Folkstories of Children

This collection of about five hundred stories told by fifty children between the ages of two and ten reveals not only the progression of verbal competence but the management and growth of life concerns. The staging of storytelling as well as organization of plot elements vary according to age. Some see the story as a dialogue between teller and audience; some see it as a monologue expressive of concerns about fate. The author discusses the possible origins of the stories themselves: folktales, parent and teacher reading, media, required writing of stories in school, dreams, and play. The practical importance of children being encouraged to tell stories is indicated by the quality of the stories in the collection as well as the inclusion of references to studies that show important relationships between such telling and normal academic progress.