Storytime resources
We hold lend out storysacks, BIG Books and Get Ready for School book bags to make storytime with your young children interactive and even more fun.
Storysacks
Our collection of storysacks make reading a multi-sensory experience that’s enjoyable to both parents and children.
A storysack is a cloth bag containing a popular young children’s picture book as well as puppets and props to bring children’s favourite stories to life. These immerse children in the story, stimulate an interest in reading books and help develop vocabulary and social skills. Feed milk and cake to The Tiger Who Came to Tea, or help Farmer Duck and all the animals push the lazy farmer out of bed!
Any member of Suffolk Libraries can borrow storysacks for free. You can search for and reserve them through our advanced catalogue search by choosing ‘Story sack’ in the ‘Collection’ menu, or asking the staff at your local library.
Get Ready for School book bag
Our Get Ready for School book bag is designed for families with children about to start school. It contains handy information cards and three reassuring stories about the school day:
- Starting School, by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
- Going to School, by Rose Blake
- Never Take a Bear to School, by Mark Sperring & Britta Teckentrup
Any member of Suffolk Libraries can borrow a Get Ready for School book bag for free through our catalogue.
You can find more books to prepare children for school on our Starting school or nursery list.
BIG Books
We also stock BIG versions of your favourite picture books, which are ideal for reading to small groups of children. The larger words and pictures give children a more immersive experience, as everyone can see them more easily.
Any member of Suffolk Libraries can borrow BIG Books for free. You can search for and reserve them through our advanced catalogue search by choosing ‘Big Books’ in the ‘Collection’ menu, or asking the staff at your local library.
Tip: Extend the fun even further with a craft activity based on a story you have read together. Don’t worry if you’re not particularly creative - there are always plenty of simple craft ideas online!