Three-Minute Tales

From School Library Journal

MacDonald has compiled more than 70 short, easy-to-learn tales that are ideal for beginning a program or filling in short lags that may occur during a performance. Some selections take as little as 30 seconds to tell. They come mainly from Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and are subdivided by the occasions for which they are best suited: tales to tell on a walk, scary tales, humorous tales, tales for the very young, participatory tales. A few are even provided in fingerplay form. A useful addition to professional and parenting collections.–Marlyn K. Beebe, City of Long Beach Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Easy to tell, easy to teach to children and adults, and easy to remember, the 80 very short tales in this global collection are for sharing in the classroom, library, and home and around the campfire. The stories range from chants and participation tales ("Did you feed my cow?") to scary ghost stories, and with each one, veteran storyteller and folklorist MacDonald includes a note in tiny print about the story's origins and connections and about where to find more like it. Many stories are from Asia, where MacDonald has worked, and from the U.S.; there's only one from Africa ("How to break a bad habit") but it's one of the best. The book design is spacious, with short lines that show the rhythm and pauses of the telling. The informal, highly practical suggestions for beginners make storytelling sound easy, including how to choose and rehearse a story and where and when to tell it. The fun here is not in punch lines or climactic moments but in the lively telling and interaction. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved