The IW Story Festival is taking place on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd February, bringing a wide range of stories and storytellers to the Riverside Centre.

There will be appearances from some big-hitters from the world of children’s books, including the wonderful Korky Paul, best-known for illustrating the Winnie the Witch books; author-illustrator Nick Sharratt, famous for his work with Jacqueline Wilson, Julia Donaldson and Jeremy Strong, among others; and the lovely, hat-loving author and illustrator Sarah MacIntyre. Hear them tell their terrific tales through wicked words and perfect pictures – and expect lots of laughs on the way!

There will be drama too: following her work with several Island primary schools, Michele O’Brien will be bringing her new show to the Festival, telling the story of the pilgrim ships, the Ark and Dove, which set sail from Cowes to America in 1633. Shadow puppet stories will be told by the amazing Emergency Turtle, while popular local storyteller, Sue Bailey, will be spinning her yarns. And children and their families can be storytellers too: using old type writers, making junk models and through other writing and craft activities. Local authors and performers will be out in force – and not all of the attractions will be human! Come and commune with butterflies and bats! We hope to see you there; it’s going to be a lot of fun!