For my forensics (public speaking) project this year, I am under the category of story-telling. I need to prepare, memorize, and retell 5 stories- you'll find the categories below. I must be able to tell the story in 8 minutes or less. That really is the only requirement.

I think as many people as I have "on the job" (read: moms and the brilliant, artistic rest of you!) thinking of stories they read to their kids, fables they love, things they saw in Reader's Digest, folklore... the better. Dozens of heads have got to be better than one!

Any suggestions would be so helpful.

The Categories
1) A story about siblings
2) A story about greed
3) A story about a wish
4) A story about a journey/quest

I already have the 5th story picked out!

Thanks!!

Siblings - Snow White and Rose Red. Or the one with Odette and Odile (can't remember the name). Hansel and Gretel. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

Greed - see below. Also Rumpelstiltskin. King Midas.

Wish - The Fisherman and His Wife. I have remembered the tag line since I was six: Man: "Flounder, flounder, noble fish, my wife would have me ask a wish - she wants the stars and moon and sun." Fish: "She wants too many things, now she has none." (I think this was Grimm or Andersen)

Journey/quest - How Six Traveled Through the World.

This was fun, thanks April -Ruby

1) A story about siblings whatever happened to the Dionne quintuplets
2) A story about greed king midas and the golden touch [works for the WISH one below as well), A christmas carol [scrooge)
3) A story about a wish: PINOCCHIO!!!! and THE LITTLEWHITE RABBIT WHO WANTED RED WINGS. the velveteen rabbit
4) A story about a journey/quest: the gift of the magi by o'henry [the quest for the perfect christmas gift in the face of poverty)

I don't know if this fits in anywhere, but the best children's book I ever read was " I love you forever" .. I'll never forget the one line "I love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as you live my baby you'll be". I always buy that book for my friends who have babies.. I'm very OT tho..

therubyslippers - Odette = Swan Lake!!!

Siblings - Anything by David Sederis. Of course, age appropriate material *might* be a problem here. Anyway, he tells the best sibling stories (his sister Amy Sederis). Probably Holidays on Ice would be a good bet. His stories make me laugh hard enough to pee.

Other sibling stories: Best sibling story for story telling purposes has to be Tikki Tikki Tembo! It's a great for storytelling because it's meant to be read aloud. My Cute Boyfriend and I had the same book growing up and we can both still recite it.

More Siblings - Princess Leia & Luke Skywalker, Castor & Pollux (Mythology, who the gemini star is named after), Romulus & Remus (more mythology) and (of course) Cain & Abel.

Wish - The Blue Faience Hippotamus (Egyptian folklore).

Journey - Sacagawea!!!! The Indian woman who guided Lewis & Clark.

Greed - Midas is always a good story.

Oooo, I found Tikki Tikki Tembo on-line. It's not as good as the book I had but in case you've never read it before: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/tikki.html

siblings romulus and remus the twin sons of Mars the god of war and rhea silvia the vestal virgin priestess to the godess vesta. aka the two dudes that founded rome were thrown into the river tiber and were raised by a wolf

also a journey in the spirit of thanks giving round the corner. and me living in plymouth uk. do the pilgrim fathers. or hannibal of carthage taking his war elephants over the alps to invade italy. spartacus's quest for freedom.

greed how about enron lol

Aimee,

I love that book too ~ my son brought it home from the library when he was in grade school. To this day, I still get a great big old lump in my throat and cry when I read it.

Aimee, that is the best book ever!! There is another one my daughter read a couple of years ago that was about a big turnip and it is my second favorite. I can't recall the name of it. It's very funny. Children's books don't thrill me to much. I just don't find that I care for them much. Maybe that comes from not experiencing a real childhood. My mom thought that as children we should act as small adults. Oh, there I go getting off topic too! Nothing new for me though.

Apryl, looks like you are getting quite a bit of help here. I don't have anything to add. I'll think about it throughout the day though and see if I can come up with anything.

1) Cane and Able
2) The King of Capri
3) I'm with Jiff on this one--The Gift of the Magi
4) The tortoise and the hare