Newsletters

We thought it might be helpful to kick-off the fall 2022-2023 school year with an 

overview of why folktales are more relevant than ever.

In this newsletter, we’ve organized four major sections that highlight the unique 

contribution that folktales can make in today’s challenging world.

"One  can never go wrong with random acts of kindness, and there can never be  too much kindness in our world.  Every small act of kindness is  significant.  It may seem like it doesn’t accomplish much, but one act  of kindness can lead to more positive outcomes."

Supplemental Reading More Important Than Ever!     With  so many distractions, returning to school has been more challenging  than ever this year. However, one aspect of back to school is still  critical every fall: finding ways to reinvigorate kids with a love of  learning while also determining each child’s specific reading strengths  and needs.

One consistent trend we’ve noticed is that Story Cove usage typically spikes in Kindergarten through 2nd grade classrooms during the first 12 weeks of the school year. This  trend is true for both the online version and the 8x8 paperback picture  books with differentiated lesson plans.

Kindness Tales Launches April 7th

What could be more timely than a book about kindness in today's divided and often hostile world? 

Kindness Tales is the long-awaited third book in a trilogy that includes Peace Tales and Earth Care from award winning author and highly-respected folklorist, Margaret  Read MacDonald.  Margaret has curated a collection of her favorite  stories that celebrate the timeless power of kindness to make our world a  gentler, safer, and more loving place.

Kindness Tales contains more than forty folktales that  illustrate the transformative power of kindness through leading, sharing  and caring for one another.

Sharing Stories Is More Important Than Ever          With  so many schools still using remote learning or a blended learning  model, kids (and their families) often feel more isolated and alone. One  way to help kids feel more connected with their teachers and classmates  is to help them share their personal stories about their experiences  during the pandemic and the ways their lives have changed (in some cases  dramatically). 

Sharing stories, whether remotely over Zoom or in a physical classroom  setting, can have a profound impact on kids, not only on their sense of  personal well-being but also on their academic proficiency. In fact,  there is a growing body of research that supports the efficacy of using  the age-old tradition of storytelling and its potential impact on  learning readiness.

Featured Author:  Bill Harley,   Book of the Month:  America's Outlaws and the Treasurers They Left Behind by W.C. Jameson,  New Releases:   Sweet Tamales for Purim by Barbara Bietz and Bear's All-Night Party by Bill Harley

Why Are Multi-Cultural Stories So Important Today?          At a time of so much social upheaval, many people are naturally  questioning the relevance of many cultural traditions. So let’s use this opportunity to discover how timeless stories from other cultures have enriched and influenced our society.   

From  time to time, parents and even some educators have asked me about  reading scary stories with young children. In some cases, they were  concerned about how kids might react to a truly horrifying character or a  particularly creepy situation. Sometimes, they were worried that a  child might feel overwhelmed by the intensity of a scene. In other  situations, they were afraid that kids might believe in the power of  witchcraft or magic.