“Storytelling tells us about our civilization, our culture. Stories give us confidence.”
Get the latest from Bruce Deachman straight to your inbox
Published Nov 25, 2023 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 2 minute read
Distracted children must surely be the bane of storytellers everywhere, unless, perhaps, when the story they’re telling is simply so engaging that young listeners are helpless to do anything but interrupt.
That was the case with four-year-old Dorian Birch, who, during a momentary lull in Kathie Kompass’s telling of The Three Little Pigs on Saturday, loudly proclaimed to all in the room, “I’ll eat you up!” This, incidentally, came shortly after Dorian announced to his mother (and others nearby) that he wanted to ask a question of Kompass.
Advertisement 2
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office.Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account.Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.
SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office.Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account.Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.
REGISTER TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.
Article content
Article content
His mother, Ashley Corman, said Dorian was extremely excited when she told him about the festival. “He loves stories, and we read them every night, so I thought this would be a nice change of pace, to see how he is watching and hearing them. He doesn’t like to sit for a long time, but I think today was a good, short introduction.”
But Dorian’s were the sort of unavoidable vagaries to be expected at the Ottawa Children’s Storytelling Festival, which closed out this year’s six days of programming at Centrepointe’s Ben Franklin Place on Saturday.
Nor was it just youngsters who were engaged. Kompass’s modernized version of the familiar tale included an inhaler that the wolf had to use while huffing and puffing outside the brick bungalow, while the pig inside asked Alexa how to cook a wolf; noodle soup was apparently the way to go. Judging by the pitch of the chortles that followed updates like these, parents were paying attention, too.
In an interview afterwards, Kompass, who has been telling stories for 40 years, explained their significance. “Storytelling tells us about our civilization, our culture. Stories give us confidence.”
Advertisement 3
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
For youngsters, she added, “they build vocabulary, they build listening skills. Listening is incredibly hard work.”
This year’s festival, put on by the Ottawa Public Library and Ottawa Story Tellers, marked the 29th anniversary of the event, and it was held in person at OPL’s Centrepointe branch and the Odawa Native Friendship Centre, and online on YouTube.
Kompass’s hour of fables Saturday was followed by one tale each from eight-year-olds Anouk Arun and Rohan-Durja Vishwas, who attended last year’s festival and perhaps caught the bug themselves.
“Stories give you ideas,” Rohan-Durja said, “like a crocodile trying to eat someone. And you go on wonderful adventures.”
Following their stories, Dorian ran to Kompass to ask his question. When he returned to his seat, I asked what he wanted to know.
“I don’t remember,” he replied.
Perhaps he’ll tell that story another time.
Related Stories
Almonte hospital emergency department closes overnight because of staff shortage
Ottawa city council asks province to reinstate nine-storey building heights on minor corridors
Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed.
Article content
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : OttawaCitizen – https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawa-childrens-storytelling-festival-ends-with-a-tale-about-wolf-noodle-soup