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(Los Angeles, CA, May 14, 2010) What’s new in child literacy? A recent survey from Oxford University Press of 300 teachers has discovered that more than half believe many children in their classes have never been read a bedtime story. The lack of storytelling at home is damaging children’s writing abilities, the researchers believe.
Pie Corbett, literary expert and former primary school teacher, said, “Storytelling is hugely important, as the ability to tell a story is developed by building up a bank of well-known tales to draw upon. Those who struggle may not yet have built up that storehouse. For example, if they are not read to at home, they are unfamiliar with the language patterns. Narrative is a necessary, primary act of mind and natural to all human beings—we are all story-makers whether we like it or not.”
On top of that is the report from experts that reading a bedtime story to your child for twenty minutes every night could improve his or her literacy by at least ten school days a year, but most parents say they don’t have time.
Hank Frazee, a father of three and author of the forthcoming book Before We Say “Goodnight”: How to Tell Stories About Your Life and Family (Sycamore Canyon Publishing LLC, September 2010), cites the benefits for a child whose parent takes the time to tell them a bedtime story almost every night.
“Number one is a closer relationship with the parent, and that’s number one for the parent too,” he says. In his book, Hank takes reading a story to children at bedtime one step further, and that is relating stories of real life and family experiences. “A story about a parent that actually happened before the child knew the parent is irresistible,” Hank says. “It creates a bridge from listening to reading. Plus, listening to the spoken word is literally how we learn to speak, and hearing a story teaches by example how to relate a complex set of ideas to others.”
Research backs up Frazee’s claims. According to a national survey commissioned by BetterSleep.org and conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, when it comes to putting kids to bed and telling them a bedtime story, the overwhelming choice of children age 7 or younger are stories that Mom and Dad make up themselves, which three in four parents say they have done. More than one in three parents said that their kids preferred stories the parents spun from their own imaginations.
In Before We Say “Goodnight” author Hank Frazee gives parents and grandparents the tools they need to tell bedtime stories to their children, based on their experiences and family history, and gives them a unique method to access their memories for an unlimited number of stories to tell. Hank has used this process to tell over 7,000 bedtime stories to his own children, some of which follow each chapter as examples.
For more information about Hank Frazee and his book, visit the website at www.beforewesaygoodnight.com
Before We Say “Goodnight”: How to Tell Bedtime Stories about Your Life and Family
By Hank Frazee
Published by Sycamore Canyon Publishing LLC
$19.95 • (184 pages) • 7.5 x 5.5
Hardcover with dust jacket • ISBN:
Publication date: September 2010
www.beforewesaygoodnight.com
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Contact: Sycamore Canyon |
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Before We Say “Goodnight” How to Tell Bedtime Stories About Your Life and Family |
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(Los Angeles, CA, February 1, 2011) Tucking children in at night is a special time, and the time-honored tradition of bedtime story is a powerful way to create a deeper bond between parent and child. Studies reveal that as much as children love being read to, they enjoy a story about their parents growing up even more. However, many parents and grandparents feel unsure about how to tell “real” stories about their own experiences to their children or grandchildren.
In Before We Say “Goodnight” (Sycamore Canyon Publishing LLC, September 2010), author Hank Frazee gives parents and grandparents the tools they need to tell wonderful bedtime stories to their children or grandchildren based on their experiences and family history. Further, Mr. Frazee has created a unique way for anyone to access the hard drive of their memory for a lifetime of stories to tell.
Frazee’s original method helps the reader become confident in telling original stories that are fun and engaging. He has used this process to tell over 7,000 bedtime stories to his own children, a sample of which follows each chapter.
“‘Let me tell you a story’ are magic words in any language,” Frazee says. “Nearly all parents genuinely want a deeper relationship with their children. But with the demands of work, sports, homework and other activities, where is the time to just be together with your child? Before We Say ‘Goodnight’ will show you a world where time stands still for you and your kids. You don’t need to be a great speaker, prepare in advance or memorize anything, you just need to be you and tell your story.”
Hank Frazee grew up in California and graduated from UCLA, with a major in English Literature. An entrepreneur, he entered the life insurance business and advanced to the top one percent of insurance agents in the world. His love of family, books and words led him to write Before We Say “Goodnight.” He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three children and a number of cats and dogs, including Winston.
A portion of the proceeds of this book will be donated to children’s charities at home and around the world.
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Meet Author Hank Frazee
Hank grew up in Los Angeles, in an area that was still somewhat rural at the time, with orange orchards overlaying the neighborhoods, horses to ride and barns and streams to explore. For many folks, Southern California conjures up images of movie stars and the fast lane. And his wonderful neighbor Engineer Bill did have his own children’s show on a local channel, but in Hank’s world most everyone was family, neighbor or friend.
Hank and his friends skateboarded, built tree houses and rode their bikes to school. They spent afternoons hunting for frogs and snakes and gathering pollywogs in buckets, from a nearby stream they fittingly called “Pollywog Pond.” Hank began thinking about writing when he was about twelve. He loved the Hardy Boys, Huck Finn, Superman comic books and anything else he could find with adventure, mystery and travel to faraway places.
His Aunt Janice and Uncle Gordon loved the outdoors and took Hank and his many cousins hiking, camping, canoeing, white water rafting, and skiing. At their cabin near Lake Tahoe, he spent some of the best days of his childhood. The mountains and rivers remain his favorite destination.
Hank’s mother emphasized the importance of family history and told many stories about her family. He learned a lot about his dad’s sometimes raucous childhood through his stories. It is no wonder that with this heritage and his love of books Hank went on to study English Literature and earn his degree from UCLA. When his children arrived, Hank gradually became an avid storyteller himself.
Underneath Hank’s mild-mannered-reporter persona is a truly adventurous spirit and probably a bit of Norman Rockwell as well. “I paint life as I would like it to be,” Rockwell once said. In essence, Hank’s storytelling embodies that quote. He enjoys re-capturing his life as it was, so that his children might get a glimpse of the world he grew up in. And so he’s continued his family tradition of storytelling and hopes it will continue for generations to come.
Hank has been active in the insurance business for twenty-seven years and is the founder and president of HW Frazee and Company, a firm that sells life insurance for estate planning. He is in the top one percent of life insurance agents internationally and has received numerous insurance industry awards. But he’s never taken it for granted, keeping his Straw Hat Pizza Palace “Assistant Manager” nametag from a college job in the front tray of his desk drawer to remind him how far he’s come.
Hank serves on several non-profit boards and is the Scoutmaster of his son’s troop. His family is his greatest passion. He lives in Southern California with his wife and their three children.
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Talking Points
Before We Say “Goodnight,” by Hank Frazee, is about how to tell bedtime stories, specifically how to tell the story of your life and family to your children and grandchildren, one night at a time.
The author shows the reader how to tell great bedtime stories to children and grandchildren and, at the end of each chapter, provides examples of stories he’s told to his kids.
Everyone has a great story to tell and your children want to hear yours. Below are ten tips from the author to help you tell your own great bedtime stories.
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Start with a character engaged in an experience or taking some kind of action.
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Every good story has a beginning, middle and an end. Keep this structure in mind, as it is crucial to a good story. Without it, all you have is a recitation of facts.
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Use the reporter’s motto to provide details: the who, what, where, when, why and how of a story.
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Use your voice to enhance the tone of your story and make the characters come alive.
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Always adjust your stories to the maturity level of your child.
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Tell stories that you are interested in, and you’ll find that your children will think them interesting also. With your children, nothing compares to you telling them your story.
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Telling the story of your life and family gives you a vast and virtually endless supply of stories to tell, as compared to the number of folk or fairy tales you might remember on the spot.
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Our values, wisdom and moral themes are naturally infused in this kind of storytelling, but when presented in story form are light and enjoyable. Keep it fun.
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Telling bedtime stories is a great way to spend time with your kids at the end of the day and leads to everyone going to sleep feeling loved and happy.
Follow these simple tips and you’re on your way to telling bedtime stories that will delight your children every night.
Questions for the Media
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What inspired you to write Before We Say “Goodnight”?
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Did your parents tell you stories of their life when you were a boy? Do you remember one in particular?
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Why do you think kids like a “real” story rather than the usual bedtime stories that parents read from a book?
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Why are some people better storytellers than others? Or can anyone become a good storyteller?
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How do you create memorable characters or story that children will want to hear?
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What’s the best age for parents to start telling children stories of their life and family?
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What kinds of stories should parents not tell their children, and why?
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What are the benefits for a child whose parent takes the time to tell them a story almost every night?
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What is the connection, if any, between telling stories of your life and family to getting kids excited about books and raising a reader?
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Do you have a next book in mind? If so what will it be?