Storytime Magazine: A UK Online Shop Bringing the Magic of Stories to Children
There are many things competing for a child’s attention.
Televisions. Tablets. Games consoles. Phones. Videos featuring somebody opening a box containing another box.
Sometimes, however, you simply want them to discover the pleasure of a really good story.
That is exactly the territory occupied by Storytime Magazine, a children’s publication built around stories, colourful illustrations and activities designed to encourage youngsters to enjoy reading.
Founded in 2014, Storytime has developed its distinctive formula around fairy tales, myths, fables, original fiction, real-life stories and other adventures. Each issue is designed to give children plenty to actually read, rather than filling the pages with advertising.
For parents, grandparents and gift buyers exploring UK online shopping for children, Storytime Magazine offers something refreshingly traditional with a modern presentation: stories arriving through the letterbox.
👉 Visit Storytime Magazine and explore subscriptions, back issues and children’s stories
What Is Storytime Magazine?
Storytime is a specialist children’s story magazine launched in 2014. The company describes its areas of expertise as children’s publishing, stories, education, teaching resources, audio stories and English literacy. Its content has also travelled internationally, with versions of Storytime appearing in countries including Australia, India, China and Singapore.
But the basic concept is wonderfully simple.
Give children great stories.
Illustrate them beautifully.
Make reading feel entertaining rather than like homework.
A typical issue combines multiple types of storytelling so that young readers aren’t presented with the same thing from beginning to end. Third-party subscription information currently describes each regular issue as containing eight stories, alongside puzzles, games and other activities.
There are classic tales alongside newer adventures, so parents may recognise some characters while children discover others for the first time.
And that is quite a nice combination.
You can introduce your child to traditional storytelling without having to read the same battered copy of one bedtime book for the 174th consecutive evening.
What Can You Buy from the Storytime Magazine Shop?
Storytime is slightly different from the typical UK online shop because its main product is reading material rather than conventional toys or gifts.
The current shop offers magazine subscriptions, back issues, magazine storage files and prints.
That gives shoppers several different ways to buy.
Storytime Magazine Subscriptions
A subscription is the obvious place to begin.
Rather than remembering to buy each edition separately, new issues can arrive directly through the post.
One particularly charming touch is that subscription copies are sent in a colourful envelope addressed to the child.
This may sound like a small detail.
It isn’t necessarily small when you’re six.
Adults receive bills, bank statements and leaflets offering to clean their gutters.
Children rarely receive post.
Having something colourful arrive with their own name on it can turn the magazine itself into a little event.
Storytime Back Issues
You don’t necessarily have to begin with the latest edition.
The Storytime Magazine shop also sells back issues, allowing families to pick up previous magazines they missed or build a larger collection.
This is especially useful because stories don’t really expire.
A good fairy tale from three years ago remains a good fairy tale today.
Dragons are famously unconcerned with publication dates.
What Kind of Stories Are in Storytime Magazine?
Variety is one of the publication’s biggest attractions.
Subscription descriptions highlight everything from dragons, unicorns and mermaids to spaceships, robots, heroes, animals, monsters and real-life stories.
The magazine also draws on traditional storytelling from different cultures.
Fairy Tales and Traditional Stories
Classic tales provide children with an introduction to characters and stories that have survived for generations.
These can be particularly enjoyable for adults reading aloud because there is often a moment of:
“Oh! I remember this one.”
Traditional stories also provide interesting opportunities to talk about how storytelling changes between countries, generations and different versions of the same tale.
Myths, Legends and Fables
Storytime’s back catalogue includes myths, legends, animal stories and fables. Previous collections have featured stories involving figures such as Merlin, Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts.
These are entertaining stories in their own right, but they can also introduce children to ideas and characters they may encounter later in literature, history and culture.
👉 Visit Storytime Magazine and explore subscriptions, back issues and children’s stories
Original Children’s Stories
It isn’t all traditional material.
Storytime publishes original fiction too, and its writer guidelines describe the magazine’s aim as publishing stories that entertain, engage and excite children.
That mixture helps prevent the publication from feeling like an illustrated collection of stories everybody already knows.
More Than Just Reading
Although stories are the main attraction, Storytime also incorporates puzzles, games and activities.
That is useful because not every child immediately wants to sit down and read several pages.
An activity can provide another route into the magazine.
A child might begin with a puzzle.
Notice an illustration.
Ask what the accompanying story is about.
And suddenly you are reading.
Sometimes encouraging literacy is less about announcing “NOW WE SHALL PRACTISE READING” and more about leaving interesting things within reach.
A Children’s Magazine Without Adverts
One feature that particularly stands out is Storytime’s no-advertising approach.
Subscription descriptions emphasise that the magazine contains no adverts and no plastic toys.
That gives Storytime a noticeably different proposition from children’s publications built partly around licensed merchandise and cover-mounted gifts.
Why Does an Ad-Free Children’s Magazine Matter?
Because the magazine’s pages can concentrate on the thing parents actually bought it for:
the content.
There is no need for a story about an enchanted forest to suddenly find itself sitting beside an advert for something your child immediately announces they desperately need.
It also means the value proposition rests primarily on writing, illustration and activities.
For parents deliberately looking for screen-free activities for children, educational gifts or children’s reading subscriptions, that could be a significant attraction.
Storytime and Children’s Literacy
The educational side of Storytime is important, but the magazine wisely approaches literacy through enjoyment.
Its broader work includes teaching resources, education publishing, English literacy and content adapted for reading materials and educational technology.
The magazine itself can help create opportunities for:
- Independent reading
- Reading aloud together
- Learning new vocabulary
- Discussing characters and plots
- Predicting what happens next
- Developing comprehension
- Discovering different types of stories
The crucial point is that none of this has to feel particularly educational to the child.
They’re following a pirate princess.
You’re thinking about reading comprehension.
Everybody wins.
Storytime Magazine as a Bedtime Reading Option
Despite the name, Storytime doesn’t have to be confined to bedtime.
But it is rather well suited to it.
A magazine containing multiple individual stories gives parents flexibility. You can choose something appropriate to the amount of time available rather than beginning another enormous chapter book at 8:17pm and immediately regretting your optimism.
Creating a Reading Routine
A simple regular reading routine can help make books and stories part of ordinary family life.
You might:
read one story before bed,
take turns reading paragraphs,
ask children to choose their favourite illustration,
or discuss what they think happens after the ending.
No worksheets required.
No formal lesson plan.
Just stories.
Which is, after all, how generations of people learned to love reading in the first place.
Beautiful Illustration Is Part of the Appeal
Children’s publishing isn’t only about words.
Illustrations help younger readers understand scenes, characters, emotions and events while giving emerging readers visual clues to accompany the text.
Storytime makes illustration a major part of its identity. Its review page highlights praise for both its stories and quality illustrations, while the company actively works with illustrators alongside writers.
That visual variety can be particularly helpful when encouraging reluctant readers.
A page that looks inviting has already won half the battle.
Storytime Magazine Review: Our Impressions from Research
Here comes the important disclaimer.
This isn’t a hands-on Storytime Magazine review.
We haven’t personally purchased a subscription for this article, watched the envelope arrive or tested the magazine with a household of young readers.
So we aren’t going to pretend otherwise.
What we can assess is the concept, published content, product range, company background and the features highlighted by subscribers and retailers.
And several things stand out.
👉 Visit Storytime Magazine and explore subscriptions, back issues and children’s stories
The Concept Is Refreshingly Focused
Storytime knows exactly what it is.
It is a children’s story magazine.
The emphasis on substantial reading material, rather than adverts and disposable cover gifts, makes the proposition unusually clear.
There’s Plenty of Variety
Multiple stories per issue mean a child who isn’t interested in one tale can simply try another.
Dragons not working today?
Try robots.
Robots apparently unacceptable?
Perhaps mythology.
The audience is demanding, but Storytime has options.
The Physical Format Has Its Own Charm
In an increasingly digital world, receiving an actual magazine addressed to the child has genuine appeal.
It creates anticipation and gives children something tangible to collect, revisit and keep.
What Do Other Readers Say About Storytime?
Storytime’s own review page includes praise from parents, educators and publishing figures for its combination of stories, illustrations, games and reading material.
It is worth noting, however, that the independent review footprint is currently much smaller than you might see for a large mainstream retailer. Trustpilot, for example, currently shows only a single review, which simply isn’t enough data to draw meaningful conclusions about overall customer experience.
That is why we would treat this as a researched overview rather than declaring:
“Five stars! Everybody loves it!”
There isn’t enough independent review volume to justify that.
The better indicators are the longevity of the publication, the substantial back catalogue and the fact that Storytime’s content has expanded internationally and into educational formats.
Storytime Magazine as a Gift
This may be one of the nicest ways to buy it.
A children’s magazine subscription is a gift that doesn’t really happen just once.
The first magazine arrives.
Then another.
Then another.
That makes it an interesting option for:
birthdays,
Christmas,
grandchildren,
nieces and nephews,
or children who already own approximately enough toys to open a small branch of Smyths.
A subscription also avoids adding another enormous plastic object to the bedroom floor.
Parents may appreciate this even more than the child.
Who Might Enjoy Storytime Magazine?
Storytime could be particularly appealing to families looking for:
- A children’s magazine subscription
- Stories for young readers
- Screen-free activities
- Bedtime stories
- Illustrated children’s stories
- Educational gifts for children
- Reading gifts for grandchildren
- Children’s literacy resources
- Fairy tales, myths and fables
- An advert-free children’s magazine
- A specialist UK online shop for children’s reading
Third-party retailers commonly describe the publication as aimed at children around 3 to 9 years old, although suitability naturally depends on whether an adult is reading aloud or the child is reading independently.
Storytime Magazine and UK Online Shopping
Storytime is a nice example of UK online shopping being about more than conventional products.
You aren’t simply buying paper.
You are buying a regular reason for a child to read.
The online store lets customers subscribe as well as purchase previous issues and related products, making it easy to build a collection rather than relying on finding each edition in a newsagent.
And unlike many purchases children quickly outgrow, stories can be revisited.
A favourite magazine can return to the bedside table months later.
Or be passed to a younger sibling.
Assuming the older sibling permits such outrageous interference with their personal property.
Is Storytime Magazine Worth a Look?
Based on our research, yes — particularly for parents, grandparents and gift buyers looking for a story-focused children’s magazine with an educational dimension and plenty of screen-free entertainment.
We cannot personally award it five stars without subscribing ourselves.
But the proposition has several strong points.
Storytime has been publishing since 2014.
Regular issues contain multiple stories plus puzzles and activities.
The magazine deliberately avoids advertising and plastic cover toys.
Its content spans traditional tales and original stories, with plenty of colourful illustration.
And the shop allows readers to go beyond a current subscription by purchasing back issues and related items.
For anyone interested in UK online shopping for children’s books, magazines and educational gifts, there is plenty here to explore.
Ready to Discover Storytime Magazine?
Perhaps you’re looking for something that might tempt a child away from a screen.
Maybe bedtime needs some fresh material.
Perhaps you want an educational gift that still feels like a treat.
Or perhaps you’ve reached the point where you can recite the current favourite bedtime book from memory — including the publisher’s copyright notice.
It may be time for some new stories.
👉 Visit Storytime Magazine and explore subscriptions, back issues and children’s stories
Choose a subscription.
Explore the back catalogue.
Find a comfortable reading spot.
And prepare to answer the traditional bedtime question:
“Can we have just one more story?”
This time, at least, you’ll have plenty to choose from.