The story of "The Two Baby Herons" was chosen because it is exciting, invol=
ves the theme of danger to the baby birds, and employs a cathartic joyful e=
nding. The danger present in the story provides an opportunity to imagine =
the emotion of fear, which produces a heightened state of awareness, (Golem=
an, 1995)
Equally important, the birds ask every wetland bird they meet to sing for t=
hem. This suggests (to the storyteller) a natural entre into the world of =
authentic bird song/call recordings (Gibson, 2004, LaFleur, 2006, Thayer, 2=
004) that are commonly found in birding stores, and the Cornell University =
Ornithology Lab collection and documentation (Macaulay, 2006) of nearly eve=
ry bird song ever recorded.
In addition to having qualities that provide a potent learning environment =
of strongly felt emotions, the story structure is predictable. It is episod=
ic and provides the right pacing for the inclusion of short bits of informa=
tion, and the information enhances the storyline. It features animal chara=
cters (birds) suitable for this age group (Egan, l985), and provides a plac=
e between nature and culture where the animals act as a buffer zone for the=
emotional content of the story. The two baby herons provide a different dy=
namic than that of Hansel and Gretel. They are not human, but mediated char=
acters, and belong in the mythic realm of talking animals (Egan, l985). As=
wetland birds, of course, they have the "right stuff" for the nature cente=
r.
The two baby birds are on a journey into the world before they are ready to=
be out of the nest. They sense that they might die if they don't find the=
ir parents. The listener experiences, in imagination, the fear of the bird=
s, and the joyful catharsis of the bird family when they are reunited. It =
follows Egan's (l985) definition of classic story form organized around bin=
ary conflict (afraid:secure), and is based on childrens' experience in the =
family.
Embedded in this story, technology contributes the authentic songs/calls of=
the birds and bird photos. The story is told in front of a small screen w=
here photos of the birds appear from a rear screen projector so that I have=
freedom of movement as a storyteller, and never break a beam of light. In=
a classic storytelling session, the listener would imagine the way the bir=
ds look and sound. But this is a marriage of fancy and fact. It is an inf=
ormance and I have goals that involve learning some identifying characteris=
tics of the birds. The facts of authentic song and photos are made explici=
t and not imagined.
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