Some of the best stories have really great details that build a picture in your mind.  “Listening to stories creates vivid, multisensory details.  Details create memory” (Haven & Ducey, 2007, p. 13).  Memory is an important skill for young people to learn, as is listening.  “Storytelling encourages the art of listening.  Children experience the whole of a piece of literature, uninterrupted by questions or discussion” (Greene & Del Negro, 2010, p. 45).  Learning to listen can be important for academic development, as well as social development.

A wonderful story about listening is A Saam’s Tale, a transcript of which is included here: http://www.storiestogrowby.com/stories/saams_tale_finland.html. It comes from Finland, and tells the story of a young boy who wanders into the woods, meets a woman who could have been his grandmother, and learns about the importance of listening.  This story also has some nice vivid details about the forest and environment.

Diane Wolksten performed “Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep” from Eleanor Farjeon’s Martin Pippin in the Daisy Field, which includes some great details and rhymes to help generate pictures and memory.  I love how the story moves between realities that are known (skipping, the word on the street), and magic.  This is one of those stories that helps re-imagine possibilities!  Watch her performance here: