How & Why Stories (World Storytelling from August House)

I was searching for a source of pourquoi tales for third grade children and found this wonderful resource. Kids are filled with questions and these tales help give them answers to their questions. The guidelines provided for teaching storytelling to children are excellent as are the ideas of how to encourage children to write their own how and why stories. An invaluable resource!!!!

Such a good story book, my lead teacher from my last job had this and it captivates the children and let's them use their imaginations while you read and do subtle gestures for them. I can't wait to use it in my classroom 😊

I loved this book for my fourth grade students. It was a nice addition to supplement their reading series. Stories are short and written in kid friendly ways. Now my students are writing their own original how and why stories. They love it!

I receive it with excitement for the nice quality as a used book. i like it very much. that's really great!

Great book for teaching a pourquoi tales unit.

This Hamilton and Weiss book was given to us as a gift. It was our first experience with their books. We are very grateful to have this book in our collection and what a great place to start!The length of each story and child friendly layout of the book really encouraged my kids to, not only read, but to tell these stories. The "How and Why World Tales..." are right in line with questions kids are always asking. They love to ask and they love to search for answers. These multi-cultural tales stimulate the thinking power of children and encourage their imaginations.The illustrations and stories are in perfect harmony. After a wonderful collection of tales, Hamilton and Weiss offer a master's class at the end of the book. They suggest many ways to read, practice, and tell these stories. Their energetic support to tell leaps off of the page as if they are right there to coach. They offer more story prompt ideas which expand the book even further. They are masters.

I'm not a kid and I'm not a storyteller, but once I picked up this book in my local library, I couldn't put it down. Maybe it's nostalgia; I can still recall how fascinated I was as a child reading about how the bear got its short tail, and that story is in Hamilton and Weiss's book! Lots of other stories are included as well--why spiders weave beautiful and intricate webs, how the owl got his feathers, and why ants are found everywhwere. These stories are great for storytellers, but they are great, too, for just reading, whether aloud to your child or to yourself, no matter what age you are. I must say even non-storytellers will be tempted to open their mouths in front of an audience with the supportive and helpful encouragement offered by these seasoned storytellers. They make it sound so easy! Each story is followed by background information and tips for telling, and at the back of the book, Hamilton and Weiss offer the most concise, well-presented code for choosing, learning, and telling stories. Buy this book for your children, grandchildren, your local library, or...for yourself!

This is a wonderful book for storytellers of all ages, but especially the young and curious. The tales themselves are well chosen: culturally diverse, intelligent, and thought provoking. There are plentiful notes on sources and suggestions for improving technique. In fact, the appendeces are worth the cost of the book! There are activities, and an excellent bibliography of further sources for more stories, and questioning activities. a perfect aid both inside and outside of the classroom.