Wow! Margaret Read MacDonald's latest just quivers with energy. This book gives great tips for getting kids involved in storytime. There are songs to dance to (my personal favorites!), sing to, drum to, and act out, whether you're telling to a big group, a small group, all kids, kids and parents . . . you get the idea. There's such a wealth of information here, I can't wait for the school year to start so I can try out all these new stories. Highly recommended!

Each chapter in this book is filled with tales that encourage audience participation and interaction. The stories are simple to learn and to tell and involve all sorts of activities such as singing, dancing, drumming, acting and improvisation. Each story is accompanied by any necessary music and a list of materials or props. At the end of each story, MacDonald has included "Tips for Telling" which outlines a strategy for the storyteller and "About the Story" which offers some more information about the story. Each chapter begins with a short description of the actions required in the chapter and some behind the scenes tips for controlling the audience. In addition to the full-text stories that are included in each chapter, MacDonald recommends other stories that would be appropriate for the same actions. Chapters are organized to encourage the reader to take on more complicated storytelling roles as they progress through the book. Beginning chapters are dedicated to one action such as singing or drumming while final chapters include using actors from the audience and creating a story theatre. Another nice feature of this resource is that stories come from all over the world, from Thailand to Gambia to China. This would make these stories an excellent addition to a cultural or geographic study on a specific country. This book would be a great purchase for anyone working with children. MacDonald's comments make storytelling much less mysterious or frightening for those not used to performing in front of a group. The twenty tales included here, along with the many others that she suggests make for unending ideas.

"Bookplay" is a terrific resource for anyone with (or teaching) preschoolers. The author has provided detailed outlines of 101 "creative themes", in groupings such as "Around town", "Families together", and "Winter". These outlines include appropriate books, related craft projects, songs, and follow-up activities. The book includes an appendix of songs, with words and music; it also has a 33-page bibliography of the books and recordings within the text, for easy reference. I LOVE this book--it is so user-friendly, and for this at-home-mom who practiced as a pediatric OT, the level of books and projects and songs is right-on in terms of preschoolers' development. It's great for homeschoolers, and parents looking to enrich their pre-schoolers' lives and suuplement nursery curriculums. Ms. MacDonald's one of my new heroes!

Our kids loved this book! It is filled with catchy and simple phrases which our kids could not help but repeat throughout the day. The theme is quite humorous, making this story very enjoyable to read again and again. As well, it conveys a good moral about greed!

My daughter (aged 7) identified with the Thai girl in this story, found herself caught up in the girl's desire to dress beautifully for her friends. Then, when the ending twist came, she wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry--but she loved it! I recommend it for parents and grandparents to share with early elementary aged girls (especially). the illustrations are also very colorful and appear to be culturally accurate.

My 7 yr. old daughter loves this book. It's a funny book about an old lady who is never satisfied with her house even though the fairy keeps granting her wishes for bigger and better houses. The morale is a good one--happiness comes from within, not from your possessions. My daughter soon memorized the verses that repeat throughout the book and recites them each time we read the book. The pictures are beautiful, detailed, and full of bright colors.

For three years in a row I have used this book with my Head Start students. The simple, repetitive text engages even my English learners and my Developmentally Delayed children. I hear children singing the Pickin' Peas song for the rest of the year after we complete a unit on this book. It just begs to be "stretched" too. Lends itself to talking about nutrition, growing things, dancing, and so much more. A delightful find.

This book is a mother's dream. Easy to read, simply organized, and quickly put into action for an afternoon of great fun. I tried 3 of these skits on my own kids and they loved it. One skit calls for placing a raisin, posing as a fly, on a table. The first child comes in, pretends to take off the wings, and leaves. The second child comes in, pretends to remove the legs, and leaves. The third child comes in, utters aloud that it looks like a raisin, and eats it. The groans and giggles from the child actors and the audience were priceless! There are dozens of more tasteful skits and clever ones, too, along with the gross ones that kids like. A fine way to involve kids creatively without much preparation required.

Well-drawn illustrations. The story is sweet. I bought the book because of the drawings of the corgi, but enjoyed the moral of the book too. Would like to see this author & illustrator work together again.

This reference is hard to get into, but well worth it. Even though it is 15+ years old, it has much value still for libraries and media centers with large collections of 398's. The subject index allows you to find many stories about almost any subject you or your students can think of. It also helps to find that partially forgotten story you heard once upon a time. An ethnic and geographic index also helps teachers and librarians fit stories into themes. All stories, compiled from more than 2000 folktale collections, are arranged in Stith Thompson order, so stories on similar themes are easy to find. Its only drawback is its date - but many libraries still have these collections on their shelves, and many of the collections are being reprinted. Rev. by George Pilling, Library Media Teacher, Tulare County, C

Praise be to Margaret Read MacDonald for compiling these essays about contemporary storytelling around the world. Many are written by those who grew up hearing tales told around the hearth; all are solidly grounded in academic theory without (for the most part) being pedantic or jargon-y. Of special interest are the many articles about telling stories to children, a subject that has bee neglected by too many anthropologists and folklorists. Well-worth the price.