Tell Stories

6/26/2020

Story telling is an art. We all tell stories, but most of us would not consider ourselves artists. Perhaps we should consider story telling along the same lines as the joke about doctors: Doctor’s PRACTICE medicine. We PRACTICE story telling.

My father was a story teller. Some of his stories were parables, stories that have a purpose or moral. Others were purely for entertainment. His “peanut butter” stories were the latter, and he was always ready to tell us one. What is a “peanut butter” story? Well, peanut butter gets stuck in your mouth and you talk funny until you figure out how to get the peanut butter out again. My father was an expert at figuring out different storylines around this premise. He was also an expert talker with a stuck tongue! I do not know where he got the original concept, but I assume that his years in rural America during the depression gave him plenty of experience at telling and listening to stories.

Because of my Dad, I told some “peanut butter” stories to my kids when they were growing up. I do not remember any specific story, it was the premise that was fun. As a Grandma, I wanted to pass on the legacy of “peanut butter” stories, so I began to put one together into a book. I found that putting a “peanut butter” story into book form is a whole lot different than just telling one spontaneously!!!…but the book is finally done. It is called, “The Mysterious Thing that Happened at Our House” and it is a tribute to my father. As you read the story, you are encouraged to put the tip of your tongue between your lower lip and teeth for the text lines that are printed in blue. This “peanut butter” mystery features a boy and his dog and has a subtle, visual resolution. Your children will be talking in “peanut butter” style and making up their own “peanut butter” stories after reading this book. You will find it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088T4XTH5

The Mysterious Thing