A Crack in the Wall: Giving Children Courage and Hope

   While I was sweeping at the base of my crumbling front wall, a young boy passing by stopped to ask, “How do you get those little flowers to grow in the cracks?” “I didn’t. They just appeared,” I said. “Maybe from seeds carried by the wind or dropped by a bird, who knows? But […]

Calling all Garden Pixies: A project for children and everyone else

Yesterday, my uphill neighbors left a bouquet of kitchen herbs wrapped in nasturtiums hanging on my gate. Divided into bunches, the bouquet brightens my kitchen windowsill and my cooking. The surprise gift brightened my mood, too, and reminded me of tiny bouquets I made in childhood and left on neighbors’ doorsteps. The simple act felt […]

Like a dandelion…

A Review from Justine Willis Toms of New Dimensions “Beatrice Bowles is like a dandelion spreading seeds of wonder, respect for the planet and all creatures, and love for creation through this most marvelous collection of precious tales from around the world. These gems of delight awaken our innate capacity for awe. I highly recommend Spider […]

Children’s Favorite Tales: What They Give & What They Ask

In childhood, my favorite Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale was ‘‘The ‘Snow Queen,’ in which little Gerda undertakes a long, dangerous journey to rescue her friend, Hans. Gerda’s mission is to thaw the Snow Queen’s cold logic that froze Hans’ heart, and to set his feelings free again. The thought that a little girl could […]

Green Wisdom for Children

Delicous wisdom about how to sooth and inspire children and give them hope in this heart-breaking time. Every school needs a garden so that chidren can explore and learn from nature’s briliiant web. With other storytellers on the Worldwide Virtual Storytlling Guild on Aug 1, 5:30 PM PST, I’ll be telling a story about how […]

6000 Years Or More Of Stories

Fascinating analysis of the ancient lineage of our stories today. I love the image that stories spread over time both vertically and horizontally– like tree roots! And deep where the roots touch, caring and healings between cultures can happen. Thanks, Hope. This gives me hope for our fractured world. See you on Worldwide Virtual Storytelling […]

A mention by Leah Garchik!

Why I tell wild stories to children…for SF Chronicle LEAH GARGIK SF Chronicle For years, Beatrice Bowles, practitioner of the ancient craft of storytelling, has been sharing tales from all over the world. She’s just signed on for the new Story Party series of audiobooks produced by Audible; one of her readings is the first tale in the […]

B’s Buzz 4: Through the Walls: A storyteller’s story

One day while reading to my children, I came across a Hopi myth of creation, an ancient Native American story of how the world was made and by what laws it evolves or declines. The tale was vast, wise, and brilliant–and radically different from the Bible accounts I had grown up with. The thought dawned […]

B’s Buzz 2: Halloween’s Haunting History

Wailing ghosts, shrieking bats, witches riding across the sky? How did this candy-coated, fright-night of a holiday come about? Exploring Halloween’s history offers an adventure in cultural archeology, for conflicting traditions have veiled the origins of this magical night. Let’s lift the veils and explore. The Celts of Northern Europe believed in an Earth goddess […]