By IW Galleries
Hundreds of children and their families were treated to a magical two days, encompassing stories, illustration, theatre, puppetry, live animal encounters and all manner of hands-on arts and crafts, at the inaugural IW Story Festival at the Riverside Centre, Newport.
Major attractions included sessions by some of the country’s best known and most loved children’s illustrators. They included Korky Paul, Nick Sharratt and the fabulous hat-wearing author and illustrator, Sarah McIntyre.
The IW Bat Hospital, shadow puppet theatre company, Emergency Turtle and local author Kieran Larwood also performed to sell-out crowds.
The event was a great showcase for the wealth of local writing, illustrating and storytelling talent on the Island. There were inspirational workshops from performance poet and cartoonist, Adam Gaterell, authors and illustrators Jules Marriner, Zoe Sadler and Peta Rainford, authors Debbie Webb, Kate Rossati and Paul Barrett and storytellers Sue Bailey and Paul Wilson of Sacred Isle.
Isle of Wight Observer 
Isle of Wight Observer