The National Curriculum includes in its statutory requirements the telling and retelling of traditional stories, myths and legends at Key Stages 1 and 2 in both its Speaking and Listening and its Reading programmes of study. However, most teachers have little knowledge or training about the practicalities of this in the classroom and how the use of traditional tales can, in fact, fulfil the literacy aims set. This book aims to show primary teachers and students how to help children become story tellers; the breadth and benefits of oral and literate language learning that can come from work on tale telling; and the theoretical framework and arguments which underpin this work. A number of examples of children's work demonstrates the reality of classroom life, and additional support is provided for teachers who themselves wish to learn to be story-tellers. The book also includes eight traditional tales, drawn from across the world, providing both resource material for the teachers as well as examples that the text can draw on.