Aubrey Davis, Author and Storyteller
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“Aubrey was absolutely magical, enchanting, and captivating. In fact, one of our Rabbis stated that he was the best storyteller that he has ever heard!” Rachel Kamin, Director, Temple Israel Libraries & Media Center, West Bloomfield MI, Dec. 2004

“As a visiting storyteller/author I think you can never know what sort of impact you made. As the teacher of this group, let me assure you that the experience of being with and listening to you will remain with these children forever. Thank you.” Qualicum Beach Elementary School, B.C., Spring 2004

Aubrey likes to tell the tales that have endured. Spellbinding and often hilarious, these bottomless stories traveled from mouth to ear, over borders and through time; provoking thought; calling to what was best within us. People often heard them again and again throughout their lives. This gave them opportunities to understand more with each telling and as their life experience grew.

Aubrey adapts his programs to suit the listener. With younger children, he tells tales that are simple and enticing together with lively poems, chants and language games. For older audiences he tells more challenging, often puzzling tales. With Jewish audiences he tells the folk tales, legends and fables unique to Jewish culture and those they share with other peoples, flavored with a bit of Jewish spice

Humans are storytelling creatures. At all times and places people have told stories to communicate, understand and learn. It’s our nature to do so. Aubrey’s workshops build on innate, often unrecognized abilities to teach participants how to tell, write or learn through oral narrative. He adapts and designs workshops to suit the audience.

Sample Workshops:

  • Once Upon A Time: Storytelling for Beginners
  • Cheesecake from Snowflakes: Advanced Storytelling
  • Vine & Grape: Storytelling & Creative Writing
  • Language, Literacy and Higher Order Thinking
  • Character Education through Traditional Tales

As Spiders Spin. Spiders spin webs and people spin tales. Stories have been used for many purposes all over the world. The best are highly sophisticated teaching tools that function on many levels at once. Aubrey discusses the nature and value of oral narrative together with traditional and contemporary strategies to develop language, literacy and cognition in the classroom and beyond. Of course, he’ll spin a few tales himself.

Special Stories: Special Students. Storytelling is an ancient way of teaching with enormous instructional potential for special needs students. Something in the sound, rhythm, rhyme, meaning of the poems and stories captures their attention. The students lean forward in their seats, immersing themselves in the language; learning in their own unique ways. Aubrey peppers this talk with case studies, sample stories and a little theory based on his seventeen years of teaching oral language to special needs and primary children alike.

Teaching-stories of Afghanistan. For thousands of years, teaching-stories have delighted and instructed people in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Recently children’s versions have been introduced to the West, where educators and psychologists have begun to acknowledge their effectiveness in developing thinking skills, perceptions and more. A unique genre of traditional literature, the teaching-story, fits with and builds upon our storytelling nature, providing an enormous range of learning opportunities for people of all ages. Aubrey has studied these tales and told them across North America for over 30 years. All proceeds from this program will help provide high quality children’s books, featuring Afghan tales, to literacy programs through www.iceeducation.org in Canada and /www.shareliteracy.org in the US. For more information about Teaching-stories, see www.ishkbooks.com/teaching_stories.html.

Fees for storytelling presentations are based on 45 min.-1 hr. sessions. Workshops are usually ½ day with 25-30 participants. Session lengths and audience size are negotiable.

“Aubrey, It was a real pleasure to host your set. In all the children’s sessions that I have attended over the last five years, I have never seen such captivation or delight. Thank you for your tales and your energy and enthusiasm.” Ottawa Storyteller, Oct. 2002

“I've seen many author presentations, but he is the best. Bring him back!”Lambton Kingsway Public School, Toronto Jan. 2005

“Your love & enthusiasm for our tradition help to make the stories come alive for the students.” Bambi Katz, Principal, Holy Blossom Temple Religious School, Toronto Oct. 2005

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