esent the idea and laugh at you. _Keep
on their level._ That means that you must be sure you know your audience
before you begin to talk.

2. _Talk Naturally._ Forget that you are telling a story for the effect
it will produce. Forget yourself. Tell the story as you would tell them
an incident you have just seen.

3. _Look Your Children in the Eyes._ Find the responsive eyes and get
your inspiration from them; seek out the dull and uninterested eyes and
talk to them till they brighten up and respond to your enthusiasm. Let
every child know that many times you have looked him square in the face
and make everyone feel you are talking straight at him.

4. _Supply Many Details._ Children love them; their lives are made up of
little things. Don't think you are ignoring the real story by your
additions. The details you give are probably the very ones the author of
the original story intended you to supply from your own imagination as
you read. Under this head comes the giving of names to characters;
descriptions of clothes, of facts, of feelings; the addition of new
incidents.

The recital of a bare plot is not an interesting story. For instance: "A
boy on his way to school found a yellowbird's nest with four little
birds in it," is the recitation of a bare plot. Is it interesting? Would
the story appeal to children? What do you think of the form following?

"John told me an interesting story this morning. As he was coming to
school today he saw a little yellowbird fly from the bushes by the big
tree at the corner of Mr. Brown's yard. He parted the leaves and looked
into the bush, but for quite a while he could see nothing. At last,
however, he spied a pretty little nest in the fork of a limb and so low
that he could look right down into it. John must have made some noise,
because when he looked in he saw four little, wide-open red mouths, and
that was about all. Of course, there were little half-naked bodies under
the gaping mouths, but he couldn't see them, for each little bird was
shaking his head about, stretching it up higher and higher and opening
his mouth wider and wider. You see, to each little bird a rustling sound
meant that the mother bird had come back with a bit of tasty breakfast
in her mouth. When the wee babies found that they had made a mistake
they closed their mouths, drew down their heads and packed themselves
away so tightly that I'm sure they can't be cold while their mother is
away."

5. _Be Int