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Great fireside stories

Nothing beats gathering around the flames to hear a tale. We asked librarians near national parks for their suggestions, and threw in one of our own.

Sunset

While the kind of fire you can build depends on your wood,the principles involved don’t change. “The fire triangle is made upof three ingredients ― fuel, heat, and oxygen,” says JulieSidel, interpretive specialist at Big Basin. “Folks often forgetthat third ingredient.” Nothing beats gathering around the flamesto hear a tale. We asked librarians near national parks for theirsuggestions, and we threw in one of our own. (All are available at www.amazon.com.)

Campfire Stories: Things That Go Bump in the Night, byWilliam W. Forgey, M.D. (Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT, 1985;$12). Original, classic stories of adventure and ghosts, each easyto memorize for retelling.

My Life in Dog Years, by Gary Paulsen (Bantam Doubleday Dell, New York, 1998; $16).The famed author of adventure tales reflects on the canines in hislife (you’ll love Caesar) in a series of entertaining stand-alonechapters.

Ready-to-Tell Tales: Sure-Fire Stories from America’sFavorite Storytellers, edited by David Holt and Bill Mooney(August House, Little Rock, AR, 1994; $20). Forty professionalstorytellers share stories guaranteed to work in front of the mostdemanding audiences.

Stories for Around the Campfire, by Ray Harriot (Campfire Publishing Company, Laurel, MD,1986; $7.95). A collection of humorous, ghost, adventure, foreign,and Native American stories handpicked by camp directors.