The magic of books is that you can get lost in another world. Punchdrunk theatre company has taken this to a new level with their enrichment project for children, The Lost Lending Library.

One of our most creative projects, SHINE supports The Lost Lending Library as it travels around the world in search of new stories to add to its collection. The fantastical library has 814 floors and 402 spiral side departments, making it the largest collection of books in the world. Along with the classics, it also houses some of the most precious books of all time; those written by the people who have visited the library and been inspired by its magic and mystery.

With the librarian Peabody to guide them, children are taken into the library that magically appears in their school a few days before with no explanation. Once inside children hear about the secrets of the library, and are told a fantastical story by Peabody that inspires their love of books and storytelling. They are then asked to write their own stories to add to the library’s collection, a task that has been taken on with much enthusiasm.

The results have been amazing, with teachers reporting that even the quietest children are desperate to talk about their experience, and are especially seeing the difference in those who have English as a second language, as they grasp for the right words to describe their adventure.

One pupil at Morningside School said it was the “Best. School. Day. EVER”, and a Deputy Head Teacher at Britannia Village says “the children still talk about it now and I truly hope that it will embed and nurture their curiosity!”

SHINE supports the library as one of our Innovation Projects, encouraging children to love reading and exercise their writing, language, and communication skills. To see some of our other Innovation Projects you can read about them here.