"Tell Me a Story" Book Review

I just purchased the sensational book Tell Me a Story: Stories from the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America.

This is a lovely early childhood book for Waldorf families... I absolutely suggest adding it to your collection if you are looking for stories to read or tell your child! Unlike some other Waldorf storytelling books there aren't puppetry ideas or directions for circle time movement games or sheet music for singing or other musical accompaniment to the tale. It is simply a beautiful age-appropriate compilation of gentle nature-oriented stories for little ones.

This is the kind of book you give to a new mother and father! And then you get a copy for yourself too and you end up lending that one to a friend and never getting it back... so maybe you should just go ahead and get three!

Here is the Table of Contents, which is what I always want to know when I'm considering buying a book:

Simple Stories to Start With

Good Morning, Mr. Jay
Rimple and Dimple
The Hungry Bunny
Mister Grieder's Farm
And the Little One Said...
The Lost Jewel
Good Night, Baby Bear


Nature Tales

The Harvest Mouse
Autumn Bear
The Snowflake and the Leaf
The Snowdrop
The Oriole's Journey
Small Cloud
The Story of a Butterfly
Mother Spider


Stories for Seasons and Festivals

Michael and the Dragon
The Boy Who Spoke the Truth
The Golden Star Flowers
Mother Earth and the Leaves
The Old Owl on the Farm
Winifred Witch and Her Golden Cat
The Big Red Apple
The Harvest Gift
Squirrel Nutkin's Thanksgiving
Hugin and the Shooting Stars
Fiochetto Bianco
The Golden Lantern
Hugin's Lantern
Mother Earth's Children
Silvercap, King of the Frost Fairies
The Crystal Cave
The Child of Light
Holy Nights
The Polar Bear
A Million Valentines
Leprechaun's Gold
Lady Spring Arrives
The Mud Muffins
The Little Pine Tree
The Old Woman and the Tulips
Grandfather Tomten and the Easter Surprise
Golden Rabbit and the Rainbow Eggs
The Caterpillar's Journey
Corn Child and the Queen of Night
Jimmy Acorn Stories


Working and Helping

The Little Girl Who Would Not Work
The Legend of the Woodpecker
Little Squirrel and the Mysterious Knocking
The New Red Dress
The Sheep and the Pig
The Silent Maiden
The Farmer Prince
The Shining Loaf
The Dragonfly's Tale
The Fisherman and the Quiltmaker
Do What You Can


Journeys and Wonders

The Story of the Mountain Pears
The Sun's Sisters
The Golden Pine Cones
Peter, Paul, and Espen
The Magic Lake at the End of the World
The Dragon's Gate
Hans and the Wonderful Flower
Hidden Waters
The Sword of a True Knight
Wild Goose Lake
Scarface


Healing Stories for Special Situations

The Little Seed's Journey
Two Friends
Knock, Knock
Mouse Goes Looking for a House
For Anastasia and Her Dear Grandmother
Shuna, Teller of Tales
The Wise Woman and the Magical Garden
The Golden Fish
Little Birds and Big Bugs


Ending With Laughter

The Travels of a Fox
Little Half-Chick
The Boy Who Tried to Fool His Father
The Red Sheep
Gecko's Complaint
How to Break a Bad Habit

This collection of stories takes a spot on your shelf for sure, probably beside the Tiptoes Lightly series by Reg Down:

And Healing Stories for Challenging Behavior, Garden of Light: A Collection of Therapeutic Children's Stories, and The Knocking-Door-Tree Forest and Other Bangalow Tales: A Collection of Stories for Children, all by Susan Perrow, and Gifts from the Sea: A Collection of Stories for Children from Byron Bay, Australia, by Susan Perrow et. al. (These last three titles I got at one of Rahima's Waldorf conferences years ago and they are just lovely.)

My last recommendation in this category -- and it is one of the BEST books for Early Childhood if you can only afford one or two but you want to be Waldorf-inspired in your home and your parenting with toddlers -- is The Breathing Circle: Learning through the Movement of the Natural Breath by Nell Smyth. This is also THE book if you are trying to start a parenting or Waldorf homeschooling group for preschool and doing circle time, play time, snack, and stories. It walks you through all the HOW and WHY and is so inspirational. You just feel so all over warm and peaceful after you read it!!