Resources
Share A Tale
Share A Tale; Canadian stories to tell children and young adults by Irene Aubrey and Louise McDiarmid. Ottawa: Canadian Library Association, 1995, $29.95. ISBN 0-88802-270-0 222p.
Share A Tale differs from its companion volumes Storytellers' Rendezvous and Storytellers' Encore in format and in tone. This volume is smaller in overall dimension and easier to shelve. It has no illustrations and seems to have clearly identified its audience as the adult teller, unlike the other volumes which seemed to try to appeal to children as well.
The over 100 stories collected here are divided into anecdotes and tall tales, poetry, eerie tales, modern tales, true tales, traditional tales, and First Nations tales.
It's always fun when you start to read a collection and find that you are getting caught up in it. That's what happened to me as I read from section to section. My particular favourites were in the true tales. There I met little known heroes and heroines, and heard moving stories that ranged from the Klondike mines, to the western wheat fields, to the East coast. A few I knew before, most were new to me, and I finished the entire volume with a feeling that I knew more about Canada and her people.
Each tale is preceded by brief notes which give some background on the story, make comparisons with other tales, or otherwise the context. Tellers, collectors, informants and translators are fully credited before the story as well. The telling time is listed for each story as is the age suitability. Perhaps beginning tellers will find the age guidelines a help but I tend to be a little leery of them.
Aubrey and McDiarmid are to be congratulated on Share A Tale. It is a fine collection for browsing and a sure source for stories that reflect the rich and fascinating heritage of Canada.
The Second Story Review, Vol 1, No. 1, March 1996
Share A Tale differs from its companion volumes Storytellers' Rendezvous and Storytellers' Encore in format and in tone. This volume is smaller in overall dimension and easier to shelve. It has no illustrations and seems to have clearly identified its audience as the adult teller, unlike the other volumes which seemed to try to appeal to children as well.
The over 100 stories collected here are divided into anecdotes and tall tales, poetry, eerie tales, modern tales, true tales, traditional tales, and First Nations tales.
It's always fun when you start to read a collection and find that you are getting caught up in it. That's what happened to me as I read from section to section. My particular favourites were in the true tales. There I met little known heroes and heroines, and heard moving stories that ranged from the Klondike mines, to the western wheat fields, to the East coast. A few I knew before, most were new to me, and I finished the entire volume with a feeling that I knew more about Canada and her people.
Each tale is preceded by brief notes which give some background on the story, make comparisons with other tales, or otherwise the context. Tellers, collectors, informants and translators are fully credited before the story as well. The telling time is listed for each story as is the age suitability. Perhaps beginning tellers will find the age guidelines a help but I tend to be a little leery of them.
Aubrey and McDiarmid are to be congratulated on Share A Tale. It is a fine collection for browsing and a sure source for stories that reflect the rich and fascinating heritage of Canada.
The Second Story Review, Vol 1, No. 1, March 1996