The ideal time for storytelling

As Christmas gets near, I can’t help thinking it’s the ideal time of the year for all kinds of storytelling. When I was a child, my aunty used to get out her old-fashioned record-player and play me Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales. It sent a thrill through me every time, especially when it got to that spooky bit about going round carol-singing and hearing the small, dry, eggshell voice that came out through the keyhole of one of the doors and joined in with the carol-singing. Besides, there’s that wonderful line, ‘Bring out the tall tales now that we told by the fire as the gaslight bubbled like a diver.’ I loved every word and still do.

So this is definitely one time of the year when I make sure to put some seasonal tales that are good for children on my weekly storytelling Blog: www.storyworks.org.uk/wordpress. This year what I’ve lined up are two different versions of the Star Apple story as well as The Little Fir Tree and my own Christmas-time chant, Going To See Father Christmas. The last of these is based on the well-known traditional rhyme, Going On A Bear-Hunt. It always creates a festive atmosphere because there’s clapping and tapping and plenty of chance to join in. To me, that’s what storytelling is all about. It brings people together. It gives young and old a chance to participate by sharing special tales as well as personal experiences and family memories. That’s why it was especially lovely this week to read about a lecture that has just been given by this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

This year’s winner is the Chinese writer, Mo Yan, author of novels with such intriguing titles as Sandalwood Death and The Transparent Carrot. I must confess I haven’t read any of these books as yet but I’ll be making sure to look out for them now. Mo Yan’s lecture to the Stockholm Academy was entitled Storytellers and in it he specifically talked about how he started storytelling as a child. As repayment for his mother’s kindness and as a way to demonstrate his memory to her, he’d retell his stories to her in vivid detail. In his lecture he referred to her as ‘the person who is most on my mind at this moment’.

Inspirational stuff! Share your stories with your children, you never know what effect they will have. I have no doubt of one thing – that the experience will always be remembered and treasured.

Mary Medlicott

Website: www.storyworks.org.uk

Blog: www.storyworks.org.uk/wordpress