Violence, Chidlren, and the Responsibility of the Storyteller "Cut his head off!" The cry comes from somewhere near the front. Other voices quickly join in. "Cut his head off!" There is laughter now. Some of the children already know what is coming. Others have simply sensed that something deliciously terrible is about to happen. Meanwhile, somewhere towards the back of the room, an adult winces. I have watched versions of this scene unfold many times. It happens when I tell Constantses and...

The Role of Fear in Traditional Storytelling Earlier in June, I spent three days telling stories at a children's eco festival. Each day we gathered beneath the broad canopy of an ancient oak whose branches stretched generously across a meadow of long summer grass. Throughout those days we wandered through stories of swallows, nettles, hares and trees; tales that invited children to notice the landscape around them with a little more care and a little more curiosity. On the second afternoon, a...

The real question raised by the social media ban is not whether children should spend less time online. It is whether we are willing to create a world that offers them something better.