A remarkable story from Letchworth is helping shine a spotlight on the power of reading, imagination and storytelling during the National Year of Reading.
The Bestest Story in the World… Ever!, a new children's book by storyteller and author Chip Colquhoun, has been inspired by the real-life experience of an 11-year-old boy from Letchworth whose life was transformed after discovering a love of stories.
Published by Epic Tales®, the book tells the fictional story of Noah Whitewood, but its heart comes from the experiences of local boy Noah Shaw – a child who once struggled with literacy, rarely spoke at school and had little interest in books.
That all changed during lockdown.
During the pandemic, he began listening to Chip Colquhoun's bedtime stories as his mum read them aloud to his older sister. Within weeks, his family noticed an extraordinary change. The boy who had barely spoken in class started volunteering to tell stories aloud, performing character voices and even writing his own stories independently during breaktimes.
His headteacher was so surprised by the transformation that Noah's mum was called into school to talk about what had happened.
The answer was simple: Noah had fallen in love with stories.
Inspired by Noah's journey, Chip turned the experience into The Bestest Story in the World… Ever! – an adventure about finding confidence, creativity and your voice through storytelling.
The book is illustrated by 15-year-old Bethany D’Arcy, a student at Hope Tree School in Cambridge which specialises in providing education to autistic girls. Like Noah, Bethany also found new confidence after Chip shared stories at her school.
Chip says the experiences of Noah and Bethany reminded him exactly why storytelling matters.
“Stories changed Noah and Bethany’s lives in ways nobody expected. During the pandemic, when I was close to giving up storytelling altogether, hearing what happened to these students reminded me exactly why stories matter. The Bestest Story in the World… Ever! is for children who think books aren’t for them, because sometimes all it takes is one story to unlock something extraordinary.”
The book was officially launched at David's Bookshop in Letchworth on Friday, bringing together local families to celebrate a story with strong roots in the Garden City.
Ahead of the launch, Chip joined Breathe Radio to talk about Noah's inspiring story, the importance of storytelling and oracy, and why reading is about much more than simply picking up a book.
As a professional storyteller before becoming an author, Chip believes children experience stories in many different ways – through listening, speaking and sharing stories as well as reading them on the page. That message fits perfectly with this year's National Year of Reading, which encourages families to rediscover the joy of reading in all its forms.
Reflecting on the campaign, Chip said:
"We enjoy things that are good for us. We enjoy sharing imaginative stories because it is good for us."
His message comes at a time when reading for pleasure has been declining among children, making initiatives like the National Year of Reading an opportunity to help young people reconnect with books, storytelling and imagination.
Here in Letchworth, stories like Noah's show why helping children discover a love of reading is such an important part of making our town a Great Place to Grow Up. Reading is about much more than literacy – it helps children build confidence, communication skills, imagination and self-belief, giving them the tools to thrive both in school and beyond.
Noah's journey is a powerful reminder that every child connects with stories differently, and that finding the right story – or the right storyteller – can unlock something extraordinary.
You can listen to Chip Colquhoun's interview on Breathe Radio and find out more about how Letchworth is celebrating the National Year of Reading through Discover Letchworth's Letchworth Reads Together campaign.
