For those who want to begin storytelling but don't know where to start, The Storyteller's Start-Up Book offers everything one could ask for. Margaret Read MacDonald, a folklorist and children's librarian who is also a touring storyteller, offers basic start-up information on finding stories, looking at them critically, starting a "story bank," networking with other storytellers, and creating a storytelling event. In chapters on learning and performing folktales, MacDonald offers the reader suggestions for finding his or her own performance style. Most importantly, MacDonald presents twelve...

As any good storyteller knows, audience participation often makes the difference between a so-so story and a terrific tale. Here, veteran performer Margaret Read MacDonald shares her experience in this collection of multicultural stories that involve plenty of audience involvement. You'll find riddle stories, improvisational stories, singing tales, tandem tales, and much more. The twenty stories in Shake-It-Up Tales are easy to learn and easy to tell. and MacDonald prefaces each one with different ways of involving the audience, from implementing a simple refrain to casting characters in the...