Seven Stories, the national centre for children's books

Seven Stories
30 Lime Street
Ouseburn Valley
Newcastle & Gateshead
Tyne and Wear
NE1 2PQ
England

Website

www.sevenstories.org.uk

E-mail

Telephone

0845 271 0777

Fax

0191 276 4302

All information is drawn or provided by the venues themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

At the heart of Seven Stories is a treasure trove of original artwork and manuscripts which records the creative process involved in making a children's book and provides an insight into the working lives of authors and illustrators.

Seven Stories is the only place in the UK which is actively collecting original artwork by British writers and illustrators for children. Generous donations of work have been received from many leading figures in the world of children's literature.

Our aim is to make the collection accessible to a wide audience - from school children participating in education programmes and families visiting exhibitions through to researchers from around the world.

Venue Type:

Museum, Archive, Gallery

Opening hours

Mon-Sat: 10.00am - 5.00pm
Sun: 10.00am - 4.00pm

Admission charges

Adult Single: £6.50
Adult Annual: Â£26.00
Child/Concession Single: £5.50
Child/Concession Annual: £21
Family Single: £19
Family Annual: £60

Exhibition details are listed below, you may need to scroll down to see them all.

A Viking's Guide to Deadly Dragons with Cressida Cowell

27 October 2012 — 25 September 2013 *on now

A Viking’s Guide to Deadly Dragons will transport you back in time to the Dark Ages, a world where Vikings ruled and dragons roamed. With Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third as your unlikely hero, discover the tribe of Hairy Hooligans, his island home of Berk, his hunting dragon Toothless and his quest to become a hero the hard way. Dare to explore the wild dragon cliffs, sail on a Viking longship, share epic yarns in the Great Hall and learn to speak Dragonese.

The brand new exhibition developed by Seven Stories and Cressida Cowell, will include Cressida’s original drawings, manuscripts and working processes from her hugely popular How to Train Your Dragon book series, which has also been made into a popular film by DreamWorks animation.

Who dares to imagine a time when we shared the world with dragons!

Supported by Hodder Children's Books

Suitable for

Admission

Free

Mystery, Magic and Midnight Feasts. the Many Adventures of Enid Blyton

4 May 2013 — 30 April 2014 *on now

Enid Blyton is one of the best-selling writers for children of all time, her stories have delighted generation after generation. This exhibition shows, for the first time, Seven Stories unique Enid Blyton Collection of original typescripts and illustrations.

This is a special opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in Enid’s worlds and stories, adventuring with The Famous Five, discovering Toyland with Noddy and escaping to the The Magic Faraway Tree with Silky and Moonface, all before heading to Green Hedges for tea.

Supported by Hodder Children’s Books, Heritage Lottery Fund Enid Blyton Fund for Seven Stories
Also supported by Egmont, Haper Collins and Macmillan.

Suitable for

Admission

Free

Resources listed here may include websites, bookable tours and workshops, books, loan boxes and more. You may need to scroll down or click on headers to see them all.

Face to face resources

Story Party

http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/events

Story Party has a different theme every week. With beautiful picture books, songs, rhymes, hands-on activities and making time, sessions encourage children aged 0-5 years and their adults to enjoy stories together in an active, fun way and promote a love of books from an early age. Choose from Tuesday 11.00-12.00 or Wednesday 11.00-12.00 every term time week.

How to obtain

Adults can buy an annual pass for £20 which allows unlimited entry to the whole building for 12 months. Story Party costs £2 per child, per session. Children 4+ will also need an annual pass, £15.

Bookworm Babies

http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/events

Bookworm Babies meet at Seven Stories to share the best baby books with their grown ups. Together we explore new ways to play with books, singing, moving about and having lots of fun in a relaxed group. Sessions are suitable for babies until they start to walk. Sessions are in blocks of six and two blocks of six make up a full Bookworm Babies course. Choose between booking for one or two blocks of six sessions. Sessions take place on Thursdays 10.15-11.15.

How to obtain

Bookworm Babies (either one or two blocks of six) must be booked and paid for in advance. Six sessions costs £15 per participating baby and £20 for an adult annual pass. Book online at http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/whats-on/bookworm-babies-6-week-block-booking-tuesday-pm-e1139 or for more information call 0845 2710777 ext 715.

CPD Opportunites at Seven Stories

We provide training and development for all practitioners working with children, including teachers, librarians, Children’s Centre staff, Private Day Nursery teams and childminders. All our training is suffused with our love of and passion for children’s books, our knowledge of classic and unusual titles and our creative approaches to learning. Our in-house programme provides a variety of options for you.
For more information visit www.sevenstories.org.uk/learning/cpd or to discuss your training and development requirements, please contact: Shane Smith, 0845 271 0777 ext. 719
shane.smith@sevenstories.org.uk

School and Group visits to Seven Stories!

Session times at Seven Stories
Seven Stories school and group visits can be booked Monday - Friday during term time, subject to availability, and last two hours. Sessions are available 10am - 12noon OR 12.30pm - 2.30pm. You can also add a trip to the Bookshop to your visit.
What is involved in a school or group visit?
All visits to Seven Stories are led by a member of the learning team. A facilitated school or group visit lasts for two hours and incorporates a session in one of our galleries; Mr Gumpy and Other Outings - Celebrating 50 Years of John Burningham's Work or There's Nuffin Like a Puffin - Celebrating 70 spectacular years of Puffin Books. Sessions also include a creative workshop

Paper-based and downloads

Hooks into Books at Seven Stories

Let Seven Stories lead you directly to the books that will stimulate and animate your teaching and, in doing so, motivate and inspire young readers.
If you would like more information on opening a school account, Hooks Into Books or need help with selecting books for your school, fill in the form at http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/shop/books-for-schools. Alternatively, you can speak to a member of the bookshop team by calling 0845 271 0777 Ext 712.

printable map