Library Programs for Children and Families

Her most successful library programs include:

For All to Share: Multicultural Participatory folktales that offer examples of sharing, cooperation and earth stewardship. Help Brer Rabbit trick the greedy tiger. Be the Sun, the Wind, and the Rain, in a Chinese folktale. Play an instrument, or dance to Anansci the Spider's enchantment. Your audiences will love joining in.

How the Bear Got Its Short Tail and other How and Why Tales from around the World. These fun tales spark the imagination as listeners learn how folks long ago made sense of the world around them through story. At the end of the program Elisa invites listeners to take the storyteller's chair and make up and share their own tales.

Noodlehead Tales from around the World - Participatory world tales to tickle the funny bone.

A Trunkful of Tales: A literature based program for the whole family. These tales of grandparent's wisdom, pets, objects passed down, lessons learned, and much more, will have young and old alike remembering and sharing their own tales. The storyteller invites audience members to share personal and family tales at the end of her performance.

Library Programs for Adults

A Trunkful of Tales: A Family Storytelling Workshop

For Parents, Grandparents and Teachers Throw out the television, family storytelling is back! In this stimulating and fun workshop participants will be guided through numerous exercises to grease the wheels of memory, and to delight in discovering that they do have stories to tell. We will explore the types of stories that kids want to hear, and will each take one family story through the shaping and sharing process. Workshops can include ideas for preserving tales for future generations, creating family rituals for story sharing, and family storytelling in the curriculum. Elisa brings an extensive bibliography of picture books for stimulating family tales at home or in school. Family performance of related stories is also available.

References for adult programs:
• Katy Baxter, Hingham Public Library
• Janet Burke, Mashpee Public Library
• Ray Cartier, Bourne Public Library
• Melissa Forbes-Nichols, Watertown Public Library Main Branch
  

“Your “Trunkful of Tales” Program for parents, teachers and grandparents,
 was a librarians’ dream come true.  Your talents as a dynamic and sensitive
 facilitator brought the audience to life.  Folks could not wait to join in the
 sharing of family stories.  Participants were struck by the sense of community
 they found that evening at the library.  I still receive requests to have you
 back soon.”
					Katie Baxter, Hingham Public Library 


“Elisa’s storytelling was a joy!  She kept an audience of toddlers through
adults involved for over an hour.  We plan to make Elisa a regular at our
annual storytelling festival.”
					Marilyn Pope, Middleboro Public Library 


“Elisa gave us a moving, funny and wise gift, stories that lifted the spirit
 and spoke to the hearts of people of all ages.  Our audience has not 
stopped talking about it since.”
					Carol Friedman, Executive Director,
							Somerville Museum


“Pearmain is splendid!”  			The Boston Phoenix


“Elisa Pearmain is a gifted Storyteller.”	
					Cheryl Nelson, Newton Creative 								Arts Coordinator


“Elisa Pearmain weaves a special kind of magic...”				
					The Boston Museum of Science