Happy Tell A Story Day!

That's right, if you're a storyteller, there's a national day in your honor!


And if you're a good storyteller, I'm a fan.

I. Dearly. Love. a good story!

So in honor of National Tell A Story Day, please respond with at least five of your favorite storytellers and how they've impacted your life.

Five is easy.  It's doable.  And it's not meant to be comprehensive at all!  It'll be fun to see if we have any in common!

Here are the first five I've thought of.


1.  Jesus - the BEST storyteller of all time, because His stories had a point, and the point was getting right/living right with God.  How grateful I am for His parables, for His teachings, for how His words have made a difference in my life!







2.  Louis L'Amour - When I was in junior high school, my dad got me hooked the historically accurate, clean westerns L'Amour wrote, but my favorites of his books were not necessarily his westerns.  His descriptions were gripping, his tales fun (and often predictable), and the tidbits of life philosophy he wove into his stories were thought-provoking.  This author honed my ability to ponder the deeper ideas of life.




3.  Madeleine L'Engle - another great author I grew to love in junior high school.  She was another deep thinker, and while I didn't always agree with her (or with L'Amour, in case you're wondering!), I loved how she made me think.  Her award-winning Wrinkle in Time could almost be an allegory for today's political battles for control... don't get me started! :)







4.  Bill Peet - a favorite children's book author.  His appeal to me is his vivid imagination and the wonderful way he could flesh it out as he illustrated his own stories.  He worked for Disney for a while -- you can find his name in the credits of some of their best older animated flicks.  My sister introduced me to him, and I never read his stories without thinking of her, too. :)






5.  Walt Kelly - my dad's favorite cartoonist, who authored/illustrated the "Pogo" daily comic strip as well as several Pogo books.  Pogo was a 'possum living in the Okefenokee swamp, where he demonstrated thoughtfulness to his fellow creatures, confusion about political trends, and fun daily humor.  I began reading Kelly's work in upper elementary school, and he taught me to look for details, to find the story behind the obvious, to be kind and to think and to laugh at life.  The cool thing is that Dad enjoyed reading Pogo as a kid, too, so I felt that connection when I was reading it.



Okay, just five, I keep telling myself.  Only five.  No more than five!!!  I'd love to go on for several hours, but stopping here will allow me to let you contribute, too.  I can't wait to see who the first five you think of are!

Q4U:  Who are 5 of your favorite storytellers,

and how did they impact your life?