Telling Tales: Two days of stories, curiosity, and connection

Executive director Christopher McLeod offers tips to take in all that Canada’s beloved annual children’s literary festival – and its 70 presentations of joy and wonder – gives to kids and families. 

With over 70 presentations by Canadian authors, illustrators, storytellers and multidisciplinary artists, this year’s Telling Tales Festival this weekend promises to be something special for kids young and old. Featuring readings and performance alongside storytelling workshops and interactive activities, the annual event is a favourite tradition across the region for children, youth and families to discover new books, new ideas, and new ways of engaging with stories.

“Stories help children discover new ideas, connect with different perspectives and develop a lifelong relationship with reading,” says incoming festival executive director Christopher McLeod,  “and this year’s festival brings those stories to life in so many different ways, giving children and families the opportunity to read, listen, create, move and explore together.”

Now in its 18th year, “Telling Tales began as a way to bring Canadian children's authors directly into the community,” says McLeod, who took over as executive director in August and leads the festival with a background in creative arts, project leadership and community-building experience.

“What hasn't changed,” says McLeod, “and what keeps families coming back, is that it's still built around genuine connection, the love of stories and storymaking, along with the art and creative process. At Telling Tales, families have the opportunity to directly connect with their favourite authors and storytellers.”

But the festival has grown since it was founded years ago. What began as a single-day event has transformed into a weekend-long celebration at the RBG, with “dedicated age-based programming tents, a young adult zone, hands-on creativity and active zones, live music and theatre.”

This year's festival is at capacity but mark your calendars to register for next year.

An anchor event for the region, McLeod believes the festival shows the “real depth of [local] community organizations and partners who care about literacy and access.” In the case of Telling Tales, a free festival for families, the event is dependent on the generous support of municipal partners like the City of Hamilton and the City of Burlington as well as the many supporting foundations that show up year after year.

But McLeod thinks all communities from across the country should have their own version of Telling Tales. “We do need to come together as neighbours at festivals like ours that makes literacy social, interactive, and accessible, and supports children to build confidence in themselves, and the stories that we create.”

“Kids experience ‘story’ differently,” he says, “depending on how it reaches them. Some light up at a page, others at a song, a piece of theatre, a dance, or someone telling a tale aloud with nothing but their voice. Offering multi-sensory experiences, something to hear, watch, move to, and touch, creates more entry points into stories, so a wider range of kids can find their own way in.”

For Telling Tales, this multi-sensory approach has seen broad partnerships with musicians, dancers, and oral storytellers alongside the usual bevy of authors. For McLeod, it means “literacy isn't confined to reading in the traditional sense — it's about narrative, imagination and language in whatever form a child connects with first. For a lot of families, that variety is also just what makes the day fun; it doesn't feel like one format repeated all afternoon.”

The festival’s mainstage is jam-packed with acclaimed headliners to suit all ages. First up on Saturday are Canadian author and illustrator Barbara Reid, reading from her new book The Story Hunter. On Sunday, award-winning author Danny Ramadan will read from his book Salma the Syrian Chef.

Joining both Reid and Ramadan on the mainstage will be a variety of local artists offering dynamic works for the whole family including: Carolyn Blackwell and the HPO, the Hamilton Children's Choir, Arts For All Kinderfest with Trevor Copp, Tottering Biped Theatre, Josh Taylor’s Defining Movement Dance, and Kesha Christie’s Folktales.

Also featured at the festival is celebrated pre-teen author Kai Cheng Thom with activities around her newest book, The Shapeshifter’s Guide to Gym Class. A tale of magic, acceptance and inner courage, the book addresses questions of both identity and self-acceptance that McLeod sees a lot of children and teens quietly carrying right now. He hopes these and other performers will invite conversations by families to think about “what it means to feel at home in yourself and in your community — themes that resonate whether a child is five or 15.”

Throughout the weekend, families are encouraged to explore the grounds of the RBG for more activities including puppet shows with Burlington Public Library, Nature Discovery Walks, interactive activities with Hamilton Public Library and other community groups, several author autograph sessions, creativity zones and the festival’s famous children’s book swap & shop.

There will also be age-themed activity tents across the grounds. The Read Together Tent for ages 0-6 will feature 15-minute drop-in storytimes by many authors and storytellers, including Wai Mei Wong, Heather Smith, Féeli Tout, and Zenia Wadhwani along with ASL storytimes with Kisanet Habtemariam and Carlisle Robinson. Meanwhile, early readers ages 6-8 can enjoy readings and workshops by Lana Button, J. Torres, Stephanie Cooke, Lynn Scurfield, and others.

For ages 9-12, the pre-teen tent will feature readings and workshops by Arley Nopra, Jay Odjick, Deborah Ellis, and Celia Krampien. And, at the young adult tent, there will be author talks and discussions featuring Joyce Grant, Farah Heron, Michaela Allen, and others. Furthermore, P. Anneka Lynch and Nadia L. Hohn will host a discussion on speaking truth, while Matteo L. Cerilli, Sierra Marilyn Riley, and Sophia Hannan explore the eerie side of YA fiction.

If it all seems too much to take in, McLeod offers some pointers on how to get started. “First, catch a headliner presentation live. Barbara Reid’s plasticine illustration workshops double as a hands-on art lesson. Second, spend time in the creativity zones and active zone, where kids build, move, and listen. And third, Scholastic's Story Walk, which is really fun to go on a little adventure, spot the next page, and read the story together.”

Asked about the importance of an interactive, storytelling festival for kids, when it seems so many are absorbed by screens, McLeod is philosophical. “Screens and books [are] different doorways into the same thing kids are hungry for – stories that create wonder and connection to their world and worlds beyond.”

Telling Tales puts children and their families face to face with the person who created the story,” he says. “Watching an author read their own words, or an illustrator draw in front of them — that intimacy is something a screen can’t necessarily provide. We've seen a single encounter spark something in a reluctant reader — real curiosity about the story, the characters, where the adventure leads next. Over time, those moments build a habit of engaging with stories, not just watching them.”

Perhaps what excites McLeod the most this year is the ways in which Telling Tales has embraced accessibility and inclusion features that didn't exist in the early years. The expanded sensory-friendly spaces include the World of Munsch Sensory Zone, featuring audiobook storytelling, a quiet reading nook and hands-on activities inspired by Robert Munsch’s stories. “There’s onsite ASL interpretation, multilingual programming, and a shuttle service. All designed to remove barriers to attendance.”

None of it might show up as a headline act, says McLeod, but it’s an important part of the festival that his entire programming and administrative team has really delivered with excellence. 

“It's going to be a wonderful experience this year, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

NEED TO KNOW

Telling Tales Festival
Oct. 3 - 4
Royal Botanical Gardens
Hendrie Park, Burlington
Registration is full for this year, but mark your calendars for 2027
tellingtales.org