Cat's Tales: helping children find their voice through stories

Z-arts is proud to be one of the Creative Health Partners, part of Live Well Greater Manchester‘s shared vision to make creativity and culture central to health and wellbeing by 2035.

Cat’s Tales is a 12-week creative storytelling programme for children aged 18–24 months and their families, supporting good early speech, language and communication development. Delivered in libraries by trained library teams, it brings together creative early years practitioners, speech and language professionals and library staff to create engaging, high-quality story sessions – in warm, welcoming places families already know and trust.

Meet Cat

At the heart of it all is Cat, a friendly library cat and story explorer. Each week, Cat sets off on a new adventure into a story, bringing along Cat’s Curiosity Case – a treasure trove of everyday materials that bring stories to life through play.

Sometimes Cat explores the same story more than once – and that’s the magic. Repetition strengthens the pathways in young brains, gives children the chance to practise words, and builds confidence through the familiar. The story stays the same, but the materials, songs and rhymes change each time, so there’s always something new to discover.

Janine & Cat – Z-arts Early Years Artistic Producer & Creative Oracy Project Co-ordinator

Why it matters

Some children need a bit more help finding their voice – and that support often arrives once needs have already escalated. Using evidence-based approaches, Cat’s Tales bridges the gap: playful, community-based speech and language support delivered early and close to home, in spaces that feel fun rather than clinical. Families get simple, practical tools and strategies to keep supporting their child’s development at home, including a copy of each book, a mini Cat of their own, and an activity book full of creative ideas to try together.

Where and when

Cat’s Tales will be piloted in Bolton and Salford libraries from September 2026, co-produced with artists, library teams, speech and language professionals, academics, and families themselves.