Storybook Village

28/08/2026

🎄📚 Our biggest Christmas Book Hunt yet! 📚🎄

This year is the National Year of Reading, so I thought we should finish the year with our most ambitious Christmas Book Hunt yet! 🎅📚

In the week before Christmas, Storybook Village will be hiding wrapped children's books in various locations across our local area, ready for little readers to discover and take home to keep.

Each book will be wrapped in cellophane and accompanied by a little Storybook Village leaflet, so children and families can find out more about the project too. 🎄

I’m hoping to spread the books across lots of different local areas this year, making it easier for even more children to stumble across a little Christmas reading surprise!

🏡 Are you a local business or venue?
I’d love to hear from businesses and venues who might be interested in taking part by hiding a few Storybook Village Christmas books for local children to discover. If you think your venue could be a good fit for the hunt, please get in touch and we can chat about how it could work.

📚 And I’m still looking for more children's books!
If you have any good-quality children's books that are looking for a new home, I’d love to hear from you! All donations of gently used children’s books for ages 0-11 years are very gratefully appreciated! Any Christmas or winter themed books will be used to help me continue the Christmas Book Hunt, and all others can continue their journey to new readers through Storybook Village events.

Every book has the chance to become somebody's new favourite story 💛

If you have books to donate, or you're a local business or venue interested in getting involved, send me a message or email [email protected]🎄📖🩷

Let's make this Christmas a little more bookish!

26/08/2026

📢 Calling all WIs, U3As and community groups! 📢

Would your group like to hear the story behind Storybook Village? 📚

What happens when a child doesn't know what a book is?

In 2021, one little comment inspired the creation of Storybook Village - a grassroots literacy initiative helping local children aged 0–11 years discover the joy of books and making sure that access to reading isn't limited by a family's circumstances.

Five years later, an estimated 8,500 books have found new homes with little readers through Storybook Village events and outreach. Along the way, the initiative has grown from a small idea into a much-loved community project, with events and Tiny Tales To Go, an outreach project taking books directly into early years settings and community groups.

I've had some wonderfully unexpected opportunities to share Storybook Village along the way, including radio appearances - including Christmas Eve coverage with the BBC! - and visits to events from some very special civic guests.

Now, I'm offering the opportunity for groups to hear the story behind it all!

My talk takes you behind the scenes of Storybook Village: how one child's comment became the starting point for a five-year journey, the realities of literacy deprivation, why access to books matters, and the stories and moments that have made the project so special.

It's a talk about books, community, and the difference that can begin with one very small idea - and perhaps a little bit of magic along the way! ✨

If your WI, U3A or community group would be interested in hearing the Storybook Village story, please get in touch with me for more information 😊

And if you know a group who might enjoy hearing how one little comment led to 8,500 books finding new homes, please feel free to tag them or share this post. 💚📚

22/08/2026

22/08/2026

14/08/2026

13/08/2026

📚✨ Behind the scenes at Storybook Village! ✨📚

Yesterday morning, the foyer at Alconbury Weald Library was transformed into Storybook Village, with 2,283 secondhand children’s books ready and waiting to find new homes.

Before the little readers arrived, there was a rather impressive amount of book arranging to do! 😂📚

Children also had the opportunity to design their own bookmarks to use with their new stories, with a huge variety of creative materials provided by The Creative Palette 🎨✏️📚

And then the doors opened… and the little readers arrived! 💛

So many children came along, browsed the books, chose stories to take home and got creative making their own bookmarks.

Seeing the room go from this… to a room full of excited children choosing their own stories was rather special 🥹📚

And, based on this morning’s count, I estimate that around 1,000 books found new homes during the event! 📚💛

Thank you to every family who came along, chose books and helped make Storybook Village such a lovely morning.

There are now around 1,000 more books in local homes, being discovered by little readers 💛📚

12/08/2026

📚 A very special day for Storybook Village! 📚

Today, I was delighted to welcome some very special guests to Storybook Village at Alconbury Weald Library.

I had personally invited Deputy Lieutenant Dame Polly Courtice DBE LVO DL, High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire Francis Burkitt, Ben Obese-Jecty MP, and The Mayor of Huntingdon - Cllr Patrick Kadewere to come and see Storybook Village in action and learn more about the work I’ve been doing over the last five years to help local children access books.

It was a real pleasure to have them join me, meet the families who came along and see the project for themselves. 💛

Some of our special guests also took the opportunity to read stories with the children, which was a particularly lovely part of the morning 📖

Storybook Village has now helped more than 7,500 secondhand children’s books find new homes with local children over the last five years, and today another huge selection of books were available completely free of charge.

Thank you to The Watch Office for providing our guests with refreshments.

Thank you to all four of our special guests for accepting my invitation and taking the time to come and see Storybook Village in action. It was wonderful to welcome you all! 📚💛

11/08/2026

Just a little reminder that Storybook Village is coming to Alconbury Weald Library tomorrow! 📚💛

Families are welcome to pop along between 10am–12pm, where children aged 0–11 can browse a huge selection of secondhand children’s books and choose up to 5 books each to take home completely free of charge.

There will also be a free bookmark-making activity for children to enjoy while they’re here. ✏️📖

And I’ll also be welcoming some special guests who will be reading stories with the children during their visit! 📚✨

📍 Alconbury Weald Library
📅 Wednesday 12th August
⏰ 10am–12pm

If you know any little readers who might enjoy choosing some new stories, please feel free to pass this on! 😊📚

07/08/2026

📚 Free books for children aged 0–11! 📚

Storybook Village is coming to Alconbury Weald Library next Wednesday, 12th August, from 10am–12pm.

Families can come along and browse a large selection of children’s books, with children aged 0–11 years welcome to choose up to 5 books each to take home, completely free.

Whether your child is already a little bookworm or just discovering the joy of stories, I’d love to help them find some new books to enjoy. 📚🩷

There will also be a small creative bookmark-making activity for children to enjoy while they’re here. ✏️📚

📍 Alconbury Weald Library
📅 Wednesday 12th August
⏰ 10am–12pm
📚 Free books for children aged 0–11 years
🎨 Free bookmark making activity

All families are welcome, and I can’t wait to welcome lots of little bookworms! 📚🩷

07/08/2026

Sue Rodwell Smith's guest on Friday, 7th at 2pm will be Helen Foster founder of Storybook Village. Listen in and hear about this wonderful project.