Bob Hartman
BOB HARTMAN has been working for over twelve years as a performance storyteller for children. He uses his dynamic and interactive style to entertain audiences on both sides of the Atlantic - from the Pittsburgh Children's Museum to schools, bookshops and major festivals throughout the UK, including Greenbelt, Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Northern Children's Book Festival.
Bob's programme combines traditional folk tales from around the world, retold in his fresh, inimitable style, with his own stories. He loves to help children (and adults!) create their own stories on the spot. He runs practical workshops for adults who want to improve their storytelling skills. Whatever the occasion, Bob's storytelling sessions are always exciting, engaging and, above all, interactive!
Well-known for the Lion Storyteller series and the highly acclaimed Angels, Angels All Around, Bob's publications also include several picture story books - Noah's Big Boat, Dinner in the Lions' Den, The Wolf Who Cried Boy and The Three Billy Goats' Stuff. For adults, Bob has written Telling the Bible - a series of retellings of passages from the Bible for individual and group performance - and Anyone Can Tell a Story, full of Bob's tips for great storytelling.
More of Bob's storytelling tips!
Interview with Bob Hartman:
What do you do for a living?
'I've been writing books since I was a child, and am now a professional storyteller, which means that I visit schools, fetivals, bookshops all around the country, putting on shows and running workshops for both children and adults. As well as writing, I'm a pastor of a church.'
How did you start writing?
'My brother, Tim loved puppets. When he was 9, he asked me to write him a script. I jumped at the chance and soon we were putting on shows regularly. I was usually the narrator and Tim did the puppets. I soon learned first hand what it was that made an audience laugh.'
What stories did you enjoy when you were young?
'When I was at primary school, every Friday afternoon my teacher, Mr McKee would lower the blinds in our hundred-year-old classroom and read to us. I remember The Chronicles of Narnia best of all. The gloomy schoolroom would be filled with his voice and a special kind of magic.'
How do you make up your stories?
'I remember things that happened to me when I was a child. Or I retell stories other people have told - local legends, or tales from long ago. I love to retell stories from the Bible; I find that crawling into a text, asking questions and then coming out the other side, is the best way to discover what it's all about - to be surprised, challenged, moved and won over.'
Bookings:
For more information about Bob or to book Bob for an event, please contact the Lion office
Read an article about Bob from The Glasgow Herald
Storytelling tips to accomany The Lion Storyteller Easter Book