Storytale Festival

Storytale Festival An exciting festival of affordable and interactive book-based events for kids: from tots to teens.

Pepper’s Ghost is one of the earliest Victorian illusions and was famously used by Walt Disney for his Phantom Manor the...
07/09/2026

Pepper’s Ghost is one of the earliest Victorian illusions and was famously used by Walt Disney for his Phantom Manor theme-park attraction. This popular illusion also features in Scareground, Angela Kecojevic’s children’s book about a haunted funfair.

In this fun and interactive workshop, you’ll discover how the illusion works and have a go at creating your own Pepper’s Ghost effect. Inspired by Victorian images from this time period, you’ll have an opportunity to write your own spooky story or poem, with guidance and encouragement from Angela.

Angela Kecojevic has published eight books for Oxford University Press, and is also the author behind Hobbledown, the award-winning adventure park in Surrey. Scareground is her spooky middle grade novel which was nominated for a Young Quills award by the Historical Association. She teaches creative writing to children and visits schools and festivals running spooky workshops.

👻 Saturday 24th October, 1pm, We The Curious
👻 Suggested age: 9-12+ years
👻 Find out more and book via our website:
https://www.storytalefestival.com/events/spooky-writing/

Weronika Stelmach invites you to explore identity, culture and community through storytelling and imagination, using clo...
05/09/2026

Weronika Stelmach invites you to explore identity, culture and community through storytelling and imagination, using clothing as a narrative tool in this interactive workshop.

Imagine a protagonist, a character navigating the world, who may be inspired by themselves, their family, their culture, or entirely fictional. Through guided prompts, you’ll explore who this character is, what they care about, and what challenges they face. Clothing becomes a key storytelling device: what does the character wear, and why? What memories, powers, protections or signals are held in these garments?

Using a mix of writing, drawing and discussion, you will build a short story or character profile that draws on themes of memory, belonging and self-identification.

Weronika Stelmach is a Bristol-based facilitator, artist and organiser working with storytelling, textiles and participatory workshops. She runs Weaving Change, a creative practice that explores clothes as a form of everyday storytelling and how what we wear carries memory, identity and meaning far beyond trends or consumption.

💃 Saturday 24th October, 2.30pm, We The Curious
💃 Suggested age: 12+ years
💃 Find out more and book via our website:
https://www.storytalefestival.com/events/dressing-the-protagonist-stories-we-wear/

Ooh aargh, me hearties! Settle down on that there plank while Captain Katie Scorah (aka the author) entertains ye all wi...
03/09/2026

Ooh aargh, me hearties! Settle down on that there plank while Captain Katie Scorah (aka the author) entertains ye all with a reading of her book The Ship’s Cat. We hope yer not too comfortable because now it’s your turn to design your own treasure map or have a go at crafting a parrot puppet inspired by Percival, the captain’s very own mischievous parrot.

Katie Scorah’s debut picture book, The Ship's Cat, was published earlier this year. She’s based in the North East, and works full-time as an English teacher alongside her writing. Katie’s just got married, has a three year old daughter named Effy and a black rescue cat named Bella, who her story is about!

🐱 Saturday 24th October, 1pm, We The Curious
🐱 Suggested age: 5 years and under
🐱 Find out more and book via our website:
https://www.storytalefestival.com/events/shiver-me-timbers-storytime/

We're excited to welcome YA author Lucas Maxwell to Storytale Festival for a session filled with humour and heart as Luc...
02/09/2026

We're excited to welcome YA author Lucas Maxwell to Storytale Festival for a session filled with humour and heart as Lucas discusses the origins behind his debut YA novel, A Million Tiny Missiles All At Once, a book that took him two decades to write (now that's perseverence!) As well as sharing his experiences as a stand-up comic, this interactive event will dive deep into his love of reading and Dungeons and Dragons.

Originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, Lucas Maxwell grew up on Nintendo, comic books and Dungeons and Dragons. He has been working in libraries for over fifteen years and is passionate about providing safe and welcoming library spaces for everyone. In 2017 he was named the UK's School Librarian of the Year and in 2024 he was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his services to libraries. In 2024 he won the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition.

🐉 Saturday 24th October, 1pm, We The Curious
🐉 Suggested age: 12+ years
🐉 Find out more and book via our website:
https://www.storytalefestival.com/events/a-million-tiny-missiles-all-at-once/

Janeen Hayat grew up in a multicultural household and learnt as an adult about her dad’s childhood and journey to the U....
01/09/2026

Janeen Hayat grew up in a multicultural household and learnt as an adult about her dad’s childhood and journey to the U.S. Prompted by the experiences that inspired her own writing, Janeen will encourage you to talk to your adult about your own family trees.

There are special objects that shape Janeen’s book Evie and Maryam’s Family Tree – what objects have a special meaning for your family? Is there a story linked to the object? Or can you create one fuelled by the ideas and inspiration within this session?

Discovering Our Family Stories promises to be a thought provoking and inspiring event based around Janeen Hayat’s debut middle grade novel, Evie and Maryam's Family Tree, which was launched in May 2025. The sequel, Evie and Maryam's Little Lies was published last month. The book deals with issues of identity and multiculturalism inspired by her own family history – her father was born in India the year before Partition, and he and his family were refugees to Pakistan post-Partition. Janeen is mixed-race, American, and raising her children in an ethnically diverse part of London. Evie and Maryam is about the journeys each of our families take, and how we're all more connected than we think.

📚 Saturday 24th October, 11.45am, We The Curious
📚 Suggested age: 5-12 years
📚 Find out more and book via our website:
https://www.storytalefestival.com/events/discovering-our-family-stories/

We promise you'll have heaps of fun with Felicity Yeoh - Author as she transports you to the Malaysian rainforest, bring...
31/08/2026

We promise you'll have heaps of fun with Felicity Yeoh - Author as she transports you to the Malaysian rainforest, bringing it to life with her one-woman musical performance of The Kingdom of Tigers. With a cast of puppets and songs inspired by the story – including a humorous buddy song, a dreamy lullaby and a K-pop inspired number (all sung live!) – you’ll be introduced to the plight of endangered harimau tigers, and the importance of biodiversity and conservation.

Felicity Yeoh is a British Chinese author with a background in performance and a love of storytelling. Her picture book The Kingdom of Tigers was published in July 2026 with Harper Collins (Kumusha Books). It's about an endangered tiger seeking a safe place to live in the Malaysian rainforest, but it's also about the universal search for a home, and never giving up.

🐅 Saturday 24th October, 11.30am, We The Curious
🐅 Suggested age: 5 and under
🐅 Find out more and book your tickets via our website:
https://www.storytalefestival.com/events/journey-to-the-kingdom-of-tigers/

Illustrator Duncan Beedie was a firm favourite at our last festival, so it's a pleasure to have him back this year along...
29/08/2026

Illustrator Duncan Beedie was a firm favourite at our last festival, so it's a pleasure to have him back this year along with lovable hamster, Doug!

Written by Maudie Powell-Tuck and illustrated by Duncan, Don't Do It, Doug! is about an accident-prone hamster who struggles to fight his compulsive urges – leading to scenes of chaos and disruption. Duncan will invite the audience to think up new potentially catastrophic scenarios for the hapless Doug and do his best to draw them before leading a how-to-draw Doug draw-along for children and adults alike!

Duncan is a children's author and illustrator from Bristol who has been working in picture books for over a decade after previously working in 2D animation for 15 years. His debut book The Bear Who Stared was nominated for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize in 2017 and he has since gone on to write and illustrate titles for Templar, Little Tiger, Quarto, Scholastic and more.

🐹 Saturday 24th October, 10.30am, We The Curious
🐹 Suggested age: 5 and under
🐹 Find out more and book via our website:
https://www.storytalefestival.com/events/dont-do-it-doug-with-duncan-beedie/

Could you survive the world’s deadliest animals? This coming October half term, join wildlife filmmaker Sam Hume as he i...
27/08/2026

Could you survive the world’s deadliest animals?

This coming October half term, join wildlife filmmaker Sam Hume as he introduces you to some of the deadliest creatures on the planet and tells you how to stay alive if you’re (un)lucky enough to meet them.

As a wildlife film-maker (for the BBC and National Geographic) and author (An Anthology Of Aquatic Life and Dangerous Animals Survival Guide), Sam Hume knows what he's talking about! He has spent twenty years meeting remarkable wildlife around the world, alongside legends like Steve Backshall and Sir David Attenborough. We're delighted that he'll be sharing his knowledge of dangerous animals at this year's festival.

🐊 Saturday 24th October, 10.30am, We The Curious
🐊 Suggested age: 9-12 years
🐊 Find out more and book via our website:

https://www.storytalefestival.com/events/dangerous-animals-survival-guide/

We invite you to create a memorable forest setting with Lucy Stevens in this interactive storytelling workshop. As you e...
26/08/2026

We invite you to create a memorable forest setting with Lucy Stevens in this interactive storytelling workshop. As you explore the forest, Lucy will encourage you to focus on the five senses. A main character will be introduced who faces the challenges in the forest such as deep mud and wild animals. You’ll be prompted to walk in the main character’s footsteps feeling what they’re feeling and wanting to give up, but perseverance is needed. How will you encourage the main character to keep going?

Lucy is at the end of a degree in acting and drama at the University of the West of England and is passionate about children learning through stories and being encouraged to write their own, which fits perfectly with what we're passionate about at Storytale too!

🌿 Join Lucy on Saturday 24th October, 10.30am, We The Curious
🌿 Suggested age: 5-9
🌿 To find out more and book visit our website: https://www.storytalefestival.com/events/a-forest-adventure/

With two months to go until festival weekend, it seems only right to begin sharing our brilliant lineup which starts on ...
25/08/2026

With two months to go until festival weekend, it seems only right to begin sharing our brilliant lineup which starts on Saturday 24th October with award-winning author Laura Henry Allain MBE kicking things off. We're thrilled she will be part of this year's festival! Laura is the creator and series producer of the well-loved, award-winning, first Black British Animation global series, JoJo & Gran Gran, developed and produced by CBeebies.

Join Laura for a fun-filled story and activity session, based on her new book Maya & Marley and the New Friend, a warm and joyful picture book that celebrates empathy, friendship and community.

📚 Saturday 24th, 9.30am, We The Curious
📚 Suggested age: 3 and over
📚 Tickets are now available to book so grab them quick!

https://www.storytalefestival.com/events/storytime-with-the-creator-of-jojo-and-gran-gran/

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