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SUGGESTED READING

Student Bibliography

Cole, Joanna. Best Loved Folk Tales of the World. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1983.
This is an excellent collection of folk tales from all over the world. These versions are too difficult for most
elementary school students to read, but they will greatly enjoy listening to them. Joanna Cole has included old
favorites here such as The Golden Goose as well as some rare and unusual tales.

Evslin, Bernard, Evslin, Dorothy, and Hoopes, Ned. Heroes and Monsters of the Greek Myth. New York, NY:
Scholastic Book Services, 1967.
This collection includes Pygmalion and such other myths as the stories of Atalanta, Midas, and Perseus. It is
written on a level for older elementary or middle school students. It is a good source for the
teacher/storyteller.

Haley, Gail E. A Story, A Story. Hartford, CT: Connecticut Printers, Inc., 1970.
This is a wonderful story and a beautiful picture book that middle elementary school students should be able
to read for themselves. The simple woodcut illustrations are lovely. It is written in a style that begs the reader
to “tell” it out loud.

Johnson, Edna, Sickels Evelyn R., Sayers, Frances Clark, eds. Anthology of Children’s Literature. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1970.
In this anthology you will find the story of The Cat and the Parrot. This one of the sources I used in creating
my own version of The Fat Cat. I will supply my retelling to the reader upon request.

Kent, Jack. The Fat Cat. New York, NY: Scholastic Book Services, 1971.
This is a picture book version of The Fat Cat folk tale. It is similar in structure to my retelling, yet different.
Young children can read this version on their own. The three versions of The Fat Cat that are available could
be used to teach a lesson on how varied one folk tale can be as it is found in different sources.

Scarry, Richard. Animal Nursery Tales. New York, NY: Golden Press, 1975.
This book is filled with the stories that young children love: The Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, The
Muscians of Breman, and many others. Young children can read this book and will enjoy Richard Scarry’s
illustrations. The teacher/storyteller will find it to be a wonderful resource for these simple tales of
childhood.


 Teachers Bibliography

Cheifetz, Dan. Theater in My Head. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1971.
This is an excellent narrative of one teacher’s experience in directing and setting up a drama workshop.

Fluegelman, Andrew, Ed. More New Games! Garden City, NY: Dolphin Books, 1976.
This is the first of two books dealing with non-competitive group games. The games though not meant to be
artistic often are. The games are very creative and fun to play. They can easily become part of a drama
workshop.

Fluegelman, Andrew, Ed. The New Games Book. Garden City NY: Dolphin Books, 1981.
The follow-up book to The New Games Book. These games can often be used in drama activities as well.

Grenough, Millie, Esdaile, Sharyn, Wolf, Mary Hunter, eds. Bananas and Fifty-Four Other Varieties: A Book of Activities to do with Kids. West Haven, CT: Fairfax Press, 1980.
I was one of the authors of this book which was created by the team of artists who taught in the Title VII
Arts Program. This Program brought children together from schools all over the New Haven to work with the
arts in an interdisciplinary manner. The games and activities described here are excellent for use in the
classroom. Copies of the book may be obtained by contacting Keith Cunningham of the Center for Theatre
Techniques, c/o the Coop H.S., Dixwell Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511.

McCaslin, Nellie. Act Now! Plays and Ways to Make Them. New York, NY: S.G. Phillips, Inc., 1975.
Nellie McCaslin is a major influence in the world of children’s theater. This is an excellent book that can be
used by both a teacher and her students. Ms. McCaslin explains in a step-by-step manner how to put on a
classroom play.

McCaslin, Nellie. Creative Drama in the Intermediate Grades. New York, NY: Longman, Inc., 1987.
Ms McCaslin has also written a similar book for the lower elementary grades. This book looks at all the drama
activities a teacher might choose to do with children in grades 4, 5 and 6. Storytelling, puppetry, playmaking,
poetry, and mime are all explored in this text. I think that this is the one book to purchase if you are thinking
of using drama techniques in the classroom.

Spolin, Viola. Improvisation for the Theater: A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques. Evanston, Il: Northwestern University Press, 1963.
Viola Spolin invented the theater game and this is the first book in which she shared her techniques. It is a
classic.

Spolin, Viola. Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher’s Handbook. Evanston, Il: Northwestern University  Press, 1986. 
In this book Viola Spolin shares her games with teachers giving excellent objectives and sharing
her philosophies regarding the uses and importance of theater in the classroom. This is another “must have”
book.

Spolin, Viola. Theater Games for Rehearsal: A Director’s Handbook. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University
Press, 1985. 
Here Ms. Spolin selects those theater games she feels will most help the theater director. This
book can be very useful in the blocking and staging of a play.

Ward, Winifred. Stories to Dramatize. Anchorage, KY: The Children’s Theatre Press, 1952.
I am afraid this excellent book is out of print, but it is worth a library search. Winifred Ward is the mother of
the children’s theater movement in the United States. This book shares not only her timeless philosophies, but all of her practical ideas for staging the wonderful stories included in this book.

Way, Brian. Development Through Drama. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press, 1967.
Brian Way is one of the major forces in the English creative drama movement. This is an excellent source book.