Valuable Books About Storytelling in General and Transformative Storytelling with Children
Biblical Storytelling
Story Journey by Tom Boomershine - an invaluable place to start on your story journey. This book is foundational and very thorough, giving the reader step by step instruction and guidance in learning stories by heart, all in a very user friendly format.
The Bible in Ancient and Modern Media - Story and Performance. Volume 1 of the Biblical performance Criticism series. Edited by Holly E. Heardon and Philip Ruge-Jones. Thought-provoking and life changing essays delving into why we need to change our thinking when we read the stories of the Bible. These chapters in the book are essays each written by different scholars.
Tiny Tara Teaches Truth by Dr. Tara Rye. This short guide gives many practical examples of how to teach the Bible using storytelling techniques.
Experiential Storytelling by Mark Miller. This is a very fun, engaging easy to read book with golden nuggets of truth about storytelling the Scriptures.
Shaped by the Story by Michael Novelli. This is his story with lots of visual aids, he tells how and why storytelling helps students encounter God in a new way.
The Art of Biblical Narrative by Robert Alter. This book is a little hard to get through, I needed a thesaurus, but what I gleaned from it really changed my thinking about the Bible as story. Well worth the trouble.
Jesus the Storyteller by Stephen I. Wright. This book gives you tools for a fresh hearing of Jesus' stories and new insight into Jesus as storyteller.
Storytelling in General
Improving Your Storytelling by Doug Lipman. This is a great book on all the basics of storytelling: what is story, the importance of your audience, your voice, overcoming performance anxiety.
The Storytelling Coach by Doug Lipman. When you want to go to the next level, especially when helping children to learn and tell stories, this book about how to coach storytellers is a must.
The Storyteller's Guide by Bill Mooney and David Holt. So much practical advice from dozens of famous storytellers.
Storytelling - Process and Practice by Norma J. Livo and Sandra A. Rietz. This book has been around a while and is like the Bible for storytelling. It is FULL of practical how-to's and why's.
Tales as Tools by The National Storytelling Association. This is a practical guide to using storytelling in the classroom and why it is the best teaching tool.
Storytelling, Imagination and Faith by William J. Bausch. This gives you a little bit of everything; some faith based stories to tell as well as informational chapters on Scripture as story, narrative theology, and our story.
Storytelling with Children in the Church
Story, Formation and Culture by Benjamin Espinoza. This book is packed with information on the power of story in the spiritual development of children.
Children's Ministry in the Way of Jesus by David Csinos and Ivy Beckwith. A beautiful book on what really works in children's ministry and how to give children what they need spiritually. Chapter 5 is all about God's Story and how we tell it.
Formational Children's Ministry by Ivy Beckwith. This book tells how to transform their hearts and storytelling is a big tool.
Storytelling, Kids, and Christian Education by Arlene Flancher. This is a how-to guide full of illustrations on the different ways to do storytelling in the church.
Offering the Gospel to Children by Gretchen Wolff Prichard. A must read book if you work with children in the church. She writes about things she has tried in her faith tradition, so there is much practical information. It is not all about storytelling but some chapters are.
Listening to Children on the Spiritual Journey by Catherine Stonehouse and Scottie May. This is a contemplative approach to children's ministry and has a very good chapter on using storytelling and the power of story to transform. It made me re-think what kind of questions I ask kids after a story, letting them tell me what they think it meant.
Shaped by God by Robert Keeley. This book has twelve chapters, each written by a different contributor. They are essays on nurturing faith in children.
100 Things Every Child Should Know Before Confirmation by Rebecca Kirkpatrick. this is not so much about storytelling but about the kinds of stories kids should be learning. Good to have as a resource.