The next DVD

I'm planning my next DVD. The first, The Bully Billy Goat and Other Stories, was filmed in the library at Sunset Hill Elementary. So far it has had good reviews, including a comment from one of the videographers the other day, who said, "If it was possible to wear out a DVD, my daughter would have done it with yours."

The next one will be in a larger venue. When I've sent the BBG to prospective bookers, they have sometimes thought that I only tell in small venues. I need to show that I'm comfortable with groups of 250-300 kids. I can do more, though in school settings, that's about as many as makes sense. My largest family audience was 1400, when I told stories to Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and 4-H kids at the Lied Center of Lawrence in 1993. In one of the stories, an old woman character offered apple to a deer, and the entire audience held their breaths.

Back to the planning process. I like to do recordings live. Having the kids' reactions adds to the whole experience. I've got a school in mind, and they're looking forward to a free performance. I'll get release forms for the kids to be on the video. Those who don't bring the form back will be allowed to attend the performance but will sit out of view of the cameras.

This DVD will be more focused than the last (animal stories from around the world). I'm planning to tell funny-scary stories, and I'll include all four stories about the baby from The ghost with the one black eye and Chickens! I've got two or three more funny-scary stories to add to the mix. The baby puppet will come out at one point for some hilarity. Trixie may show off her Halloween costume. I'm hoping this will be a 40-minute video. We'll see if I get it done by October.

My storytelling videos online

These are from my DVD, The Bully Billy Goat and Other Stories, performed live at Sunset Hill Elementary School in Lawrence, KS, April 2006. I'm still trying to figure out how to make these videos smaller to put in the sidebar. For right now, I've put them at the bottom of the blog. Oh, and in this post.

Here's The Bully Billy Goat:



And Shaking Hands


Whaddya think?

Good DVD review

A while ago I had a cryptic phone message from School Library Journal, asking for a high-resolution photo of the cover of The Bully Billy Goat and Other Stories. I sent one and asked if this meant I would be getting a review. No answer--until today, when my letter carrier handed me a big white envelope from SLJ.

They didn't use the picture (darn!) and they didn't mention the bonus track, The ghost with the one black eye, but I'm not complaining:

Priscilla Howe is a skillful storyteller who has the ability to capture the attention and imagination of the audience. She captivates a group of children using the school library as a backdrop as she tells them seven stories from around the world. Among the tales are "The Bully Billy Goat" (Poland), "The Pancake" (the Netherlands), "The Bellybutton Bird" (Japan), "Drakestail" (France), and "The Village of No Cats" (Bulgaria). She incorporates fun, interactive moments into "The Poor Little Bug on the Wall" (United States), which helps keep the children engaged. She also uses delightful puppets in telling some of the stories and as an interlude between the tales. A wonderful addition to all collections.--Veronica Schwartz, Des Plaines Public Library, IL.

I think this is the best published review I've ever had. This isn't just vanity on my part: when I was a children's librarian, the reviews in SLJ, Booklist and Kirkus made all the difference in what we ordered. If the review called something "slight" or "an additional purchase," we didn't usually buy it. "A wonderful addition to all collections" would get at least one librarian's initials for purchase.