The Power of Story

Stories bring together readers, writers, librarians, teachers, students, and families in the libraries of today and will continue to do so tomorrow. Written for all those lovers of literacy, this book links libraries and literacies through the power of stories. The book is not filled with data in the form of pie charts, graphs, and tables. Rather, the truth of the research is grounded in authentic stories that reflect not only the interpretation of data, but also the transformative nature of literacies and libraries. The author's primary goal is that readers will come to value and use storytelling in their own professional and personal lives to explain and expand on complex concepts and to make information more accessible for all.

The book begins by presenting anecdotes and the author's personal story to lay the foundation for what literacies are, and what literacy is not. An activity, "Spiral of Literacy," allows readers to reflect on their own literacies. Chapters that follow each begin with a story that sets the theoretical foundation. Each chapter concludes with an action section that demonstrates how to turn theory to practice, whether you are in a library, a classroom, or at home. A final chapter envisions what libraries might look like in 10 years, through interviews with librarians, teachers, and others interested in literacy.

"Academic Joan Wink has created a paean to libraries, librarians, books, and storytelling. The 33-page bibliography impresses with well-known authors of admired literacy pedagogy. . . . . Readers in search of personal essays that inform on librarianship and storytelling may find this inspirational. . . . Valuable information is there." - School Library Connection
"Elementary school librarians and teachers will be inspired to advocate for nonstandardized assessments in child-centric learning environments that emphasize storytelling and stories. Highly recommended." - School Library Journal