O nce upon a time . . . in the Indian jungle, lived a young elephant whose playmate was a very large hare. In spite of the difference in size, they were great friends and had fun playing strange guessing games. One day, the hare said to his chum: "Which of us is bigger: you or me?" At that silly question, the little elephant nearly choked on his banana. "You must be joking!" he exclaimed, "Why, even on tiptoe, you re not as high as my knee!" But the hare went on: "That's what you think! Since I say that I'm bigger than you, we need a judge. Don't you agree?" "Oh, yes," said the elephant in surprise. "Well, let's go along to the village and see what the Humans have to say. They're the cleverest of all the animals, and the best judges!" As they reached the village, they met some of the villagers. "Look at that young elephant! Isn't he small?" folk remarked as the unusual couple strolle...
As a learning tool, storytelling can encourage us to explore their unique expressiveness and can heighten our ability to communicate thoughts and feelings in an articulate, lucid manner. These benefits transcend the art experience to support daily life skills. In our fast-paced, media-driven world, storytelling can be a nurturing way to remind us that spoken words are powerful, that listening is important, and that clear communication between people is an art.