Quick Look
- For teachers, parents and carers of children who are interested in developing a child's understanding and awareness
- Also of interest to creative writers and students of literature
Explores the power of Bible stories, fairy tales, and the Odysseus, Parsifal and Oedipus stories, considering how that power can be used to help children's healthy development.
Description
From the great myths and legends to enchanting fairy tales, parables, fables and folk tales, stories can have a great healing and educative power. They come from our subconscious and imagination, deep inside us. They have much to teach us about ourselves, therefore, and the world we create around us.
Horst Kornberger, a writer, artist and Steiner-Waldorf teacher, first explores the power of particular stories such as Odysseus, Parsifal, Oedipus, Bible stories and fairy tales. He then explains how to apply that power to help a child develop, or to heal and transform a child with difficulties.
Finally he discusses the art and practicalities of creating new stories to help children with particular needs, and shows storytelling to be a universal gift that we can use to benefit those around us.
This is a fascinating and inspiring book for teachers, parents and carers of children, as well as creative writers and students of literature.
Reviews
'This beautifully written and wise book taps into a deep source, the spring of imagination. The author [...] gives very helpful examples of certain stories particularly well-suited to different ages, explaining how each matches and reflects the child's developing consciousness. If you have anything to do with children, buy this book. If you have anything to do with yourself, buy it as well.'
-- Matthew Barton, New View, summer 2007
'This book is about nurturing children's imagination and consciousness by the means of stories, the author calls this Story Medicine, whereby ancient traditions used stories as a means of transformation and healing ... This is a very important study of the role of stories in shaping our culture, reminding the reader of their central role.'
-- David Lorimer, Scientific and Medical Network Review
'Kornberger reminds us of the most powerful reason for using stories, that of helping children to understand their world and to overcome challenges ... If you read no other book about the importance of storytelling and the power of stories, I would recommend buying this book ... The book contains many stories that you will be familiar with and some that may be new. It will offer you a new way of looking at rhymes and stories and why they form an essential part of development.'
-- Early Years Educator, January 2009
Author
Horst Kornberger was born in Austria in 1959. He was a teacher at the Rudolf Steiner College in California and now lives in Western Australia. He is a poet, artist, writer and lecturer, as well as the founder of the School of Integral Art, Perth, Australia, where he pioneers creative, biographical and story writing.
You can also visit the author's own website at http://www.storymedicine.org
