Join Telling Tales at Supercrawl on Saturday September 12th and Sunday September 13th in the Family Zone from 12 pm - 5 pm James St. North, Hamilton, ON

To make navigating the Festival grounds easier and more accessible, Telling Tales has created an interactive map to help guests find their way around. Whether you’re looking for the nearest rest station or heading to one of our headliner performances on the Main Stage, simply click on an icon to get directions through Google Maps and easily find your way from place to place!

In your opinion, what makes a great story? 

Barbara: I love a story that pulls me into a different world, time, place, or character’s point of view. When I am reading a great story, I don’t think: “I’m reading a story.” I just feel that I’m experiencing everything that the characters are, that I’m living in their world. I like the combination of seeing

the world through different eyes and finding similarities. A character or characters may be very different than me, but the emotional connection draws me in and keeps me turning the page. Great picture books have illustrations that don’t just echo the story but enrich the text, creating a

whole piece of art.

Danny: A great story makes us care. It doesn’t need to be enormous or dramatic; it simply needs characters who feel real and want something deeply. The best stories entertain us while quietly changing how we see another person—or even ourselves.

September Feature: Salma Keeps Her Word

September Prompts

1.Design a scrumptious after school snack. You can describe it in words or draw your creation.

2. Write a short story about an animal who gets sent to a training school. What kind of school is it? Are they training to be a better pet? A superhero? An astronaut? Feel free to illustrate your story.

3. Are you heading to the Telling Tales Festival next month? If you could meet one author at the festival (you can!) and ask them one question, what would it be?

Quick-Fire Challenge

• Set a timer for 5 minutes.
• Grab a pen or pencil and some paper.
• Your mission is to write NON-STOP for 5 minutes, using the three words any way you want.
• Don’t forget to stop when the timer sounds.

You might want to use your results as the inspiration for a story. You might realize it’s not exactly what you were expecting. You might even want to send it to us!

Here are this month’s quick-fire phrases:



step forward deep breath launch



Ready? Set? WRITE! 

Thank you to our Sponsors! Telling Tales is a Canadian Registered Charity committed to delivering outstanding literary programming for children and youth that raises awareness of the importance of literacy in our communities. Telling Tales season is co-hosted by Hamilton Public Library, Rotary Clubs of Burlington and Hamilton, and Royal Botanical Gardens. Telling Tales is grateful for support from Ontario Arts Council, the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation, Canada Council of the Arts, the Government of Canada, The City of Hamilton, EarlyON Child and Family Centre, City of Burlington, the Access Copyright Foundation, Access Storage, Burlington Public Library, Cogeco, Deaf Services Canada, the Hamilton Community Foundation, Hamilton Wentworth District School Board, Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board, I Read Canadian, Leacross Foundation, Rotary Club of Hamilton AM, the Rotary Children’s Fund, Scholastic Canada, TD Bank Group, Undivided Productions, The Dougher Community Fund, The Edith H. Turner Foundation Fund, Hamilton Community Foundation, Turkstra Family Foundation, the Lewis & Ruth Sherman Foundation, and many local Rotary Clubs in Hamilton, Burlington, and the Niagara region. Full list of supporters.