Praise for How to Tell Stories to Children
“Parents will walk away smitten with stories - and ready to tell some.”
Publishers Weekly
“The best stories are told by the ones who know us deeply. And if you lack confidence, then here is loads of help.”
Steve Biddulph, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Secret of Happy Children, Raising Boys, and Raising Girls
“Readers will walk away from the book feeling empowered and capable.”
Kirkus Reviews
*Read the full review at Kirkus Reviews
“Storytelling is, without doubt, the best way to imprint information or ideas on the mind of the listener. This book will help to promote storytelling as a key educational tool."
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace
“This book will quietly thrill you and deeply connect you with your children. It will give you the feeling I can do this.”
Kim John Payne, Family Counselor and Bestselling Author of Simplicity Parenting
“What a great idea for a book! Humans understand the world primarily through stories, which means you can shape the world of the small people you love with just a bit of fancy and a lot of love."
Bill McKibben, New York Times Bestselling Author of Eaarth and The End of Nature
"After many years of men's work and retreats all over the world, I believe this kind of practical wisdom is what so many fathers and mothers need to connect with their children in a spiritual, loving, and easily effective way."
Fr. Richard Rohr, New York Times Bestselling Author and Founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation
“In these times of relational poverty, daily stress and trauma, storytelling is an accessible modality for any parent, teacher or counselor that promotes connection, hope, healing and resiliency—and Silke and Joe provide this important gift through their original stories, ancestral tales and teachings.”
Kara Andresen, LCSW, Child Therapist
“This isn’t really a book about technique. It peels away technical concerns and takes you to the glowing heart of the matter: telling stories to children is a thoroughly natural thing for any adult to do.”
Joe Hayes, Bilingual Storyteller and Author of A Heart Full of Turquoise
“I love this book! Stories give us ways to connect and consider what we have in common with each other and to celebrate what makes us delightfully different.”
Melanie DeMore, African-American Folk Singer & Storyteller
“I wish I'd read this book before my children grew up. Its simple insights and practices will make me a better storyteller.”
Charles Eisenstein, Author of Sacred Economics and The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible
“After 40 years of teaching, training teachers, and even longer in telling stories - this is the first book I’ve seen quite like this. It’s not just about the power of telling stories but that we all innately have that ability. Silke and Joe give everyone permission to step into that world with confidence.”
Sara Tisdel, Elementary School Teacher & Teacher Trainer
“This book is a gem. With practical tips, science, and folk wisdom, the authors have given us a down-to-earth treasure to free the storyteller in all of us. I highly recommend this book.”
Rivera Sun, Author of The Way Between
“In this elegantly written guide, the authors – both gifted teachers of small children – reclaim the timeless tradition of storytelling, giving us practical tools for transforming the most ordinary life experiences into magical adventures to captivate and engage listeners of all ages.”
Mirabai Starr, Author of Caravan of No Despair and Wild Mercy
“With every chapter, I felt inspired. I began trusting in the moment, not knowing where the story would take us.”
Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw, Author-Illustrator of Same, Same but Different and other children’s books
What Parents are Saying
“This gem is the most important parenting book I've ever read. I happily recommend to anyone with or without kids.”
Megan
“I loved this book. It inspires its readers to commit to storytelling, especially with children. The real purpose in storytelling, according to the authors, is less about getting the narrative right and more about building intimacy and community. I highly recommend this book to parents and teachers of young children, but, really, anyone could benefit from reading this delightful book.”
Isaac Butterworth
“Your book has helped me understand kids better. I work as a substitute teacher and also teach travel skills to visually impaired kids. After using your advice, my classes have gone much better. I worry less about little mistakes, and I emphasize the relationship between the class and myself. And it’s been great with my own kids, too. They’re teenagers, but they still love stories!”
Miranda, Mother of Sophia (18) and Julie Anne (17)
“I have a renewed sense of confidence in my storytelling and parenting. It's been very fun, and has impacted our lives in ways much deeper than I ever expected.”
Vera
“I read your book a couple months ago and have been telling stories with my three-year-old son. Well, today at lunch something adorable happened. He started telling me a story! It was so cute because he would use the same phrases I had been using, such as “All of a sudden... And THEN...” I couldn’t stop smiling. Thank you for bringing storytelling into our lives. I am sold!”
Heidi Svoboda
“Storytelling has always come natural to me, but in these quarantine times I felt my storytelling game was at best a B-minus, and with parent fatigue at bedtime, a C-minus. Bottom line, I read your book during a recent flight and greeted my kids with new storytelling nuance and gusto. Five weeks later and the kids are begging for double stories in the day. Our favorite is "The Snail That Could Tell," a blue glowing snail that can answer one question per tale. So far, questions for this oracle have ranged from "Why is spaghetti so good?" to "Why do farts smell?"
Linwood Watson, Father of Aspen (8) and Skye (6)
“Simple. Sweet. Easy to follow and very inspiring. I’m so glad I found this and I love the series of tales that have already emerged between me and my dear grandson. Pure magic of the finest kind.”
Mari Lugh Ross
“I thought my storytelling days were mostly behind me now that my daughter is almost a teen, but this book reawakened my own passion for storytelling.”
Amelia, Mother of Isabel (12)
“I never thought telling stories could be so easy and spontaneous! Thank you for giving me the confidence to create on the fly.”
Brock, Father of Francis (6)
“I read your book and loved it! I had been feeling a pull to tell my children stories but didn’t feel like I was creative enough to make up my own stories. Instead, we just read lots of books together (which is still great). After reading this book, it took away the pressure and made it easy to make up stories to tell my kids. Now they ask for stories all the time and make up stories of their own. I am so grateful to have found this book as it has brought more connection into our home through stories.”
Christine, Mother of Chloe (7) and Caroline (4)
“This book is so much better than I expected. After reading about a quarter of the book, I was driving my daughter to her grandma's house and she was upset. She had excitedly made plans to visit Grandma on her own, without her baby brother tagging along, but on the way over she was sad about leaving him behind for the day. I gathered up my new storytelling skills and gave it a shot.
I told her a story about her stuffed tiger and his journey through the forest to his grandma's house. The stuffed animals he met along the way all gave him ideas about what they did when they missed someone special. The last one suggested that he might make something special for the person he was missing with Grandma. So that's what the tiger did. My daughter said she felt better at the end of the story, and then had a blast with Grandma making something special for her brother while she was there.
When I had my daughter I had really felt out of touch with my own imagination. I had spent too much time as a boring adult, worried about my own insecurities, and it felt scary to put myself out there in any creative way with my kiddo. I've gotten better, but this book was like a little bridge for me. A push in the direction I wanted to go, with concrete things to try. And the encouragement I needed.”
Rebecca Eichelberg
“This is such a refreshing voice amidst the parenting noise and consumerism. Thank you for the inspiration to be a storyteller with my kid.”
Melanie D