Seasonal Storytelling

by Tanya Batt and Kristy Barlow

Seasonal Storytelling is a colourful, illustrated handbook for storytellers and teachers that follows seasonal rhythms. Acclaimed and experienced storyteller, Tanya Batt, provides a guide for interactive storytelling; notes for organising process dramas; instructions for imaginative group activities; as well as songs,recipes, and ideas for celebrating the changing seasons. The book contains stories, both originals and adaptations, from a range of cultures, the New Zealand ‘Gingerbread Man’, the Chinese ‘Ten Suns’, the Iranian ‘Roll my Pumpkin’, and the Australian Aboriginal ‘Rainbow Bird’. Batt’s thoughtful, practical and inspiring writing makes this book a must-have for aspiring story-tellers, educators, and anyone interested in reviving this most ancient of arts.

What a magical experience it is to attend a performance of internationally renowned storyteller, writer and educator Tanya Batt.

Her new teaching resource, Seasonal Storytelling, combines Tanya’s expertise as a storyteller, delighting tamariki of all ages and cultures, with her profound respect and understanding of the natural world. Interweaving Māori purakau, waiata and whakatauākī with stories and songs from cultures around the world, Seasonal Storytelling offers imaginative and practical ways to help tamariki celebrate and connect with the seasonal changes in Aotearoa. It also provides teachers with helpful suggestions around working with tamariki through storytelling and the arts.

Ngā mihi maha ki a Tanya mō tāna rauemi hou, he tino taonga mā ngā kaiako o ngā tamariki.  

Moira Wairama – storyteller, writer and teacher