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Children's Fiction Short Stories

Is That Story True?

by (author) Laura Alary

illustrated by Margaret Kyle

Publisher
Wood Lake Publishing
Initial publish date
Sep 2010
Category
Short Stories, Children & Youth, General
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781551455693
    Publish Date
    Sep 2010
    List Price
    $12.95

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 6 to 8
  • Grade: 1 to 3

Description

As Maggie listens to a story about a little girl who grew up on the prairies, about a ruler who cut a knot in two, about a shepherd who went looking for a lost sheep, about a king who made a foolish wish, and finally, about a giant who lived in a beautiful garden, she discovers that some stories are true because they actually happened. Other stories are true because they tell us something true about a real person, place, or event, even if what they describe did not happen. And some stories are true - even if they are completely made up - because they tell us something true about our own experiences.

About the authors

Laura Alary believes in writing stories that make us bigger on the inside. Born in Halifax, she earned her B.A. with Honours in classics at Dalhousie University before moving to her current home of Toronto, where she completed a Ph.D. at University of St. Michael’s College. Laura has worked as a lecturer, a library assistant, and a music specialist in Montessori classrooms, all the while writing books and raising her three children. Laura’s most recent title is What Grew in Larry’s Garden, which won the IODE Jean Throop Book Award in 2021. 

 

Laura Alary's profile page

Margaret Kyle was born in Colony Bergthal, Caaguazú, Paraguay and moved to Manitoba, Canada in 1968 at the age of six. She grew up in Niverville and lives there with her husband. She has four children and three grandchildren. She works at the local school with special needs and EAL (English as an additional language) students. She has an interest in Mennonite history and she is proud of her rich heritage that she was born into. She, along with her sister and 91 year old mom are currently editing an autobiography that her father wrote for his family before he passed away. She has her Bachelor of Fine Arts. As a student she wrote an illustrated children’s book about her parents’ life in South America from 1948-1968.

Margaret Kyle's profile page

Editorial Reviews

This book is wisdom clothed in simplicity and could only have been written by a mother who nightly tells stories to her children which gives it such authenticity. It also makes parents think about where truth is to be found in the stories they tell their children when they ask "Is this story true?" The five stories have been chosen with a lot of thought, a family story, one from history, one from the Bible, a fable and an all time favourite, The Selfish Giant. Marcus Borg, who has long pleaded with us to better understand the stories of the Bible, has this blurb on the back cover: "This charming book makes the point that stories including Biblical stories, can be true whether they happened or not." Laura has a Ph.D in New Testament from the University of Toronto and lives with her husband and three children in Toronto. Laura brings both scholarship and a love of children to this endearing book which is alive with wonderful illustrations by Margaret Kyle.

Helen Goggin, Professor Emerita, Knox College, Toronto School of Theology

I absolutely love it—so simple yet so profound! A child’s book for people of all ages! In a world of increasing polarization, this is a message all of us need to hear from an early age.

Marilyn Perry, editor of The Whole People of God

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