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Puffin launches storytellings and ‘at home’ activities
The much-loved and biggest UK children’s book publisher, Puffin, which in 2020 celebrates its 80th birthday, is now re-planning events to take authors, illustrators and stories directly into children’s homes. Initiatives include a daily Puffin Storytime, a Puffin Podcast series, an online book festival - the Puffin Festival of Big Dreams - as well as updated Puffin Schools resources to facilitate home-learning. They are also working with numerous partners to ensure children can continue to dream big and engage with reading and the power of storytelling from their homes.
In 1940, Allen Lane founded Puffin, which is now the biggest children’s book publisher in the world. Setting out to provide accessible literature to children during World War II, the first Puffins were non-fiction and designed to help evacuated city children adjust to life in the country. The success of titles such as War on Land by James Holland was so significant that Puffin quickly followed up with fiction.
Now in 2020, Puffin’s 80th year, the world is facing unprecedented circumstances with schools across the globe being closed and children having to adjust to new routines at home.
Since its inception, Puffin has brought light to millions of children throughout some of the darkest moments in history and has become internationally recognised for; classics, such as Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web and Roald Dahl’s The BFG; established contemporary authors, including Jacqueline Wilson and Jeff Kinney (whose Diary of a Wimpy Kid is the biggest-selling children’s book globally); and is home to talented new voices, such as Tom Fletcher, Nadia Shireen, Vashti Harrison, Robin Stevens and Sam Copeland.
Much like their mission during World War II, in 2020, Puffin aims to make books as accessible to as many children as possible during the COVID-19 outbreak. They will be broadcasting free author readings, illustrator draw-alongs, a brand new Puffin Podcast and a whole host of ‘at home’ activities to ensure stories are still available to imaginations worldwide.
Francesca Dow, Managing Director of Puffin since 2002 said: “Never have stories and the power of the imagination been so important, than in this time of enforced isolation. A book, a story, can help children escape their kitchen or their bedroom and explore new worlds of adventure, make them laugh, introduce them to new friends, learn about the world beyond their four walls, during school, bookshop and library closures. We know how much joy reading can bring and that’s why Puffin will do everything to ensure that children have all they need during this time to continue in their discovery and love and sharing of books, and to Dream Big.”
Puffin’s range of activities and free initiatives across the coming months for children and families to enjoy from indoors, includes:
• Puffin Storytime: From Monday 6th April, Puffin will be bringing 20 minutes of storytime magic to homes daily at 3.30pm on weekdays. This will include readings and draw-alongs from their stellar list of authors and illustrators. Caregivers, teachers and children can view Puffin Storytime on Puffin’s YouTube, Instagram and Facebook channels #PuffinStorytime
The Full ‘Puffin Storytime’ Schedule:
Mondays & Fridays, 3.30pm - Storytime & Draw-alongs for little ones 0-5. Launching on 6th April with Look Up! By Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3.30pm - Sam Copeland will serialise, in 20-minute episodes, the entirety of his hilarious book Charlie Changes into a Chicken for readers 7+
Wednesdays, 3.30pm - Story Starters for ages 6-11. Puffin authors will read extracts from their books to help inspire children to discover their next read. Launching on 8th April with an extract from the bestselling Murder Most Unladylike read by Robin Stevens.
• The Puffin Podcast: A new 3-part Puffin Podcast series will launch on Sunday 19th April (via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Acast and YouTube Kids), where comedian, children’s author and YouTube personality Humza Arshad hosts laugh-out-loud stories, games and jokes guaranteed to give you the giggles! Aimed at unlocking creativity, taking stories to imaginations worldwide and inspiring children to dream big, the podcast will be available at www.puffin.co.uk/podcast
• The Big Dreams on Screen: In partnership with Into Film, Puffin’s The Big Dreams on Screen competition has now launched, and children have until 2nd August to send in their big dreams for a chance to have them turned into a film and premiered at their local cinema later in the year as part of the Into Film Festival, the largest youth-focused film festival in the world. Further information on how to enter can be found here: www.intofilm.org/news-and-views/articles/puffin-big-dreams-on-screen-competition
• ‘The Puffin Festival of Big Dreams’: To celebrate their 80th birthday and to mark the publication of The Puffin Book of Big Dreams, Puffin will be launching an online seven-day Puffin Festival of Big Dreams in May. The festival aims to inspire children, parents and teachers, and take readers of all ages on a virtual journey through 80 years of Puffin. The festival will host a five-day programme of writing workshops, drawing masterclasses and storytime sessions with Puffin’s diverse list of authors and illustrators, culminating in a weekend of live events. There will also be some surprises along the way with content reveals and behind-the-scenes footage. Puffin will ask readers, authors and illustrators to share their own big dreams during the festival using the hashtag #PuffinDreamer
• Puffin Schools: To support teachers, parents and caregivers now tackling home-learning, the Puffin Schools website has been restructured to make Puffin books and resources accessible to children who need them. A huge collection of easy to discover resources to bring stories to life, including bite size activities and new categories such as Writing Prompts, Activity Ideas and Picture Book Packs, can be found at www.puffinschools.co.uk
• Partnership with TWINKL: TWINKL is the trusted home of teacher-created learning, planning and assessment materials. Puffin are providing resources from their authors and illustrators to Twinkl’s home learning hub, which offers daily educational activities and a range of free materials to use at home www.twinkl.co.uk/home-learning-hub
• Working with the BBC: Puffin have also signed up to offer content and activities for both a BBC Bitesize Daily broadcast and BBC Bitesize Online.
• Teach Primary’s ‘Author in Your Classroom Podcast’: Puffin authors, including Robin Stevens, Sam Copeland, Hana Tooke and Jamie Littler, will feature within Teach Primary’s ‘Author in Your Classroom Podcast’ series to inspire the next generation and will be available as they go live here - www.plazoom.com
• YA Book Club: Launching soon on teen and YA channel: Penguin Platform - teenage and young adult reading will also be supported by a new weekly LIVE Online YA Book Club, connecting readers with their favourite YA authors. Keep an eye on Penguin Platform on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter for further information.