Aaron Shepard's Storytelling Page

Reviewed By: Katy Foster

REVIEW

Aaron Shepard’s Storytelling Page is a great resource for beginning storytellers. It provides "Tales and Tips on How to Tell a Story." Professional storyteller Aaron Shepard built and maintains the site. His biography can be viewed by clicking on the link, "Who Is Aaron Shepard." This short introduction to the storyteller provides details about his career as a storyteller as well as various awards and recognitions that he has received. Additional information about him can be obtained by clicking on "About Aaron."

Though the site does not appear to have an editor, Mr. Shepard is a professional storyteller, which give him some additional credibility and assures the reader that the page is free from error. There is no advertisement on the web page, so the viewer can be assured that Mr. Shepard is not presenting things that he does not believe in.

The information is presented in an objective, matter-of-fact style designed to aid the reader in becoming a better storyteller. Many topics in storytelling are covered. By clicking on the link "Tell a Story," the view is given a step-by-step introduction to the art of storytelling. Articles of interest to storytellers, recommended reading in storytelling, folklore, and mythology, and adaptations of Aaron Shepard’s stories are just some of the topics covered.

The page itself is not dated, but by clicking on "What’s New?" the viewer can see the most recent updates to the page. Each update is dated.

Overall, this is an outstanding resource for both beginning and professional storytellers. I highly recommend it.

Reviewed By: Valarie McGuire

The author of this web site is Aaron Shepard. Mr. Shepard began telling stories in 1985. He has written numerous books for children, and enjoys telling his stories to a young audience. He maintains the web site himself, and offers a myriad of resources to visitors. His site offers ideas for telling stories, tips for young writers, and access to his vast collection of stories. This site is different from others as it is not associated with a well known publishing company (Mr. Shepard has his own.); however, the information is valuable and provided in a user friendly format. While the navigation of the site is straightforward, the site does lack a creative design. The author provides information for anyone who is interested in storytelling, from young children to teachers. Currently there are no ads, but one may be linked to Amazon.com to buy his products. A bonus for those looking for samples of his work is a script database of many of his stories. The site does not contain a lot of images, and each page loads quickly. One may subscribe to the site free of charge as well. Aaron Shepard’s site will be useful and encouraging for those interested in storytelling.

Reviewed By: Kristen Schmid

I. Accuracy Because it is the author himself writing the website, the information is accurate and error free. There is no editor, Aaron Shepard is the sole creator of this site. II. Authority The author is Aaron Shepard. He is definitely qualified for creating this site, as it is all about his stories. Aaron is his own sponsor. III. Objectivity There is really no bias in this site. He simply shows how to transform his storybooks into a storytelling friendly format. There is one advertisement on this site, it is for a friend of his. It is for hand made soaps. Other than that, there are no advertisements. IV. Currency The page was originated in 1996 and has references to March 2003. The links are all in working order. V. Coverage Myths, tall tales, legends, fairy tales, and folktales are the main story topics. He also includes a page where the user can listen to him tell stories, a page to help teach children how to write stories, a resource page, links that might be of interest, resources for readers’ theater, guides and lists. This site has a great deal of very interesting information. It is user friendly, and very child friendly. He gives use of any of his stories for any one to tell anywhere, so long as the teller sites the source.