Storytime Magazine Review & Give-Away

Last week a new national magazine launched for parents and their children to read and enjoy together. Storytime is packed with stories and tales for us parents to sit down and read with our kids. I like reading with Boo, and she is always eager to listen to new stories, so I suspected she’d enjoy a copy of this.

If you read my post last week, you’ll also be aware of Save the Children’s Read On. Get On. campaign, encouraging every parent to spend just ten minutes a day reading with their children. It’s something I feel passionately about, as I’m sure do many parents. Ten minutes is little to ask, yet reaps huge rewards. Apart from improving their literacy and prospects, it’s simply a pleasure to sit and snuggle down each day.

storytime magazine

A little about Storytime:

Storytime is a monthly magazine for kids filled with classic tales to read, love, share and treasure.

Every issue is packed with beautifully illustrated stories, including fairy tales, myths and legends, folk tales, fables, poems and rhymes, and stories from around the world. You’ll remember some of them from your own childhood and you can discover exciting new stories together too.

Plus, in every magazine, there’s an extract from a much-loved children’s book, story-inspired puzzles and activities, and top tips from our education and reading expert.

In the first edition, we have:
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Fairy Bride
The Hare and the Tortoise
Perseus and Medusa
The Owl and the Pussy-cat
Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
PLUS puzzles, activities and a game

My first thoughts on flicking through were very positive. There are no adverts, and the pledge is that there never will be, the pages feel thick and of a good quality and the illustrations and range of stories are brilliant.

Storytime magazine pages

As Boo had been at school all week, I’d planned to sit down at the weekend, and read one or two of the stories to her, and then pick and choose some through the week. It didn’t quite pan out like that, though, as she had me read every tale to her in the one sitting!

Reading Storytime

So, it’d be fair to say that Storytime has gone down well here! She enjoyed every story, particularly The Fairy Bride. We read about Perseus, which led to plenty of discussion as she’s not heard any myths before. It did then have her asking for a Greek Myths book when we were in a bookshop later that day, so I like how it’s given her a new taster of something which has really appealed to her and has her wanting to learn more.

Boo enjoyed every single page of this magazine. I have bought her the odd magazine here and there before, but we’ve not read it cover to cover like this before, and they all end up in the recycling box. These magazines are keepers, I feel, as the stories can be re-read and referred back to. They are great tales to enjoy, and at the same time, I feel like we’re expanding her general knowledge with the classic nature of these. With a good mix of fables, myths, fairy tales, poetry and folklore, we’re also reading a huge variety in just one magazine. We have chosen to take out a subscription, and we plan to keep each copy, so they’ll be re-read over and over, just as her books are. When Little Man’s that bit older, he’ll then be able to enjoy them, too. I also know that Boo will adore having post once a month to be excited about when she returns home from school. As you’ll have gathered, Storytime gets a big thumbs up from us!

You can find out more about Storytime on their website, including a preview of this month’s issue. It’s stocked in WHSmiths, Tesco, Sainsburys Morrisons, Waitrose and local newsagents. Of course, you could always just subscribe, as we’ve now done. Subscribers currently save 25% on the cover price and receive a free collector’s magazine file.

And for one of my lucky readers, I have a prize of a 3 months (so 3 issues) subscription to Storytime up for grabs. To enter, use the rafflecopter below, open to UK residents only, closes 6th October 2014. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think? What appeals to you about Storytime?

Disclosure: We received a free copy of Storytime for the purposes of this review, though all words and opinions remain my own. 

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72 thoughts on “Storytime Magazine Review & Give-Away”

  1. Elizabeth (Liz) Briggs

    Sharing traditional stories with my children which I had forgotten about from my childhood 🙂 Also my children getting excited about receiving a magazine through the post every month x

  2. I’ve seen a lot about this magazine on social media and have been waiting to hear what people think of it. I like like the sound of it a lot from what you say. It may be something I think about for Christmas for my eldest as subscriptions are a great gift that last year long 🙂

    1. Yes, exactly. We’ve ordered it for Boo as one of her birthday presents as that’s in a couple of weeks. The gift that keeps on giving! X

  3. These look like they would have more longevity than the other kiddies magazines which always end up ripping and finding their way into the recycling box!

  4. I love that the magazine is not full of junk like other magazines, this is something that I can sit with my boy and read together.

  5. Nice to see a magazine that’s not full of adverts and irrelevant things to what it’s supposed to have in it. It’s bright and colourful too. 🙂

  6. The lack of adverts definitely gets a big thumbs up, my daughter is starting to realised ads are things you can buy and is asking for everything she sees!

  7. That its more traditional, and that we can sit and read new material without the use of something electronic! x

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  9. Charlotte Carter-Dunn

    It’s nice to see an educational magazine that children can enjoy! A lot of children’s magazines are comic books or other nice bright colourful things that are entertaining but not much more. This is a great balance of both!!

  10. I like the new take on existing stories, this is the exactly the sort of thing that would appeal to my 4 year old son

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  12. I love the mix of stories included in one magazine, also the fact there isn’t adverts is a bonus as there is so much pressure on kids to have latest must haves as it is these days without an innocent magazine piling it on too. me & both of my little ones love to read. We are now at the stage with eldest that we read the book then look through again and she re-tells the story using pictures 🙂

  13. My son loves his bedtime story so it’s great that this gives us lots of new material. Even better than it’s not full of advertising so I can let him work out words for himself without a hundred things getting added to the Christmas list!

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