MyLeoNes™

Who is telling the story? — Literature, 4–6 years

Notice whether a story uses “I” or speaks about someone as “he”, “she”, or “they”. Literature, 4–6 years.

Idea

A story has a voice telling us what happens. Sometimes that voice says “I”: “I saw a fox.” Sometimes it talks about another person: “Mia saw a fox.” The words we hear can show who is telling the story.

Why

A listener needs to know whose eyes and ears guide the story. Long ago, people told tales aloud in their own voice; later, writers used words such as “I” or names to guide readers. Spotting the voice helps us understand what the teller can know.

Worked example

Read: “I opened the gate. I heard a bark, but I could not see the dog.” The word “I” tells us the speaker is inside the event. We know what this speaker hears, but not what is behind the gate. That is the story’s viewpoint.

A common trap

It is easy to think that the person named first is always the teller. That is reasonable because names often appear at the start. Instead, look for clues such as “I” or “we”; a story can mention Leo without Leo telling it.

Outside school

You can spot the story voice in a bedtime book, a diary, a puppet show, or a family tale. Try telling one small event twice: first as “I found the shell”, then as “Sam found the shell”. Notice how the voice changes the telling.

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