Thursday, December 11, 2008

Fairytale skill of storyteller Tomos earns trip to New York

Dec 11 2008 by Kelly Fenna, Daily Post

A SCHOOLBOY was so captivated when he heard an Irish folk story that he re-told it to win a national storytelling competition for children and a prize of a trip to New York.

Tomos Turtle aged nine, from Abersoch, was one of six finalists from all over the UK and Ireland in the competition to celebrate the National Year of Reading.

He first heard the story of Michael and the Fairies when his parents Margot and Martin took him and his sister Mali to a storytelling evening in Harlech.

And in true storytelling tradition he then stood up and related the magical tale in front of a panel of authors, storytellers and around 60 guests at independent children’s publisher Barefoot Books’ UK head office in Bath.

Now Tomos will jet to New York with his family to tell the tale on Barefoot Books’ Storytellers Throne in famous toy store FAO Schwarz.

His efforts have also won £1,000 worth of Barefoot books to be shared between the Ysgol Sarn Bach Primary School where he is a pupil and his former primary in Abersoch.

Tomos’ mum Margot said her son’s prize was a tribute to the teaching at small schools in Wales – so often under closure threats.

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