title: Annie Stories: A Special Kind of Storytelling
author:  Doris Brett 
description: Australian psychologist and poet Brett presents parents with a technique to help children work through problems or crises. When Brett's shy three-year-old, Amantha, revealed fears of attending nursery school, Brett constructed a lively, positive tale about her alter ego Annie's first day at school. Amantha's identification with Annie's fictional experiences bolstered the child's confidence and helped allay her anxieties. Brett later taught this method and found it beneficial and comforting to parents as well as children: "From a position of not knowing what to do or how to talk to their distressed child, they are able to do something which is simple, natural, comforting, and therapeutic." The stories Brett provides here incorporate specific behavioral techniques, such as systematic desensitization and covert modeling, and treat common childhood phobias and worriesnightmares, divorce, death, attending school, a new baby in the family, hospitalization. She explains how parents can personalize and modify the tales to fit particular circumstances, eventually creating new Annie stories. In addition to many explanatory footnotes, Brett's introductory material provides a broad overview, relating Annie stories to influential studies and Bruno Bettelheim's analysis of fairy tales. Many parents, especially those insecure about their own storytelling skills, will find Brett's method effective and valuable. Others may simply rejoice at her effort to revive an oral tradition amid today's onslaught of television and videogames. <br />Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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  Acclaim for the authors of  
  ONE CANDLELIT CHRISTMAS
  
  Annie Burrows
  
  “Annie Burrows is an exceptional writer of historical romance who sprinkles
  her stories with unforgettable characters, terrific period detail, and wicked
  repartee.”
  
  —CataRomance
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ANNIE BURROWS
  
  has been making up stories for her own amusement since she first went to
  school. As soon as she got the hang of using a pencil she began to write them
  down. Her love of books meant she had to do a degree in English literature.
  And her love of writing meant she could never take on a job where she didn’t
  have time to jot down notes when inspiration for a new plot struck her. She
  still wants the heroines of her stories to wear beautiful floaty dresses, and
  triumph over all that life can throw at them. But when she got married she
  discovered that finding a hero is an essential ingredient to arriving at
  “happy ever after.” Please visit her Web site at www.annie-burrows.c