"Kevin Graal is a great story-teller who brings thoughts, feelings, and the music in words directly to children." Michael Rosen

Kevin is an experienced storyteller and educator with an extensive repertoire of traditional stories, riddles, songs and games from around the world. Kevin's work is about story-making as much as story-telling; helping children and young people to find their voices, and to experience first-hand the pleasure and power of words; enabling them to articulate their curiosity about the world around them and to express their creative responses to it; fostering in them the confidence to ask incisive questions and the critical skills to formulate thoughtful answers.

Kevin Graal has worked with children and young people of all ages and abilities since 1981. Tailored to particular themes or curricular topics, his storytelling performances celebrate a multitude of cultural traditions and are always pitched at just the right level of understanding. Workshops and residencies focus on the children as storytellers and are often linked to specific literacy goals. Using games and exercises on story-structure, character and setting he encourages confident use of both spoken and written language. The dynamic blend of words, movement and music ensures that everyone is fully engaged.

Over the past thirty years Kevin has established a reputation for excellence in a wide range of work: from performances for children and young people to teacher-training workshops and collaborations with leading arts organisations such as the National Theatre and Tate Modern. Combining playful improvisation with a keen sensitivity to the needs of each particular audience, his finely tuned performances are filled with laughter, magic and imagination.

www.talkingtales.org

PERFORMANCES WORKSHOPS RESIDENCIES COLLABORATIONS PUBLICATIONS RECORDINGS TRAINING

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CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS Partnerships with creative practitioners, pupils and teachers in 9 East Sussex primary schools. [2006-2011]

BRITISH LIBRARY Performances and workshops for family and community groups exploring: London - A Life in Maps, an exhibition of ancient and modern maps of the city [2007]; Building Stories, inspired by the British Library’s secret spaces and stories [2009]; Tales & Trails, mapping a journey of discovery around the British Library as part of the Magnificent Maps exhibition. [2010]

CHILDREN'S GAMES & SONGS IN THE NEW MEDIA AGE A day of workshops at the British Library as part of an ongoing research and web development project involving the Institute of Education, the University of Sheffield, the University of East London and British Library Social Sciences Collections & Research. [2009]

SIMANYENE STORIES Working with seven East London schools to produce a book of creative writing, photographs and artworks created by children and their teachers in London and the Eastern Cape of South Africa as part of a series of exchange visits sponsored by Unilever. [2008-09]

BRITISH MUSEUM Storytelling sessions as part of the London Festival of Architecture [July 2008] & Midnight Ramblers Sleepover. [August 08]

THREE LITTLE CELEBRATIONS Narrating three stories about the seasons for a series of 'mini-musicals' designed for Early Years settings. [A & C Black, 2009]

ONLINE STORYBOOKS Retelling two traditional folktales for online storybook [2008 & 09] and audio CDs [2009] to raise awareness of World Food Day 2008, a UN World Food Programme initiative and Global Handwashing Day - a health education campaign bringing together public and private organisations including UNICEF, the World Bank and the Center for Disease Control. Storybooks commissioned by Unilever.

TINY TATE Storytelling sessions inspired by artworks in the gallery as part of an annual programme of activities for pre-school children and their families. [2008]

DE LA WARR PAVILION, BEXHILL ON SEA Working with primary school children and their teachers in and around this modernist architectural icon investigating how the building and it’s programme of exhibitions and arts events can inspire creative learning. Project culminating in online resource kit. [2007-08]

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM – JOURNEYS OF CHANGE Investigating historical documents and oral histories recording life in the London Borough of Lambeth during World War II. Project culminating in exhibition of photos and children’s creative writing at the Imperial War Museum. [2007-08]

STORYTELLING TOOLKIT FOR EARLY YEARS PRACTITIONERS Co-author of practical resource on how to tell and make stories for very young children. [Basic Skills Agency, 2006]

THREE LITTLE NATIVITIES Narrating three modern 'nativity' stories for a CD to accompany a book by contemporary children’s authors designed for use in Early Years settings. [A & C Black, 2006]

FESTIVAL OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE Performances and workshops culminating at the Royal Festival Hall in The Imaginarium – a multi-media installation featuring children’s artworks and recorded voices. [2004-05]

FACES IN THE CROWD Recording children’s responses to Faces in the Crowd, an exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery on the theme of identity and city life. Project in collaboration with a visual artist and sound engineer, culminating in production of a CD featuring children’s voices played at a listening post in the gallery reading-room, and on portable CD players. [2005]

MUSIC EXPRESS Singing and storytelling for a prize-winning series of CDs, CD-ROMs and books containing lesson plans and resources for primary music teachers. [A & C Black, 2002-03]

EARLY YEARS UPDATE An article on the value of storytelling in a national magazine for Early Years practitioners [Optimus Publishing, May 2003]

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT An article on developing storytelling skills in a national magazine for primary school teachers. [Optimus Publishing, November, 2003]

SING HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE Singing for a CD and book of traditional British nursery rhymes. [A & C Black, 2001]

FIVE LITTLE FROGS & FIVE LITTLE OWLS Singing for 2 CDs of rhymes and counting-songs for 2-7 year olds. [Playsongs Publications, 2000]

MAKING THEIR MARKS An anthology of children's writing inspired by Visual Paths to Literacy, a three year project initiated by Tate Britain to explore connections between visual art and language development. [Tate Publications, 2002]

TATE BRITAIN TEACHERS' KIT A resource pack for teachers and parents visiting Tate Britain. [Tate Publications, 2001]

STORIES AND PICTURES FROM RUSSIA A storytelling handbook for teachers and parents visiting Twilight of the Tsars, an exhibition of Russian art at the Hayward Gallery. [South Bank Publications, 1991]

TOULOUSE LAUTREC A young person's guide to an exhibition of paintings by Toulouse Lautrec at the Hayward Gallery. [South Bank Publications, 1991]

THE GREEN UMBRELLA An anthology of stories, songs and poems with an environmental theme designed for use in school assemblies. [A & C. Black in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature, 1991]

THE SINGING SACK Contributions for a book and CD of stories with songs from around the world. [A & C Black, 1989]

"If you are looking for ways to inspire, delight and enchant your children, then look no further than Kevin Graal. As Kevin weaves his magical world around the children, you can actually feel them grow into new levels of perception, understanding and engagement with the spoken word. I would thoroughly recommend Kevin to any school who wishes to bring the joy and excitement back into literacy."

Head of Sir William Burrough Primary School, Limehouse, London

"I have worked with Kevin Graal for 3 years now and he is no small part a reason for us achieving our best ever English results. He is very professional, approachable and the children love him to bits. He is a real master in managing the children and getting the best out of them and a wonderful storyteller and more!"

Head of Shinewater Primary School, Eastbourne

"You were absolutely brilliant at the Early Years conference and all our colleagues left feeling energised and ready for the term."

Inspector for Primary & Early Years Kingston Upon Thames

"It’s always a joy and a privilege to see this master storyteller weaving his magic spells."

South East Regional Education Officer, National Trust

"Kevin is a fantastic storyteller and we've always received excellent feedback from families who have taken part in his workshops."

Learning Programmes Manager, The British Library