Story Monsters Among Us: A Brief History of Human Storytelling.

The Storyteller’s tool for engaging the imagination of young readers … for teachers, librarians, parents, and all storytellers!

Story Monsters Among Us whisks readers away on a journey spanning 50,000 years to discover the origins of storytelling—from the Chauvet Cave painters of southern France to the brothers Grimm to modern-day stories in the digital age. As the history of storytelling is recounted to Story Monster, readers are reminded of where storytelling came from and what it delivers to listeners. Delightful illustrations accompany each of the stories.

What Folks Are Saying …

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Storad introduces readers to storytelling and shares briefly about what they will see in this book. He then takes us back to the first recorded drawings and writing and moves through history. Love the Story Monsters observing everything and participating at times. I appreciate that cultures from across the globe are included so readers see diverse civilizations and the roots of their own cultures. The book brings us into predictions for the future where humans travel to other planets and bring their stories with them. A brief summary of storytelling that captures the historical process and lets readers decide on the connections to our modern time.”

— Pam Gombert, Librarian, Goodreads

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Conrad J. Storad’s ‘Story Monsters Among Us: A Brief History of Human Storytelling’ was a joy to read! The text by Storad and the unique and colorful illustrations by Jeff Yesh made the information about the history of storytelling come alive.

The mysterious shapeshifting Story Monster that moves throughout the past and into the future will most definitely engage young readers as they learn about various cultures and the art of storytelling within those cultures. The addition of word definitions and an activity guide at the end of the book are a great bonus that parents and teachers will especially appreciate.

It isn’t easy to create a book that is educational and informative while still being fun and interactive, but Storad has succeeded in doing just that!”

— Deborah Edmisten, Author

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This was really fun to read. I loved how it was teaching history in a comic form. My third grader loved reading it.”

— Sheila Gentry, Teacher

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Brightly colored illustrations demonstrate the long-ago history of story writing and storytelling in a fun and intriguing way. Pictures really are worth a thousand words! This cleverly written book allows for a self-reader or a storyteller to educate while also engaging the imagination.”

— Cynthia Kern OBrien, Award-winning Author and Publisher

“Award-winning author, Conrad J. Storad, has a wonderful format for his books that includes laying a background, telling a delightful story, supporting the vocabulary in the story, and sharing ideas with parents and teachers to reinforce the story told; at the same time including talented artist illustrators who visually bring each page to life. This book presents an enlightening history of storytelling and story tellers. I particularly enjoyed following the historical characters through the ages and their ways of storytelling, the brightly colored images, and the ‘four-eyed monster’ who turns monsters into friends. As a fan of Storad's ‘Arizona Way Out West & Wacky’ series, I highly recommend this book and look forward to sharing it with the Clemenceau Heritage Museum, the Cottonwood Oak Creek School District (Cottonwood, AZ), local librarians, friends, and my great-granddaughter, Austrie Gray. Thank you, Mr. Storad, for bringing fun, laughter, enlightenment, and great stories to educate and brighten children's lives across the world.”

— Isabel Erickson, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Team Leader of Educational Programs for Children, Verde Historical Society and Clemenceau Heritage Museum