"When I was five, I was a salmon." 

To you that may sound strange, but to Mackenzie "Toogy" Vanover's family, that was normal. You see, she has the good fortune of having been raised in a family of storytellers. Mackenzie's family is from Southwestern Virginia and Kentucky, where there is a long, rich oral tradition.

Using this tradition as a foundation and relying on her years of working with children, Mackenzie spins her tells a little differently. She uses the art of storyshowing. Storyshowing is bringing the story to life by actively becoming the story itself.

Storytelling and storyshowing serve three important roles. It is an oral record of important events, it is a teaching tool, and it is a form of entertainment. Through interpreting well known children stories and presenting her own original pieces, Mackenzie builds a connection between audience and story. Storyshowing creates interaction, moving beyond passive story times, and allows the audience to really become a part of the story.

With this foundation, storyshowing increases children's desire to spend more time reading and imagining their own stories.

Storyshowing moves beyond traditional storytelling and is for children of all ages. While storytelling is strictly an auditory experience, storyshowing is auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. It relies on literary components so that the audience is not only involved with the story, they are involved in the active process of character and plot development. Research supports the use of storyshowing as a crucial factor in helping children approach learning.

Order Mackenzie's first book and mystery in Stewart and Mindy's adventures! Click here to purchase a copy!

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Check out Mackenzie's father's childhood biography! Click here to purchase a copy!

Click here to purchase the audiobook of

It All Started with a Bicycle by author Plum McCauley and narrated by

Mackenzie Vanover. 

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