To celebrate National Story Telling week, we are focusing on oral storytelling, which involves telling a story through voice and gestures. The oral tradition is an old, widespread, and much-loved tradition in many cultures, and can take many forms. It’s sometimes a performance art that involves interaction between the storyteller and the audience. At other times, it’s a spontaneous communication within a small group of people. The event is used to entertain the listeners, to teach or reinforce information or cultural values, and to share memories. It can be very enjoyable for both children and adults. An oral story is frequently presented as prose but may take the form of a poem or a song instead. A performance may include engaging acting or elements such as dance or music. Ideally, the storyteller presents his or her ideas in a way that stimulates the listeners to visualize or otherwise imagine the story in their own mind. The presentation and interpretation combine to create the story.