Welcome
Cool air creeps into the morning to let us know the seasons are shifting, while the books on the shelves stop sunbathing and prepare for leaves to fall and frost to form...
If you're not already, please make sure you're following us on social media to get the latest news and see what we're up to.
Brand new festive show announced...
 Can you imagine a world without stories?
Words are fading from books all over town and people are forgetting the stories they used to know off by heart. Winterlight Festival is fast approaching when tales are told with family and friends. If all stories disappear and children can’t tell their own stories, their voices may be lost forever. Newly qualified storymaker, Tan, sets off on an adventure of a lifetime to discover the mystery of these stolen stories. With her hapless new apprentice tagging along, will they ever find a way to work together and return the words to the pages in time for Winterlight?
Become submerged in strange and wondrous lands in this empowering tale reminding us that weaving all our stories, histories and cultures together creates the most beautiful pattern of all. Brought to you by the same creative team who made the hugely successful The Storymaker’s Apprentice at Leeds Central Library in 2022 (pictured above).
EVERYONE is invited to enjoy Libellule performances - we look forward to welcoming you!
A family-friendly event for children aged 5+ and their grownups. Follow this link for more info and tickets: Ticketsource - The Stolen Stories of Winterlight
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Complete the Summer Reading Challenge
 Just seven days to join and complete the Summer Reading Challenge in Leeds! It officially ends in all our libraries on September 14th. So, all children aged 4-11 who have read six books during the holidays need to head down to their local library and collect their prizes. It's free to take part and it's free to use the library.
Also, one child per library will be given a Monopoly Longest Game Ever set in recognition for making a special effort with their reading and book borrowing. These games have been kindly donated to us by the Monopoly Leeds Takeover, Leeds BID and Child Friendly.
Regular activities in libraries
Kids Club
This month we will be launching our brand new Kids Club, which will be an exciting opportunity for children and families to try a new creative activity and meet others. Build, craft, write, draw and code a story at our regular Kids Club. Each session will have a different activity inspired by books and stories.
A free family-friendly event recommended for children aged 6+. Follow this link for tickets and info: Ticketsource - Kids Club
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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.
Free family-friendly event recommended for children aged 7 to 11. Follow this link to find your nearest event and free tickets: Ticketsource - Code Club
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Under Fives - Stories and Play
 New Story Bus open stops
You may have seen our Story Buses out and about at Breeze in the Park this Summer where we welcomed over 3000 children to read, play and borrow books across 26 community locations.
This September we are delighted to announce that the Story Bus will now regularly stop at community locations where you can join us for a fantastic Story & Rhyme session, perfect for under fives.
Beginning on Tuesday 10th September on a two week rotation:
- Tues 10 Sep – 10.30am-12noon BITMO, Belle Isle
- Wed 11 Sep – 1pm-3pm Gamble Hill Drive, Farnley
- Thu 12 Sep – 10am-12noon Holbeck Moor Road, Holbeck
- Tue 17 Sep – 1pm-3pm Parkfield Avenue, Beeston
- Wed 18 Sep – 10am-12noon Coldcotes, Circus Gipton
- Thu 19 Sep – 1pm-3pm Wyebeck Mount, Halton Moor
You can find our exact locations on our Google Maps page:
Story & Rhyme
Join us at local libraries and on the Story Bus across Leeds for fun sessions of sharing stories and rhymes in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. A great opportunity to meet with others, and start your child’s Ready, Steady, Readers challenge as part of your visit.
Follow this link for Story & Rhyme sessions, perfect for pre-school children and their grown-ups: Leeds Inspired - Story & Rhyme
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Tiny Totley Studio
The Tiny Totley Studio is the creation of play-inspired artist Stephanie Jeffries and features a slide, a den, tactile objects and a sound installation unique to the building. Its introduction has brought new life to the early years area of the Children's Library, which still has a brilliant range of diverse book titles for under 5s.
This exciting FREE play space is fully accessible to families during Leeds Central Library's regular opening hours.
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Mini Playboxes
Our colourful Mini Playboxes are packed with fun and engaging self-serve activities for children under five and their families to enjoy. They are free to use and will be available in the children area throughout the day during opening hours.
Each box has six drawers full of open-ended play activities which can then be recreated at home with objects you are likely to already have in the house. This open-ended play supports early speech and language development, numeracy skills and encourages creative play.
Follow this link to find some fun videos with Mini Playbox activities you can recreate at home and the full list of Mini Playbox locations: Libraries Online Learning - Mini Playbox
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Recommended Reads
Here are a few titles new to 2024 chosen by our Librarians for Children and Young People. Click on the book covers to reserve a copy and collect from your local library.
On an extraordinary journey to the sea, a tiger boards the train, along with a jungle of other animals - all without Dad even looking up from his phone! and so does a family of hippos, and a band of crocs, and a mum with her piglets, and a pug in a boa - or two. From debut author, Mariesa Dulak, and award-winner Rebecca Cobb, illustrator of The Everywhere Bear.
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Life's not always easy for a Cactus. This particular one wants to impress his all-powerful dad with his epic magic skills, and he's not about to let anything stop him on his solo hero's journey. All he needs is a chunk of star rock to level up his potions. There's just one problem - there's none left. The only way to get a single slice of the stuff is to enter the deadly MotoBrawl race, find a way to stop accidentally turning bugs into giant fire-breathing creatures, befriend the lizard gangs that roam the desert, and maybe make a friend along the way. But does a lone hero even need any of this stuff?
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Fans of Goosebumps and Stranger Things will devour this fun, thrilling and heartfelt vampire adventure. The Vanquishers are back, this time with new junior members, and are ready to defend their town against the undead! Malika 'Boog' Wilson and her best friends Cedrick, Jules, and Aaron - aka the Squad - always stick together. Now that vampires have returned, they'll need to take their Vanquisher lessons more seriously than ever. But who is behind this return of the undead? When strange disappearances begin in the community and the Department of Vampire Affairs warns Boog's mum to keep quiet about vampires returning, it looks like uncovering the truth won't be so easy.
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Taylor is determined to be in control of her own life story - and it's going to be a romance! So far her entire social life consists of her two best friends Star and Lucy, who are also a couple and always together, plus her sometimes embarrassing but always hilarious Grandma and Grandad. But Taylor writes for the school newspaper, she creates fan-fiction and she's even been asked to enter a competition by her English teacher - surely she can script the perfect love story for herself? Her school is about to play host to some French exchange students. They'll be experts on this topic, Taylor reckons. After all, it must be called French kissing for a reason!
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Offer for schools
 Leeds Book Awards 2025 open for registrations
For 15 years, the Leeds Book Awards has championed the best of newly published children's books celebrating diversity of authorship, characters, and genre. The project provides unique opportunities for active participation in reading, reviewing, debating, and voting for favourite books. In 2025, the Awards will culminate in a high-profile award ceremony at a city centre location, where children and young people will get the unforgettable opportunity to meet with the shortlisted authors and illustrators. There are 4 categories from Key Stage 2 through to Key Stage 4. The Leeds Book Awards are proudly presented by Leeds Libraries and Leeds School Library Service, and are now open for registration from primary and secondary schools across the city.
Follow this link for more information and booking: Leeds Book Awards 2025 open for registration | Leeds for Learning
Libellule Theatre's Festive Show for Primary Schools at Leeds Central Library
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A journey into the importance of storytelling in all its forms, The Stolen Stories of Winterlight has been developed with the imaginations of primary school-aged children and links to several curriculum areas including supporting literacy learning.
Brought to you by the same creative team who made the hugely successful The Storymaker’s Apprentice at Leeds Central Library in 2022, it promises to be a magical adventure for all.
Follow this link for more information and booking: Festive Show for Primary Schools at Leeds Central Library | Leeds for Learning
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BBC 500 Words Competition
 500 Words returns in just three weeks! The UK's biggest children's story writing competition will be open for entries on Tuesday 24 September from 8am.
There will be two age categories: 5-7 and 8-11 year-olds. All children need to do is write a story they would love to read in 500 Words or less. The closing date for entries is Friday 8 November at 9pm.
We would love children of all abilities to enter; spelling, punctuation and grammar are not marked - it's all about creativity!
The finalists will be invited to go to a glamorous grand final in February next year, where the bronze, silver and gold in each category will have their stories read out by celebrities.
Follow this link for more info: Information page: 500 Words 2024 - BBC Teach
Leeds Libraries are 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
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