Dianne’s Bio

 

Touring internationally, Award-Winning Author and Storyteller Dianne de Las Casas sizzles on stage with “revved-up storytelling.” Audiences don’t just listen – they sing, clap, dance, chant, and roar with laughter. De Las Casas adapts traditional folklore, adding fun audience participation, song, and of course, humor. A dramatic storyteller, she does not stay still! Through the use of character voices, creative movement, and animated facial expressions and gestures, she creates a world of fantasy and enchantment. Childhood travels around the world contributed to shaping her future as a storyteller. De Las Casas lived in the Philippines, Hawaii, Spain and traveled across Europe and the United States. A proud Filipina-American, she now resides in the New Orleans area. Her varied cultural experiences nourished her imagination, and she continues to draw on that knowledge, adding depth and richness to her tales.

 

A champion for literacy, she is founder of the international initiative, Picture Book Month, which celebrates picture books during the month of November. Picture Book Month was featured in Life Lift, The Oprah blog, among other media. De Las Casas is the author of several children’s picture books including The Cajun Cornbread Boy (Pelican Publishing; 2009), Madame Poulet & Monsieur Roach  (Pelican Publishing, 2009), Mama’s Bayou (Pelican Publishing, 2010); The Gigantic Sweet Potato (Pelican Publishing, 2010), There’s A Dragon in the Library (Pelican Publishing, 2011), The House That Witchy Built (Pelican Publishing, 2011), Blue Frog: The Legend of Chocolate (Pelican Publishing, 2011) Dinosaur Mardi Gras (Pelican Publishing, 2012), Beware, Beware of the Big Bad Bear (Pelican Publishing, 2012), The Little “Read” Hen (Pelican Publishing, 2013), and The House That Santa Built (Pelican Publishing, 2013).

 

Her award-winning professional books for teachers and librarians include Story Fest: Crafting Story Theater Scripts (Teacher Ideas Press, 2005), Kamishibai Story Theater: The Art of Picture Telling (Teacher Ideas Press, 2006), Handmade Tales: Stories to Make and Take (Libraries Unlimited, 2008) Tangram Tales: Story Theater Using the Ancient Chinese Puzzle (Teacher Ideas Press; 2008), The Story Biz Handbook: How to Manage Your Storytelling Career from the Desk to the Stage (Libraries Unlimited, 2008), Scared Silly: 25 Tales to Tickle and Thrill (Libraries Unlimited, 2009), Stories on Board: Creating Board Games from Favorite Tales (Libraries Unlimited, 2010) Tell Along Tales: Playing with Participation Stories (Libraries Unlimited, 2011), A is for Alligator: Draw and Tell Tales from A-Z (Libraries Unlimited, 2011), Tales from the 7,000 Isles: Filipino Folk Stories (Libraries Unlimited, 2011) and Handmade Tales 2: More Stories to Make and Take (Libraries Unlimited, 2012).

 

Her storytelling CDs have won multiple parenting awards and have received rave reviewed. Booklist says, “De Las Casas’ commanding voice, unique characterizations, emotive vocalizations, and creative methods of reaching out to her audience are most engaging.” Publishers Weekly hails de Las Casas brand of oral tales as as “revved-up storytelling.” She is a Louisiana State Roster Artist, a Louisiana Touring Directory Artist, and a Mississippi Arts Education Demonstration Roster Artist. She was recently listed in the Great Lives in History Series (Salem Press, 2012) in the Asian and Pacific Islander American edition.

 

She performs arts-in-education programs and residencies at schools, libraries, festivals, museums, and special events.  Interviewed by the Wall Street Journal and many other media outlets, de Las Casas is a sought-after international professional development workshop leader. She is a frequent presenter at IRA, ALA, AASL and other literacy and education conferences.  An enthusiastic advocate of literacy and arts-in-education programming, Dianne de Las Casas continues to make the story connection with thousands of children every year, reaching and teaching through the wonder of stories.