William Mooney

Winner of the Pennsylvania School Library Association "YA Best of the Best" Award & Selected for The Elementary School Library Collection Storytelling World Award Anyone who has watched a master storyteller mesmerize an audience without benefit of set, props, or musical score, has wondered, "How do they do that?" The trick, this anthology tells us, is in the material. And each of the 40 contributors should know. They are some of America's most popular storytellers, each of them sharing a story guaranteed to work in front of the most demanding audience. In addition to a delightful story, each teller has included tips for unlocking the story and telling it in performance. This multicultural collection includes stories from Africa, India, ancient Greece, Egypt, Japan, the British Isles, Mexico, Thailand, as well as the African-American, Cajun, Appalachian, Jewish, and native American oral traditions.

Winner of the Garden State Teen Book Award & 2002 YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young AdultsHey, did you hear the one about the lady who had her beehive hairdo sprayed so hard that spiders started to nest in it? Of course you did, it happened to your next-door neighbor's cousin. Or was it your cousin's next-door neighbor? Folktales are not the exclusive domain of the past. They're alive and kicking in urban legends, those stories that are told as true, but always as happening to a friend of a friend. We hear them in conversation and recognize them on the Internet. In this collection, you'll encounter stories about stupid criminals, scams and conspiracy theories, students clever enough to outsmart the professor though not smart enough to pass the test, and jerks who get their just desserts. Based on David Holt and Bill Mooney's two-man storytelling show and their Grammy nominated audio, this collection will make your hair stand on end... possible into the shape of a beehive hairdo. These urban legends will teach readers the importance of courage and resourcefulness.

Winner of Storytelling World Award & Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice AwardThis collection of world tales focuses on stories originating from nearly every continent. They are short, gripping stories that "kick in fast," including comedy, trickster, tall tales, and family themes for middle and young readers. When David Holt and Bill Mooney collaborated on their original Ready-to-Tell Tales in 1994, they knew they had a tiger by the tail. How do you top what School Library Journal called a "highly recommended...extraordinary collection"? With more terrific stories contributed by seasoned storytellers, and with a number of enhanced features, such as age-level and audience recommendations, an index of cultural stories, and profiles and photographs of the contributing storytellers. Forty-four of the world's finest storytellers contribute tales all the way from Senegal to Cuba. These tall tales about wise fools, tricksters and animals will teach readers the importance of caring, fairness and resourcefulness.