Every Hero Has a Story

Every summer, libraries across the country sponsor summer reading programs. This year, award-winning author and story performer Mark Binder has assembled a collection of adventures that can be enjoyed by children and parents of all ages.

“Every summer I share my stories in libraries,” author Mark Binder explained. “Summer reading shouldn't be a chore. My goal with this book is to create a collection of stories that every family member can enjoy, from the youngest to the oldest, including parents.”

Some of the stories are familiar adventures that the Princess and Prince while others are unexpected, whimsical and fantastic.

“Every Hero Has a Story” is designed to be read to young children or read by older children. Parents and youngsters alike will delight in the stories as the tales spin. By the end of the evening the stories have done more than just pass the time, they have changed the lives of the Prince and Princess forever.

Based in New England, Mark Binder tours the world sharing his spoken and written stories with listeners of all ages. In this collection you'll “hear” his version of Jack and the Beanstalk («Giant Killer Jack”), and learn the origin of “The First Story.” You'll smile at the wisdom of a young girl in “The Contest,” and catch your breath at “The Short Tale of Erika P. Spunk.” There's even a new addition to the Arabian Nights with “The Last Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor.”

Binder blends and dances between genres. He makes traditional stories sound modern and invents new stories that sound as if they have been retold for a hundred years.

At the heart of the book, weaving in and out, is the “frame tale” of the Prince and the Princess, who grow beyond their remoteness and isolation and are touched, moved and transformed by the stories they hear, and the stories that they themselves tell.

Mark Binder is an author and storyteller who knows how to connect generations. It is a true testament to his passion and talent that he is able to reach the hearts and minds of such diverse audiences.