Long before there was ever a place called 'Seven Stories' there was a whole world of children's literature that was associated with the lower Ouseburn valley. This blog will tell the story of many of these books and the remarkable authors who created them. It will attempt to guide you round the settings that you can visit yourself and produce photographs that will conjure up the scenes for those of you that never found the time to make the actual visit.


Our visit starts on a snowy day in midwinter. We look down into a valley where the harsh remains of an industrial landscape have been softened by the remains of an overnight snow storm. The picture at the top of the page shows the same area from underneath the bridge. 'The Ship' is the first stage in our short walk that helps you to relive the stories associated with this remarkable and compact area. Before we reach the end we will have referred to the work of three North-Eastern Carnegie Medal winners.