ABSTRACT
The “social justice” message is strong when all the children in the group may tell their own stories and give equal opportunity to others to enter the plot of the ongoing drama. In Helicopter Stories, when children choose to dictate or write their stories, they do it for themselves; they understand the reason they are doing it. Each story is placed in front of an audience. It has a purpose, and it has an end result. Writing for a purpose is such an important criterion. The quotes from the children above demonstrate how sophisticated their thinking has become about what makes a storyteller. They realise that their stories are like tiny movies that are constantly changing and where there is always the chance to learn something new. Children come into our schools and pre-schools as incredibly creative beings, eager to play, to explore and to take risks.
