The Story Museum

Children's story has many travelling preachers. It needs a cathedral.
David Fickling, children's book publisher

Stories have always been a very vital part of my world, so a museum devoted to encouraging children to read and enjoy stories seems a wonderful idea. It's especially fitting that it's based in Oxford, which from Lewis Carroll onwards has always been associated with brilliant children's literature.
Jacqueline Wilson, children's author and patron of The Story Museum

The Story Museum will be a wonderful gift from Oxford, where so many stories have begun, to the whole world.
Philip Pullman, author and patron of The Story Museum

The Story Museum looks like being as magical as Alice's rabbit hole and the wardrobe that leads into Narnia.
Humphrey Carpenter, children's author, biographer and broadcaster

publishing

Children's publishing is the jewel in the crown of British publishing.
Arts Council consultation paper

Across the world the UK is seen as one of the original homes of children's literature... the UK is the fifth largest tourist destination in the world.
Arts Council consultation paper

Oxford

Oxford, where windows open into other worlds...
Philip Pullman, Lyra's Oxford

The whole atmosphere of the city is rich with fantasy. Indeed, the very idea of having a museum devoted to story is itself such a fantastical notion than no other city in the world could have given birth to it.
Philip Pullman, author and patron of The Story Museum

Oxford is the Hollywood of children's literature.
Ted Dewan, Oxford-based children's author/illustrator

A recent Arts Council consultation document on children's books was called 'From Looking-glass to Spyglass'. Just think - those great milestones bracketing over a century of children's reading were both written in Oxford. There must be something in the waters of the Isis that gets into the system of Oxford residents, magically causing them to think of and bring to life unforgettable characters and plots.
Mary Hoffman, Oxfordshire-based children's author

writers on storytelling

If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.
Albert Einstein

We want more children, all children (grown up ones too) to discover and rediscover the secret pleasure that is reading, and to find their voice in their own writing.
Michael Morpurgo, former Children's Laureate, and patron of The Story Museum

Stories are the most important things in the world. Without stories we wouldn't be human beings at all.
Philip Pullman, author and patron of The Story Museum

'Thou shalt not' is soon forgotten, but 'Once upon a time' lasts forever.
Philip Pullman, author: 1996 Carnegie Medal acceptance speech

Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.
GK Chesterton

education experts

The powerful, not to say unique, contribution to children's enjoyment and comprehension of language - and to their emotional development - from deep engagement with storytelling and regular exposure to excellent literature is recognised through early years and primary education. This tradition should be strongly held alongside the direct teaching of reading and writing.
Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum, Sir Jim Rose, April 2009

The skill to tell stories is the building block to address children's limited language use.
Chris Phillips, head teacher, Orchard Meadow Primary School, Blackbird Leys, Oxford

The storytelling programme is proving extremely effective in enriching pupils' imaginative powers and in improving writing.
Ofsted Report 2009 on Orchard Meadow school

children, parents and teachers

Better than telly/It gave me the biggest imagination/It was 10 out of 10/please come back

My son nagged me to take him to the library afterwards/My son said he'd had his best day ever at school. He told me the story of Little Red Riding Hood six times on the way home/A really inspiring experience

The children who normally mess about were totally transfixed - as were the rest of us/non-writing boys were particularly involved/Allowed the children to fly with their imaginations

culture providers

The Story Museum is an inspirational and exciting project for Oxford and one which is being developed with admirable skill.
Sarah Maxfield, Chief Executive, Oxford Inspires, the cultural organisation for Oxfordshire

The Arts Council's investments to date in the Story Museum have paid handsome dividends in terms of delivering and fulfilling our own priorities for children and young people. The organisation's willingness to listen and development of stimulating partnerships while sticking to its own fabulous vision is exemplary and we have been enormously impressed by the team's strategic grasp and creative zest. We have considerable hopes for the Story Museum and very much look forward to seeing it playing a major part in Oxford/Oxfordshire and the region's cultural life.
Keiren Phelan, literature officer, Arts Council, South East