Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Priscilla Howe, Kansas City storyteller, for an upcoming KC Parent Magazine article. I LOVE interviewing storytellers because, well, not to be cliche... but they tell delightful stories!
In working on the article, my girls and I listened to many of Priscilla's storytelling CDs and we're excited to be taking them with us on upcoming travel over the holidays. What a fantastic and captivating way to inspire the imaginations of children!
I have always adored radio stories... particularly shows. I grew up listening to library collections of old radio programs like Jack Benny, Burns & Allen, and Fibber McGee & Molly and I still treasure these (especially the holiday programs we'll be enjoying this week). My husband grew up listening to Adventures in Odyssey... now loved by our girls.
I think the endearing thing about listening to stories, without pictures, is the ability of the mind to create beautiful images, dramatic scenes, and larger-than-life characters that are hard to match on screen or page even in our modern era of special effects. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy movies and I adore books, but there is something wonderful about the spoken word simply telling a story. We're each left to our own imaginations to paint the pictures and there's nothing quite as splendid as that.
If your family will be traveling this winter, I heartily endorse the story CDs of Priscilla Howe, available at the library and at Priscilla Howe's Website. We are also fans of books on tape borrowed at the library, stories we tell and make up on the road as a family, read-along books, and when we're ready for a bit of silence, the View Master is one of our favorite travel toys.
Do you have any favorites for the road?
Written by Kristina Light