Families can enjoy a dedicated weekend of inspiring tales and activities as part of this year's University of Worcester Storytelling Festival for Children.
Puppet theatre, shadow puppetry, model making with Oscar'winning animators, illustration and of course expert storytelling are just some of the events on offer at the Family Weekend, which runs October 27th and 28th, in the City.
These sessions, taking place at The Hive and at venues within the University's nearby City Campus, form part of the annual festival, also known as Beeline.
Anne Hannaford, Director of Arts and Culture at the University, said: "The importance of reading and stories in people's lives cannot be underestimated and, as a University, we are keen to promote that lifelong love of reading and learning. Therefore we're delighted this year to be offering even more for the community to get involved in as part of the Festival and hopefully inspiring a generation of youngsters through the power of storytelling."
Weekend events include model-making workshops with Aardman Animation, the studio behind the critically acclaimed Wallace and Gromit films, giving children the chance to make the famous duo, along with Shaun the Sheep.
Indigo Moon Theatre presents a new take on Arabian Nights tale Aladdin through large-scale shadow puppetry.
Popular storyteller, Peter Chand, will be combining his Punjabi and English roots to enthral children with his tales, while Welsh storyteller Daniel Morden will be recounting takes from around the world, including Greek myth.
Author and illustrators, Petr Horacek, whose works include The Fly and Blue Penguin, Chloë Inkpen, of the picture book series Zoe and Beans, and Kristina Stevenson, the author and illustrator behind Sir Charlie Stinky Socks, will be bringing their characters and stories to life.
Lempen Puppet Theatre Company will be using cardboard to create the "ultimate animal" as it performs its Cardboard Carnival " inspired by Camille Saint-Saëns" Carnival of Animals. Afterwards, children will have a chance to create their own animals out of recycled materials at a workshop.
Story theatre from University of Worcester graduates, Kuran & Noah, will explore adventures from both Eastern and Western cultures, while characters Maisy Mouse and The Bear, from author Michael Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt, will also be on hand for storytelling sessions throughout the weekend.
The weekend event is part of the wider the University of Worcester Storytelling Festival for Children, now in its 12th year, which will involve more than 4,000 schoolchildren, attending a variety of events, throughout the two-week event, which starts on Monday, 15th October. It will feature a number of celebrated storytellers, well-known authors, illustrators and theatre companies.