THE TEACHERS' STORY TELLER'S BOOK By ALICE O'GRADY, of the Kindergarten Department Illinois RAND MCNALLY & COMPANY CHICAGO NEW YORK UNIV. OF INTRODUCTION The study of stories for children during the past few years has resulted in the production of many excellent books of tales, both single and in such series as the Fairy Ring and Magic Casements, and the various "Tree" books by Clifton Johnson. Money to own a library of these source books, however, and time to select from many volumes the few desired stories, are seldom available, and as yet there has been published no book collecting only the simpler old tales, providing a story teller's book for home and school. The need of such a collection has been felt by the editors, and in this little volume they have endeavored to supply it. Here the teacher with the limited exchequer may find gathered in one collection a simple and selected group of stories. These stories, beginning with short narrative to follow the nursery rhyme and moving through more developed tales, both in structure and content are intended to supply literature for children from four to eleven years of age. In other words, from the kindergarten to the fifth grade. Therefore the first stories in the book are short and often interspersed with verse. Then come the simpler folk tales and, last of all, stories that are longer and contain more detail and more experience. These are followed by the fairy tale and fable, which belong to children of a larger growth. In several instances two versions of a folk tale have been given, both versions being in current use. But in every case the first given is considered the better one. 5 374171 |