From the story of how the rabbit lost its tail to the legend of old-man winter imprisoning the other seasons, DeMello Elementary students were treated to a night of stories that transported them to a fairytale realm of myth and legend.  

Children and parents gathered around for an enchanting evening of folktales performed by internationally acclaimed storyteller Len Cabral, whose 48 years of storytelling experience captivated parents and their kids on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at DeMello Elementary. 

That evening, Cabral’s stories ranged from myths explaining the changing of the seasons and why rabbits have short tails to allegories imparting the importance of building friendships and choosing one’s words wisely. 

Cabral’s Cape Verdean heritage inspires his energetic delivery of African and Caribbean folktales. In college, he studied early childhood development, and it was during his time working at a daycare that he discovered his passion for reading aloud to children.

“It’s important that we tell stories to each other, and listen to each other’s stories,” Cabral said. “We understand people better via their stories.”

Cabral said he wants kids and parents to realize that they have stories worth telling. Anything from a scar to a name holds a story, he told the audience. 

Cabral holds workshops where he shows teachers how to incorporate storytelling in the classroom. Reflecting on his high school and college days, Cabral was inspired by his teachers who taught by sharing their stories with their students. 

“Storytelling is a real teaching tool,” he said. “It always has been since before people knew how to write.”

When it comes to telling a good story, Cabral has some helpful tips. Eye contact, repetition and participation are all good ways to hold children’s attention, he said. Physicality is also important. With each story he told that evening, Cabral’s animated movements and exaggerated expressions held the children’s attention from start to finish. 

And perhaps the most important rule is that someone needs to enjoy the story they’re telling.

“I never told a story that I didn’t love,” he said. 

The stories are intended as much for the parents as the children, Cabral explained, as we all have a story to share. One of those parents was Heather Noyes-Fredette, an occupational therapist as DeMello. 

“I get to see the kids so invested in the way he tells the stories,” Noyes-Fredette said. “And I think what he brought today was that sense of community in storytelling.”