Welcome to Leeds Libraries' newsletter for Children and Families
'Twas the newsletter before Christmas and among all the shelves, events were a-happening, featuring robots and elves...
Get your tickets for The Storymaker's Apprentice
Visitors to Leeds Central Library can take a spellbinding step into an enchanting storybook world this Christmas thanks to a series of immersive live performances.
From December 10 and throughout the month, the library’s atmospheric Room 700 will be the setting for Libellule Theatre’s magical production of The Storymaker’s Apprentice.
Aimed at children aged three to eight, and with performances that are accessible to all, the show tells the captivating tale of Tan, an apprentice at Barwick’s Bibliopole, makers of the finest books in town.
 As the Winterlight festival approaches, Tan is busy helping forge stories for others but wishes she could tell a tale about a girl just like her.
Performances will take place amid the library stacks and will invite the audience to take part in the story. Ticket prices have also been subsidised by funding from Arts Council England to keep them as affordable as possible.
The show’s writer and Libellule Theatre’s artistic director Louise Clark said: “The Storymaker’s Apprentice is all about the magic of storytelling. We have worked with schools to develop the stories and it will show that everyone has a right to tell their tale, and to see their own culture and community reflected in the pages.
“Where better to perform a show about the joy of stories but in a library? We’re thrilled to be given this opportunity to work with Leeds Central Library and can’t wait for this heart-warming tale to unfold amongst the books.
“The performance will draw the audience into the world of Barwick’s Bibliopole inviting them to share in the story making magic.”
 Councillor Mary Harland, Leeds City Council executive member for communities, said: “Leeds Central Library is such an atmospheric building filled with stories and history. Libraries and their events are also an accessible and affordable way to experience culture for many residents and families.
“It’s the perfect setting for such an immersive and interactive performance and I’m sure this will be an enchanting occasion for audiences over the Christmas season.”
The Storymaker’s Apprentice will be at Leeds Central Library from December 10-31. Tickets are £5 for children and £7 for adults, follow this link to book your tickets
Accessible shows:
- Performances with Audio-Described are on Sunday 11 December at 11am & 2pm
- Performances with BSL Interpretation are on Sunday 18 December at 11am & 2pm
- Relaxed/Autism Friendly performance is on Thursday 29 December at 1:30pm
For more information on any of the access performances please contact leeds.libraries@leeds.gov.uk
Christmas Holidays - Free Family Events
As the frost and snow makes friends with holly bush and ivy vine, why not visit our warm and welcoming spaces with your family for some festive fun? Find out more about our Christmas craft and coding events below.
Sphero Saves Christmas
Join us on a festive coding adventure, and use Sphero robots to help Father Christmas deliver his presents! Build your sleigh, code a character and program your parcel delivery route, can you get all the presents delivered in time?
Recommended for children aged 8+. Follow this link to find your nearest event and free tickets: Sphero Saves Christmas | Leeds Inspired
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A Craft Called Christmas
Christmas is just around the corner, but the elves are in trouble, their magical village of Elfhelm has disappeared overnight! Can you use your imagination, belief, and fantastic crafting skills to bring Elfhelm back to life in time for Christmas?
Working together we’ll use recycled materials to create an elf village in the library, using Matt Haig’s A Boy Called Christmas for inspiration.
Recommended for children aged 7+. Follow this link to find your nearest event and free tickets: A Craft Called Christmas | Leeds Inspired
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Healthy Holidays Programme
Is your child under 12 and eligible for free school meals?
Community Hubs and Libraries will be running a Healthy Holiday programme during the school holiday; 19-22 December. Every child will receive breakfast and a hot lunch as well as a fantastic programme of sport and culture activities.
To find your local programme and register your child follow this link: Christmas 2022 - Healthy Holiday Registration Form - CITY (smartsurvey.co.uk)
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Regular Family Clubs
We love a regular club where you can meet new friends, get creative and explore books and stories in a whole new way. See below for more details.
Lego Club
Join us at our monthly Lego Club where we'll be building and constructing creations based on best-loved children's books, featuring a different theme each month. Taking place at various venues and different dates, but there will be some festive sessions on offer in the run-up to Christmas.
Recommended for children aged 5+. Follow this link to find your nearest club and free tickets: Lego Club | Leeds Inspired
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Code Club
Start your coding adventure with Leeds Libraries!
You will discover our easy-to-follow projects which will help you to learn a variety of coding languages by making games, robots, animations, and websites in a supportive environment.
Recommended for children aged 9-13. Follow this link to find your nearest club and free tickets: Code Clubs at Leeds Libraries | Leeds Inspired
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Saturday Family Film Club:
Movies from the Bookshelves
Stories spring from the page onto the screen at our regular film club where we select best-loved books that have been adapted as movies for a family audience.
We can't tell you the title of the movie, but we can say it's an adaptation of one our '12 Reads of Christmas' - can you guess which one?
Follow this link to find your nearest club and free tickets: Saturday Family Film Club: Movies from the Bookshelves | Leeds Inspired
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Ready Steady Readers
 Ready Steady Readers is our programme for babies and children under 5, with a range of exciting events and regular activities to bring your little ones along to. Have you picked up your Ready Steady Readers challenge booklet and started collecting your gold star stickers?
Story Bus
Hop aboard our Story Bus this festive season and join us for seasonal stories, songs and crafts. Perfect for under 5’s and families, it's free.
Thackray Museum of Medicine -Tuesday 20 & Wednesday 22 December, 1:30-3:00
The Arium - Tuesday 13 December, 10:30-12:30
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Story & Rhyme
Our popular Story & Rhyme sessions take place weekly across our libraries. If you're looking for fun activities to do with young children, join us at your nearest library for an hour of stories, rhymes and fun songs. The sessions are perfect for under 5s and their families.
Follow this link to find out the day and time of your nearest session: Story & Rhyme | Leeds Inspired
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Bounce & Rhyme
Join us for a fun session of sharing songs and rhymes with your baby in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. A great opportunity to meet with others, and start your baby’s Ready, Steady, Readers challenge as part of your visit.
Central Library - Every Monday 1:30-2:30
Headingley Library - Every Wednesday 1:30-2:30
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12 Reads of Christmas
Click on the book title beneath the cover images to reserve a copy to collect from your local library.
The library service is a free service; free to join, free to borrow books and no charges for the late return of books. If you're not already, you can join the library in seconds by following this link: Sign Up Online
What's on for Schools
Primary Schools
The Gadgeteers are back for the Winter Mini Challenge!
Join them as they use their ingenuity and creativity to keep everyone entertained during a snowstorm.
Get ready for cool do-it-at-home experiments and the best reading activities around as you complete your very own Winter Mini Challenge. All you have to do is read at least three books between 1 December 2022 and 20 February 2023. Click the following link to find out more and join: Winter Mini Challenge
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Louis le Prince project launching February 2023
The School Library Service has commissioned author/illustrator Chris Mould and animator/digital effects artist Matt Howarth to bring to life the story of one of Leeds most fascinating historical figures, Louis Le Prince.
In 1888, whilst living and working in Leeds, Le Prince patented a single-lens camera with which he filmed the earliest moving film footage in the world. In 1890 Le Prince disappeared from a train travelling from Dijon to Paris and the mystery surrounding this has never been resolved.
For more information and how your school can sign up to this fantastic free project follow tis link: FREE Leeds local history project for KS2 | Leeds for Learning
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High Schools
KS3 Virtual Author Talk - Holocaust Memorial Day 2023
To mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2023: Ordinary People, author Keren David will discuss her YA novel What We're Scared Of during a live virtual author talk and answer questions from students. A link to a recording of the event will be emailed to everyone who has booked almost immediately afterwards. To book a place on Friday 27 January, 10am-10.45am for all of your KS3 classes and a recording of the session for £11, please click the following link: ticketsource.co.uk/booking/t-dvkdljx
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 Leeds Money Information Centre (MIC)
Visit the Money Information Centre to find free, independent and confidential advice in Leeds. Help is available on a range of matters such as debt, energy and utilities, benefits, affordable credit, and emergency support.
Follow this link for more information and support: Welcome to the Money Information Centre (leeds.gov.uk)
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