Ethel Barrett
Encyclopedia
Ethel Barrett was a prolific Christian
writer, speaker, and storyteller, whose popularity peaked between the early 1950s and the mid 1980s. She sold millions of copies of over 40 different books for publishers like Zondervan
, Gospel Light and Regal Books. The latter printed and sold more than 4 million copies of her work. She also recorded over 30 audio recordings distributed on records and tapes.
teacher in Schenectady, New York
in the early 1940s. She was asked to teach the Boys Brigade class, made up of the most unruly boys in the area. She had so much trouble keeping their attention that she began telling Bible stories using character voices and full dialog to capture their attention. That Sunday School class became a great success and her local fame and storytelling talent landed her some weekend radio jobs where she would tell Bible stories on local Christian radio
stations.
Her most recognized works included the retelling of John Bunyan's Holy War, The Chronicles of Mansoul, Storytelling - It's Easy which had more than 21 different printings, Don't Look Now, which sold over 80,000 copies, The Secret Sign, which sold over 165,000 copies, and Will the Real Phony Please Stand Up sold over 150,000 copies, and There I Stood in All My Spendor sold over 640,000 copies.
She won a Grammy Award
and was posthumously awarded the Great Christian Storyteller Award for the last 100 years at the Christian Storytelling Convention in 2007.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
writer, speaker, and storyteller, whose popularity peaked between the early 1950s and the mid 1980s. She sold millions of copies of over 40 different books for publishers like Zondervan
Zondervan
Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association .- History :...
, Gospel Light and Regal Books. The latter printed and sold more than 4 million copies of her work. She also recorded over 30 audio recordings distributed on records and tapes.
Biography
Ethel started her storytelling career as a Sunday SchoolSunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
teacher in Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
in the early 1940s. She was asked to teach the Boys Brigade class, made up of the most unruly boys in the area. She had so much trouble keeping their attention that she began telling Bible stories using character voices and full dialog to capture their attention. That Sunday School class became a great success and her local fame and storytelling talent landed her some weekend radio jobs where she would tell Bible stories on local Christian radio
Christian radio
Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...
stations.
Her most recognized works included the retelling of John Bunyan's Holy War, The Chronicles of Mansoul, Storytelling - It's Easy which had more than 21 different printings, Don't Look Now, which sold over 80,000 copies, The Secret Sign, which sold over 165,000 copies, and Will the Real Phony Please Stand Up sold over 150,000 copies, and There I Stood in All My Spendor sold over 640,000 copies.
She won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
and was posthumously awarded the Great Christian Storyteller Award for the last 100 years at the Christian Storytelling Convention in 2007.
Select bibliography
- Barrett : A Street Cop Who Cared
- Don't Look Now, But Your Personality is Showing
- Ethel Barrett Tells Favorite Bible Stories
- Ethel Barrett Tells Bible Stories to Children Volume 1
- Ethel Barrett Tells Bible Stories to Children Volume 2
- Fanny CrosbyFanny CrosbyFrances Jane Crosby , usually known as Fanny Crosby in the United States and by her married name, Frances van Alstyne, in the United Kingdom, was an American Methodist rescue mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. During her lifetime, she was well-known throughout the United States...
(includes hymns and music) - God and a Boy Named Joe
- God, Have You Got It all Together?
- If I had a Wish
- It Didn't Just Happen, and Other Talk-About Bible Stories
- It Only Hurts When I Laugh: A Letter from PeterSaint PeterSaint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
- John Welch: The Man Who Couldn't be Stopped
- Our Family's First Bible Storybook
- Peace and Quiet and Other Hazards
- The People Who Couldn't be Stopped
- Rules, Who Needs Them?
- The Secret Sign
- Steve Paxon: Can't Lose for Winning
- Storytelling, It's Easy
- "The Strangest Thing Happened..."
- There I Stood in All My Splendor
- The War for Mansoul: A John Bunyan Classic co-authored with John BunyanJohn BunyanJohn Bunyan was an English Christian writer and preacher, famous for writing The Pilgrim's Progress. Though he was a Reformed Baptist, in the Church of England he is remembered with a Lesser Festival on 30 August, and on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church on 29 August.-Life:In 1628,...
- This book has been revised and renamed a few times:
- Ethel Barrett's Holy War: with Apologies to John Bunyan (1969)
- The Great Conflict: The Story of Satan's Struggle for Possession of Your Soul (1970)
- Chronicles of Mansoul: A John Bunyan Classic (1980)
- The War for Mansoul: A John Bunyan Classic (1998)
- What Makes a Teenager Say, "Sometimes I Feel Like a Blob"
- Which Way to Nineveh
- Will the Real Phony Please Stand Up?"
Great Heros of the Bible series
- AbrahamAbrahamAbraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
: God's Faithful Pilgrim - The Disappearing Prophets and Other Stories About Elijah and ElishaElishaElisha is a prophet mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, or Alyasa via Arabic.-Biblical biography:...
- Doomed or Delivered and Other Stories about DanielDanielDaniel is the protagonist in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew Bible. In the narrative, when Daniel was a young man, he was taken into Babylonian captivity where he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted to Neo-Babylonian ways...
- The Giant Slayer: DavidDavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
- JosephSaint JosephSaint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
- Journey into the Unknown and Other Stories About JoshuaJoshuaJoshua , is a minor figure in the Torah, being one of the spies for Israel and in few passages as Moses's assistant. He turns to be the central character in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua...
- The Man Struck Down by Light and Other Stories About Paul
- Master of Mystery and Dreams: DanielDanielDaniel is the protagonist in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew Bible. In the narrative, when Daniel was a young man, he was taken into Babylonian captivity where he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted to Neo-Babylonian ways...
- Men of Mystery and Miracles: Elijah and ElishaElishaElisha is a prophet mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, or Alyasa via Arabic.-Biblical biography:...
- MosesMosesMoses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, Mission Impossible - Paul: One Man's Extraordinary Adventures
- PeterSaint PeterSaint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, the Story of a Deserter Who Became a Forceful Leader - RuthBook of RuthThe Book of Ruth is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, or Old Testament. In the Jewish canon the Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings . In the Christian canon the Book of Ruth is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel...
First series illustrated by Jim Padgett
Many of these were released as audiobooks and 2-in-1 volumes- Blister Lamb: Learning to Obey
- Buzz Bee: Learning Respect for Authority
- Cracker: The Horse Who Lost his Temper
- Gregory the Grub: Learning about Eternal Life
- Ice, Water, and Snow
- Muffy and the Mystery of the Stolen Eggs: Learning Honesty and Truthfulness
- Quacky and Wacky: Learning You are Special
- Sylvester, the Three-Spined Stickleback: Learning the Importance of Being Unselfish
Second series illustrated by David Gaddy
- Jasper the Jealous Dog Learns the Value of Friendship
- Puff the Uppity Ant Learns the Value of Helping and Cooperation
- Smarty the Adventurous Fly Learns Not to Wander too Far From Home
- Sunny the Greedy Goat Learns the Value of Self-Control