Chipman weaves stories to help build imagination of young listeners

HURLEY - Even though there are hundreds of books in the Hurley Public Library, storyteller Tracy Chipman didn't use any to tell stories Wednesday in an effort to inspire children to use their imaginations.

"You have this movie projector in your mind," she said, referring to the imagination.

Each tale she tells, Chipman said, is done with "the intention of celebrating our shared humanity."

With a half dozen children gathered around, Chipman told a story about a farmer dealing with a severe drought. Acting on a dream, he dug beneath a giant, old oak tree near his barn and found a treasure of gold and jewels. Soon it began to rain and the drought ended.

For homework, Chipman told the children to tell the story before they go to bed or they'll forget the story "forever."

Since 1995, Chipman said has been wondering about, listening to and gathering tales around the United States and beyond. She has used this experience to tell stories, teaching about the "value of active listening and imagining, the power of storytelling to effect change, and how to simply tell a good story."

She said storytelling "encourages more fulfilling relationships within families, communities, with life, with the magnificent world around us, and most importantly, with ourselves."

Library Director Lynne Pedri said storytelling also opens up children's minds and hopefully gets them interested in reading.