Tales worth the Telling

Telling Tales, Hamilton’s children’s literary festival and the largest in Canada, is gearing up for its 17th year of imagination, storytelling, and storymaking this weekend. It will bring 60-plus acclaimed Canadian authors and illustrators, offerings readings, creative workshops, and book signings.

There’s nothing quite like the vibe of Telling Tales, Hamilton children’s literary festival taking place this weekend. Author tables and animated readings, mixed with wandering costumed performers and singalong music acts, set amidst the picturesque greenery of the Royal Botanical Gardens, as countless families take it all in with wide-eyed enthusiasm.

Now heading into its 17th year, Telling Tales is the biggest festival dedicated to children’s literature and storytelling in Canada. This distinction, says executive director Heather Kanape, is part of what puts Telling Tales in a class of its own, compared to other local literary events like Word On The Street or Eden Mills Writing Festival. 

“Children’s arts festivals create spaces for families to feel inspired together and create shared memories. Our programming is specifically developed to inspire young minds and promote imagination.” For Kanape, the power of Telling Tales is helping children “find ways to make spaces where their needs are met and they can come as they are."

It’s a philosophy based on the roots of the festival’s beginnings, and the desire by founder Susan Jaspers for a free literary festival made just for children that would make reading accessible and set them up for success in how they encounter books and reading. Says Kanape, “this motivated (Jaspers) to set the festival in a natural environment, where it was proven that children were able to be calm, regulated, and associated with higher literacy.”

In its early years, Telling Tales earned the support of many clubs and organizations in the Hamilton-Burlington area as well as local schools and libraries. As a one-day event at Westfield Heritage Village, Telling Tales connected authors and children, to inspire a love of reading and bolster literacy in the community, and consistently drew both devoted crowds and high-profile guests and performers.

As an arts leader in the community, Telling Tales made a lasting impression with Kanape. “The first time I was invited by the founder just over 10 years ago,” says Kanabe, “I was quick to realize that this was a one-of-a-kind experience. Combining author and illustrator storytelling with environmental literacy and further incorporating incredibly magical experiences that the whole family can delight in together is so special.”

Coming on as executive director in 2023, Kanape recalls how the pandemic significantly affected both their operations and the engagement of kids. “It became clear they were struggling to maintain attention in author programming. This,” she says, “along with my own experiences as a parent, inspired me to search out new programming methodologies that might better engage children and be accessible to neurodivergent children, and the needs of children post-pandemic.” 

For this year’s festival, Kanabe and festival staff have gathered a jam-packed two-day program. With 60-plus acclaimed Canadian authors and illustrators, this year’s festival will offer readings, creative workshops, and book signings tailored to every age group. “Children’s arts festivals create spaces for families to feel inspired together and create shared memories,” says Kanabe while also pointing out that Telling Tales “is an exciting opportunity for local authors to network with their industry and make deep connections with their community.”

Headlining Saturday’s main stage programming is a powerful throat singing performance by Giller Prize-nominated author Tanya Tagaq and Ottawa’s Charlotte Qamaniq, followed by a reading of Tagaq’s new children’s board book I Would Give You My Tail. On Sunday, the main stage features acclaimed illustrator and Adventure Time lead character designer Matthew Forsythe. Forsythe is the author-illustrator of Pokko and the Drum, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, and a recipient of both the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor, and the Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book.

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In addition, this year's festival has many more readings, creative workshops, and book signings tailored to every age group, including the Read Together Tent (for ages 0–6) featuring 20 drop-in mini storytimes, and the Early Readers Tent (for ages 6–8) with interactive readings and live storytelling through Caribbean folktales and the Author Making Machine. There is also the Preteen Tent (for ages 9–12) featuring workshops on mystery, sci-fi, and Indigenous stories, and craft and poetry activities, and the Young Adult Tent (for ages 13+) featuring panels on romance, fantasy, spoken word, and multiverse storytelling, including Hamilton Verse's young writer showcase.

For Kanabe, the mission of Telling Tales goes beyond a kids literary festival. “Children and youth are our future and their literacy rates and social opportunities were dramatically affected by the pandemic. We need to find ways to make spaces where their needs are met and they can come as they are." For this reason, accessibility is a key feature. "With the expertise of a consulting occupational therapist, and the dedication of staff and community partners, we were also able to develop an accessible storytime model.”

This model includes a wide variety of supports incorporated into all 102 author/illustrator presentations for this weekend. All Saturday performances will feature ASL interpretation through a partnership with Silent Voice, including a live ASL storytelling session by Adam Pottle on the main stage. There will also be quieter zones designed for low-stimulation reading and sensory-friendly play, highlighted by Scholastic’s immersive Munsch Sensory Zone, which celebrates The Perfect Paper Airplane with audio storytelling and a paper plane creation station.

For those seeking active engagement, there will be bouncy castles, nature discovery walks, and guided tours of the Dan Lawrie International Sculpture Collection at the RBG. As well, environmental literacy will be highlighted in selected book themes and hands-on activities like BurlingtonGreen’s wildflower seed ball workshop. 

“It’s our hope,” says Kanabe, “that the experience helps children and youth find ways to tell their own stories, ask questions and think critically about the world around them, and feel inspired to pick up a book.”

For Kanabe, the festival is a milestone event that she’s proud to bring to children and families across the region. “I have felt an incredible sense of dedication to making Telling Tales not just the national highlight of the children's literary season, but also the most accessible place for families to gather and see themselves represented in the programming. We hope that everyone leaves the event with a shared sense of how inspiring it is to share a love of books and storytelling as a community.”

Check out everything you need to know about Telling Tales.