By Lucy Neill | 2 February 2026
Suffolk Community Libraries is reminding everyone about the power of books and storytelling for National Storytelling Week.
National Storytelling Week, created by Society for Storytelling, is an annual event that celebrates the power of sharing stories. National Storytelling Week runs from 2 to 8 February 2026 and this year it’s part of the National Year of Reading too!
Stories teach us about the world – they allow us to step into someone else’s shoes and feel empathy; they help us to relax and escape; and they can help develop essential literacy skills (National Literacy Trust).
Our libraries are the perfect place to get children interested in reading. They can browse the shelves, choose their own books, and sit and read in a cosy nook. And sharing a reading experience with a loved one makes stories even more enjoyable!
To celebrate National Storytelling Week, our Stock Librarians have shared their favourite children’s stories for reading together.
We also have a list of audiobooks on BorrowBox which are great for families to listen to, especially at bedtime.
Our libraries are filled with great resources to make storytime even more fun:
Story Sacks
Our collection of Story Sacks make reading a multi-sensory experience that’s enjoyable to both parents and children.
A Story Sack 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!
Big Books
Big Books are large format versions of well-known favourites like Elmer and the Gruffalo – ideal for reading aloud and sharing with groups. This collection also includes a selection of giant print picture books with braille.
Any member of Suffolk Community Libraries can borrow Big Books and Story Sacks for free. You can search for and reserve them through our advanced catalogue search by choosing ‘Story sack’ of ‘Big Books’ in the ‘Collection’ menu, or asking the staff at your local library.
Storytime Sessions
Many of our libraries run fun, engaging storytime events for little ones and their families to enjoy. These regular events offer the chance to enjoy a new and exciting story to engage children’s imagination with words and pictures in the cosy and familiar setting of the library.
Head over to our What’s On page to find an event near you.