Storybox at Home: Enjoy a Free Storytime

Recreate in-person storytime with Storybox Australia! Due to the lockdown, libraries are closed and storytimes have been cancelled around the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Hunter region. While understandable, it’s disappointing for those families who regularly go to their local library or to Newcastle Museum to hear books being read aloud.

However, Storybox Australia is a great in-home alternative. It features 388 stories read by our favourite Australian storytellers and its completely free if you belong to a local library. It’s a fantastic at-home option and one that we hope that local families will use after the pandemic.

You can listen to Aaron Blabey read his books Pig the Pug, Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas, Noni Hazelhurst reading Jackie French’s Diary of a Wombat or Nick Cave lend his voice to The Ghost of Annabel Spoon.

There’s a variety of books that are suitable for preschool and primary aged children. It’s easy to scroll through the books or you can search for specific authors, themes or specific age groups using the filter.

Access via local libraries

To access this free storytime, you’ll need to log into Storybox Australia, select your library and enter your library card number.

If you’re a member of Newcastle Libraries, click here to access Storybox Australia.

If you’re a member of Lake Mac Libraries, click here to access Storybox Australia.

If you’re a member of Maitland City Library, click here to access Storybox Australia.

If you’re a member of Singleton Library, click here to access Storybox Australia.

You can watch on any internet-enabled device including phones and tables and it’s ad-free, safe, educational screen time.