Stories in Action

Promote the love of story, familiarize children with a variety of story forms and stimulate curiosity in diverse subjects while building basic literacy skills. In this guide, dozens of enchanting stories from around the world are accompanied by simple learning extensions for children (ages 4 through 8) that build such important literacy skills as print awareness, print motivation, vocabulary, phonological awareness, listening skills, and predicting and sequencing skills. Each of the 14 chapters begins with an interactive, illustrated folktale finger play as starting point for a range of literacy building activities such as acting out, re-telling, writing, and discussions; and ends with a short list of related books. A great resource for library story hour, the book will also be invaluable to storytellers, teachers, day care centers, and after school programs. Grades PreK-3.

Introduction
Exploring Themes through Stories
Tales of Crowded Dwellings
Tales Using Echoes and Reflections
Tales of Dreams
Tales of Magical Helpers
Tales of Sharing
Tales of Inanimate Objects Animating
Exploring Character through Stories
West African Spider Stories
Exploring Culture through Stories
Learning about Mexican Culture through Folktales
Learning about the Brazilian Amazon through the Folktales
Learning about Northeastern American Indians through the Folktales
Exploring Structures of Stories
Tall Tales
Why Stories
Cumulative Tales
Circle Stories