Weiss, Mitch 1951-

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Weiss, Mitch 1951-

Personal

Born May 8, 1951, in New York, NY; son of Sidney (a businessman) and Janet (a psychiatric social worker) Weiss; married Martha Hamilton (a storyteller), June 18, 1983. Education: Cornell University, B.A., 1973. Politics: Democrat. Hobbies and other interests: Tennis, biking, running, crossword puzzles, hiking, gardening, travel, reading, golf, sports.

Addresses

Home—954 Coddington Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Author and storyteller. Somadhara Bakery, Ithaca, NY, co-owner, 1973-75; Moosewood Restaurant, Ithaca, collective co-owner, 1976-84; professional storyteller, 1980—.

Member

National Storytelling Network, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Awards, Honors

Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award, 1992, for Children Tell Stories; Storytelling World Gold Award, 1997, for Stories in My Pocket; Parents' Choice Recommendation, and National Parenting Publications Gold Award, both 1998, both for Stories in My Pocket (audio recordinge); Storytelling World Gold Award, and Parents' Choice Approved Award, both 2000, both for How and Why Stories; National Parenting Publications Gold Award, 2000, for How and Why Stories (audio recording); Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, National Council for the Social Studies/Children's Book Council, 2001, for Noodlehead Stories

Writings

(With wife, Martha Hamilton) Children Tell Stories: Teaching and Using Storytelling in the Classroom, Richard C. Owen (Katonah, NY), 1990, 2nd edition, 2005.

FOR CHILDREN; RETELLER; WITH MARTHA HAMILTON

Tell Me a Story: Beauty and the Beast (videocassette), Kartes Video Communications, 1986.

Stories in My Pocket: Tales Kids Can Tell, illustrated by Annie Campbell, Fulcrum (Golden, CO), 1996.

How and Why Stories: World Tales Kids Can Read and Tell, illustrated by Carol Lyon, August House (Little Rock, AR), 1999.

Noodlehead Stories: World Tales Kids Can Read and Tell, illustrated by Ariane Elsammak, August House (Little Rock, AR), 2000.

Through the Grapevine: World Tales Kids Can Read and Tell, illustrated by Carol Lyon, August House (Little Rock, AR), 2001.

The Hidden Feast: A Folktale from the American South, illustrated by Don Tate, August House (Little Rock, AR), 2006.

Scared Witless: Thirteen Eerie Tales to Tell, illustrated by Kevin Pope, August House (Little Rock, AR), 2006.

A Tale of Two Frogs: Inspired by a Russian Folktale, illustrated by Tom Wrenn, August House (Atlanta, GA), 2006.

Priceless Gifts: A Folktale from Italy, illustrated by John Kanzler, August House (Atlanta, GA), 2007.

Rooster's Night Out (Cuban folktale), illustrated by Baird Hoffmire, August House (Atlanta, GA), 2007.

The Stolen Smell, illustrated by Tom Wrenn, August House (Atlanta, GA), 2007.

The Ghost Catcher: A Bengali Folktale, illustrated by Kristen Balouch, August House (Atlanta, GA), 2008.

Why Koala Has a Stumpy Tale (Australian folk tale), illustrated by Tom Wrenn, August House (Atlanta, GA), 2008.

The Well of Truth (Egyptian folktale) illustrated by Tom Wrenn, August House (Atlanta, GA), 2008.

Adaptations

Stories in My Pocket: Tales Kids Can Tell was adapted by Hamilton and Weiss as an audio recording on cassette and compact disc, Fulcrum, 1998; How and Why Stories: World Tales Kids Can Read and Tell was adapted by Hamilton and Weiss as an audio recording on cassette and compact disc, August House, 2000.

Sidelights

Mitch Weiss and his wife, Martha Hamilton, work together as a storytelling team. For Sidelights, please see entry on Martha Hamilton elsewhere in this volume.

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 1997, Karen Morgan, review of Stories in My Pocket: Tales Kids Can Tell, p. 850; May 15, 2000, Hazel Rochman, review of How and Why Stories: World Tales Kids Can Read and Tell, p. 1755; October 15, 2000, Paul Shackman, review of How and Why Stories, p. 470; February 15, 2001, John Peters, review of Noodlehead Stories: World Tales Kids Can Read and Tell, p. 1132; March 1, 2006, Gillian Engberg, review of The Hidden Feast: A Folktale from the American South, p. 95; June 1, 2007, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of Priceless Gifts, p. 78.

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2006, review of The Hidden Feast, p. 347; September 1, 2006, review of Scared Witless: Thirteen Eerie Tales to Tell, p. 904.

School Library Journal, January, 2001, Marlyn K. Roberts review of Noodlehead Stories, p. 146; February, 2002, Marlyn K. Roberts, review of Through the Grapevine: World Tales Kids Can Read and Tell, p. 120; April, 2006, Catherine Threadgill, review of The Hidden Feast, p. 126; July, 2006, Lee Bock, review of Children Tell Stories: Teaching and Using Storytelling in the Classroom, p. 136; June, 2007, Jayne Damron, review of Priceless Gifts, p. 133.