The Importance of Rediscovering Storytelling

By Steve Cooke

In his new book, A British Childhood, outgoing children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce makes a powerful case for helping families rediscover storytelling even in rough and tight circumstances.

He cites the case of mums in Knowsley, one of Britain’s poorest boroughs, who couldn’t read but were introduced by him at a session at a GP practice to Dear Zoo, which they could easily recount to their children [“You just need to remember one sentence: ‘I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet and they sent me a….’ “The pictures will do the rest.”]

Cottrell-Boyce takes his storybooks and children’s literature very seriously and laments that the simple act of a parent reading a story to a child is being lost. He goes on to state that almost 50% of children are arriving at school never having been read to. That many don’t even know how a book works – swiping the pages or tapping to expand illustrations as though they are screens.

Children who have been read to are at a massive advantage between them and their peers who first encounter books in school.

One initiative to counter this is the Bookstart scheme, which ensures each newborn cohort receives the same free book and provides programmes and resources for practitioners.

Regular readers of this column may have noticed in the listings that libraries across the borough run regular Bookstart sessions.

Libraries running sessions include Rochdale Central, Castleton, Wardle, Spotland, Alkrington, Middleton, Heywood, Smallbridge, Langley, Junction, Littleborough, Milnrow and Balderstone.

Toddlers up to pre-school age and their parents or carers are invited to join Amy and Bookstart Bear for fun sessions.

At their first session they receive their very own Bookstart passport to get stamped each time they go along to a session or visit the library. For every 6 stamps they get in their passport, they receive a certificate. If parent or child are not library members already, they can join at the  Bookstart Bear Club.

To find out more about Bookstart visit: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/how-we-help/programmes/bookstart/

To find out more about Bookstart sessions and a whole range of free activities in our libraries across the borough visit: https://www.rochdale.gov.uk/events/20166/library

To find out more about Frank Cottrell-Boyce visit: https://rcwlitagency.com/clients/boyce-frank-cottrell

A British Childhood: How children Live Now is published by Picador at £14.99

FRANK COTTRELL-BOYCE AT THE ROCHDALE LITERATRE AND IDEAS FESTIVAL