Chapter 1

Introduction: The Strength of Stories

Kelli Jo Kerry-Moran and Juli-Anna Aerila

1.1  Introduction

There is silence in the children’s group. The teacher is reading William Buckingham’s
picture book Snorgh and the Sailor (2012). The main character is Snorgh, an imagi-
native creature with a body like a bear and an elephant’s trunk, who lives alone and
never has visitors. Snorgh does not like adventures or spending time with anyone.
One stormy evening, a sailor comes to his door and an unlikely friendship is born.
When the sailor leaves, Snorgh discovers that he would like to have his new friend
return and have adventures together. The story ends, and as the teacher closes the
book, she notices Patrick staring at her. Patrick has Asperger syndrome symptoms;
he likes to play by himself and do things in his own way and on his own schedule.
He asks intently, “How is it possible that someone has written a book on me?” All
the children start nodding their heads in agreement. “Yeah, Snorgh is like Patrick!
He wants to be alone and do things on his own, but if you get to know him, he is a
good friend.” The 5-year-olds begin talking about how different they all are and how
important it is to get to know a person; first impressions are often wrong.
Spontaneously, the children hug each other. Over the next week, they create their
own stories based on Buckingham’s book, dramatizing and drawing them.
Buckingham’s story (2012) provided a bridge connecting the tender interactions
between a shy character and a new friend with the children’s personal experiences
in their classroom community. More personally, the story resonated with Patrick,
who could perhaps see himself reflected more clearly through the story, and his

K. J. Kerry-Moran (*)
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA
e-mail: kjkmoran@iup.edu
J.-A. Aerila
University of Turku, Rauma, Finland

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 1

K. J. Kerry-Moran, J.-A. Aerila (eds.), Story in Children’s Lives: Contributions
of the Narrative Mode to Early Childhood Development, Literacy, and
Learning, Educating the Young Child 16,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19266-2_1
2 K. J. Kerry-Moran and J.-A. Aerila

classmates who could understand him better through the story’s framework. The
young children explored the complexity of human interactions through this narra-
tive and created a joint context for practicing cooperation, developing empathy, and
reinforcing academic skills. With stories children can explore emotions, weigh
moral choices, come to know themselves, and find ways to make space for each
person’s special needs and gifts. The benefits and opportunities provided by stories
are available to early childhood educators and young children everywhere. Stories
know no boundaries. They require no special resources or equipment; they can
withstand poverty, illness, upheaval and deprivations of every kind. Like love, sto-
ries are one of the few gifts all children can receive, and all adults can give, despite
life’s injustices. This chapter elaborates the premise of this book that stories are
strengthening influences on young children. We begin by defining story and the
forms that it may take, then briefly outline ways in which narratives can support the
whole child across the diverse contexts and developmental domains of the early
years.

1.2  Defining Story and Its Forms

This book builds upon a broad definition of story that acknowledges the diverse
ways in which stories are created, embodied and shared throughout the world. In
addition to the multiple meanings of story, there are many synonyms including: nar-
rative, tale, legend, account, chronicle, anecdote, yarn, review and report. In defin-
ing stories, we consider what constitutes a story, the forms stories may take, and the
purposes stories hold in young children’s lives.
Humans are storied creatures. Bruner (1987, 1990) argued that the desire to
make meaning drives much of human development including language, and lan-
guage and thought are inextricably connected. For children, stories are a natural
platform for using language and expressing thoughts. Furthermore, stories are sites
for joy, reflection, sorrow, and change. We recall, reminisce, fantasize and play in
story both as children and as adults through our entertainment in films, shows, and
books. Some scholars claim that children are able to comprehend concepts and
ideas through stories long before they are able to understand other logical structures
(Bruner 1990; Deitcher 2013) and that children think and learn through storied
forms (Bruner 1987, 1990; Engel 1995). Life itself is a series of stories, and it is
impossible to know whether our lives gives form to the stories or stories give form
to our lives (Rikama 2005).
Universal definitions of story are problematic (Haven 2007). Story is commonly
defined as a causally linked series of real or fictional events. While stories mostly
include causally linked actions, focusing on causation as story’s defining feature
implies that every cause and effect is a story. The result is that “story” loses distinc-
tion from other causally linked events from which people may not imply or infer
meaning. The act of walking down the stairs to arrive at the bottom or eating to
satisfy hunger includes cause and effect but few people would describe these
1  Introduction: The Strength of Stories 3

b­ ehaviors as stories. However, if walking down the stairs would mean meeting a
long-lost friend or eating would happen after being on a deserted island without
food for weeks, it would be another matter.
Defining story is further complicated when considering young children’s per-
spectives. Engel (1995) asserts that what counts as story for an adult differs for a
young child. Similarly, what counts as a story to a 2-year old may be very different
from what counts for a 5-year-old, so the minimum characteristics of story depend
in part on both the developmental level and the intent of the teller. Young children’s
interaction with story, for example, may be better defined by what it does; stories are
a way of making meaning.
The contemporary research on children’s stories values them as short descrip-
tions of everyday life where events are given meaning. It is also notable that chil-
dren’s stories are not only verbal accounts but often created through play and
embodied in gesture and action (Bamberg and Georgakopoulou 2008). Through
stories, children make their thoughts and feelings visible (Binder 2014) and create
interaction between themselves and their environment. Stories are a part of everyday
life—a way to make connections with others and sense of our lives. One can reflect
upon and structure experience through stories, create common understanding, and
learn tolerance (Short et al. 2018). Stories are a mode of knowing (Gottschall 2012).
Bruner (1990)\ argues that stories are a way of both shaping and perpetuating
culture because children are born with a drive to make meaning. Stories function as
barometers of both what is normal as well as what is exceptional. We subscribe to
Bruner’s definition of stories as, “...a unique sequence of events, mental states, hap-
penings involving human beings as characters or actors” (p. 43). Even in stories that
do not involve humans as characters or actors, human perspectives always play a
prominent role because people make stories.
People in all places and all times have stories. Narratives are an interpretative
lens into who people are as well as a framework through which humans see the
world. Experiences and stories are both culturally based and individually unique.
Furthermore, narrative is a defining feature of language and thought in all its forms
from the verbal to the visual and kinaesthetic. Barthes (1966/1975) writes in his
seminal work on narrative:
Among the vehicles of narrative are articulated language, whether oral or written, pictures,
still or moving, gestures, and an ordered mixture of all those substances; narrative is present
in myth, legend, fables, tales, short stories, epics, history, tragedy, drame [suspense drama],
comedy, pantomime, paintings…stained glass windows, movies, local news, conversation.
Moreover, in this infinite variety of forms, it is present at all times, in all places, in all societ-
ies; indeed narrative starts with the very history of mankind; there is not, there has never
been anywhere, any people without narrative… (p. 237)

In contemporary Western cultures, stories are most commonly associated with

books, but they are also shared through every day storytelling, the visual and per-
forming arts as well as pop culture and media. Stories are meaning-making forms
that encompass more than narrative text; they include images, sounds, movements
and even touch and smell. Narratives are a way of communicating, interpreting,
knowing, and shaping human experience around the world.
4 K. J. Kerry-Moran and J.-A. Aerila

1.3  S
 upporting Children Across Diverse Contexts
and Domains

Just as stories are present in all cultural groups, they also have the potential to sup-
port the whole child across diverse areas and contexts. Stories are widely recog-
nized for the role they play in helping young children develop language and literacy
(Aerila and Merisuo-Storm 2017; Ayhan et  al. 2014;  Baker 2013; Flevares and
Schiff 2014; Merisuo-Storm and Aerila 2018). Listening to stories and having con-
versations about stories helps children learn new vocabulary, solve problems,
develop language and new language competencies, and refine their thinking.
Through stories children learn contextualized language while interacting with adults
and decontextualized language individually in the context of telling stories or
explaining their thoughts. Storytelling, story reading, and story play are widely rec-
ognized as experiences that support children’s literacy development in the home
environment, in schools, and childcare settings (Aukerman and Schuldt 2016; Isbell
et  al. 2004). Studies confirming the benefits of children’s exposure to stories for
cognitive skills such as reading readiness, comprehension, and logical thought
abound (Allington and Gabriel 2012; Dickinson et al. 2012), but the influence of
narratives surpasses the boundaries of language arts.
Stories can fill pedagogical roles in any subject area by taking advantage of the
dual effect of connecting facts to the images aroused by the stories (Grossman 2001;
Molloy 2003). Narratives enable young children to practice and develop the capac-
ity to think critically through image, movement, and language as they learn logical
thinking and inference skills (Sirén et al. 2018).
Organizational and policy initiatives focusing on the whole child acknowledge
the interrelated nature of development in serving young children and their families
(Slade and Griffith 2013). Children’s development is described in domains includ-
ing cognitive, physical, social, and emotional. The boundaries separating develop-
mental domains are categories created by scholars to facilitate exploring, researching,
and understanding human development; however, individuals, especially young
children, experience development holistically so that each area influences the other
(Dowling 2010). Similarly, young children are influenced by the people, environ-
ments and institutions that touch all areas of their lives including home and family,
school and community as well as governmental policies and regional cultures.
Developmentally appropriate practice calls for meeting young children at their
current level and for most children that includes learning experiences that engage
both mind and body. While adults may consider stories only through the mind, the
young child investigates stories through the whole body. Children are motion; they
engage physically with the world around them using their bodies to experience,
explore, and learn about themselves, others, and the environment. While stories and
physical development may not appear to be directly related, these constructs can
and do influence one another. A young girl may dance as she pretends to be
Cinderella at the ball or concentrate to move her fingers in just the right way as she
1  Introduction: The Strength of Stories 5

ties a string to the bed which has become her make believe pirate ship. She may
extend her arms above her head and walk on the tips of her toes, transforming her-
self into a giant. Each play-based action is inspired by and connected with story as
it influences both mind and body.
One of the great challenges of early childhood is learning how to manage emo-
tions and treat others well. Stories and story characters play an important role in
modelling appropriate social interactions such as being kind, sharing, using good
manners, and being considerate of other people, as well as portraying the downfalls
of negative behaviour including greed and cruelty (Tartar 2009). Following the shar-
ing of William Buckingham’s picture book Snorgh and the Sailor (2012) that was
described at the beginning of this chapter, the classroom of children created their
own stories. One boy described a series of adventures with three unlikely friends:
Snorgh, the sailor, and a ghost. These three banded together and conquered oceans,
the jungle, and monsters before arriving on an island where they celebrated the
Snorgh’s birthday with cake, skating, and handmade presents. Themes of friendship
and uniting to overcome fears permeated the narrative. Stories nurture children by
helping them to recognize different emotions and feel empathy. For instance, the
illustrations of picture books have an important role in helping children to recognize
feelings and sentiments of other people (Nikolajeva and Scott 2013).
Similarly, Stories have always played an important role in children’s spiritual
and moral development. Ancient tales often include moral messages focusing on
how to live a good life. Sacred writings from all the major religions of the world
include stories that are used in the religious education of young children, and story-
telling plays an important role in faith-based settings. Furthermore, many children’s
stories include spiritual and moral themes that encourage children to think of them-
selves and others in connection to a greater purpose or working toward a common
good. Stories can expand children’s views so that they consider moral and socio-­
emotional issues beyond their personal experiences and ponder from a safe distance
what choices they would make in similar circumstances (Izumi-Taylor and Scott
2013; Tartar 2009).
Children can be strengthened by stories in a variety of ways and contexts. Stories
permeate all aspects of life from the routines of home and family to advertisements
on billboards and social media sites; children are immersed in a storied culture.
Young children consume stories as they listen to, watch, play, and read narratives
written by others at home, school, and in their communities. Furthermore, they pro-
duce their own stories by playing, telling, drawing, writing, and performing (Cooper
1993; Paley 1990). Developmentally appropriate practice also requires consider-
ation and care for a child’s current circumstances. For many young children, invent-
ing a story is a way to deal with and describe their own thoughts and world-views
(Aerila and Rönkkö 2015; Zepeda 2014) or to manage tragedy and adversity.
Challenges of childhood may at times seem to be of little consequence to adults, but
a young child’s difficulties and sorrows are tremendously consequential in their
lives. For example, a 3-year-old who was fearful of his family’s anticipated move to
a new community took solace in the assurance that his new house was made of
6 K. J. Kerry-Moran and J.-A. Aerila

brick. Like the three little pigs in the traditional fairytale, this little boy felt hope that
this new place could keep him safe from life’s wolves. The child grieving the loss of
a parent, struggling to make friends, or hoping to be welcomed into a new country
as a refuge can be strengthened through the power of narrative.
Telling stories of one’s own is important for children and for those individuals
close to them. The United Nations’ declaration of Rights of the Child emphasizes
children’s rights to reach their full potential. Through reading and hearing real-life
and fictional stories, children can direct their own life story (Solomon et al. 2001),
and there is power in learning through story and telling one’s own story. When chil-
dren tell stories themselves, they can be heard the way they want to be heard; chil-
dren choose the words, drawings, and acts they want to use to express themselves
(Hohti and Karlsson 2013; Karlsson 2003). Children’s self-created stories can help
adults better understand and make children’s thinking and knowledge visible to
themselves and others (Aerila et al. 2016; Campbell 2001). Narratives may even be
a source of protection for young children unable to articulate their fears directly or
needing safe mental spaces to nurture their hopes and dreams. Educators and fami-
lies can work together to help children create stories that positively influence them
and are a source of happiness and strength in their lives. A thoughtfully shared story
can help a child better understand herself. Like Patrick in the introductory narrative,
stories can help us realize that we are not alone. This knowledge can be a great
comfort to a child.

1.4  Conclusion

As children encounter stories, they gain personal insights, but they also confront
new situations, feelings, and people that may be very different from those within
their immediate circle of acquaintances. Stories and storytelling are fundamental
across peoples and cultures so that narratives can also be a source of comfort and
familiarity. Most significant stories have been passed on from generation to genera-
tion, and children and their families create their own narratives as they live their
lives together. Stories are powerful forces in helping young children grow and
develop as they gain new insights into self and society. Families, teachers, and all
adults who care for young children can bolster the ongoing cycle of generations of
children learning and growing through the narrative domains if they will harness the
power of stories to enrich children’s lives. As our introductory story shows, there is
a story for everyone. Finding one’s own story, whether fictional or true, helps to
make one whole.
1  Introduction: The Strength of Stories 7

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