Sacramento State education professor Francie Dillon will be distributing an instructional DVD on effective storytelling, which she hopes will help people communicate better with children.

“It takes expression to capture and hold a child’s attention,” Dillon said. “Being able to growl like a bear or breathe like a dragon while reading a story to a child is a simple, universal, yet an underrated skill that anyone can learn.”

The First 5 El Dorado County’s High 5 for Quality Program and Sac State’s Academic Technology and Creative Services Division approved the funding for Dillon’s project this summer.

First 5 awarded Dillon about $22,000, Dillon said. Sac State chose to contribute an in-kind grant, meaning the campus would match First 5’s initial contribution to Dillon. A First 5 representative could not be reached for comment.

Dillon said even children’s psychologists may have trouble talking with children, and anyone who has or will ever work with children, including parents, teachers, childcare providers and students, can benefit from watching the DVD.

“There are so many majors and careers that involve the youth,” Dillon said. “Being able to read stories, dynamically, gives students an asset in communicating with young children for their profession.”

She mentioned bibliotherapy, which uses books to address psychological issues in a child, as an example of the importance of the skills people can gain from watching the DVD.

Dillon’s 30-minute-long DVD will show her reading aloud stories from three books for children ages 5 years old and younger, she said.

“You’re not just telling the story to a child,” Dillon said. “By reading the story out loud and using the character’s own voice, you give life to the author’s text. By engaging their sense of humor and natural playfulness, a great storyteller can encourage a child’s enjoyment of books.”

She said there are reading skills that would be effective for infants, but not for toddlers.

“The skills involved in being a great storyteller attract attention like no others,” Dillon said. “This DVD will give its viewers an introduction to effectively use your voice, facial expression and body language.”

Michaeline Veden, executive producer of Sac State’s Creative Services Division, said the DVD would provide the university with teaching tools it would otherwise have had to buy from a less reliable and more expensive source.

“This DVD is being made for the story-reading cause,” Dillon said. “It’s not being used as a promotion of me, First 5 or Sac State. Our partnership wants to serve the population, which is why we’re making it free. It won’t just serve CSUS or El Dorado; it will be a public service announcement to all child-care providers.”

Dillon and her crew will film on Sept. 16 and 17, and the DVD will be ready for distribution to libraries and early childhood education programs by late November.

Sac State students will also be able to use the DVD when it becomes available.

“When the project is completed, First 5 will receive a designated number of DVDs to use,” Dillon said. “At the same time, the DVD will be used in teacher education and early childhood education classes on campus.”

Veden said Dillon has done a lot of work with First 5, and she was able to build a strong relationship with the organization.

“From this relationship, First 5 wanted to create a product based on her skills,” Veden said.

Among the work Dillon has done with First 5 is the program Jazzbabies, a performance targeted toward expanding toddlers’ awareness on literature, music and of themselves. Dillon said from fall 2009 to spring 2010, she performed the Jazzbabies show for about 5,200 people.

“Ultimately, my goal is to instill a lifelong love of reading,” Dillon said.

Micah Stevenson can be reached at [email protected].