Shawn Middleton

“ A Child’s Imagination Should Be Society’s Inspiration”~ Quote by Shawn Middleton
Touring New England, Award-Winning Storyteller, and Author, Shawn Middleton mesmerizes his audiences! With his unique style of storytelling, he brings stories to life with finger puppets, sound effects, voice dramatization, pauses, rhythm, sign language, mime and hip-hop dance. Children, parents, teachers, librarians, and community members will be educated, entertained and engaged. Audiences don’t just listen. They sing, clap, dance, chant, and roar with laughter.
With experience in early childhood education, hip-hop dance, sign language and mime, Shawn combines a dramatic flair with great passion to create a unique style of storytelling. As a professional storyteller since 2000, he has brought his genius for spinning yarns to communities from New England to California, with the goal of fostering a deep appreciation for storytelling, reading, and writing.

Performance Fee: $175-$1000

Workshop Fee: $350-$500

Travel: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT, Out of Region

Audience: PreK, Elementary, Teens, Families, Adults

Genres: Folktales, Historical Tales, Personal Stories, Humorous Tales

Awards: Storytelling with Shawn Presents: Tales for the Wee Little Ones Released 2013

“Winner of a Parents’ Choice Recommended Award” ( Spring 2014 )

Testimonials

  1. Shawn Middleton brings stories alive for young children! He is dedicated and very passionate about what he does. His use of props, attitude and approach to storytelling really gets children involved and excited about the stories. He possesses a gentle manner with the children and is very respectful of their culture, language and interests. He is always prepared and makes sure that he delivers exactly what you want the children to experience. I have hired Shawn on several occasions and he has presented workshops for my NCC students and teachers on how to tell stories. His tips and ideas have really helped them to bring storytelling into their classrooms and really making it work. He has come to CT to tell stories for my Child Development Laboratory School and also for a family night and for my summer transition program. On all occasions, the children were engaged and a part of the stories. The laughter and amount of participation is a gauge for how well the experience went for the children. I have received positive feedback from the children and they talk about the stories and Shawn for a long time after he leaves. Families all wish he lived in CT so he could come and tell stories more.
    For my Brighter Futures Summer Transition Program, most of these children have never experienced live storytelling. All I can say is that it is a great experience and one that sets children off on a good literacy path and helps them develop a love of stories and books. I look forward to working with Shawn and would highly recommend him as a professional storyteller.
    Written by Jennifer Wood
    CDLS Director at Norwalk Community College
    Norwalk, Connecticut
  2. “The kids loved you, as did the staff. We loved how you reinforced in the kids to follow their dreams and they can do anything they set their mind to. Nice to leave us with such a positive note. You are a top-notch storyteller. We really enjoyed your time with us. We were intrigued and truly entertained. You adapted so well to the different levels of your audience.”
    Wanda Lumsden
    First Grade Teacher
    Epping Elementary School, NH
  3. “He was exciting and used very funny voices.”.
    Student from Judy George’s third grade class.
    Mast Way Elementary School.
    Lee, New Hampshire