Jackie Torrence was the reference librarian who came to the rescue when a children's librarian fell ill and could not read a story to an assembly of children. The children were so impressed with her storytelling gifts that they wanted to hear the story again and again. As her popularity grew, Torrence eventually left the library to become a full-time storyteller. She knows several thousand characters and dozens of sound effects like creaking doors and howling ghosts. In one story she can play a high-spirited, five-year-old girl, a ninety-eight-year-old woman, and a thirty-eight-year-old woman. Torrence has traveled across the globe and delighted thousands with her gifts.

A family of storytellers

Torrence was born on February 12, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois, but spent much of her childhood on Second Creek, near Salisbury, North Carolina. She was raised by her grandparents, who often had relatives stop by and tell stories. Her grandfather...