Storystock, two days of storytelling events and workshops for children aged two to 13 and their families, comes to its temporary home in Hammersmith on Thursday and Friday 27 and 28 October.

Among the highlights will be children’s authors Judith Kerr and John Burningham appearing together on stage for the first time at the Lyric.

Judith Kerr

The world famous writers will appear in conversation as part of the festival, which is financially supported by Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

Judith is the much-loved author and illustrator of children’s
classics including the Mog series and The Tiger Who Came to Tea, while John is best known for childhood favourites including Mr Gumpy’s Outing and Borka: The Adventures of a Goose With No Feathers.

Their onstage conversation will take place on 27 October at 2pm, alongside a wealth of other activities including live illustration sessions, drama shows, storytelling and creative workshops.

Storystock, which describes itself as a ‘travelling circus of stories’, was founded by Shepherd's Bush residents Claire Gill and Nathalie Bristow in 2013. Since then they’ve held a number of successful storytelling festivals for families at the Bush Theatre in Uxbridge Road.

However, with the Bush currently undergoing renovations, the popular festival has found a temporary home at the Lyric in Hammersmith for its latest event.

Mother of three Claire, who lives in Bassein Park Road, says: " We are so excited to be bringing our circus of stories to the Lyric this year.

“Storystock really does have that festival feeling, with lots of different things going on under one roof for all ages. It’s a celebration of stories, encouraging us all to remember how important they are, and it’s also an opportunity for families who would not otherwise go to literary events to get involved.”

The festival is aiming to be as accessible as possible by offering a number of free events and also a 20% discount to local school groups.

Speaking about Storystock’s headline event, Claire adds: "Judith Kerr and John Burningham are the undisputed royalty of children’s literature, bringing unending delight with their stories, and we cannot wait for this once-in-a-lifetime chance to see them together and ask them questions about their life and inspirations."

John Burningham

Other highlights of the festival will include an Imagination Seekers workshop bringing Roald Dahl stories to life, School of Comedy workshops, creative writing sessions and story shows including The Wimpy Kid and Atticus’ Greek Myth Marathon.

You can find the the full Storystock programme of events and book tickets here.

October 25, 2016