Holiday Stories All Year Round

Violet Teresa deBarba Miller tells stories as Teresa Miller. She compiled Joining In: An Anthology of Audience Participation Stories and How to Tell Them, with assistance from Anne Pellowski, edited by Norma Livo, Introduction by Laura Simms.

• Foreword by Laura SimmsIntroductionJanuaryHorace the Horrible (New Year's Day) by Arlean Hale LambertA Different Kind of New Year's Celebration: Hogmanay (New Year's Day) by Norma McKissick LivoThe Caterpillar Blues (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) by Linda Goss and Gretchen ShannonFebruaryThe Great Groundhog-Day Get Together (Groundhog's Day) by Larry Johnson and Elaine WynneOni Wa Soto (Setsubon, Japanese New Year) by Cathy SpagnoliWhite Wave (Valentine's Day) by Diane WolksteinMarchThe Musical Leprechaun and St. Patrick (St. Patrick's Day) by Gail N. HermanAprilThe Legend of Songkran (Thai New Year) by Margaret Read MacDonald and Supaporn VathanapridaA Blessing in Disguise (Passover) by Peninnah SchramThe Earth Dreamers (Earth Day) by Regina RessWhy the Evergreens Keep their Leaves in Winter (Arbor Day) by Ruth StotterMayThe Garden Rainbow (May Day) by Linda MarchisioKelly's Memorial Day Parade (Memorial Day) by V.J. RicheyThe Buddha's Birthday in Thailand (Buddha's Birthday) by Wajuppa TossaJuneThe Freedom Flag (Flag Day) by Gay Merrill GrossJulyFourth of July Holiday (Fourth of July) by Teresa Miller & Andrea BieleckiSeptemberCharity (Ramadan) by Cathy SpagnoliEl Grito de Dolores (Cry of the City of Dolores) (Mexican Independence Day) by Norma CantûThe Constitution Jive (National Constitution Day) by Linda MarchisioThe Boy Who Called the King a Fool (International Peace Day) by Ruthilde KronbergOctoberThe Magic Paint Box (United Nations Day) by Gerald FierstThe Halloween Pumpkin (Halloween) by Stephanie MitaNovemberGluskonba and the Maple Tree (American Indian Heritage Month) by Joseph BruchacEleven Bells (Veterans Day) by Larry JohnsonRabbit, Bobcat, and the Wild Turkeys (Thanksgiving Day) by Fran StallingsDecemberReisele's Hannukah Dream (Hannukah) by Ruthilde KronbergSilent Night 1914, or the Peace Message of Christmas (Christmas Eve) by Charles David KleymeyerHow the Squirrel Got Its Stripes (Christmas Day) by Laura SimmsFeasts-a-Plenty (Kwanzaa) by Kathy CulmerPartial Glossary by Ruth StotterBibliography of Holiday Books

The 30 stories contained in this volume include contributions from such luminaries as Diane Wolkstein, Peninnah Schram, Laura Simms, and Joseph Bruchac, as well as others who have devoted their lives to bringing story to others through the powerful medium of oral narration. The selections themselves cover a broad range of holidays, including those that might be expected–New Year's Day, the Fourth of July, etc.–as well as lesser-known celebrations, such as the Thai New Year. Ways for the audience to participate in the tellings are included with each tale, with uneven success. A stirring refrain or even a brief brainstorming session may indeed provide the kind of 'mutual ownership' Miller describes in her introduction, but random questions interjected into a story often serve only to interrupt the narrative flow or break a mood that otherwise might have been created. There are a great many selections about peace, a good thing in and of itself, but most of them are so message driven that they don't always stand as stories. There is useful background information at the end of each tale, but suggestions for Internet sites rely heavily on Wikipedia. Activities suggested are unexceptional, often relying on mundane cut and paste. Still, storytellers in need of material specifically related to holidays should find sufficient fodder here to warrant purchase.