Storytelling in Libraries

Cat does a great deal of work in libraries as both a storyteller and an author.

Age 3 – 7: Cat can work with children as young as three, making her a popular choice for Bookstart sessions. She combines age-appropriate stories with action rhymes, music, singing, hand puppets and physical objects to create lively, interactive and entertaining sessions for little listeners.

Age 7 – 12: Cat can offer either storytelling sessions or Meet the Author book sessions (or a combination of both!)

Cat tells WORLD TALES in her junior sessions, choosing age-appropriate stories that will engage and challenge her audience. Years 3 and 4 love magic and humour, for example, but older children often feel they have outgrown such fanciful fare, so Cat will give them problem-solving stories, lateral thinking and word play.

MEET THE AUTHOR book sessions. Author events can be quite dry, but Cat includes all her characteristic flourishes – a high energy performance style, music, fairy lights and plenty of audience interaction – to create lively, entertaining programmes that really bring her books to life. All sessions include Q & A and inspirational talk about writing and being an author.

Family Sessions

These are always available to complement book weeks, summer reading schemes, etc. Beautiful full-colour A3 posters can be supplied free of charge to help to publicise your event.

Young Writers Workshops

Cat has worked with many of the Young Writing Squads in Wales. She has a selection of one-hour and two-hour creative writing workshops suitable for juniors (7 – 12) and seniors (12 – 16).

Adult Workshops

Cat frequently leads training sessions for librarians. She also offers workshops for budding writers (So you want to be a Children’s Author?) and Family Storytelling workshops for parents, grandparents and carers. See TRAINING AND WORKSHOPS.

Cat also welcomes any opportunity to work with the Over 65s. This age group is frequently overlooked and underfunded, which is a great shame because they are wonderful listeners and always keen to find ways to occupy their time. Afternoon events for this age group can be enormously popular. Both story sessions and reminiscence sessions are possible – please contact Cat for a chat.

Fees

For children, the daily rate is the same as schools: £275 – £300 per day depending on the location of the library and what is required.

Cat is based on the English-Welsh border near Hay on Wye. Day visits are readily available in Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire (west of M5) parts of Gloucestershire, mid and south Wales. Cat is happy to travel further (she frequently works in Birmingham libraries, for example) but a modest accommodation fee (£25) might need to be added. Half day visits are available in local areas at £150.

Workshops and other sessions are by arrangement, depending on what is required and the available budget. Please ask!