Storytelling with children

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As we approach national Storytelling Week 2022 (29th January – 5th February), National Storytelling Week/The Society for Storytelling (sfs.org.uk), we at NEXT PAGE BOOKS have been asked to refl ect on storytelling with young children. This is a topic we feel passionately about as we constantly see the powerful impact of stories on our customers and families in our bookshop.

We are an independent children’s bookshop, with a particular emphasis on supporting and celebrating diversity, including neurodiversity. We handpick amazing books to be inclusive and refl ective of our diverse society which is becoming an easier job with each passing year. For example, in 2020 there was a positive increase in children’s books featuring a minority ethnic character, from 4% in 2017, to 15% (Centre for Literacy ‘Refl ecting Realities’ 2021). Diverse and inclusive books are out there and becoming more readily available, but how do we as parents use them? Everyone has a story to tell, so in that sense, storytelling is a universal art and children in particular are open to listening to any and all stories. This innate curiosity and drive to fi nd out about others is how young children make sense of the world and, as they grow up, fi nd out what is possible in the world and in their lives. Within families, we can support this desire to learn about others, and challenge stereotypes as they appear, all through the power of books. With very young children, although we know reading together has many benefi ts – babies love the sound of your voice, you spend close contact time together, you do something special together – we might believe that the content of what we read isn’t as important. And in one sense, it isn’t. Babies can’t understand much to begin with, and complicated concepts take years to develop. So reading anything together – magazines, your books, shopping lists, the news – is great. Babies still get all those amazing benefi ts. But you, as the family around a baby, can develop your skills through reading those early books – they can help you to choose the language you use with your growing child to refl ect your understanding of the world. You can use books to explain topics that you have no direct experience of. As your child grows, you can choose books to support fi rst experiences, or diffi cult times in your life. And through all of these stories, you are showing your child that everyone is diff erent and that is wonderful. Hearing these diverse stories, your child will develop an innate understanding of this, and if they experience times in their lives when they feel ‘diff erent’, this knowledge of the world will be invaluable.

So we’ll fi nish with a few recommendations of picture books that support diff erent diversities. Remember these can be read by you if these are your experiences, but also, and maybe more importantly, if they are not. This will enable your child to grow in empathy, and truly celebrate diff erence.

NEURODIVERSITY ‘All the Ways to be Smart’ by Davina Bell and Alison Colpoys With stunning illustrations, this rhyming book is a joyous ode to all the qualities that make us unique and wonderful. “Smart isn’t just ticks and crosses, smart is building boats from boxes…”

‘Loud’ by Rose Robbins Abigail is loud and fi nd classroom life tricky, but with the help of a thoughtful teacher, everything changes “I don’t wanna be bad, but I just get mad, wanna stand proud and I wanna be loud!”

‘Leo and the Octopus’ by Isabelle Marinov and Chris Nixon Leo struggles to make sense of the world, but when he meets an octopus and learns about her, he starts to think perhaps he isn’t alone. This is a dreamy and thoughtful story about a boy with ASD and the special bond he forms with a rather wonderful octopus. DIVERSE FAMILIES ‘Forever Star’ by Gareth Peter and Judi Abbot An intergalactic story of same-sex adoption, this is a beautiful and fun look at how adoption works and how forever families are made.

‘We are family’ by Ryan Wheatcroft Every type of family is showcased in this beautifully illustrated compendium. One to come back to time and again when your child fi rst experiences diff erent family types. ‘Two Homes’ by Claire Masurel An oldie but a goodie, this is the most straightforwardly sensitive story we’ve found to explain what can happen when parents separate. DISABILITY ‘You Can’ by Alexandra Strick Following 14 characters from birth to young adult, this groundbreaking story is based on a unique, direct collaboration with children and young people (including young disabled people) aged 8-18 who were asked what they would say to their younger selves to inspire, reassure and enthuse. This book deserves a place on every bookshelf.

‘Can bears ski?’ by Raymond Antrobus and Polly Dunbar A book about the experience of hearing impairment and using a hearing aid, this lovable bear is a little confused about what others are saying, until one day, he can hear everything loud and clear. ‘What happened to you?’ by James Catchpole and Karen George Every time Joe goes out, the questions are the same… what happened to his leg? But is this even a question Joe has to answer? A humourous way to help children understand what it might feel like to be seen as diff erent, with helpful parent tips at the end.

In our bookshop, Next Page Books in Hitchin, we are proud and happy to discuss and recommend books to widen horizons, meet needs or just for fun. If you can’t visit us in person, check out these other ways to explore our books: www.nextpagebooks.co.uk or

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