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Stoke Reads invite families to World Book Day library take over
On Saturday 5 March, storytellers are taking residence in all six of Stoke-on-Trent’s libraries to bring free fun-filled family storytelling sessions, as part of Stoke Reads’ World Book Day celebration.
Featuring a line-up of award-winning poets, actors and theatre-makers, families in Stoke can visit their local library in person to take part in storytelling sessions and share in the joy of books. Children will also receive a free World Book Day book to take home and keep, kindly gifted by World Book Day as part of their partnership with the National Literacy Trust.
Stoke Reads’ storytellers include:
- Dominic Berry (City Central Library): Dominic Berry is an award-winning poet. He was 2017 Glastonbury Festival Poet in Residence, winner of the 2020 and 2017 Saboteur ‘Best Spoken Word Artist’ award, and has toured his verse across the world.
- Pyn Stockman (Longton Library): Pyn is a storyteller living on a boat in the West Midlands. She tells stories to people of all ages in festivals, woodlands, libraries, theatres, parks and schools. She has worked with organisations including Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Arts Council, Birmingham Roundhouse, Birmingham Literature Festival, Bournville Book Festival, Birmingham Hippodrome.
- Sophia Hatfield (Bentilee Library): Sophia is a touring actor and musician. She has worked alongside leading theatre companies all over the UK and also runs Stute Theatre CIC. Her 2018 library show ‘Common Lore’ was awarded Breakthrough Performance of the Year at the National Rural Touring Awards, and her show ‘Just Soph’ has been seen by over 4000 children.
- Alan Barrett (Stoke Library): Local legend Alan brings stories to life with his interactive, fun filled storytelling. With his repertoire of his own as well as traditional tales, there’s something for all ages and abilities to enjoy.
- Naomi Felton-Hunt (Meir Library): After working as an actor for several years Naomi now focuses primarily on facilitation and work with all age groups delivering drama workshops and story sessions. The story sessions involve reading the book together and then exploring the story actively, encouraging the children to be creative and use their imaginations to delve into the story and think beyond the words on the page, no matter their age. The main aim is always to have fun!
- Jenny Morgan (Tunstall Library): Jenny is a theatre maker and storyteller from Manchester. She has performed her solo comedy and storytelling shows around the UK and Australia and runs workshops in storytelling for children and adults.
Families interested in attending can book a place by contacting their local library, details can be found on Stoke Reads’ website. Places are limited so advanced booking early is recommended.
To help continue the World Book Day celebrations families can visit their local library at 12:30pm for exciting craft activities. Contact your local library for more information.
Lois Bateman, Stoke Reads Hub Manager, said: “World Book Day is a wonderful annual event to celebrate the joy that books can bring to children, whilst highlighting the importance of reading for pleasure. I’m so looking forward to marking the day with our programme of events and engaging with the local community.”
“Huge thanks goes to our amazing partners at the library service for helping us create this exciting event and allowing us to use their venues so we can reach families across the six-towns.”
Councillor Lesley Adams, said: “As a volunteer for Stoke Reads I love seeing the fantastic work the organisation does across the city, and this World Book Day is no exception. It is so important to encourage families read daily and our beautiful libraries have an incredible array of books to help make regular reading free and accessible for all. I am really looking forward to Stoke Reads’ library takeover, it’s going to be wonderful.”
Stoke Reads is a campaign from the National Literacy Trust to inspire children to enjoy reading and helps parents to support their children’s literacy skills at home. The campaign brings together partners across the city to promote reading and boost literacy levels, with funding from Arts Council England. For more information, visit: www.stokereads.org.uk
About the National Literacy Trust
Our mission is to improve the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills of those who need it most, giving them the best possible chance of success in school, work and life. We run Literacy Hubs and campaigns in communities where low levels of literacy and social mobility are seriously impacting people’s lives. We support schools and early years settings to deliver outstanding literacy provision, and we campaign to make literacy a priority for politicians, businesses and parents.
Our research and analysis make us the leading authority on literacy and drive our interventions. Literacy is a vital element of action against poverty and our work changes children and young people’s life stories. Our new site Words for Life provides simple, fun and educational activities for children and young people aged 0-24 to support learning at home and help them feel more confident.
Visit literacytrust.org.uk to find out more, donate or sign up for our free email newsletter. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Stoke Reads
The Stoke-on-Trent Literacy Hub is branded Stoke Reads. The campaign brings together partners across the city to promote reading and boost literacy levels.
Stoke Reads was launched in February 2017 by the National Literacy Trust and Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The campaign inspires the city to enjoy reading and helps parents to support their children’s literacy skills. Schools are delivering innovative literacy projects and businesses have the opportunity to play an importance role in raising literacy levels. For more information, visit: www.stokereads.org.uk