a sensation as the quality of his design was appreciated just as much as the animation.

Several of the stall-holders had brought their children with them - and this was the third day of the design fair, so the children were already bored and eager for something new. They formed my core audience for the day, returning frequently to demand another story.

Mostly these were pre-teen girls who seemed more sophisticated in their approach than I am used to meeting. At one point, instead of choosing a story from the basket, they asked me to select a story that was funny but not silly... I can't remember what story I chose, but they seemed satisfied. Then they asked if I had a sad story - so I told Papa Joe's 'The Magical Blue Feather' which really held them gripped. 

That group of girls then ran off to be replaced a few minutes later by another group demanding to hear about the Blue Feather as their friends had told them it was such a good story.

The day progressed in a steady flow of listeners - sometimes just a couple of adults - sometimes a mixed group of parents and children - sometimes a group of those pre-teen girls. I did manage to get a half-hour lunch break, but that was all.

Having started at 11am, I was scheduled to end at 3.30pm but at that point I had a group of slightly younger girls clamouring for 'just one more story!' - and so the session ran on for another half-hour. They still wanted more, but I pleaded exhaustion - justifiably I think.

And that is the end of my summer season of festivals. Unless some late bookings come in, I have nothing now until the beginning of October, when there is another two-day festival.

It has been a good season. I have learnt a great deal, built up my stamina and my confidence.

Now I must start to learn how to get more bookings to fill up my new, empty diary.

Festivals - Day 6

Festivals - Day 6

After an evening spent drying all my clothes, costumes, papers and props it was a relief to wake up to some sunshine and I set off feeling quite optimistic.

This time I found a sensible parking space - though still at the wrong end of the field.

In the sunshine it was mayhem - there seemed to be at least a thousand children playing, dancing, watching - trying all sorts of new skills and generally having great fun! It was quite tricky manoeuvering basket and dogs through all the crowds, performers and stalls.

Once at the tipi, I worked out how to increase the size of the entrance to make it easier to get inside - and I had had the sense to bring a large plastic sheet to cover the wet grass and bits of carpet that had had no chance to dry out overnight. Then I discovered how to open the tipi flaps to let some air inside as the day was getting pretty hot.

Before I could set up, the audience was already arriving - all ages from babes-in-arms to the occasional grandparent - and throughout the afternoon, as soon as some people left others came in to take their place. It was non-stop stories for 4 hours! Though I did manage to sneak out with the dogs for 5 minutes - just long enough to find a cup of tea.

Now my efforts with the pre-schoolers really paid off - so many times it was those simple stories that got chosen from the basket - and there were always some toddlers in the audience. As I am becoming more confident at handling the stories so I am finding they really do work for everybody. Pocamondas, The Old Woman and the Piggy, and Turtle of Koka were much in demand and had everybody laughing - even the teenagers. And then I found that, after a simple story or two, many of the toddlers were able to sit and listen to the more difficult ones. Quite clearly they didn't understand everything, but they were prepared to listen.

I am finding a different kind of confidence too... when noisy newcomers interrupted a story, I would simple pause and wait for them to settle down. When some pre-teen girls were dragged away from their friends, they kept on returning to say their goodbyes again and again, with lots of hugs and kisses - and I stopped telling and asked them to leave. When the amplified music suddenly reached intolerable levels, I went out to the music stage to ask the volume to be reduced - and it was.

And... a real confidence booster... there was a teenage boy who had heard me telling last year and now had come specifically to hear me again - he stayed all afternoon. Several other people came because they had heard of me - and many of them came back several times during the afternoon to hear yet another story, despite all the other exciting attractions going on.

So, by home time, I was tired and my throat was sore from competing with all the ambient noise - but I was happy!

Festivals - Day 5

Festivals - Day 5

The Met Office said it would be a few scattered light showers - I wasn't worried... I was going to be telling at a PlayFest in a tipi in a quiet corner and had a special parking permit to let me park fairly near at hand.

Really! There was no parking space nearer than a good ten minute walk away. As I parked, the rain started. I packed everything neatly into my large, wheeled, wicker basket, put on a rain coat, gathered up the dogs and set off along the wet grass.

As I turned a corner onto rough ground, the wind got up and blew the cover off the basket and several of my soft toy/props scattered into a puddle.

After gathering them up and trying to make the basket secure, we struggled onto the playing field - despite the rain it was packed with children, stilt walkers, clowns, dancers etc amongst all the stalls - and amplified music everywhere.

No one knew where I was supposed to go... but I recognised the tipi at the far end of the field and made my way across. The entrance was so small, I had to get down on hands and knees and then try to drag the big basket inside without spilling everything again.

By now I was wet... the dogs were wet... my props were wet... and the tipi flaps were open, so the inside of the tipi was wet - and the amplified music was blasting out close by.

No matter - I set up and put out my sign and chalked the start time onto the little slate - and the rain washed it straight off again.

The rain never stopped all afternoon - a steady, drenching, wind-blown rain.

But soon the audience arrived, eager to get out of the rain - only to find it was raining inside the tipi. They all managed to find reasonably sheltered spots - I was the only one fully exposed to the elements.

Despite all this, the stories were warmly received and we managed to have some fun. Eventually someone came to close the tipi flaps,  I found a stall that could provide a cup of tea, and the damp storytelling continued. Everyone gave up eventually and the event closed down an hour early.

The forecast for tomorrow is a lot better.

UPDATE

UPDATE

Surprise! A late night email from from the organiser of that food & crafts festival asking me to do another day next week... no explanation... perhaps the other storyteller cancelled... perhaps he had good reports of my storytelling... but I am delighted!

And, I forgot to mention a lovely moment under that chestnut tree - A cheeky, silly joke/story had been selected from the basket, one concerning pirates and a brave captain donning his red shirt. Only children over the age of 10 get the punchline unaided and, as it implies uncontrolled bodily functions, I no longer offer to explain it myself. (I was once severely reprimanded by a parent for daring to explain!) 

This time not one of the children got the punchline - but an eavesdropping father nearby was convulsed with laughter. So I asked him to explain... but he would only agree to whisper to his daughter. She then collapsed in giggles and agreed to whisper the explanation to her friend... and so the explanation travelled like Chinese Whispers  along the length of the line of children until every one of them was laughing out loud. It was magical!

Festivals - Days 3 & 4

Festivals - Days 3 & 4

Another festival - this time it was about food and crafts - in the grounds of a small stately home 65 miles away again. I was not scheduled to start until 11am, but if I wanted to get my car onto the site I needed to arrive before 9.30am - so a very early start!

I had no idea what to expect... all I knew was that their usual storyteller couldn't do these two days and that I would be the sole storyteller and expected to tell stories until 3.30pm, drumming up an audience with walkabouts.

Once again the traffic was kind and I arrived early and was permitted to park in a tiny space hidden behind a marquee - but where was I supposed to be telling?

It was a wonderful, prominent site - at the top of a sloping lawn, under a great chestnut tree, in front of  a high garden wall. There was a large display of plants for sale nearby, so most people came up to have a look.

There was a small stage and amplified music... but I couldn't hear it from under the tree.

Arriving so early allowed me time to walk the dogs, explore the stalls and have a cup of coffee. Then it was time to drum up an audience. I was told the usual storyteller used a conch shell, or something similar, to summon an audience to him, but that is really not my style.

I took my lovely Great Horned Owl puppet, Archimedes, for a walk around all the stalls - everyone wanted to talk to him as he blinked and bowed and swiveled his head, which gave me the opportunity to announce quietly that storytelling would start in ten minutes.

By the time I had put Archy back to bed, gathered up the dogs and picked up my storybasket, a small crowd had gathered under the tree and the stories started - and went on and on... some people would leave after a few stories, but others would take their place. It was fun to watch adults nearby pretending not to listen as they inched closer and closer. And there were always some behind me, listening but not part of the crowd.

I did manage a very brief lunch break and then had to drum up an audience again, but I was telling stories, almost non-stop, for 4 hours!

The next day took exactly the same shape... but with more people and an even shorter lunch break. I sold several books and CDs and had lots of compliments.

The selection of stories in my basket is now just right. There are stories for all ages and even the simplest, silly ones intended for the pre-schoolers seem to work for everyone (much to my surprise!)

I am very tired. These three festival days have been long and exhausting. There are two more days to do this week, but I do know what to expect. I shall be in a tipi and they have promised that it will be in a quiet spot away from the music. The venue is only 35 miles away and I don't have to start until 1pm, finishing at 5pm.

I will let you know how I get on.

Festivals Day 2

Festivals - Day 2

This was essentially a small music festival some 65 miles away - which meant allowing 2 hours for the journey as the roads are narrow and the holiday traffic can be heavy.

I was a bit nervous as I really had no idea what to expect but the advance information seemed very thorough - and I would be working with 4 other storytellers. The schedule said I would be doing 3 sessions of just 20 minutes each over a 5 hour day - a really easy task.

The traffic moved smoothly... so I arrived early, which was helpful as the storytelling marquee was not in the place listed in the advance information and no one seemed to know where it was.  Eventually a map of the site was found and the marquee identified - not far away and quite attractive with one side wide open and plenty of rugs and cushions scattered around - but is was quite a distance from the car park so I was glad I had

packed everything into a large basket on wheels.

One of the other storytellers was booked to do walkabout stuff and had his own marquee, so we never actually met. Another was an author who needed to get away early - so the schedule was already useless. That left 3 of us and it worked beautifully... we took turns to tell stories or sing songs and all 3 of us stayed in the marquee together most of the time.

It was very relaxed - a constant flow of small groups of audience, both children and adults - and I thoroughly enjoyed having a chance to meet and work with other tellers - but.... this was a music festival! 

The main stage was on the other side of the field, but the volume was so loud it made it very difficult to tell stories and before long my head was pounding and my throat suffering from trying to compete.

Festivals - Day 1

Festivals - Day 1

Well... not really a festival. It was a weekend camp for people with special needs, their families and carers - and I really didn't know what to expect.

I packed the storybasket with stories and props suitable for primary schools plus a few of my favourite pre-school tales and this proved to be just the right mix.

Usually I ask audience members to select the next story from the basket, but thought that on this occasion I would need to choose the stories myself once I had a chance to see who had come to listen.

As usual - I was wrong. The moment I uncovered the basket someone was leaping up and pointing to the small bunch of flowers I use for The Empty Pot - so that was the first story. From then on everyone was eager to choose a story, ending, after an hour, with Turtle of Koka, which had everyone (all ages - all abilities) laughing and joining in.

This has boosted my confidence. I feel that I now know what stories to take to the festivals. It was a really helpful start to this summer season.

Thoughts

Thoughts 

I have survived the long series of sessions with pre-schoolers. The staff say they are very happy and have invited me to return next term for a one-off special storytelling.

Certainly I have made many mistakes - but that is what learning is all about - and many of my difficulties were the result of having the same children over and over again. Somehow I had expected that they would love to have the stories repeated, just as they do with bedtime stories. I was wrong... they wanted new stories every time, which stretched my abilities and forced me to do a lot of research.

Now that was very good for me! It has stimulated me into reading and finding more stories for my main storybasket. I had become lazy. With over 12 hours of stories in the basket, I was happy to keep on telling those old favourites. It is time to find new ones.

The next stage of my learning starts now. I have been booked for 10 days of community festivals over the summer - just the sort of events I have found most difficult because of the confusion, noise and the presence of very small children in the audience who do not enjoy most of my stories.

That was my main reason for  trying to learn how to tell in a pre-school, and I am feeling better prepared. There will be some suitable stories for the very young ones in my basket. I have now had lots of practice in coping with a distracted young audience. Let's see if I can start to enjoy telling to mixed family groups.

The first festival is in a few days - a camping weekend for people with special needs, their families and their carers. It should be great fun. I will let you know...

Third Group - Final Session

Third Group - Final Session

So... here it is... the last session of this learning process.

It was the large group again, with all the familiar faces, so I was glad I had managed to find new stories for them.

First I introduced a new magic story sound - from a lovely, small, odd-shaped gong a friend had made for me. It has a beautiful ringing throb that I love.

 The children loved it too.

Then, into the stories, starting with The Old Woman and her Pig - an old traditional tale that can be found in the Joseph Jacobs collections amongst many other places. I remember loving it as a child, even though the book I had then included the gory bits with the butcher, the hanged man and the rat. For this audience I adapted the story to miss out all that stuff and the sequence went: pig, dog, stick, fire, water, horse, horse-fly, spider, cat, milk, cow, hay. The sequence was, perhaps, a little too long. It held their attention up to the horse, but then some became fidgety and the rest of it was hard to get across.

As expected, there then came the familiar demand for Mighty Mouse... but I was prepared. I repeated the section from last week - Mighty Mouse and the Lion, as some of the children had missed it, and then added a version of another Aesop Fable, The Bull and the Mouse, with Mighty Mouse teasing the bull - and continued with my own addition - Mighty Mouse and the Elephant, in which the now over-confident and cheeky Mighty Mouse teases the elephant, eventually running up inside his trunk to nip the inside of his nose. this was popular, but, again, just a little bit too long. I must learn to be happy with shorter tales.

Another of Papa Joe's tales came next, Pocamondas, about a little boy making stupid mistakes. This worked well even though some of the children were getting tired and distracted.

And then I made a mistake... instead of finishing at that point, I allowed myself to be persuaded to tell another story. I chose the old joke, The Wide Mouthed Frog. At first it went fairly well with those children who were still enjoying the stories. But others had had enough and I wasn't able to reach the end. I still have much to learn but I have gone as far as I can with this group.

Third Group - Second Session

Third Group - second session

Surprise! - this time it really was a small group... just 5 children.

I had managed to find several new stories... but started with a new 'story sound' - a small Tibetan Singing Bowl. The sound is magical and they were all enchanted. 

The first story was a version of The Bat, The Beasts and The Birds - an Aesop fable. I was inspired by Papa Joe's variation and managed to create my own using the props I had to hand... a bat, a chipmunk and a swan. The children listened, though I am not sure if they understood.

Next was a silly tale of a frog - no idea where it came from. A frog, who lives in a well in the country, is unable to believe his cousin's description of his own home by the sea. When the frog actually sees the vastness of the sea, his head explodes.

The children loved it and I was forced to keep on repeating the explosive finale.

Then came the expected demand for Mighty Mouse... but I was prepared. I had found an Aesop fable The Lion and the Mouse and adapted it to fit Mighty Mouse as she continued on her journey after moving the mountain. This proved satisfactory, but I was instructed to tell more Mighty Mouse stories next time.

To end with, I tried out another Papa Joe story, Mr Wiggles and Mr Waggles - very simple - no props, just my hands - and lots of repetition - and lots of laughter.  It is a story I would not have dreamed of attempting when I started this journey. I think I am learning a lot.

Third Group - First Session

Third Group - First Session

Oh... the best laid plans... etc...

This group was supposed to be smaller... and with different children... so my basket was full of the most successful stories from the previous sessions.

But it proved to be a large group again, with lots of familiar faces. Some of them had changed their day so that they could come and hear stories. Very flattering, but they wanted NEW stories! And, it being a lovely sunny day for a change, they were all full of energy and very vocal.

I started with Turtle of Koka, which they enjoyed despite complaining that they had heard it before.

Then I moved on to Chanticleer and Pertelot which worked because I had found some new dolls to add to the props.

Now there were loud demands for Mighty Mouse again - and then complaints that the mouse I had with me was not the mouse they wanted. The original mouse is really tiny - no more than two inches from nose to tail tip and I had swapped it for a larger, more expressive version. But it wouldn't do. I had to promise to bring the proper mouse next time.

Next was supposed to be The Five Threads, but again came the protests at yet another story they already knew - so I offered to tell them a new story I had never told before, explaining that I had no props for this one as I had only read it for the first time that morning - as, indeed I had. It was on the Storytell List. Papa Joe had given us his version of Aesop's The Ants and the Grasshopper.

It was very much an improvisation. I had only read it once and had not planned to tell it. But it is a simple little tale - and a much friendlier version than the original Aesop. The children enjoyed it and then told me what props I must find before telling it again... not sure where I can find an expressive ant or a grasshopper!

So, a bit despondent, I came home to start researching more stories for this group. The current discussion on Storytell was was very appropriate and led me to various sources so that by the next morning I had found (and almost learnt) 6 new tales to tell!

Perhaps the next session will be happier.

Half Term Thoughts

Half Term Thoughts

Last week was amazing - exhausting - a valuable learning process.

On the Monday I was booked to tell to a WI group meeting - my first adult audience in ages. And it was brilliant! They loved the stories - they loved my dogs - they bought copies of my book - and they boosted my confidence. I had begun to doubt my abilities as a storyteller. The difficulties I was finding in telling to the pre-schoolers was beginning to drag me down. I really needed this boost.

Then the Wednesday pre-schooler session worked well. I was feeling more in control and able to relax and enjoy myself a bit.

On Thursday I was in a primary school, telling first to Key Stage 2 for an hour, and then Key Stage 1 for 30 minutes. It was another confidence builder. The school is small - just 65 pupils, and they are very disciplined and friendly.

On Friday I was in another small primary school - just 44 pupils! Again an hour for Key Stage 2 and 30 minutes for Key Stage 1 plus pre-school. Not quite so disciplined this time.

My sessions with the local pre-school have helped me to feel much more comfortable about telling in schools. I was able to select a basket of stories that I knew would work for Key Stage 2 and another basket of stories appropriate for Key Stage 1 - all of them stories that I have been telling in the pre-school. 

With my more relaxed approach, I found I was becoming more expressive - but by Friday I was very tired - not just because of the storytelling. My house was full of builders - I had no kitchen and everywhere was blocked with kitchen furniture and piles of food, crockery etc. Even the dogs were feeling the stress.

So I don't think I was telling as well as I could on Friday - it was not as happy an occasion as on Thursday - but the children and staff seemed happy. 

The stress affected BumbleBee and she found it hard to settle down on her rug during the Friday sessions... this was a bit distracting until she finally settled under my chair so that, at the end, it was HoneyBear who had to cope with all the love as every child needed to come and stroke her. She is not so keen as BumbleBee on such attention, but she bore up well - pretending to be fast asleep with her head on my foot. I could see her thinking, 'If I keep really still they will all go away...'

After half-term I will be with another pre-school group for 3 sessions. This should be a smaller group and will give me a chance to improve my telling without needing to find yet more stories for this age-group.

New Term Session 6

New Term   Session 6

The last session with this group - and I was feeling a bit more confident. I had fount 3 new stories to try!

The success of 'Turtle of Koka' last time prompted me to start by asking if they wanted to hear it again. The answer was a resounding, 'Yes!' - and the story worked beautifully, just as before.

This put all of us into a good mood and I was encouraged to move on to the new stories. First came Margaret Read MacDonald's 'Turkey Girl' - a simple tale of a girl who loses her turkeys because she wanted to dance. I had only the one prop - a bright, soft turkey - but there were lots of opportunities for turkey gobbling noises and a bit of drumming on the arms of the chair. It worked ok and I will try it again with the next group.

Then came 'SuLi and the Elephant', based on 'Unanana and the Elephant' by Papa Joe. Lots of props in this one... SuLi, her Little Cousin, her 3 children, various animals and a huge elephant - plus SuLi's cooking pot and her sharp knife. In this story SuLi has to rescue her children from the elephant's stomach - a variant on Jonah and the Whale and other such tales. It worked well but I could tell it better. It is good to now have a series of three SuLi stories.

The children insisted on one more story and I had found a very short one - Margaret Read MacDonald's 'A Lover of Dragons' - it is very simple indeed - a rich man loves dragons and has paintings and sculptures of them everywhere - but is terrified when a real dragon comes to call. Again, I think I could tell it better and will work on it for the next group.

Only the very youngest children drifted away this time. I did have to suggest a couple of the others put their books away until we had finished, which was a shame as they were sharing a discussion about the pictures, but it was very distracting.

New Term Session 5

New Term  Session 5

Much better!

This time the staff had obviously recognised some of the problems and made improvements. The story corner was arranged more formally, with some chairs and cushions arranged in rows. Most of the toys had been cleared from the area and the children had just spent half an hour or so outside playing 'assault courses' and were tired and relaxed - and ready to listen.

BumbleBee, though still very keen to come with me, made haste to hide herself under my chair, safe from most of the continuous and overwhelming petting.

In my research during the week I had found 'The Turtle of Koka' in Margaret Read MacDonald's 'Start Up' book. It is very simple, repetitive and fun - and I just happened to have a lovely, expressive turtle in my prop cupboard.

The story worked perfectly! Everybody was involved - though I am not sure that they understood the plot, simple though it was. they just loved the turtle, dancing and singing and fooling the villagers.

Then I moved on to Papa Joe's 'The Magical Blue Feather' - again pared down to little more than bare bones. This is a longer and more complex tale, with lots of dramatic tension. The older children were totally absorbed but the younger ones began to drift away from me, though staying close at hand.

The third tale was 'The Sun Sisters' - again, very simple and I have some good props: a moon, a friendly sun, some delicate embroidery and a pad full of needles. The thought of needles being thrown into people's eyes really caught their attention!

Fortunately I had put some spare stories into the basket as the older children would not let me finish without just one more tale. So I picked 'The Cracked Pot'. It has no visuals except for the pot itself, but by now I was able to maintain eye contact with all but the youngest children - and so they listened.

New Term Session 4

New Term  Session 4

Frustrating, difficult, depressing - this really is a steep learning curve.

There was still a great gale blowing outside, after two days of noisy buffeting... I think we were all a bit stressed.

We started with my own Tale of the Tintagel Dragon - reduced to almost bare bones as it was clear the children couldn't follow any of the subtleties.

As planned, I introduced all the props first: a friendly, soft, young dragon, a cuddly jackdaw, a glittering crystal pendant and a small jet fighter plane. They were greeted with great excitement. Every one wanted to touch every item. Unfortunately this created a new game; from then on almost all the children were focussed on trying to sneak up on me and touch whatever prop I was holding. If one succeeded, then everyone else had to try straight away. it was impossible to get them to actually listen to anything.

So that experiment failed! But the small tray itself is still a good idea - it creates a flat platform on my lap where I can put props down and yet still keep them under my control.

There was only time for one more story - the simple tale of the lion cub from Papa Joe's story of Jinook the Lame. This has only one prop - a sweet cuddly lion cub - so much easier to keep control... and some of the youngest ones had moved away, so there was less disruption, but it was still not a happy experience. Some of the older ones had sensed victory in a power struggle and were not prepared to give in by being seen to listen.

It is clear that a group of 12 children with ages ranging from 2 to 4 years is just not appropriate for my kind of storytelling. I cannot maintain eye contact with all 12 of them at once - and without that eye contact, my words alone are not enough to hold their interest.

It feels as though every skill I have developed - vocal control and expression, story structure, pace, tension, emotion, shared references and understanding with the audience, subtle jokes and hints - none of them are of any use with this group. 

The staff say that the most popular stories are the two, very simple SuLi ones. Is that because the SuLi doll, though not pretty, is very expressive and friendly? Or is it just that the stories could not be more basic? In the first, the sky is still sitting too low on the earth, forcing people to bend down all the time, so SuLi prods it with her cooking stick until it breaks up into little fluffy clouds and flies up high. In the second the village is threatened by a dragon that wants to eat young maidens and frightens away all the brave men - so SuLi volunteers to be the next maiden sacrifice and, with her father's hunting dog and sword, slays the dragon and marries the king.

Perhaps I can find some more such basic tales and create a series of SuLi tales. I will try.

There are only two more sessions with this large group, then, after the half-term break, it will be a new, much smaller group. There will be only 3 sessions with the new group - so I can use just the most successful stories. Perhaps that will work!

New Term Session 3

New Term  Session 3

A bit more difficult this time.

When I arrived they were already sitting in the story-corner, playing some game. This made things a bit chaotic as I had to squeeze through to get to my chair and make room for my basket and for BumbleBee.

I have devised a way of sorting all the essential props for each story into separate bags or boxes inside my large basket - easing my stress as I know exactly where to find everything.

As usual, the Tibetan cymbals worked their charm and helped the group to calm down. I asked them if they wanted a scary story - of course they all agreed! So I told the simple Dark Dark Cat jump story... interesting... most of them have no concept of 'scary' at all. It was impossible to build the tension, though they did laugh at the 'jump' ending.

Next was the Five Threads story. All the props now live in a very pretty box... and that is what most interested the children. This time they wanted to touch everything. I am still not sure how to handle this. I've just had an idea... perhaps if I take a tray with me and place all the props for the story on the tray so that they can look at them and touch, if necessary, before I start to tell. My theatre instinct makes me want to hide the props so that each entrance is a surprise, but perhaps that is wrong for this age group. So I will experiment with a tray next week.

The third story was The Magic Porridge Pot - again the children wanted to touch everything - and there are lots of props in the story. By now the youngest ones were getting restless. It was time for them to go off and do something else.

But the older ones insisted on another story before we finished. Fortunately I had put an extra one in the basket - Why the Cock Crows to call the Sun - it is a simple tale with some attractive props - a soft, bright sun, a duck, a rooster and a tiny bird. The bird sings when I squeeze him and that really fascinated them more than the story.

As I left there was a loud, long chorus of cries of 'Goodbye Storyteller'

I am learning! It is not easy - I think I expect too much from them as an audience.

New Term - Session 2

New Term - Session 2

Last week I was concerned that working in the main classroom lost that magical sense of special occasion - and subjected BumbleBee to too much love, chaos and attention.

I needn't have worried.

This time, as soon as we arrived all the children quickly stopped whatever they were doing and went to sit quietly in the storytelling area - no instructions were given - they just wanted to hear stories.

We started with The Singers of Bremen... I am getting better at handling so many props at once and at making all the animal noises. The story worked well, even for the youngest ones. I had found a lovely, large, vicious looking doll as the chief robber plus a couple of Sponge Bobs as his accomplices. these were recognised at once, but the children accepted that they could play the part of robber's assistants. These additions certainly helped to make the final mayhem more visual and dramatic.

Then came the two linked stories... SuLi and the Sky, and SuLi and the Dragon. The youngest ones found the concept of the sky lying too close to the earth too difficult to follow but they enjoyed watching the props. A few of the children had been in the previous group and had heard these stories once before. They told me what props I needed to find to tell the Dragon tale. They were all eager to see SuLi cut off the dragon's head! I had found a new dog for the story - a very funny looking deerhound - just his appearance made them all laugh

By this time the youngest ones had had enough and moved away. but the older ones wanted more. So I told The Empty Pot, using SuLi's cauldron as the flower pot and adding some silk flowers. As I started one child discovered another hole in a cushion and started pulling all the stuffing out. Then the others joined in. This time I simply stopped talking and waited. The staff stepped in, removed the cushion and gathered up all the stuffing. When they had settled down again, I continued with the story. I think I need to find a boy doll for this story - it seems that this age range needs the visual element.

As I was leaving there was a sudden thump on my back as a child hurtled into me and shouted, 'I love you, Storyteller!'

New Term - New Day - New Group

New Term - New Day - New Group

Session 1

This is a larger group, 11 children present, and a wider age range with more very young ones.

The staff asked me to tell in the main classroom, as I had done at the end of last term, because they thought the children were more relaxed in the familiar surroundings.

They certainly were more relaxed, though I am not sure that was a good thing. I like the sense of special occasion created when they have to enter a different space. In their own space they felt relaxed enough to ask questions, demand snacks, play with BumbleBee and remove the stuffing from a cushion to balance little fluffy white clouds on their heads!

All part of my learning curve.

The older ones were paying attention throughout and I must learn not to be distracted by the babies.

I started with Chanticleer & Pertelot because it has lots of appealing soft-toy characters and a bit of drama and animal noises... but the ending is  weak. I must work on that before the next group that I will be meeting after half-term.

Then I told Father Mouse (see my video extract on YouTube http://tinyurl.com/2f9q7bd ) because the puppet works so well... but not, apparently, with very young children. They cannot yet understand the concept of 'puppet' and are not impressed.

I ended the session with Mighty Mouse, using a new, larger and more flexible soft-toy mouse. This worked quite well... partly because the most distracted children had wandered off, but also because the new prop is funnier and more expressive.

Then came a general demand for dinosaur stories next time! I don't know any dinosaur stories... are there any? I will do some research. But I think they will accept a dragon story instead. At least I know they are looking forward to our next session.

Session 9

Session 9

Last day of term - and a wonderful way to finish this first series of pre-schoolers storytelling!

Now there are children present who have come especially to hear the stories. They were so engrossed in the stories that the session went on for 45 minutes instead of the usual half-hour.

This meant I was a little later than usual leaving the premises, and parents were already gathering. One mother came over to my car to thank me. It was really helpful to hear the effect my storytelling was having.

This session started in chaos as there were builders working in our usual room and we had to use the main classroom, full of toys and distractions. Everyone was running wild, overexcited by this change of routine. Poor BumbleBee was being pounced on and chased until even her placid nature was being tested.

But the Tibetan cymbals worked their magic and we all settled down. The first story was Five Threads from Margaret Read MacDonald's 'celebrate the World'. I had found some seeds and threads; made a little nest and some tiny bright birds (out of soft, fluffy feathers). The children loved them. A very simple story and one that I would never have thought of telling before working with these little ones.

Then I told the lion cub's story from Papa Joe's 'Jinook the Lame'. Another very simple tale that would not work by itself for an older audience, but just right for this age group with the help of an appealing lion cub soft toy.

The final story was another from Margaret Read MacDonald - 'The Magic Garden of the Poor' - simplified a little for this young audience. I had more beautiful birds made, very simply, from bright ostrich feathers, a bag filled with gold, a golden apple and an expressive boy-doll to play the student. It was the birds, of course, that really held their attention - such bright colours fluttering around my head.

Next term the sessions shift from Friday to Wednesday, for a different group of children, so that I can have a chance to consolidate what I have learned and get to tell all the stories again. 

Session 8

Session 8

Very interesting... I decided to try telling a longer story this time - my own story of The Tintagel Dragon and the Plane Crash. The crash really did happen in Tintagel in 1979 and there are photos online to prove it. The cause was never explained until I discovered the dragon's role in the event. It is a favourite story with older children and adults - I had never tried to tell it to pre-schoolers.

The sun was shining and the room was too hot. Several of the children were restive and, even before I started, were distracted by the toys that had been left lying around. Then a late-comer arrived which added to the distractions. My large dragon puppet proved to be a bit frightening for some and a few of the children decided to leave the room. Apparently some wanted to come back after a few minutes, but were told they couldn't.

Of those that stayed, some were absolutely transfixed throughout the story - excellent eye-contact and smiles of understanding. But I found the puppet a bit restricting. He is quite large, expressive and gorgeous in blue panne velvets and gold trimmings... very friendly... but I usually use a much smaller one. I think I can be more expressive myself, and more in control, with the smaller version.

As requested, I told Papa Joe's the Magical Blue Feather again and was interested to note how much I changed the words this time to suit the younger audience.

Next Friday is the last day of term - and my last session with this particular group. I think I am going to focus on bird stories.

Session 7

Session 7

Fantastic session!
I took a large basket filled with all the props from the 17 stories I have told over the previous 6 sessions - it seemed a good time to see if the children remembered any of them.

Much to my surprise - and to the amazement of the staff - as soon as I picked up a prop, they called out the name of the story. Every story was remembered, even the earliest ones that did not involve large, expressive soft props. And they could tell me the basic barebones of each story!

I never dreamt that each story would fix itself so strongly in their minds after just one telling.

As we went through the basket some of the children indicated which stories they wanted to hear again. Of course Mighty Mouse was the first on the list, and this time they really did listen to at least half the story. The loss of interest came when the mouse saw the corn-stalk. The children didn't know what a corn-stalk was so the staff promised to find some pictures.

Then Father Mouse was requested. This was the very first story I had told in that first session two months ago. The puppet is so expressive that the children were all fascinated with him.

And the last story of the day was SuLi and the Dragon.... they were most insistent on finding SuLi's sword in my basket so that she could chop off the dragon's head.

Next week I will try a much longer story and see if I can hold their attention all the way.

Session 6

Session 6

The sun was shining - a sense of spring in the air - and everyone was  bit restless.

The demand for Mighty Mouse came right at the start but I said, 'You always ask for that one - perhaps later.' That reply was not welcomed and did nothing to calm the restlessness. Eventually some of the more disruptive children had to be removed to allow the others to listen in peace.

This time I told 3 very simple stories that were new to me. I had found them only a couple of days before and barely had time to sort out the appropriate props and memorise the most basic bare-bones.

The Magic Porridge Pot is, I think, a famous old tale that probably appears in many forms - a poor farmer agrees to sell his cow for a magic porridge pot. The pot runs off and steals a big Christmas pudding  which feeds the farmer and his wife. It then runs off and steals a bag of gold from a miser, which makes the farmer financially secure - the pot then runs off and is never seen again.

Amongst my store of props I found a lovely soft doll... she could be Maori or some similar race. She is not pretty by Caucasian standards, but she is very attractive, warm and intelligent. I have decided to call her SuLi and make her the heroine of various strong-female stories starting with very basic ones:-

Why the Sky is High - sees SuLi getting angry with the sky lying so close to the earth that she is forced to bend over all the time and has difficulty stirring the big cooking pot. In frustration she prods the sky with her stirring stick, breaking it up into fluffy clouds that fly away up high.

SuLi and the Monster Serpent - sees SuLi volunteering to be fed to the huge serpent/dragon that has scared away all the heroes and is demanding maidens for supper. She, of course, slays the dragon and becomes Queen.

Some of the class were completely rivetted by these little tales.

I think I am beginning to be able to recognise the right sort of story for this age group.

The day before had been very interesting. I was booked to tell stories at a primary school - 4 half-hour sessions, each with a different age group.

HoneyBear & BumbleBee, my Story Companions

Both HoneyBear and BumbleBee came with me - they get loved to pieces in schools. I think every child there insisted on having a cuddle. They put up with it bravely.

With the youngest classes I tried some of the new stories and techniques I have been developing in these pre-school sessions. They worked well, and I was much less stressed than I used to be when faced with such young audiences. But I was so relieved when I reached the older groups! I do love being able to tell a story that has complex ideas, a good plot, dramatic tension - and humour. One very silly story left the class howling with laughter!

Session 5

Session 5

A bigger group this time as we were joined by some even younger children.

Apparently, as soon as the children heard that 'The storyteller has arrived', they dropped whatever they were doing and ran to line up at the door. Good to know that they are enthusiastic about our sessions.

Following the success of Chanticleer & Pertelot, I decided to try The Musicians of Bremen - largely because my store of soft props included a lovely donkey, dog and cat - and Chanticleer, of course. 

Once again I was improvising - I had no idea just how the story would work or what words I might use. Suddenly I found myself braying, howling, yowling and crowing with gusto - that would never have happened with an older audience. The children loved it, of course.

A simple story followed of why the sun rises when the rooster crows and the birds sing. Chanticleer is working hard!

Then an experiment - the night before my cat had released a wild baby rabbit into the kitchen and it hid behind the cooker. Rescuing it was a major operation and I decided to tell the story using a pretty soft-toy rabbit. It was almost a success. I am just beginning to understand what will and what won't work.

As requested, we had a repeat of Little Red Riding Hood, though there was some disappointment that I didn't repeat Mighty Mouse as well.

 I think my voice is becoming more flexible - or perhaps exaggerated would be a better description. With this audience I cannot rely on the meaning of the words to hold the attention. My voice is naturally expressive and with my usual type of audience I can trust it to convey both meaning and emotion while allowing the story to be much more important than the storyteller. But with these children I am finding that I am becoming more of a performer. The content and flow of the story is not as important as the energy and life of each individual moment.

Tomorrow will be interesting. I have a school booking for 3 sessions with 3 different age groups. The youngest will be a little older than my pre-schoolers, but I will try some of these new skills on them rather than trusting that they will enjoy my usual tales.

Half Term Thoughts

Half Term Thoughts

In just 4 sessions, I can feel my style has already changed - I am much more relaxed.

With Chanticleer & Pertelot I did not feel the need to to study and rehearse the story. I simply made sure I knew the bare-bones, fixed them as a series of images in my head, and made sure I had found some attractive soft props - then I trusted that I would be able to improvise the story. And it worked!

Now I am looking for more stories for this younger age group. Normally it is quite difficult to find a new story that I love and really want to share with an audience. The plot, the structure, the twist, the ending... they all matter so much. But not for this age range. The stories that are working are much simpler. They have hardly any plot, no subtle irony or humour - just good clear characters and lovable soft props/puppets.

Remembering to use my little Tibetan cymbals was a brainwave. They make a loud, magical reverberation that changes as I move them around. The sound catches the attention of even the most distracted child so that we can all be ready for the next story to start.

The children do not seem so frightening now. Of course, going in every week, I am getting to know them as individuals, which would not happen with a normal performance, but I think I will find it much easier to relate to such little ones from now on.

Already I am planning how to use this new skill in a public performance. My thoughts so far... when the session has been publicised as being for adults and older children and yet there are several tiny tots in the audience, I will explain that the first two stories will be special ones for the youngest listeners. After that, the stories will be for the rest of the audience. The tots will be welcome to stay if they are interested, but if they become restless or unhappy, then I would hope the parents would let them leave.

Fourth Session

Fourth Session

Feeling a lot braver about this now and prepared to try a story I have never told before - Chaucer's Chanticleer & Pertelot - the fable  of a cockerel who unwisely believes the flattery of a fox.

My large collection of soft props revealed a lovely colourful rooster, a pretty hen and a gorgeous fox, so it became instinctive to use them as simple puppets to illustrate the story. The children were completely held!

Then back to an old favourite, The Cracked Pot followed by another new one about the creation of butterflies from fragments of an emperor's embroidered robe.

The magic story sound from the Tibetan cymbals really does work well in getting the attention of even the most distracted child.

A sudden request for Mighty Mouse yet again - and again the boy turned his back, but was obviously listening.

I tried to finish the session after that, but they wanted more, so I told the simple Sun Sisters story that explains why we must never stare at the sun.

And yet another request! A girl who had not spoken so far suddenly asked if I could tell Red Riding Hood again. I asked her to remind me next time as we really had to finish now.

Third Session

Third Session 

A much better session! BumbleBee came with me again. She hates to be left behind and she will now be with me every time.

Because of the distractions last time, the staff had tidied away all the toys and I had brought with me some small Tibetan cymbals to create a magical Story-Starting sound. It worked wonderfully!

The first story was The Magical Blue Feather, given to me to tell by the great storyteller, Papa Joe. I had found a sweet, soft, girl doll with cropped auburn hair and a surprised, stressed expression - perfect for the role of Amber. And there was a beautiful blue feather.

This story held the attention of all but the youngest of the children - it is quite long but very dramatic.

Then a silly 'jump' story - The Dark Dark Cat - followed by The Christmas Spider.

I left feeling much more confident. Still much to learn, but I am improving.

Second Session

BumbleBee

Second Session

This time I took BumbleBee in with me. She is trained to lie at my feet while I am telling stories and she loves children.

She behaved perfectly - greeting each child and then retreating to her quilted pad at my side and went fast asleep.

I had warned the staff that this session might be more difficult than the first. In the theatre the second performance is usually a bit of a disappointment after the adrenaline-fuelled First Night.

I was right - the children were very distracted. Lots of toys had been left lying around and they wanted to play. The staff said they had been like this all day. But when the most distracted boy was taken out of the room, he was desperate to return to hear more stories.

The girl who, last week, had insisted that my mouse puppet would help me turn the pages, this time informed the whole group that I didn't use books, but just 'told' the stories.

Sleeping Beauty was the first story, followed by The Empty Pot - a story about the Emperor of China choosing the right boy to adopt as his heir. Then one boy asked to have Mighty Mouse told again. He turned his back on me while I was telling - but I think he was still listening.

I was exhausted and stressed by the end, but knew that from here the only way was up. I was learning - just feeling my way - and the staff understood that. I had lots to think about in planning the next session.

Getting started again

Getting started again

After an enforced absence of 4yrs (due  to carer responsibilities) I am at last getting back to work as The Tintagel Storyteller.

It seems a good moment to start a Storyteller’s Blog.

Of course it is back to square one when it comes to finding bookings. How can I get my name out there once more?
Thinking about my previous experiences, I am aware that I love telling stories to adults; enjoy telling to schoolchildren; and am terrified of trying to tell to the tiny tots – but every time I tell stories in public, some of the audience ignores all the publicity saying ‘ages 5 to 95 yrs’ and assumes that storytelling must be for small children.
As I see the eager little ones in amongst the schoolchildren and adults, my heart sinks. I know they won’t understand my stories – they cannot appreciate the subtleties and humour – they will get restless and distract everyone (including me!) – the parents will blame me for not being the sort of storyteller they expected….
Time to change my approach… and this blog can track my progress.
I have volunteered to be the Resident Storyteller at the local pre-school, telling stories to a small group every Friday afternoon. I will let you know how I get on!

First Session

I arrived early, of course… and started to make myself at home in the designated storytelling area – a soft-play corner with lots of cushions and beanbags. My story props were hidden in a little Fortnum & Masons hamper (the initials F&M on the basket could easily stand for Folk & Myth)
As I was drinking a welcome cup of tea, the door opened and the children made a hesitant entrance – only 6 of them, plus a couple of staff members.

It seemed sensible to start with an old favourite tale, Father Mouse, which I was sure would work for this age group (there is a video extract on YouTube http://tinyurl.com/2f9q7bd and on my website http://www.lamede.com). My white mouse puppet is a firm favourite and, as expected, the children immediately wanted to touch him. I explained that he was going to help me tell a story and one girl said, ‘He’s going to turn the pages.’ I tried to explain that I wasn’t going to be reading from a book, but it was clear that they just couldn’t understand…
....so I started telling the story and it worked pretty well. It held their attention at least, but there was no magic spark between us.
In my preliminary discussion with the school manager, we had agreed that it would be good to include the standard fairy tales in the programme and amongst all my props I had found a Red Riding Hood doll that converted into a grandmother and then became a wolf in Granny’s clothing. Again the story worked pretty well and the children were intrigued by the doll… but still no magic.
The last story of the session was Mighty Mouse, about a little mouse who sets out on a quest to find the deed that she can do to prove to the world what a mighty mouse she really is. For this story I have a really tiny, silky-soft, grey mouse and, at last, there was a hint of magic as they all focussed on the little mouse and followed the story closely.
With relief I bade them all goodbye until the next week.