The 2003 Storytelling World Resource Awards
Below are the 2003 winners and honors selected from several hundred nominated stories, books, and recordings. The major evaluative criterion for the stories was "story-listener appeal" (rather than ease in retelling) and "usefulness for story-tellers" for the items considered in Category 7. Beneath each award title is a short descriptive phrase about the resource contents. For resources not independently produced, a publisher's code is enclosed in parentheses after the author/performer's name. The ordering information for these award resources is provided at the end of this section. For color photos of ALL honored resources identified below, see the 2003 May/June issue of Storytelling Magazine/Storytelling World. To purchase a copy of this magazine, go to the NSN web site.
Category 1: Stories for Young Listeners
(See also Categories 2, 5, 6.)
Winner:
Sosu's Call
A heroic deed of a handicapped boy
by Meshack Asare
(Kane/Miller)
Honors:
Storm Is Coming
An unusual twist on "The Sky Is Falling" plot
by Heather Tekavec
(Penguin Putnam)
The Silver Charm
A Japanese folktale
by Robert D. San Souci
(Random House)
Jack Outwits the Giants
A new Appalachian "Jack Tale"
by Paul Brett Johnson
(Simon & Schuster)
Little Gold Star
A Cinderella cuento (story) retold in both English and Spanish
by Joe Hayes
(Cinco Puntos)
The Wolf Who Cried Boy
A new twist of a common fable
by Bob Hartman
(Penguin Putnam)
Where's Your Smile, Crocodile?
A predictable, heartwarming story
by Claire Freedman
(Peachtree)
Jemma's Journey
A story about racial injustice
by Trevor Romain
(Boyds Mills)
The Dancing Deer and the Foolish Hunter
A story about respecting animals and their environment
by Elisa Kleven
(Penguin Putnam)
Hana and the Dragon
A Japanese folktale
by Elizabeth Falconer
On CD by same name
(Koto World)
Martin's Big Words
A story about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Text by Doreen Rappaport
Video narration by Michael Clarke Duncan
(Weston Woods)
Category 2
Stories for Pre-Adolescent Listeners
(See also Categories 1, 3, 5, 6.)
Winners:
The Princess and the Pizza
A modern twist on an old story plot
by Mary Jane and Herm Auch
(Holiday House)
Frog Child's Lesson
A story about forbidden friendship
by Teresa B. Clark
On audiotape The Tapestry of Life
Honors:
Shoeless Joe and Black Betsy
How a famous baseball player built his self-confidence
by Phil Bildner
(Simon & Schuster)
The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft
A successful escape from slavery
by Cathy Moore
(Carolrhoda)
Joe Cinders
A male version of the Cinderella plot
by Marianne Mitchell
(Henry Holt)
The Work Done by Itself
A tandem story about the consequences of not working together
by The Story Quilters
On CD The Story Quilters
Twinkle Little Star
A religious story about sacrifice
by Steven James
On CD Chrysalis: Parables of the Christian Life
Stormwalker
A true ghost story from Roberta Simpson Brown
by Mary Hamilton
On CD Some Dog & Other Kentucky Wonders
(Hidden Spring)
Category 3
Stories for Adolescent Listeners
(See also Categories 2, 4, 5, 6.)
Winner:
Seven Spools of Thread
A Kwanzaa Story
by Angela Shelf Medearis
(Albert Whitman)
Honors:
The Hunter and the Ebony Tree
An African love story
by Nelda LaTeef
(Moon Mountain)
The Three Questions
An adaptation of a Leo Tolstoy story
by Jon Muth
(Scholastic)
Kate Culhane
A ghost story adaptation
by Michael Hague
(SeaStar Books, a division of North-South Books)
The Prince of the Butterflies
One boy's life-changing summer
by Bruce Coville
(Harcourt)
The Liver
An ancient ghost tale
by Diane Ladley
On CD Late Night Fright
The Race of the Birkebeiners
A Norwegian story of bravery
by Lise Lunge-Larsen
(Houghton Mifflin)
Betty
An eerie and uplifting story
From Seaside Spectres
by Daniel W. Barefoot
(John F. Blair)
Category 4
Stories for Adult Listeners
(See also Categories 3, 5, 6.)
Winners:
Luck vs. Wisdom
A Jewish folktale about luck and wisdom
by Joel ben Izzy
On Audiotape/CD Lights and Laughter
(Old City Press)
Water of Life
A Japanese folktale
by Motoko
On CD The Promise of Chrysanthemums
Honors:
Hobnail Boots
A true personal story
by Marion Besmehn
On CD Ceili House: Tales from Celtic Lands
(Sally Goodroe)
When Did Polar Bears Learn to Dance?
A lesson about children's imaginations
by Kevin Cordi
On CD Listen to the Animals
Rebels in Vermont!
A full-CD history story
by Tom Weakley
A Christmas Gift
An uplifting story about sacrifice
by Bob White
and
Airport Dining
A story about extreme thoughtfulness
by Matt Weinstein
Both from Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul
(Health Communications)
Category 5
Storytelling Collections
Winner:
Voices of the American Civil War
Stories of men, women, and children who lived through the War Between the States
by Kendall Haven
(Libraries Unlimited)
Honors:
Inept: Impaired: Overwhelmed
Tall tales from West Virginia and beyond
by Bil Lepp
(Quarrier Press)
Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales
A collection of African stories
(W.W. Norton)
A Cup of Comfort for Friends
A collection of inspirational stories
by Colleen Sell
(Adams Media Corporation)
Shakespeare's Storybook
Folktales that inspired the bard
by Patrick Ryan
(Barefoot Books)
Creek Bottom Home
A tapestry of childhood story memories
by Mack Vann
(Centurion Publishers)
Taste Berries for Teens #3
Inspirational stories for teenagers
by Bettie B. Youngs and Jennifer Leigh Youngs
(Health Communications)
Riddling Tales from Around the World
A collection of stories with riddles
by Marjorie Dundas
(University Press of Mississippi)
Abu Jmeel's Daughter and Other Stories
A collection of selected Arab folktales
by Jamal Sleem Nuweihed
(Interlink)
Category 6
Storytelling Recordings
CDs or DVDs for listening and/or viewing pleasure for any age
(See also the recordings listed in categories 1-4 with specific stories identified.)
Winners:
Pill Hill Quartet
Four personal stories
CD/audiocassette by Jay O'Callahan
A Room of My Own
and
Mama Learns to Drive
Personal story collections
CDs by Donald Davis
(August House)
The Gypsy Wagon
Neighborhood tales about growing up
CD by Dan Keding
World Tales of Wisdom and Wonder
Folktales for all ages
CD by Heather Forest
(August House)
Honors:
The Tricky Caterpillar & Other Tales
Stories for children
CD by LuAnn Adams
New England Tales
A variety of stories and tales
CD produced by Francis B. McCabe and Meg Gilman
Groundhogs Meet Grimm
Several interesting story twists
CD by Megan Hicks
Good Stories from All Over
A cultural mix of tales
CD by Christopher Leebrick
(Seeing Place Productions)
Category 7
Special Storytelling Resources
Winner:
Tales, Then and Now
Folktales as literary fictions for young adults
by Anna E. Altmann and Gail de Vos
(Libraries Unlimited)
Honors:
The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales
In-depth discussions of well-known fairy tales
by Maria Tatar
(W.W. Norton)
And Now, Would You Please Welcome...
A guide for emceeing storytelling events
by Susan Klein
The Creative Storytelling Guide for Children's Ministry
A handbook about storytelling skills
by Steven James
Spinning Tales, Weaving Hope (New Edition)
Stories and activities for peace, justice, and the environment
by Ed Brody and others
(New Society Publishers)
We Are Not Afraid
Stories from the town that inspired the movie October Sky
by Homer Hickam
(Health Communications)
My Sisters' Voices
Stories from teenage girls of color
by Iris Jacob
(Henry Holt)
That's Weird!
Stories and activities about awesome science mysteries
by Kendall Haven
(Fulcrum)
Character Education Through Story
K-6 lessons to build character through multicultural literature
by Patty Smith and others
(Character Development Publishing)
Contact Information for the 2003 Award Resources
Adams Media Corporation, www.adamsmedia.com
Albert Whitman & Company, www.albertwhitman.com
August House Publishers, www.augusthouse.com
Barefoot Books, Inc., 3 Bow St., Cambridge, MA 02138
Boyds Mills Press, 815 Church Street, Honesdale, PA 18431-1889
Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, www.lernerbooks.com
Centurion Publishers, mackvann@aol.com
Character Development Publishing, www.CharacterEducation.com
Cinco Puntos Press, www.cincopuntos.com
Dan Keding, dantale@earthlink.net
Diane Ladley, ghoststories@earthlink.net
Francis B. McCabe, FMCedar@aol.com
Fulcrum Publishing, www.fulcrum-books.com
Harcourt, Inc., www.harcourtbooks.com
Health Communications, Inc., www.chickensoup.com
Henry Holt and Company, (888) 330-8477
Hidden Spring, 65 Springhill Rd., Frankfort, KY 40601-9211
Holiday House, 425 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017-1140
Houghton Mifflin Company, www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
Interlink Publishing Group, Inc., www.interlinkbooks.com
Jay O'Callahan, www.ocallahan.com
John F. Blair, Publisher, www.blairpub.com
Kane/Miller Book Publishers, www.everyonepoops.com
Kevin Cordi, www.youthstorytelling.com
Koto World, www.kotoworld.com
Libraries Unlimited, www.lu.com
LuAnn Adams, www.luannadamsstoryteller.com
Megan Hicks, meganhicks@earthlink.net
Moon Mountain Publishing, (800) 353-5877
Motoko, www.folktales.net
New Society Publishers, www.newsociety.com
North-South Books, 11 East 26th St., 17th Floor, New York, NY 10010
Old City Press, www.storypage.com
Peachtree Publishers, www.peachtree-online.com
Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 345 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014-3672
Quarrier Press, www.buck-dog.com
Random House Children's Books, www.randomhouse.com
Sally Goodroe, www.cdbaby.com/thegloaming
Scholastic, Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
Seeing Place Productions, www.allgoodstories.com
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, www.SimonSaysKids.com
Steven James, www.stevenjames.net
Story Quilters, storyquilters@bigvalley.net
Susan Klein, www.susanklein.net
Teresa B. Clark, P.O. Box 551, Iona, Idaho 83427
Tom Weakley, www.tomweakley.com
University Press of Mississippi, 3825 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, MS 39211
W.W. Norton & Company, www.wwnorton.com
Weston Woods, www.scholastic.com/westonwoods