ACTING OUT YOUNGSTERS TUNE IN WHEN STORIES COME TO LIFE.

Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer

``TELL ME a story.''

What parent hasn't heard that one? Sometimes it's a stalling tactic at bedtime, but it also may express a desire in today's generations young and old that has been handed down from cave-dwelling ancestors.

Even as communication flies through cyberspace in e-mails, Internet chats, instant messages and digital photos on cell phones, the millennia-old art of storytelling is thriving, judging from the numbers who gather at many free or low-cost events each weekend.

For sheer whimsy there are kid-friendly attractions at museums such as the Getty Center and the Skirball Cultural Center, public libraries and stores specializing in picture books.

Stories of heavier historic importance are offered this weekend as the Japanese American National Museum brings together three authors to share their perspectives on internment in Seattle during World War II.

And average citizens are getting up close and personal over the next few weeks inside an Airstream trailer in Santa Monica as NPR's StoryCorps project documents family recollections for the Library of Congress archives and radio broadcasts.

Despite a resurgence in written communication - although in highly perishable forms - experts agree there still is something special about storytelling, for the teller and the listener.

``I think it's really about the human voice,'' says Jennifer Ferro, assistant general manager of KCRW-FM, the public radio station hosting the StoryCorps trailer at the Third Street Promenade. ``Since the beginning of time, that is how we have told our story and that's how we still do it.

``There are many people who are really funny, really lively in person, but what they write, it doesn't translate,'' Ferro said. ``And the written word is completely up to the reader's interpretation, but actually hearing someone tell their own stories is so powerful and so singular.''

April Wind, store director for Storyopolis in Studio City, relies on interest in the written word to maintain her thriving children's bookstore, but she also appreciates the customer response to the shop's frequent storytelling events.

``There's a lot that can be learned by speaking and by repetition,'' Wind said. ``I know kids who can sing (the multiple-verse) 'I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly' but they can't read it yet.

``For as much as kids love to buy the books, they love to hear people tell the stories. It doesn't even have to be a great book. As long as they're animated and the pictures are great, the kids love them.''

Put together a wildly popular book series and an extraordinary performer doing excerpts and you have a storytelling event to, well, tell the grandkids about. That's what Storyopolis saw recently when Tony and Grammy winner Jim Dale shared some of what Wind describes as ``a bazillion voices'' he created as narrator of all six ``Harry Potter'' audio books. The crowd was about 80 percent adults, many of whom probably already heard Dale's now-legendary audio recordings but were compelled to catch him in person. Wind says she particularly enjoyed hearing one young boy exclaim, ``I can't wait to meet him!'' as any other kid might say of a pro athlete or a rock star.

In the Getty Center's South Wing Sunday afternoon, the mission was to draw young children into appreciating a certain piece of art, which is unlikely to happen with a droning guide on a velvet-rope tour. At the appointed time, a bunch of kids, preschoolers to preteens, parked themselves on cushions in a gallery surrounded by ornate 17th- and 18th-century cabinets, desks and chairs. If they were inclined to touch anything they should not, they soon forgot thanks to the attraction of the Patchwork Players, Patti Christensen and James Nelson-Lucas.

They pointed out the large Louis XIV chandelier overhead. It has the commonplace white tapers and swags of crystals, but also gold-leaf griffin figures, a large star-adorned globe in the center, and a crystal bowl suspended beneath it.

The globe, they explained, was a nod to the artist's fascination with hot-air balloons, and the crystal bowl held swimming goldfish. From that description alone, the children were primed for the Patchwork Players' tale about a girl living in the French countryside with her uncle, an inventor. His attempt to delight her on her birthday with a balloon ride turns into a daring adventure in which her pet goldfish saves the pair from threatening griffins.

Christensen says they consider their storytelling a success if they can spur young visitors to use their imaginations when examining other works at the Getty.

``One girl came up to me after looking in another gallery and said, 'I saw a story in there,' '' she said. ``That's what you hope for.''

This Sunday, Antonio Sacre will spin a tale about a certain cabinet in the Getty collection, playing three characters: a not-too-savvy curator, the artist who made the furniture and a Spanish man who owned it.

Sacre can vouch for the universal appeal of storytelling, even to those most deeply immersed in mass media. He recalls one performance he gave at a junior high school, probably the toughest crowd for this entertainment form.

``There were parts that were kind of funny but they didn't laugh, there were parts that were scary and they didn't react to that,'' Sacre said. ``They didn't respond at all. But afterwards one of the boys came up to me and whispered in my ear. He said, 'Cool.' ''

Valerie Kuklenski, [phone]

valerie.kuklenski(at)dailynews.com

Storytelling events

Now hear this: Among the storytelling events on tap this weekend is Antonio Sacre's story crafted around a Louis XIV cabinet at the Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, performed at 11:30 a.m., 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Sunday. [phone] or www.getty.edu.

At the Japanese American National Museum, 369 E. First St., Los Angeles, authors Mary Matsuda Gruenewald, David A. Neiwert and Toshiko Shoji share stories about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, 2 p.m. Saturday. [phone] or www.janm.org.

And Storyopolis, which moved from West L.A. to Studio City last summer, celebrates its 11th anniversary with readings by authors and art demonstrations by illustrators, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 12348 Ventura Blvd. [phone] or www.storyopolis.com.

Ongoing opportunities to enjoy storytellers include:

Agoura Hills Public Library, 29901 Ladyface Court, Agoura Hills. [phone]. Through April 5: Toddler Time (ages 2-3), 11:30 a.m. Mondays; preschool story time (ages 3-5), 11 a.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Barnes & Noble, 245 N. Glendale Ave., Glendale. [phone]. Book Buddies, 11 a.m. Tuesdays; Sleep Tight Story Night With the Pajama Pals, 7 p.m. Thursdays. Santa Monica store: 1201 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica. [phone]. Toddler Time Storytime, 10 a.m. Mondays and Saturdays. Burbank store: 731 N. San Fernando Blvd., Burbank. [phone]. Storyteller Steve Reads, 7 p.m. Thursdays; Children's Storytime, 11 a.m. Saturdays; Storytime with Katie, 10:30 a.m. every other Tuesday.

Glendale Chevy Chase Library, 3301 E. Chevy Chase Drive, Glendale. Tots at Chevy, 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays through Jan. 25. [phone].

Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St., Glendale. Mother Goose and Me (ages 6 to 17 months), 10:30 a.m. Fridays; Nursery Tales (ages 3-5), 10:30 a.m. Thursdays; Puppy Tales (ages 18 months to 2 years), 10:30 a.m. Saturdays; Family Storytime (preschoolers), 2 p.m. Saturdays; Play With Me (ages 3-5), 11 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays; Wow It's Wednesday (ages 6 and up), 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays. [phone]. www.glendalepubliclibrary.org.

Glendale Grandview Library, 1535 Fifth St., Glendale. Preschool Storytime, 10:30 a.m. Fridays; Grandparents and Books Read-Aloud, 3 p.m. Thursdays. [phone].

Glendale Pacific Park Library, 501 S. Pacific Ave., Glendale. Grandparents and Books, 3 p.m. Wednesdays; Saturday Surprises, 3:30 p.m. Saturdays; Tot Storytime, 10 a.m. Thursdays. [phone].

Platt Branch Library, 23600 Victory Blvd., West Hills. Storytelling for children ages 2 to 5, 10:30 a.m. Mondays. [phone].

Thousand Oaks Library Main Branch, 1401 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks. Wee Ones and Toddlers (ages 18-36 months), 10:15 and 11 a.m. Tuesdays; Perfect for Preschoolers (ages 3-5), 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Thursdays. [phone].

Thousand Oaks Library Newbury Park Branch, 2331 Borchard Road, Newbury Park. Storytime Is Fun Time, 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Feb. 7. [phone].

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) ONCE UPON A TIME...

Kids' fascination with a well-told tale keeps the oral tradition alive

(2 -- color) Members of the Patchwork Players tell a story to the children gathered at a Getty Center gallery. The storytellers like to point out the artwork around them to bring a tale to life.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

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Storytelling events (see text)