The Storytelling Handbook was an interesting read, but not as functional for secondary classroom instruction as I'd hoped. There is certainly a place for storytelling in the ELA classroom; however, the chapter on storytelling techniques was relatively limited. If a younger student were interested in the culture and craft of storytelling, this would be a nice place for to start. In regards to teaching, with the exception of integrating one of the included stories into a lesson, I had a difficult time finding practical use for the book. That being said, reading this book did prompt a desire to seek out other works of nonfiction that focus on oral language development. This is an area where I lack confidence, and I would like to read more on the topic in order to improve my own skills and better instruct my students. ( )