MP3 Donna L. Washington - Fun, Foolery, and Folktales

Donna Washington's second CD is a wonderful collection of folktales & tongue twisters geared for younger kids. But Donna's amazing vocal pyrotechnics bring these well loved tales to life and will enthrall & delight listeners of all ages.

6 MP3 Songs
KIDS/FAMILY: Children's Storytelling, KIDS/FAMILY: Kid Friendly



Details:
Donna was born an army brat in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She traveled all over with world with her parents. Her father would sit at the dinner table and spin the wildest yarns imaginable. He taught her Arthurian Legend and Greek Mythology by telling the stories in the first person. She thought he had actually been with Merlin and Oedipus. She thought he was thousands of years old. Donna spent from second to sixth grade in Seoul Korea. It was during these years that her parents adopted three Amerasian children. Through it all, she learned about different people, places and of course, learned their stories.
Donna attended Northwestern University and was involved with numerous theatrical productions. It was at this time that storytelling reemerged as something she wanted to learn more about. In the four years she was there, she began to make storytelling a central part of her performance life.
Her first recording work was done with Warren Coleman Productions. She provided the talent on a storytelling tape that was so successful for Childrenâs Press that the tape was used to make four wordless picture books. It was at this time that Donna began writing books. Her first writing project was an anthology. It has been in the works for almost twelve years. A Pride of African Tales was released in December 2003. Award winning illustrator, James Ransome provided the lush watercolor pictures for the book. It received rave reviews from the American Library Association (ALA) Booklist and the School Library Journal. Pride has been nominated for the Pennsylvania 2005-2006 Young Readerâs Choice Award
Donnaâs second book, The Story of Kwanzaa, has been in print for eleven years. It is a wonderful primer for kids about the African-American celebration of Kwanzaa Donnaâs third book, A Big Spooky House, is a wonderful book to read aloud at Halloween. Her next book will be entitled Liâl Rabbitâs Kwanzaa and will be published by HarperCollins Childrenâs Books.
Donna is also an award winning recording artist. She received a 2002 Parentâs Choice Award for her first independent recording âLive and Learn: The Exploding Frog and Other Storiesâ. The October 2004 edition of the ALA Booklist gave Donnaâs second CD, âA Little Shiverâ, a recommended review. It also won the 2004 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award and 2005 Storytelling World Honors. Her third CD âFun, Foolery, and Folktalesâ also won the 2004 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award and a 2006 Storytelling World Honors. Her fourth CD âThe Sword and The Roseâ has won an iParenting Media 2005 Excellent Product Award, a 2005 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award and a 2006 Storytelling World Award. All of her CDs have won 2005 Childrenâs Music Web Awards. Donnaâs fifth CD âAngelsâ Laughterâ was just released in May 2006
Donna has performed at numerous storytelling festivals throughout the country, including being a featured teller at the 2004 National Storytelling Festival. She is a professional storyteller who also offers workshops in storytelling, writing, education, and creative drama for librarians and educators as well. Some of her recent workshops venues include the Forsyth School Media Association, US Army Corps of Engineers, North Carolina Library Association Conference, Virginia Library Association Conference, Georgia Council of Media Organizations Conference, South Carolina Library Association Conference, Mary Lois Staton Conference at ECU, keynote speaker & presenter at the North Carolina Elementary Educators Conference These days you can find her traveling the country telling stories to anyone who is willing to listen.