Ethel Barrett

Ethel Barrett (b. 1914) was a prolific Christian writer, speaker, and storyteller 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.

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 has won a Grammy Award and is soon to be awarded the Great Christian Storyteller Award for the last 100 years at the Christian Storytelling Convention in 2007.

Ethel started her storytelling career as a Sunday School 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.

Select bibliography

• Barrett : A Street Cop Who Cared
• Ethel Barrett Tells Favorite Bible Stories
• Fanny Crosby
• God and a Boy Named Joe
• Holy War: with Apologies to John Bunyan
• Our Family's First Bible Storybook
• Peace and Quiet and Other Hazards
• The Secret Sign
• Storytelling, It's Easy
• "The Strangest Thing Happened..."
• The War for Mansoul
• Which Way to Nineveh

Stories to Grow on

A series of children's books

• Blister Lamb
• Buzz Bee: Learning Respect for Authority
• Cracker: The Horse Who Lost his Temper
• Gregory the Grub
• Ice Water and Snow
• Jasper the Jealous Dog Learns the Value of Friendship
• Muffy and the Mystery of the Stolen Eeggs: Learning Honesty and Truthfulness
• Puff the Uppity Ant Learns the Value of Helping and Cooperation
• Quacky and Wacky: Learning You are Special
• Smarty the Adventurous Fly Learns Not to Wander too Far From Home
• Sunny the Greedy Goat Learns the Value of Self-Control
• Sylvester, the Three-Spined Stickleback: Learning the Importance of Being Unselfish