How & Why Stories

by Hamilton, Martha; Weiss, Mitch

• ISBN13: 9780874835618
• ISBN10: 0874835615
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-12-15
• Publisher: August House

Summary

Did you ever look carefully at a spider's web? If their purpose is strictly to catch flies, why do spiders weave such beautiful, intricate webs? Did you ever wonder what causes thunder? Why is the sea salty? How did tigers get their stripes? In this collection of delightful tales from around the world and through the ages, each story explains why an animal, plant, or natural object looks or acts the way it does.

Author Biography

Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss are "Beauty and the Beast Storytellers," a husband-wife team who began telling stories together in 1980. They have presented storytelling performances and workshops at schools, libraries, coffee-houses, museums, festivals, and conferences throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe They are based in Ithaca, New York.

Table of Contents

Introduction	10	(2)
Where the Stories Come From (Map)	12	(3)
How and Why Stories
Thunder and Lightning	15	(3)
Nigeria (Ibibio)
How Tigers Got Their Stripes	18	(3)
Vietnam
Why Bat Flies Alone At Night	21	(2)
U.S. (Modoc Indian)
The Mill at the Bottom of the Sea	23	(3)
Korea
Why Cats Wash Their Paws After Eating	26	(2)
Europe
Why Ants Are Found Everywhere	28	(2)
Burma
Why Frog and Snake Never Play Together	30	(3)
Cameroon/Nigeria (Ekoi)
Why the Baby Says ``Goo''	33	(3)
U.S. (Penobscot Indian)
Why the Farmer and the Bear Are Enemies	36	(2)
Russia
Why Hens Scratch in the Dirt	38	(3)
Philippines
Why the Sun Comes Up When Rooster Crows	41	(3)
China
Why Dogs Chase Cats	44	(2)
U.S. (African-American)
The Dancing Brothers	46	(3)
U.S. (Onondaga Indian)
The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking	49	(2)
India
The Story of Arachne	51	(3)
Greece
Rabbit Counts the Crocodiles	54	(3)
Japan
The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean	57	(2)
Germany
How Brazilian Beetles Got Their Gorgeous Coats	59	(3)
Brazil
The Quarrel	62	(2)
U.S. (Cherokee Indian)
Why Parrots Only Repeat What People Say	64	(3)
Thailand
The Taxi Ride	67	(2)
Northern Ghana/Mauritania
How Owl Got His Feathers	69	(2)
Puerto Rico
Two Brothers, Two Rewards	71	(3)
China/Korea/Japan
Why Bear Has a Stumpy Tail	74	(2)
Norway
Where All Stories Come From	76	(3)
U.S. (Seneca Indian)
General Tips for Telling Stories	79	(8)
Activities	87	(4)
Appendix: Story Sources	91